Release date: June 10 2025
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 560
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.
1827. London.
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage.
2019. Boston.
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.

This is a story about life—
how it ends, and how it starts.

Review

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is an utterly compelling tale and I could not put it down. Set over 600 years, we follow the fates of three women – Maria in Santa Domingo in 1532, Charlotte in London in 1827 and Alice in Boston in 2019 and how their fates become entangled together. This is very much a story about their lives and what mark you leave behind.

This is an absolutely stunning book. I honestly thought The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue would forever be my favourite Schwab book, but this one might just top it. The writing is exquisite, Schwab packs so much heart and feeling into every sentence and I was completely swept along in the tale of these women. Schwab has crafted these exceptionally compelling characters and I was completely glued to the page as their story progressed. Vampire stories are some of my favourites and I thought Schwab did a brilliant job of crafting these complex and fascinating vampires. I adored how Schwab created characters that were messy, morally grey and out to get what they want.

One of the things I enjoy most about reading V E Schwab books is how brilliant she is at building atmosphere and that is definitely well done in this one. It has such a beautiful gothic feeling to it that I couldn’t help but get lost in the story. In all honesty, I’d give this book six stars if I could and it will without a doubt be one of my favourite reads of the year.  If you’re looking for a gripping, lyrical tale of  love, survival, and revenge then you absolutely need this on your TBR.