What do you get when you blend flawed sapphic vampires, female rage, and lyrical atmospheric writing? A fascinating page turner, ideal for the spooky season. “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil ” by V.E. Schwab took me by surprise, as it shared a similar writing style and character study to ” Interview with a Vampire,” but provided a more relevant and feminist take on vampirism, immortality, identity, and the exploration of how our hungers and desires shape us.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil Synopsis
Meet Maria, Charlotte, and Alice. Three different women of different eras who become vampires with a gnawing hunger for more.
Maria:
During the 1500’s Maria struggles with the reality that the men in her life control her destiny. A chance encounter opens the door to a new reality where Maria has ultimate control over her life and full autonomy. Free to explore her every whim and pleasure she is plagued by an insatiable hunger for more.
Charlotte:
A tenderhearted romantic of the 1800s. Charlotte longs to live her authentic truth and freedom without recriminations from the society that seeks to shrink and diminish women, where they’re nothing more than property to own. Following what would be a scandal, she finds herself in London society a fish out of water until the opportunity arises to break free, and she flees to all that her heart desires. Choosing to live a life of romance and beauty. But even freedom has teeth.
Alice:
A young life stained by grief and loss, seeking a fresh start in 2000s Boston, Massachusetts. Until a night of seductive pleasure leads her to awaken to a slowly unfolding nightmare of unknown origin. She hungers for justice and retribution.
These women’s lives are set on a collision course that will have powerful ramifications for each.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil Book
Genre: Literary Horror, Paranormal, Fantasy, Vampires
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
Author Background: Victoria Elizabeth Schwab is an American author whose most notable works include The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, The Shades of Magic series, and the Vicious series. She’s the #1 New York Times bestseller of over twenty books who writes books for science fiction and fantasy genres for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers.
Themes: Immortality, Female Rage, Hunger and Desire, Identity, Sexual Identity, Toxic Relationships, Grief and Breaking Cycles of Destruction
Content Warnings/Triggers: Blood, Violence, Nonconsensual Sex, Murder, Toxic Relationships, Grief, Homophobia, Domestic Abuse, Emotional/Mental Abuse
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil Review
Craft & Style
This was my first novel by V.E. Schwab, and I was immediately swept away by her lyrical, atmospheric prose that’s rich in imagery and elicits strong emotion. It’s written in alternating timelines that explore three different overlapping narratives across three eras. Readers will appreciate the gothic vibes, making it the perfect selection for the spooky season.
Yet, it’s more than just an amalgamation of beautiful words and vibes; there’s substance to this novel. V.E. Schwab’s vampire novel provides a fresh perspective that balances the glamour and violence of vampirism, posits that immortality is more of a curse than a gift, explores the various forms of female rage, how hunger and desire make up a bulk of our identity and purpose, and the bravery it takes to confront and break toxic cycles in relationships.
The characters are richly developed with distinct voices and symbolize specific identity struggles associated with personal identity, sexual identity, and facing the darker truths and realities of ourselves. While the plot was slow with very little external conflict that impacted the story, the transition between narratives helped with maintaining interest and build suspense.
Emotional Impact
Various elements and stylistic choices had a strong impact on directing your emotions toward the key themes of this novel, making it a thought-provoking read. Schwab’s use of vampires, particularly sapphic vampires, was excellent for exploring both the sexual identities of the characters as they began to realize their sexuality and female rage.
With each of the characters, we see how the sensuality associated with vampirism is the perfect vehicle to explore queerness and sexuality, as each of these women experienced an awakening and realization regarding their sexuality. Additionally, it allowed us to view the depth of female rage, especially how it impacted each of our characters throughout time, and the power and anonymity being a vampire gave them. Allowing them to confront misogyny and sexism in sometimes violent means to excise its impact on their life.
The result is rich commentary for the reader to enjoy and ponder. Whether you agree or disagree with Schwab’s assessments, you are guaranteed to have a strong, visceral reaction.
Representation
Not only did Schwab create a queer vampire fantasy novel, but she also included a multi-cultural cast. There are the standard Eurocentric vampires, including Maria, who hails from Spain, and the various others she meets on her journey. But also, the mention of a Black vampire and Black witch in Charlotte’s and Alice’s timeline.
In addition to the sapphic vampires, there were mentions of Gay and Bisexual vampires interspersed throughout all timelines. Personally, I appreciated the lack of Confederate vampires or any mention of chattel slavery in the Antebellum South. There are too many vampire stories that feel they must make vampires low-key white supremacists and erase Black and Brown people from vampirism and its subsequent lore.
Notable Strengths
When it comes to atmosphere, vibes, and exquisite prose and writing, this novel shines bright. Additionally, strengths include its focus on female rage and interesting commentary about vampires and immortality.
Potential Challenges
What makes this strong may also make it weak. Its lyrical prose and lush writing may feel over the top for some readers. It could occlude the deeper themes, metaphors, and symbolization of the novel as it gets lost in the beauty, atmosphere, and vibes.
Another hurdle is that it may not work structurally for many readers. The layout for the narratives can feel disjointed, leading many to question the purpose of one particular narrative and deeming it unnecessary or lacking purpose.
Additionally, it being a low plot and highly character-driven novel with extensive backstory and exploration of each of the characters may bore a few and move too slowly.
Lastly, the conclusion may not be satisfactory for many, especially if they favored a particular narrative more than the other. While the end speaks to the themes regarding the cessation of toxic cycles, it may not feel fully fleshed out or feel as if it fits the overall story.
Deeper Reflections
This is the first vampire novel I’ve read that manages to simultaneously glamorize vampirism while also disparaging it. The juxtaposition of the beauty and gift of long life sounds appealing until you realize the true cost. As you become a slave to your hungers and desires, leading you to rot and decay from the inside out, you become further divorced from humanity.
These narratives explore the various presentations of this and how this slow transition not only takes shape and form in unexpected ways but will ultimately be the key to your eventual destruction and ruin.
Who do I Recommend It To?
For fans of books like Interview with the Vampire who want to explore the sensuality and queerness of vampirism while also diving into the deeper discussion regarding immortality, humanity, female rage, and self-identity. You will eat this book up!
Join the Conversation
How do you feel about immortality? Do you believe it’s a gift and that living without the prospect of a final death is comforting? Or, like me, do you feel that immortality is a type of hell and we all in some way desire to have a final act and leave this world for the life thereafter? Let me know in the comments below!
