thank you to netgalley for providing me with this arc.

No fantasy author writes quite like V.E Schwab. Anything this woman writes, I will read. That being said I clearly did not read the blurb of the book that well because I found myself being surprised at every turn (they were mentioned on the back cover). I think that taking a character like Maria and having her go from powerless to the most powerful, all while being corrupted by her power is so complicated that I kept wanting more. Power corrupting someone who was once weak and without power is such a compelling story to see played out, especially a story that takes place over hundreds of years. Lottie wanted to escape, she didn't want the same power that Maria had wanted, and I think that knowing the future for Lottie and what she went through made every thing that Alice went though so much more tragic. Alice just wanted to live, even though she wasn't really living prior to the story getting started. Alice was sad and angry for so long and what Maria/Sabine did to her as some kind of revenge fantasy plot was beyond disturbing.
I didn't want to book the book down and I felt like the book was slowly making me feel intoxicated the more I read.

Bury Our Bones was nothing short of spectacular.

Leave it to VE Schwab to give us sensual lesbian love stories while also making them dark, heart wrenching, and oh so toxic.

Thank you so so much Tor publishing and VE Schwab for the arc. This book has changed me fundamentally.

I tried to prolong finishing this story as long as I could because I didn't want it to end. I also couldn't stop reading. I will be thinking about these characters and this story for a long time to come.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I'll definitely be picking up my signed first edition when this comes out in June and carrying it in my bookstore!!

Another magical story from V.E. Schwab. She's a pro at writing devastating women. I was a really big fan of the protagonist in this one. I certainly wasn't expecting a tale about ruthless lesbian vampires, but I'm not complaining.

V.E. Schwab just knows how to crawl under your skin and make a home there. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is haunting in the way only Schwab can pull off—lyrical, eerie, and lingering long after the last page. This book is a gothic, sapphic, vampiric fever dream, filled with quiet horror, grief-soaked prose, and the kind of atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re being watched by something just outside your periphery.

Wow people weren't joking when they said this gave off big "Interview with the Vampire" vibes but make it lesbians! I'm a big fan of V.E. Schwab's series, but I had been only lukewarm about "The Secret Life of Addie LaRue" so I wasn't sure how I would feel about another one-off. I think the thing that makes Schwab's series great is that there's time to build on all of the characters, but there isn't as much of a chance to do that with a one-off.

I think that Sabine and Charlotte were developed very nicely, with both of them being complex characters but Alice I feel fell flat for me. I wasn't as interested in her story as I was Sabine and Charlotte's, so each time one of Alice's chapters rolled around, I was hurrying through to get back to the characters I enjoyed more. That's not to say that Alice's role didn't have its place, but I feel like more time could have been spent on her, whereas I feel we only got that character development towards the final arc of the novel.

I would say though, that if you're looking for sapphic vampires, you don't need to look further than "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil" because Sabine and Charlie certainly fit the part. However, if you enjoyed the Shades of Magic series more, you might be slightly disappointed.

I've been chasing the feeling I got from Interview With a Vampire for years. I should have known V.E. Schwab would be the one to deliver. I was pulled in by the "Toxic Lesbian Vampire" tag line, and I stayed for Alice. This book feels incredibly unique and a breath of fresh air in a tidal wave of similar storytelling. Schwab seems to effortlessly weave through time and stories and ties it all together in a gut-wrenching bow.

This is one of those books that you finish with a sense of relief, satisfaction, and confusion that its all over! The pacing takes a bit to get into with the changing of perspectives but once the threads start to come together you can't stop turning the page!

I wouldn't say I loved it as much as Addie LaRue but I so admire how Schwab writes women and their experiences and desires in the world. The building of feelings through different years and historical context is done in such a unique way. And if you are looking for a fresh and invigorating take on vampires then this would be a perfect selection!

Thank you publishers and Netgalley for the ARC!

a compelling and fearless story that sank its teeth into me and refused to let go - i think this is my new favorite V.E. Schwab book!

