I had such high hopes and VE Schwab did not disappoint!

The book was atmospheric, had well developed characters and so many twist and turns, especially at the end that it kept me so hooked.

Whilst I did find Alice boring at first, she had such a great arc and really grew on me by the end.

If you loved Addie LaRue then you’ll definitely love this one! Very similar vibes but just added vampires and toxicity.

Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil was such a good read. This is very character driven spanning hundreds of years with multiple povs. I love a good vampire novel and didn't want to put this down. This is filled with obsession, love, lust, grief, anger, revenge and toxic relationships. I enjoyed seeing the different povs of the girls and how they felt after they'd been turned and how that changed their lives. This was beautifully written and ill definitely be picking up more books by this author.

I am obsessed with this book 🖤 toxic vampires? Yes please.

I was sucked into its world from the first page and I couldn’t put this book down.

This has been one of the best books I have read this year.. it was just exquisite. Seriously, if you haven’t read this book this is your sign to do it as you don’t want to miss this.

Thank you so much @panmacmillan @tor for my net galley arc

First I would like to say thank you to NetGalley for the Early access, all opinions are my own.

Wow, what can I say? Who doesn’t love a sapphic vampire story! I’ve been dying for an iconic vampire book since I read the twilight series in my teens and I think this book filled the gap!

This book follows 3 women as they all have a problem,
They are full of fury, want and freedom. The women in this story are all consumed by roles they didn’t choose, driving the story is the exploration of predator and prey, who fears me now for I am both 👀

The atmosphere in this book is eerie and dark, but filled with moments of light and anticipation. However some parts of this book the pacing was quite slow, it was paced well at the beginning, died out in the middle for a bit and picked back up towards the end. I mean the timeline spans centuries there is a lot to pack in and Schwab did it well.

I love a bit of female rage so I was bound to love this 4.5 stars!

A dark fascinating tale that spans centuries and continents, author V.E Schwab effortlessly switches timelines & ultimately brings her characters together across centuries for a final showdown. If you love rich historical detail, flawed yet likeable characters, vampire lore, queer love and revenge then you will want to read this!

Dark, haunting, and beautifully written, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a lyrical journey through grief, family secrets, and magic. Schwab’s storytelling mesmerises with eerie atmosphere and emotional depth. A must-read for fans of dark fantasy.

Wow. This story crept into my soul and then settled into my bones where it will live forever. This. This is how you write vampires! I loved the themes - head, heart, hunger. I truly think I’ll ponder this book for the rest of my life, it’s perfectly haunting and utterly visceral. Bury my bones in whatever soil this came from, I want to relive it again and again.

I knew this would be a super read from page one. As usual Schwab's writing just sinks you into the place and time and you forget you're reading a book. Instead a perfect piece of cinema unfolds in your mind. I devoured this book. When I put it down, I found myself thinking about the characters, wanting to know more. I am officially sick of the romantasy era where sex is used as an excuse not to bother with character development and am always delighted when someone manages to build complex characters, yet the physical side of the relationship is a minor, peripheral element and only written about when necessary. The balance in this was perfect.
This story was dark, decadent and delicious. It took Anne Rice's vampires and gave them curves and claws for the modern age. Perfect!

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is at once a one-of-a-kind story, and a book that perfectly inscribes itself in the lineage of Gothic, vampire stories that came before. V. E. Schwab has described it multiple times as a book about toxic lesbian vampires, and I can only agree, but there is so much more to the book than merely this aspect. It’s about lesbians, and the struggle that comes with liking women during periods when it is highly frowned upon and when women have barely any choice in regards to marriage. It’s about toxicity in relationships and codependency. It’s about freedom and agency, and the cost they come with. It’s about time and mortality, like any good vampire story is.

As always, V. E. Schwab executes all these themes with great skill, never being too heavy, and giving us enough that we can do the thinking for ourselves, that we can reflect on our own on what these characters represent and what story they are trying to tell. I greatly appreciated the fact that, in this age of self-censorship and constant respectability politics, Schwab doesn’t shy away from representing women—lesbians, on top of that—doing horrible deeds. Women being toxic, women being violent, women being morally reprehensible. Women not fitting patriarchal standards, women not being soft and pliant, women living for themselves.

