"Time makes poets out of all of us."
"Where others rot without, we rot within."
"Careful. In nature, beauty is a warning. The pretty ones are often poisonous."
So many great quotes i couldn't choose one!
4.5 stars!

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil surprisingly marks my second Victoria E. Schwab read, following The Secret Life of Addie LaRue. I had been holding off on reading Vicious, but when I received an ARC of this book, I couldn’t resist diving in.
A "toxic lesbian vampire" story is definitely what this is, despite the slow start. I found the build-up enjoyable, and the chaotic resolution at the end was absolutely thrilling.
While reading, I felt an atmospheric nod to Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (whether intentional or not). However, Schwab’s writing style is much more feminine and striking, which gave the story its own distinct flavour.
I don’t typically enjoy books with dual timelines, and at the start, this one did feel somewhat disjointed. However, small clues hinted at a connection later on, though I did feel as though I was reading two very different novels at times. When I eventually reached the point of connection, I was completely off in my predictions about how Sabine and Alice were linked, which is a testament to Schwab’s excellent storytelling.
The descriptions of the transformation from human to creature—and ultimately to vampire—were compelling and oddly satisfying to read. She made you feel the ache of the Sun as an illness, and the feel of a door not yet invited into as an intense pressure.
Victoria E. Schwab portrays killing, particularly in Sabine’s case, as an act of freedom. She almost romanticizes it, setting the stage for the other girls’ experiences as vampires and their struggles with empathy towards humans.
Also have to add, my favourite chapter had to be Maria reborn into Sabine which was an iconic girl boss moment.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read one of my most anticipated books of the year!

Schwab has done it again. An enchanting, mysterious, and deeply engrossing novel that somehow flips the script on the vampire novel, Bury Our Bones is incredible. Utterly unputdownable until the very end.

Solid book. I love vampires and lesbians so this ticked boxes for me. Do I think that this book is that different from Interview with a Vampire? No. Do I think that if you've read that you'll be like "Is this LeStat and Louis but ladies?" Yes.

V.E. Schwab has done it again, weaving a mesmerizing tale that spans centuries with exquisite detail. The three vampires at the heart of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil are richly drawn, each with depth and nuance that make their stories unforgettable, all captured in Schwab’s signature, spellbinding style.

When I first started this, I really enjoyed it but it soon became so repetitive and eventually I hated every character to exist in it. The writing was beautiful as always, but I don't know I don't enjoy vampires and this book was LOOOOONG. If you like Addie LaRue, you'll probably enjoy this.

**Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC!

I didn't know I needed a vampire book in my life, but it seems I did. Alternative time lines and POVs kept this one interesting.

When I started reading it was slow going because I hadn't yet been hooked into the story. Then I read slowly because the writing is so beautiful that I wanted to savor each word; pausing frequently to highlight phrases that captured my attention. By the end, I was reading slowly because I didn't want to finish. But end it must, and afterwards I was left staring at the ceiling, bereft and processing this journey. As I sit here trying to process what I've just read and cobble it into a review, the words swirling in my brain are: haunting, lyrical, thoughtful, atmospheric, immersive, sad, timeless.

Three stories are intertwined and weave their way through the centuries. Maria, Charlotte, and Alice are all interesting and full-fleshed out characters yearning for more. The story is character driven, slowly meandering with haunting prose as it twines their stories together. It is quietly powerful and slow to build, full of love, loss, anger, yearning, and hunger. It's both thoughtful and thought-provoking; hauntingly lyrical and by the end was un-put-downable.

Schwab has a plethora of fans thanks to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and here's my take: if you're looking for Addie 2.0, this isn't that. There will never be another Addie, and this is not intended to be a replica. Bury Our Bones is a masterpiece in its own right, darker and more visceral, with a unique storyline and complicated characters. Highly recommend.

V.E. Schwab put her soul into this. The characters were so fleshed out & compelling that you couldn't help but love & hate them viscerally. This is a lengthier novel that takes you through time with your characters. For that reason there may be places in time that feel drawn out or mundanely repetitive, but such is the nature of immortal life.
As someone who has grown up in a time of vampiric media, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil scratched that itch for me. Schwab plays around with the classic lore while also making her rules.
Overall Schwab has BLESSED us with Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. My expectations were high and exceeded.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

Six out of 5 stars!!! The best book I have read all year. Maybe in my whole life?

