Becca Reviews: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab

I enjoyed this book. I would have enjoyed it more if it were 100-200 words shorter.

If you've read Carmilla or Dracula, or any OG vampire novel, you'll probably feel the same way I did. Everything felt like it fell a little flat.

I did like the inclusion of Vampire lore, such as, having to be invited in, can't touch grave earth, glowing eyes, etc., but beyond that, it was largely a few teenagers running around fuelled by ANGST.

I enjoyed Charlotte's love story in Italy (Venice, I think?) the most. Was this mainly because they were wandering lovely streets, eating gelato, and cooking pasta? YEAH. The rest quickly became repetitive. The standout point for me, and you'd hope as it was really the main conceit, was that even in immortality a person, or their soul, will wither away. Without the inevitability of death, there is much less meaning to life. But I actually think Schwab could have explored this further.

Charlotte's long tale as an explanation to Alice about 'what happened' felt weak to me. There are a couple of twists and turns, but I found them predictable.

I feel like I'm being a bit harsh, but this book was so hyped up by a few BookTubers, claiming it's one of the 'best books of the year', that I was left disappointed. The vibes were there: gothic houses, dark bars, forbidden love, but other than that, the actual plot could be retold in probably 200 pages. A book that is 500+ pages CANNOT rely solely on pure vibes and the fact that 'death gives meaning to life', it's not a new concept.

It took me over a week to read. I enjoyed it whilst I was reading it, but I just was never compelled to pick it up. Yes, I would recommend it if you're a fan of Vampires, particularly with an LGBTQIA+ storyline, this would be a great novel to start with OR to add to your list of Vampire novels, but it's no Holy Grail of Vampire literature.

Schwab's writing is beautiful and lyrical, and every word and phrase is thought out and carefully constructed, but that doesn't change the fact that I think there are approximately 150 words too many...

Read it for what it is: Vampires. Vibes. A great pasta cooking scene. Toxic Lesbians. Not one of the best books of the year. Oh, and if you've read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (which I enjoyed but also receives a marmite reaction), this is basically that but lesbian Vampires. :)

Read: 30/07/2025

Published: 10/06/2025

ISBN: 9781035064649

Price: £10.24 (GBP)