In the end, Schwab writes a story of womanhood, of the violence that is too often needed to have agency, of what the world demands of women. She expertly intertwines three storylines taking place in different time periods so that, bit by bit, the entire story is revealed to us. The characters, each with their own, distinct personality, are vivid, moving of their own accord onto the page, imprinting themselves onto the mind until we can’t possibly let go.

I would have liked to have more time with Alice, the third woman in this story, because I truly think she had a lot of potential, but the way the story is constructed makes it so that her point of view is necessarily the shortest. I also would have appreciated it if the ending were longer, more drawn out. As it was, it felt a bit rushed, and the climactic tension did not have enough time to build in my opinion.

Nonetheless, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a brilliant and engaging story that I am sure will appeal to fans of vampires and V. E. Schwab, and is bound to become a staple of vampire literature.

Thank you to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I love vampires so much, I have such a high bar for them - and these were some messy, bloody, toxic and seductive vampires. I've got another redhead vampire to love alongside Armand now - Sabine did nothing wrong 😔

In all seriousness, Sabine, Charlotte & Alice were each wonderful in their own way. Particularly enjoyed V.E Scwab putting her knowledge of Scotland to good use - Alice' life felt very real to me. Sabine was ruthless and charming and she can eat me if she wants. Charlotte was a throw back to Louis du pont du lac with her dislike of killing humans and gradual hatred of her maker.

The classic vampire references were frequent enough to keep me happy - we don't always have to reinvent the wheel with these things! At the same time these vampires felt uniquely Schwab's. I loved it. If you liked Addie la Rue you will love this - but equally I think if Addie wasn't your vibe, Bones has a bit more grit and action that might keep you hooked.

As a longtime fan of V. E. Schwab, I was so excited for this book, like, sapphic vampires? Yes, please! A Darker Shade of Magic is one of my all-time favorite books, and I adored Monsters of Verity, but lately, I’ve struggled to connect with Schwab’s newer works. Unfortunately, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil was no exception.

I pushed through the first 25%, hoping it would click, but I just couldn’t get invested. The characters didn’t grip me, the pacing felt slow, and the writing, while undeniably beautiful, lacked the emotional pull that made me fall in love with her earlier books. The dialogue, in particular, felt sparse at times, leaving me detached from the story.

I really wanted to love this, especially with such a compelling premise, but it just wasn’t for me. That said, I know many readers are eagerly anticipating it, and some of my friends have enjoyed it, so your mileage may vary! If you loved The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue or Vicious, you might vibe with this one more than I did. For now, though, I’m setting it aside.

DNF at 25%

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the eARC.

This book is marketed as toxic lesbian vampires (which it most certainly is), but it is so much more! This novel is character driven, switching pov’s and time period but at no point did the pace falter or the storyline dull. The depth this story provides and the level of emotion behind every character and demonstrated true depth to V.E.Schwab’s writing. It was a truly beautiful exploration of sexuality, womanhood and the meaning of humanity.
A truly unique and absolutely beautiful novel.

What a book this was. Amazing from start to finish. V. E. Schwab threads a story centuries apart, with three strong (super gay and hot) women. I am in love with the dark and twisted ambience throughout the book. Although the ending would have felt short in any other book scenarios, it somehow works perfectly for this book, having read all about the history that got us to this last scene. This is my second book by this author, and I am very excited to go back in her library of already released books to read more of her stories. I definitely recommend if looking for a dark gay vampire story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This is an epic spanning centuries, a story of women shaped by desire, defiance, and the hunger for more. Their lives echo across time—bound by secrets, sacrifice, and the fire of female rage.

From 1532 Spain to 1827 London to 2019 Boston, Sabine, Charlotte, and Alice each make bold, dangerous choices in pursuit of freedom and love. Sabine is driven by her hunger, Charlotte is driven by her heart and Alice her head.

This is a very tricky book for me to review because it is objectively excellent, the writing is as beautiful as always with V. E. Schwab. Lyrical, engrossing and endlessly impressive to me. However, I did not get what I wanted or expected from this book based on the tagline ‘Toxic Lesbian Vampires’. To me this made it sounds like a campy fun sexy kind of book but in actuality I found it deeply sad.

For me the pacing was too slow and chopping back and forth between the FMCs disrupted the flow. If I compare it to the way the story of Addie LaRue jumped back and forth I think the reason this didn’t work for me in the way that it did in Addie maybe was having 3 women’s instead of just one. It’s hard to say.