No but everything about this book was perfect, from the writing, to the characters, to the way the storyline flowed. V.E. Schwab made me feel so immersed in the story with this one.

Reading this book was an emotional ride, one that left me both satisfied and deeply moved. V.E. Schwab has once again proven her remarkable ability to craft a story that goes beyond just a plot, creating a connection to both the characters and the readers themselves.

The emotions within this book are palpable, from grief to rage, love to loneliness, and moments of hope scattered throughout. Schwab expertly intertwines the stories of three women, Maria, Sabine, and Alice, each from a different era, yet each one struggling with a similar hunger that drives them in ways that are both compelling and complex. The way these characters are developed with their individual struggles and desires make it impossible not to feel deeply invested in their journeys.

This isn’t a fast-paced, action-packed book; it takes its time, allowing the lyrical prose to sweep you up and captivate your attention. There’s a tenderness to the relationships between the characters that is quietly powerful, and the intimate moments between them carry a sense of longing that is beautifully portrayed.

The slower pace allows you to truly take in the details and reflect on each character's path, making the experience all the richer. This is a book that begs to be read slowly, savored, and appreciated for the depth of its characters and themes. When you reach the end, you’ll realize there's no way to rush the journey, since that's what really sticks with you.

For a book I’d been eagerly anticipating all year, it didn’t disappoint in the least. It was everything I hoped for and more. V.E. Schwab clearly poured her heart and soul into this work, blending elements from her past writing into something that feels uniquely her own. If you’re a fan of her work, this book is a must-read, and if you’re new to her writing, it’s an excellent place to start.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in return for my honest review!!

V.E. Schwab can do no wrong in my eyes!! 😮‍💨😮‍💨 wow I cried, I laughed, I giggled and was kicking my feet! This gave me everything and more !!! What an amazing compelling story! Beautifully written and executed to perfection. So atmospheric, so gripping. If you haven’t preordered this book PLEASE do your self a favor and do it!! This gave me the dowry of blood plus the invisible life of Addie larue ! Pure perfection!

V.E. Schwab has been one of my favourite authors since I read Addie Larue. I never could have imaged she would write a vampire novel and I’m so here for it! I loved the hints of gothic horror and would highly recommend this novel to anyone!

I am so thankful to have gotten my hands on a physical ARC (thank you, Tor!) and an eARC (thank you NetGalley!).

This book gave me Addie LaRue vibes which I loved, but also stood all its own. We follow 3 ladies at different stages of their vampire journeys, traveling through the past and the present. I figured their stories would eventually connect, and connect they do! They are all strong, fiercely angry, angsty ladies that you loved or loved to hate.

I do feel like it was a bit long though. The vampire journeys (and chase) spanned over centuries. & also, the ending felt a bit too easily wrapped up and convenient after such a long book.

I am full, yet I am still hungry.

Reading this book left my heart bursting while also carving out an empty piece that can only be filled in the shape of this book. VE Schwab always knows how to write a book that becomes more than just a story but a love letter to the characters and to the readers.

As you read this book, you are able to feel the grief, rage, love, loneliness, and hope that covers these pages and bleeds on to every person that touches it. From Maria to Sabine to Alice, the interwoven stories and the unraveling of themselves, you learn to love and to hate how three different women, from three separate time periods, have a hunger so deep it courses through them equally.

This book is not action packed but instead filled with lyrical and poignant writing that captivates you, body and soul. The yearning throughout this book feeds your hunger. The relationships between the characters are sensual and intimate, leaving your heart almost bursting.

The slow paced nature of the books has you gliding through the pages, letting you get the chance to savor the details embedded in the characters and journey they each have to take to become and become undone. I suggest you take your time reading this book because there is nothing like it once you have finished.