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil follows three women whose stories intertwine over the course of 500 years. It’s a story of desperation, loneliness, all-consuming love, rage, betrayal, and the insatiable hunger for more, and feels like a darker version of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but with toxic, sapphic vampires.

This is a character-driven tale that gains momentum as the book progresses, told in third-person with a non-linear structure. The complexity of the relationships was so well-crafted (I truly experienced a rollercoaster of emotions), with each connection layered in toxic love, longing, and the desperate desire for agency.

I also had the privilege of listening to V.E. Schwab chat about this book at the tea hosted by Tor Books last week, and she was so candid and passionate. She discussed how she hopes this book will open more doors in the publishing industry for nuanced, complex stories centered around queer women, and I really hope it does too!!

Also, I just wanted to say that the title —Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil—captures the dark, evocative tone of the story SO PERFECTLY and I love how unique it feels in today’s fantasy landscape.

Thank you so much to Tor and NetGalley for the e-ARC, can’t wait for more people to read this one!!

For years I have missed the feeling that Addie gave me to read, and I thought it would be ages before I found one that hit me the same way. AND YET here we are, and from the same beloved author. This book was immaculate. It was enrapturing, and I couldn't look away. The writing was so lyrical and the story so engaging, I found myself following along with anxiousness on what might happen next. I LOVED the vampire lore, it felt so unique and original but in the ORIGINAL sense, like maybe this is how vampires actually are. I want a glow in the dark ARC of this one so badly lol.

With every book she writes, VE Schwab demonstrates why I’ll read every book she writes. Normally, I wait to read an advanced copy until a month or so before pub date, but with Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, I couldn’t wait longer than January (it comes out in June).

Bones has the heart and voice of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but it’s darker and, as Schwab says, hungrier. In this novel, we have three main characters born (and turned) at different points in history, all queer women, all impossible to look away from. The story spans centuries, as all the best stories do.

I savored it over the course of a month, sinking in every time I opened the book. Prose, pacing, plot, character — Schwab truly does it all and does it better than most. I will never get over how she can write stories that feel wholly unique and yet also like coming home to the reader you are in your heart.

As I read it, I most deeply felt that this book was about the parts of ourselves we give up in taking what we want, and how even the best intentions don’t come without accountability — and yet the defiant hope in those exact same things, in persisting, in the pursuit of a life you chose. But I also had the great joy of attending a small, early press event, and so I got to hear Schwab talk about how it’s also about the intoxication of being seen, particularly as a queer person, and so much more.

Be warned, there’s plenty of death and blood here — it IS about vampires, after all. But even if that’s not usually your thing (it’s not usually mine), I think you will love this book as much as I did.

Gay vampires? Sign me up! I really like the way Schwab does characters, really fleshing them out over long stretches of time. While the pacing is slower than I normally read, the story is definitely worth it

I’m always a sucker for vampire stories (hah, sucker—get it?), and this one is no exception. Toxic lesbian vampires? Say no more. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab weaves together the stories of three women across time, unraveling their connections in a way that had me hooked from start to finish. I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorites of 2025, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy when it drops later this year.

VE Schwab has done it again. This book was riveting, from start to finish. It mixes history and vampire lore with strong, interesting female characters. You’re reading along and wondering how the stories will intertwine, and the plot plays out in such a satisfying way. This book was similar to Addie LaRue in that it spans decades, characters with so much time on their hands that they don’t know what to do with it. It is unique from Addie, though, in the way that the ending is wide open, and you want to read as fast as you can to see how it ends.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil! The way I squealed when I was approved for this ARC. Vampires, historical POVs, and 2SLGBTQIA+ themes all written by V.E Schwab? Sign me up! If you are a fan of Schwab’s breadth of work, this is for you. It had the lyrical writing of Addie Larue combined with the morally grey nuance of Vicious (yes please). Three powerful women who all deal with their circumstances in drastically different, and perhaps controversial, ways. I followed each of their stories with rapt attention, and it was fascinating to see it all come together. The premise was well executed and ultimately SO interesting. I cannot wait to read this one again!

