The Everygirl’s product selections are curated by the editorial team. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. We only recommend products we genuinely love.
One of the best parts about growing up in the early 2000s was the peak vampire pop culture era. There were Twilight midnight release parties. Everyone was binge-watching The Vampire Diaries. We were all primed and ready to accept a life of bloodthirst and immortality if the opportunity arose. But like all trends, vampires eventually took a backseat to the next fictional demon craze. Zombies became the It girls, then they were kicked to the curb for the fae renaissance, and so on. However, after a years-long vampire drought, the media is bringing them back in full force.
Ali Hazelwood’s Bride, Nosferatu, Sinners—people are eating up (drinking up??) vampire stories again, and V.E. Schwab is hopping on the bandwagon. You probably know her for her beloved previous works like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue or A Darker Shade of Magic, but if you somehow live under a rock, you will definitely know her after the release of her highly anticipated novel, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. After reading the book in one sitting, I can confidently say it has dethroned Twilight as my favorite vampire book of all time. Here’s why.
V. E. Schwab Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
The new genre-defying novel about immortality and hunger from V. E. Schwab, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
What is Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil about?
In Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, we follow three different women in three different timelines. María, in 1532 Santo Domingo de la Calzada, dreams of escaping the only life she’s ever known. As she grows up, she realizes her future can only ever be tied to men who have power over her, and it will never be truly hers. When a stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. In 1827, Charlotte is sent away from her idyllic family home to make her societal debut with her aunt in London after she’s seen being too intimate with her best friend. She yearns for freedom, and when a mysterious widow offers it, she realizes it comes at a price. In 2019 Boston, Alice moves halfway across the world for college so she can completely start over, but after a one-night stand leaves her reeling, she’s forced to find the person responsible for answers and revenge. Their stories intersect in a sapphic, bloodthirsty adventure.
My review of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
Don’t hate me, but I don’t usually read a lot of fantasy. It’s not that I’m a fantasy denier; I just typically reach for contemporary fiction. With fantastical worlds and creatures that don’t exist in our reality, I sometimes find it challenging to connect with fantasy stories. But wow, did Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil prove me wrong. The book has such strong character development that, regardless of the fact I don’t crave blood, don’t have a toxic ex stalking me, and haven’t been alive for hundreds of years, I saw parts of myself in every character (even the ones I’d probably rather ignore).
Despite their lives and situations being completely unrelatable, I still felt connected to them. Each character has so many flaws, but even when I was supposed to hate them, I still found myself rooting for them. Then, when we switched POVs, I would seamlessly flip-flop and root against that exact same character. Each narrative felt so distinct yet connected so well to the others.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is almost like literary fiction combined with elements of fantasy and gothic horror. It has the intentional, slow-paced reflectiveness of a literary fiction book that I absolutely loved. There’s no pressure to rush through the story—it forces you to sit in uncomfortable moments and actually consider what they mean instead of racing to flip each page to find out what happens. Suspense builds in quiet moments rather than formulaic plot beats, which creates a compelling story that, while slow at times, is completely addicting. V.E. Schwab’s signature lyrical prose lends itself so well to this dark, alluring story that expertly draws you in. It has the gothic, eerie quality of classic vampire stories, with modern twists that make it feel relevant today.
“The worst part about Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is having to accept that it’s a standalone, and I won’t get to read five more books set in this world.”
While there are romantic relationships in the book, I wouldn’t call it a romance novel. It’s more like if your absolute obsession with your toxic situationship was dialed up by a thousand, with the added elements of centuries passing without aging and killing humans to drink their blood. You’re not going to swoon or ship anyone in this book, but you will get caught up in their obsessive whirlwind, unable to peel yourself away.
Click here to preview your posts with PRO themes ››
The book also offers an incredibly interesting and unique portrayal of coming of age. We see how three different women are conditioned to make themselves smaller to appeal to those around them as they grow up in completely different circumstances. Whether that means quieting their sexuality, their dreams, or their goals, the characters in Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil face these double standards head-on. While their rebellion against them may be… extreme at times (I think we can all agree murder is never the answer), I could strongly identify with that completely overwhelming frustration at how the world treats women.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil examines what makes us human and how that humanity can deteriorate as we grow up and face the realities of life. Through the characters, we see how quickly you can lose your empathy for others and how we tend to focus on all the things that make us different instead of the universal truths that connect us. I found these themes hit even harder, given the state of the world right now. As humans (and vampires, apparently), we crave connection, but we constantly limit ourselves from actually experiencing that connection by getting caught up in our own wants. Like María in the book, we chase freedom, ignoring what that freedom may cost the people around us.
V.E. Schwab builds upon her strengths as an author in Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, and we see a natural evolution and maturation of the emotional, powerful voice we all fell in love with while reading her previous works. If you devoured The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue five years ago, you will love sinking your teeth into Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil.
Should you read Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil?
I would definitely recommend Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I don’t necessarily think it’s a book every reader will love. If you solely read traditional romance or fast-paced thrillers and go into this book expecting either of those, you might be disappointed. However, if you recognize that Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a completely unique reading experience—one that, while long, is incredibly worth the journey—I think you, like me, will be raving about this book to everyone you know. The worst part about Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is having to accept that it’s a standalone, and I won’t get to read five more books set in this world.
