Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab – When Beautiful Writing Isn’t Quite Enough

I’ve read a lot of V.E. Schwab over the years, and with the exception of Gallant, I’ve really enjoyed everything she’s written. Most of her books have been 4- or 5-star reads for me. So naturally, I was excited when I heard about Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. The premise sounded like something I’d love… queer vampire women across three different centuries, connected by trauma, transformation, and rage? Count me in.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for the early review copy. I jumped in with high hopes. But as much as I wanted to love this book, it didn’t land the way I hoped it would.

Plot

We follow three women in three different timelines:

• María, in 1532 Spain, caught in a world dominated by fear and faith.
• Charlotte, in 1827 London, navigating forbidden desire and rebellion.
• Alice, in 2019 Boston, trying to make sense of her past and her growing hunger for revenge.

Their stories are connected, and Schwab slowly reveals the threads that link them. There are clear themes of identity, power, control, and what it means to become something monstrous, and not just in the vampire sense.

It all started strong. The first chapters set the tone well, and the early feminist threads were promising. But as the story unfolded, it began to feel familiar. Once I realised how the women were connected, the mystery was gone and with it, some of the tension. I expected a bold subversion of the vampire trope, but in the end, it circled back to a more traditional take: lose your humanity, lose your soul, become dangerous.

Character Development

Technically? It’s well done. Schwab knows how to build layered, fully realised characters. Each woman had depth, backstory, motive.

But emotionally? I didn’t connect with any of them. They were distant, cold, and often hard to root for. That’s not always a problem, unlikable characters can be compelling but here, it just left me feeling detached.

And while their voices were distinct enough in setting, their inner monologues started to blur together. A lot of their emotional development felt repetitive. I get that Schwab wanted us to see the slow unraveling, the weight of their choices but I think half of it could’ve been trimmed without losing much.

Pacing

This was the hardest part for me. It took more than 50% of the book for me to really feel invested. The first half felt like a long loop of backstory, internal struggle, and build-up.

Then, once things picked up, it was over too fast. The first half dragged, the second felt rushed. It lacked balance. I was waiting for the twist, the explosion, the heartbreak and while it did come, it didn’t have the impact I wanted.

Writing

This is where Schwab always shines. Even when the story doesn’t hit, the prose does.

Her writing is lyrical, atmospheric, and rich. There were moments I had to stop just to admire the rhythm of a sentence or the way she captured a feeling. It’s the kind of writing that reminds you why you love books, even if the story doesn’t quite work.

Without her signature style, I probably would’ve DNF’d this one.

Final Thoughts

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil had all the ingredients for a great book: beautiful writing, complex women, bold themes, but somehow it didn’t come together for me.

The pacing was off, the characters were hard to connect with, and the plot, while ambitious, felt predictable. I was hoping for a fresh, rebellious vampire story. What I got was something slower, more familiar, and ultimately not as emotionally gripping as I expected.

If you’re a devoted Schwab reader, there’s still a lot to appreciate here. But if you’re new to her work, I’d recommend starting with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue or Vicious instead.

Book Details

Author: V.E. Schwab

Release Date: June 10, 2025

Publisher: Tor Books (Macmillan)

Format Reviewed: eARC via NetGalley

Genre: Fantasy / LGBTQ+ / Historical Fiction

My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

Read my full review on Goodreads:

👉 Goodreads Review – Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil 

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