For being one of my most anticipated reads of the year, I can confidently say it was everything I could want and more. VE Schwab poured all the pieces of herself into creating this masterpiece, plucking out individual details from all her separate works and translated them into ‘Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil.’ VE Schwab has always been one of my favorite writers, but this has solidified her spot.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“I am still here.” I love Schwab’s books. I always love them. They always haunt me and I continue to think of them long after I’ve read them. I’m not sure I’ve been as consumed by one as I was with this one though. I didn’t want it to end but I couldn’t stop reading to see how it ended. I took a day off work to keep reading it. Beautifully written, giving you insight into each mind. This book is full of breaking and making and rebreaking, and in the end always still being here. Finding strength to be new and step into newness even when it hurts and even when you’re afraid.

"The only thing rolling off this man is confidence. He is so sure which of them is predator, and which is prey."

This book is everything and ya'll are not ready. I never anticipated this book would hit as hard as it did, even while sitting at the peak of my highly anticipated titles list. I expected to be entertained. I expected to love the characters and the world they live in. But what I actually got was a masterpiece. And one of the best standalones I've ever read.

What I actually got was a read as beautiful and poetic as it is biting and tragic. A passionate story dripping with feminine rage and the innate and desperate desire to live a life unchained and vibrantly alive. A celebration of autonomy and a reclamation of power. A book that left me with a beautifully fragile feeling of hopefulness, which feels unfortunately timely given today's world. It's unapologetically sapphic and painfully beautiful. It's messy and toxic and euphoric, sometimes in turn, sometimes all at once.

The worldbuilding is atmospheric and incredibly immersive. The storytelling is intricate and twisty with some of the most balanced multi-POV characters I've ever experienced. Every character is equally fascinating and fully fleshed out. I wanted to spend my time with all of them rather than wishing to rush anyone's story to get back to someone else's. While that's an obvious credit to good writing, it also helps that each character is integral to the growth of the others. Every timeline intertwines so carefully that you can't truly understand any one main character without also understanding the others.

And while the storytelling is breathtaking, the characters really are what makes this book shine as brightly as it does. We watch these characters experience such a unique perception of time and witness how it changes them. How a split second of time or a seemingly insignificant decision can alter reality forever. We see how simple pleasures can become mundane. How loving relationships can devolve into obsession. How trauma shapes us all and the many ways, both quiet and loud, that those same traumas can manifest and shape who we become. How all the emotions that make someone human can ebb away until only the most vile parts remain. How someone can be impossibly powerful, yet still vulnerable and insecure in the face of a changing world and an uncertain future.

I wasn't ready for this book. I wasn't ready for all the things it made me think and feel. But I know I'll be thinking about it for a long, long time to come. A true triumph for V. E. Schwab and I can't wait for you all to experience it. Please come scream off the rooftops with me.

Forever grateful to Tor for sending an ARC as part of a library marketing campaign. ily til the end of time, Tor.

**Quote taken from an uncorrected bound manuscript. Text may vary from final published copy.

Schwab's entry into the vampire genre is clumsy at best, boring at worst. While the prose wants to be sweeping and elegant it's completely overwritten and about 200 pages too long. I couldn't quite understand the character's motivations at times, especially Sabine toward the end of the novel. It felt very one-note to have her become a comic book villain after spending an entire century with Charlotte. It's difficult to write a truly toxic romance, and this book fails on all fronts. Ultimately, Schwab seeks to answer boring questions without posing anything new or of value.

Amazing!! Wasnt a fan of the invisible life of addie larue but this made me fall in love with ve schwabs writing style. The plot eas executed to perfection and i loved the different plotlines. Looking forward to getting a physical copy once it get published!!

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil truly is V.E. Schwab's literary follow up to the phenomenon that is The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue. Sabine, Charlotte, and Alice will have you frothing at the mouth for more well after their story has ended. This book is truly dripping in bloody soil, growing a dark flower with teeth.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab is a haunting, atmospheric tale that lingers long after the last page. Schwab’s prose is as poetic as ever, weaving together grief, longing, and the weight of history with a dreamlike quality that feels both intimate and otherworldly. The characters are raw and aching, their stories unfolding like whispered secrets in the dark. It’s a book that doesn’t just ask to be read—it demands to be felt. Beautiful, eerie, and utterly unforgettable.