Book Review: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Book 31 of 2025
Note: If you’re joining me from Instagram, you’ll see I skipped ahead in my book count. Do not fear, I will go back and fill in the blanks! I felt so passionately about this one that I wanted it to be my first Substack review.
Calling this book a lesbian vampire romance isn’t wrong. It’s a succinct description. Is it sexy? Absolutely. The sapphic elements are lush and sensual, not sensationalized. Is it about vampires? Yes. But it’s also about what we hunger for, whether it’s blood, love, sex or independence.
The novel covers three different timelines, each featuring a different woman: María in Spain in the 1530s, Charlotte in England in the 1820s and Alice in Boston in 2019. Their perspectives are intermingled throughout the book. They are all chafing against their place in society and the expectations placed upon them - to be seen and not heard, to make a good match with a man, to be the perfect daughter.
Becoming vampires grants them the freedom they so intensely desire. It comes with a price that’s far beyond what they anticipate. The body stays as it was at the moment of death, but as the decades and centuries pass, the mind rots. Relationships end, in most cases violently. Revenge is its own form of communication.
Schwab invents some of her own vampire lore. It’s mostly clever. However, it’s awfully convenient for the plot when vampires can move around during the day.
There’s some gore. I’d rate it as mild.
It takes a while for the disparate threads to weave together. The payoff is worth it. The ending left me reeling in a thrilling way.
Highlights:
Schwab describes locations so richly, especially the different cities in Europe. Have you ever traveled anywhere because you were inspired by a book? (I swear I didn’t go to Scotland just because of Outlander!)
The tender and tentative way the women begin to explore their sexuality feels achingly real.
World War I and II are the background for a few chapters, ideal for a history nerd like me.
Criticisms:
María has red hair, and Schwab relied pretty heavily on a Thesaurus to keep generating new descriptions of it.
Alice’s flashbacks to her sister weren’t a value add for me until close to the end. I mostly skimmed those sections.
Rating:
Five stars out of five. I loved it.
The best fiction I’ve read so far in 2025 (1st out of 18 novels). I haven’t started a new book yet because I’m still basking in my enjoyment.
I'll add it to my list!