That being said I was captured and sucked into the story and was invested in Sabine, Charlotte & Alice’s stories. I loved how complex they were as characters. Even though Sabine was meant to be the villain she wasn’t purely villainous, she was so much more and I enjoyed that.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, but I would say that if you’re a mood reader like me, then it’s important to know that it has some deeply sad parts and Is very much character driven with lyrical writing and that is what you should be in the mood for.

How is it that I can be fairly ambivalent to Alien Romance, yet 100% onboard with Sapphic Vampire Whateverthisis?

There wasn’t so much a plot as a meandering journey, but I find myself entirely satisfied.

Lush and atmospheric settings, fleshy, morally grey characters, and lore – both common and not so – made this one of my favourites of 2025 so far.

Thank you so much to the lovely Olivia-Savannah, Book Break UK & Tor Books UK for my beautiful copy and for having me on the tour! 💖

Honestly, I’m not sure if obsessed is a strong enough word for how I feel about this book! It was absolutely brilliant, I loved it so much!

As soon as I saw it was about toxic lesbian vampires I knew I was going to love it and this is definitely the embodiment of I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs 🤣

I got so invested in these three lives (or should I say afterlives 😉) & V.E.Schwab has such a beautiful way of writing that evokes such powerful emotions! I was so enthralled I literally read half of this book in one sitting & I don’t think I’ve ever gasped so much when reading!

I really enjoyed the writing format, it was so interesting how each POV was in a different time period and we got to learn about each of the characters individually before their paths collide.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is an extraordinary read that I loved - it’s time to get back into my vampire phase again! 💖

You had me at 'toxic lesbian vampires' but I stay for another stand out narrative from Victoria. Once again she has written and beautifully poetic tale, centred around three unique women, who have their own voices - even if they are a bit unreliable at times.

Didn't think anything could match Addie LaRue...but then Bones came along.

“We are the echoes of every version of ourselves that’s ever lived. The only difference is whether we choose to listen.”

Three girls. Three centuries. One violet haired girl who weaves herself through each of their lives like a curse, or maybe a prayer. What binds them is not just time but hunger. For freedom. For love. For more.

And the soil? The soil remembers.

This was a tangled, feral bouquet of stories told across generations, braided through bloodlines and buried truths. It follows three women:
María (1521),
Charlotte (1827),
and Alice (2019)
each navigating the weight of love, power, and identity in different centuries, all tied together by one thing: Lottie, the girl with the violet curls and a hunger that defies time.

What begins as a haunting slow burn builds into something hypnotic, drenched in atmosphere and aching with beautiful rot. I didn’t care for Alice for most of the book BUT when I tell you that final 2% hit like a freight train of poetic justice? BRILLIANT. Utterly, bone deep brilliant.

“She is not a ghost. She is not a dream. She is simply the echo of a girl who didn’t get to live the life she should have had. A girl who still wants things.”

🌙 Tropes You’ll Devour:
🦇 Toxic immortal girl obsession
🕯️ Historical sapphic longing
💔 Lover as both salvation and curse
🥀 Haunted timelines + the gothic feminine
🌪️ The “you belong to me in every life” energy

The themes in this book bloomed like bruises. I was so convinced I’d be team Sabine until the end?!
The PAY OFF? I howled.

if you’re the kind of reader who likes your romance tragic, your timelines tangled, and your heroines haunted, you will not stop thinking about this one.

Read it. Then bury it. But know,it will come back for you.

Wow amazing! Had never read anything by this author before but definitely will now. Normally steer clear of anything verging on historical fiction but every timeline was gripping and totally engrossing. A beautiful story, loved it

V.E. Schwab is one of the best authors of our time!


This book will cradle you, draw you in, have its teeth in you, until you are compelled and won't stop reading. Beautiful prose, incredible characters, story that spans centuries, and sapphic, vampire romance, Tell me what more can one want. I loved the learning curve of these women, I loved seeing the world through their eyes, seeing how lives of women changed and haven't changed in 500 years. My only qualm with this book is that after all that build-up, the end feels a little anticlimactic, but I do realise its intentional and serves a goal. Somehow after all these pages read, I needed more.

4.25