Overall I really loved this. The vampire lore was so interesting and now I want to read a bunch of vampire literature. It took a while for the different time lines and perspectives to connect so it felt a little choppy in the beginning. I loved Sabine’s point of view the most and o wish her perspective didn’t stop at the end. I wanted to see her loss of her humanity from her perspective because it felt a bit cheapened switching to someone’s perception of her thag wasnt there the whole time. I loved the ending though and loved being in different times.

2.5

Ughhh i really wanted to like this

The premise seemed so intriguing and the story started off strong but waned really quickly for me. I just found that the pacing was really clunky and it never really finds its rhythm. If anything the longer this went on you could start to feel in the writing that schwab was trying to rush things forward to the finish line. + for how long this book is and how many years it tries to cover, the characters just felt so one dimensional. Unfortunately had a unsatisfying end as well. :( Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

V.E. Schwab once again proves her mastery of storytelling with Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, a mesmerizing, time-hopping tale that kept me on the edge of my seat. Echoing the narrative elegance of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, the novel seamlessly weaves through different time periods, creating a rich, immersive experience.

At its heart, this is a vampire story unlike any other—a fresh and deeply humanized take on the undead. Schwab explores the morality of survival with nuance, forcing both characters and readers to wrestle with the ethics of killing to live. And the toxic lesbian vampire relationship? Absolutely compelling. Dark, obsessive, and beautifully tragic, it’s the kind of dynamic that lingers long after the final page.

Atmospheric, thought-provoking, and refreshingly original, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a must-read for anyone craving a vampire novel with depth, heart, and a touch of Schwab’s signature magic.

It is my favorite contemporary vampire novel with a female focus since I fell in love with Anne Rice's works. All the characters are compelling, and their stories are amazing and even relatable. Great writing, well executed, cleverly arranged (chapters from the past are crucial to understanding the ones from the most recent present -2019). We just forget about what is surrounding us and we join Maria, Sabine, Lottie, Alice... all of these stories, wanting to know their next step and their journey. It is predictable in some points, but it just gives us a feeling of fatalism that can't be avoided. It's very satisfying and makes great and valid points on themes like love, time, eternity, freedom, promises, rules, bonds, betrayal, obsession, and being humane.

Thank you publisher and netgalley for this e arc.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a delicious story that will leave you hungry for more.

“Three young women, their bodies planted in the same soil, their stories tangling like roots. One grows high, and one grows deep, and one grows wild. And all of them grow teeth.”

Set over 500 years, this tale of three sapphic vampires is a story about hunger, rage and the ways in which women are told to be satiated even when they aren’t. It isn’t just a story about vampires, it’s about three women coming to terms with their identities and accepting who they are. Told in alternating timelines throughout history, we follow Sabine, Charlotte, and Alice and learn how their stories twine together.

I am in awe of V.E. Schwab and her creativity! The way she is able to come up with the most unique stories is incredible and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is no different. The YEARNING and the mind games between the characters in this story, are unmatched. It almost feels like parts of Addie La Rue and Vicious were planted throughout the story.

Although I enjoyed this story, I didn’t quite get that 5 star feeling. The pacing is a bit slower, similar to Addie LaRue. I loved the first half of the book, but found the second half to drag on until the ending which I found to be a bit predictable. The story is more character driven which pushes the plot in the back. I find sometimes with multiple POVs that I tend to enjoy one character’s POV over the other’s which is what happened with this story; I preferred Sabine’s chapters over Alice’s. Even though this wasn't a 5 star for me, I loved the messy toxic characters and I can’t wait for the book community to taste this story! 4 stars!

Read if you like
- Sapphic sexy vampires
- Alternating timelines & multiple POVs
- Female rage
- A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson
- character driven stories
- Tension & yearning

Thank you Tor Publishing Group for an arc of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil <3