I am always so pleasantly surprise by VE Schwab. Everytime I think I can’t possibly love their work more, I get to read pieces like this. It was refreshing to read a book focused around vampires while also mixing in historical aspects. The 3 main characters all had me equally frustrated and rooting for them all at the same time. And that ending! Amazing. I cannot wait for the rest of the book community to get their hands on this one!

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab is a beautifully atmospheric novel that skillfully blends elements of dark fantasy with poignant themes of identity and belonging. Schwab’s prose is evocative, capturing a sense of eerie enchantment that permeates the book’s world, making it a hauntingly immersive experience. However, while the story is rich in atmosphere, the plot can feel a bit meandering at times, with the narrative lacking the urgency or tension needed to keep the momentum high. Some characters, though intriguing, could benefit from further development, as their motivations occasionally feel underexplored or one-dimensional. Despite these minor setbacks, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a captivating read that will appeal to fans of atmospheric fantasy.

My Rating: 5 Stars!

The simple review: I was held in a chokehold by the Toxic Lesbian Vampires throughout history.

The real review: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil may very well be the best book I’ve read this year, if for no other reason than that I can’t stop thinking about it. Every hour I’ll think of another thing I adored, and fixate on it all over again.
All three perspective women are all incredibly different characteristically and tonally, and yet they all have a very distinct tie. They are three young women who cannot stop running and who are forever changed by a longing for freedom, yet even those come in different ways. Sabine is running because she’s hungry, she always has been, yearning for everything and what’s next. Lottie is running away, from her feelings, from danger and fear, from shame and a history. And Alice is running, not for herself, but for her sister, always just a little ahead of her who she’s terrified of leaving her behind.

The way these three characters’ stories intertwine throughout many different time periods, different experiences, is a thrilling experience. And the idea that immortality is a lie, that while humans rot on the outside with age, vampires, or “those grown in the midnight soil” rot from within is something I’ve never seen in these kinds of stories. Typically with vampire or immortal fiction, the the character flaw is that they never change, where here it is an inevitability. Whether a regular human lifetime, or a millennia, eventually there will be nothing left of the person who started. We see the change through Sabine, who always callous and cruel became something entirely different, and through Lottie, who’s too large heart turned into a selfish belief of mercy, and the inevitability that one day Alice will change to, and that there is no way of knowing how or when.

I am beyond obsessed with this book, and will recommend it always. If I could give it every star in the sky, I would.

“Bury my bones in the midnight soil, plant them shallow and water them deep, and in my place will grow a feral rose, soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth.”

This marries the sexiness of vampires with tasteful vampire lore really nicely. I am not usually a fan of multiple timelines but again, executed stunningly. It was slow paced, but somehow gripped me at every word.

Schwab's books can be hit or miss for me, but this one knocked it out of the park. Sit down, Addie Larue, there's a new book in town that I have to recommend to every person I ever meet.

Thank you netgalley :)

Content Warnings: Misogyny (Time Period accurate); Anxiety, Panic Attacks

This book follows the stories of three women, but also how in those stories they are more than three women. Maria, who becomes Sabine; Charlotte who becomes Lottie; Alice, who is drawn into the complex, morally gray world between them. Each of these women has a full, rich history, each are allowed to be vulnerable, powerful, manipulative, flawed, victorious -- but in different ways that are true to their characters. Schwab's writing shifts along with her characters, poetic and tender at times, cutting as steel and glass at others.

The structure of the book may be challenging for some readers. Each character inhabits a different set of time; between the three of them, they cover the 1500s to 2019, numerous European countries and the United States. That's a lot to take in and to keep track of as a reader, even if each locale/time period is covered well. Similarly, each shift between characters is noted -- but the focus is not evenly shared between the three women at all times. For example, Lottie appears briefly in the beginning of the book, but from then on the focus are on Alice and Maria. Lottie doesn't appear again until much later, at which time Maria's narrative drops off entirely. That leaves the focus to just between Alice and Lottie. These decisions make perfect sense when looking at the narrative as a whole, however, and I don't think it's a flaw. Just something to note.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes vampire stories, stories of complex lesbians, and historical fiction with a focus on feminism. I have not read Schwab's other works, but I am eager to do so after reading this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is the latest novel by V.E. Schwab. If you haven’t read anything by this author, I HIGHLY recommend this book and any (all) of her other work. I devoured this one – it is truly a work of pure art! It was promoted as being about “Toxic Lesbian Vampires” and it definitely does not disappoint on any of those topics. I am so grateful to have been able to have read it early!

Bury Our Bones introduces us two primary female vampires: Maria (in the 1520s) and Alice (in 2019). We are taken through their lives – family, trials & tribulations, love, loss, death, finding themselves, and making their way through life. The stories are very power powerful, and the author pulls no punches on character development. She makes you feel every feeling possible for these two women. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions – love, hate, anger, anxiety, fear, screaming, crying, joy, sadness, shock.

The writing reminded me a bit of her previous novel, Addie LaRue, and it had similar undertones as well. I LOVED Addie (it’s one of my favorite books), and after reading it I didn’t think I would ever find another book that hit me like that one did. This book did. It may have even hit me even harder. It WAS SO GOOD, and I cannot find the words to say enough good things about it!

Pre-order it. Buy it. Borrow it from the library. Borrow it from a friend. Just read this book! You won't be disappointed! Fans of V.E Schwab, sapphic and/or vampire romance won't want to miss this masterpiece! *Chef's kiss* 5 STARS! I wish I could read it again for the first time, but I will settle for re-reading it when it comes out!

Forever grateful to @torbooks for the pleasure of reading this one early.

"Bury my bones in the midnight soil,
plant them shallow and water them deep,
and in my place will grow a feral rose,
soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth."

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E Schwab 😭 You. Are. Not. Ready. This is such a classic vampire story, it's giving Interview with a Vampire all day long.

Historical fiction vibes but with intoxicating modern club scenes that drip so much lust and blood you can practically taste it. You follow three main characters through centuries from Scotland, Boston, Spain, Italy, and more. Each is looking for something different: Sabine wants freedom, Lottie wants escape, and Alice wants to solve the mystery of what happened to her. Their stories intertwine together in a knot that tightens like a noose before the inevitable end and I couldn't look away. The scope of female characters is breathtaking, somehow all uniquely voiced and yet relatable at the same time. If you have ever watched a Bridgerton ball scene and wished it had vampires, IT'S RIGHT HERE. This is peak drama okay.

Am I turned on? Am I horrified? I don't knowww but I'm sitting here with the book on my chest wondering what even was that magic and where can I get more exactly like it?

• lesbian vampires
• toxic relationships
• morally gray characters
• revenge

I just finished Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab. I received a free eARC from NetGalley.

Three girls, centuries between them, stories intertwined, all buried in the midnight soil. A Sapphic love story, a book of feminist rage, a waltz through history spanning continents.

I have read every book that VE Schwab has ever published. This book is what I thought that Addie SHOULD have been. It's deep, it's expansive, it SPRAWLS across time and pages. The characters are fleshy, dynamic, complicated, beautiful. The storylines are like tangled limbs, wrapped so tightly it's impossible to find where one ends and one begins. I love how centered the women are in this book; male figures flit on the edges, impacting the characters, but never taking space away from them. There's something so relatable about the gaping chasm of thirst that the characters experience. As women through many time periods, the thirst is so indicative of the limitations that were placed on women by society. The enduring theme of the novel is freedom, and what that means to each character and time period. I do not want to spoil a single thing about this in this review. Read it, love it, go back and read it again.

An absolute treasure of a novel.

Let me start by saying Addie LaRue is my favorite book of all time. Okay I have a lot of thoughts for this book. This took me a very long time to read because the pacing felt off to me. We were often jumping around from the past to present with all three different povs and sometimes it was multiple times in one chapter. It also felt slow, but it had the same vibe as Addie LaRue where the slowness felt intentional at times. These are characters that have lived a long long life.

I didn't like any of the characters. The one character we were supposed to like I felt like we spent the least amount of time with. I would have liked more time with her. I was listening to an interview and it was intentional on the author's part for us to not like one character specifically and that shows, but we spent the most time with her which was rough (but maybe once again that's intentional because she was the oldest). This felt like Addie LaRue but was missing some of the important themes that made me fall in love with it. There were romances that happened but no true love story.

The ending of the book was great. I felt like it made up for it with all the back and forth in the chapters before, but at the same time it also wrapped up fast? I have so many mixed emotions with this book. Was this a good book? yes. Will some people enjoy it? yes, if you like lit fic. Do I love it as much as Addie LaRue? no. Will I reread it? no. Will I purchase it? maybe. Will I read more of VE Schwab's books? yes. The author said in the interview that this book is a happy medium between Addie LaRue and Viscious if that helps! I have yet to read Vicious.

V.E. Schwab’s poetic yet accessible writing captured my attention from the first page. I loved the drama, horror, and morally gray characters, especially mixed with the heart-wrenching prose akin to Addie LaRue. Schwab meaningfully explores what it means to inhabit a woman’s body across time and how sexuality intertwines with grief and rage.

I do wish we had more of Sabine’s perspective in the later half of the book. So much time was spent developing her character and complex inner world at the start, only to have it all unravel through the eyes of another.

Overall, I loved this story and will definitely be recommending it!

I think this book is a part of my personality now. Its raw intensity stays with you long after the last page. Just as the characters cannot be sated, readers will be left hungry for even more.

This book was incredible. My second read from V E Schwab, but I can’t wait to read more. A truly five star read and I can’t wait to add to my bookshelf!

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil was advertised for its rage. What I should have prepare for was the grief that lives on the other side of that anger, This book twisted me up, it pulled me in so many directions and, most importantly, it left me hungry. As a long time fan, I would say this book is a beautiful mix of The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue and Vicious. Her projects are so full of magic; they make you question and they make you ache.

Um....wow! What a wild ride. I have only read one other Schwab novel (Invisible Life of Addie LaRue), and I honestly wasn't sure this could ever compare for me. I was wrong. Like, seriously wrong. Bury Your Bones in the Midnight Soil was fierce with a bit of hope. I absolutely couldn't put it down. We will definitely be purchasing for the collection! Highly recommended.

I loved the historical backdrops, the writing and characters pulled me in immediately. It was refreshing to read a vampire novel with females as the protagonists and antagonists. VE Schwab's descriptions of her characters and their actions are so vivid. I devoured this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

VE Schwab just never misses.

Bury Our Bones is, ultimately, about women trying to live their lives to the fullest in the face of constantly crushing societal expectations. While each is, in her own way and to her own degree, a villain, I was fully invested in their success and happiness. I wanted nothing more than for each to find peace—an impossible ask.

Schwab’s writing is, per usual, gorgeous and I would have happily stayed in this world longer. My one quibble is that I wish the stories had collided sooner—I wanted more interaction among the three than we ultimately got. Still, in each section I was convinced the character at the front was my favorite; which is quite the accomplishment.

Strongly recommended for lovers of any VE Schwab novel, fans of Ninth House, and perhaps even open minded readers of The Secret History. 4.75 stars rounded up.

Every book this woman writes is better than the last one. This book was so good I could hardly put it down. I can’t wait for this to release so I can talk it up with customers!

The first thought that came to mind once I finished this book was wow, that was intense. I don’t even know how to sum up my thoughts on this book. Of course. I absolutely loved it. I couldn’t stop reading, I had to know how all these stories came together. Bury Our Bones gives Addie LaRue vibes but much darker, I think If you loved Addie LaRue then you’ll definitely love this one as well.

DNF @ 37%.

I am so sad that I don't like "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil", but I am absolutely convinced this is going to be a hit when it is released next year.

The premise of the book is very interesting - it tells the story of vampires through the lives of three women. I greatly enjoyed Maria's story and setting. The sapphic notes throughout her story (and the rest of the book) were very well done.

It falls apart for me when we get to Alice's POV. The shift in the writing style is jarring and not as well done as Maria's POV. It's very disappointing that the writing style does not stay consistent cause I was interested in the multiple POVs and seeing how they ended up connecting. It may be a spoiler, but I didn't even make it to our third character. I kept getting bogged down by Alice that I just do not want to continue to pick this book back up.

Projected rating 5 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

Appropriately, I devoured this book. I love how ruthless it was, yet so full of hope.

It follows three women in similar situations across different centuries in different continents. These women handle their situation in very different ways, yet I found both the flaws and strengths of each of the main characters so relatable.

I stayed up for hours to finish it, I needed to see how these characters would connect and how the story would end.

I can't recommend this book enough and must insist it be read listening to Florence + the Machine as they pair exceptionally well.

VE Schwab, as always, does not disappoint.