Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil by VE Schwab

Book Review

Melody Bowles

Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil is a character-driven sapphic vampire epic spanning from the 16th century to the modern day. It’s a dark, sprawling work more akin to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue than the lighter, quippier Shades of Magic trilogy.

The book switches between different time periods and character viewpoints frequently, so despite its length, the narrative clips along at a good pace. The different settings are well realised, from sixteenth century Spanish villages to modern student house parties. Jumping between these very different settings and characters feels smooth, not jarring, which is a testament to the author’s skill.

The three main characters all fall prey to vampires, of course. From the 16th century, there’s Maria, a peasant girl so beautiful she marries into minor Spanish nobility. From the present day, there’s Alice, a freshman Scottish student attending an American university. Then from 19th century England, Charlotte, who is being hurriedly married off after getting caught kissing her maid.

This book paints love as a dark, destructive force with only fleeting moments of happiness or satisfaction. The romantic relationships are possessive, obsessive, controlling and full of power imbalances. Even familial relationships aren’t safe when grief for a beloved, deceased mother proves to be its own kind of poison. It’s a sound theme, especially for a horror novel, and the author is ruthless with it, tearing down love in every form.

It’s a compelling narrative and offers a few new twists to the vampire mythos too, such as older vampires losing their humanity. But I found it a bleak read with little offered in the way of hope or optimism. On top of that, I think the author wanted me to root for a different character than I did, meaning the ending left me surprisingly cold.

Read Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil if you’d like a skillfully crafted horror epic about merciless vampires and toxic relationships.