Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
2025 fantasy novel by V. E. Schwab
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a 2025 LGBTQ dark fantasy novel by American author V. E. Schwab. It was published by Tor Books on June 10, 2025.[1] The novel intertwines the storylines of three lesbian vampires from different countries and periods. It won a Goodreads Choice Award in the Readers' Favorite Fantasy category.[2] The unabridged audiobook is narrated by Marisa Calin, Katie Leung, and Julia Whelan.
First edition cover | |
| Author | V. E. Schwab |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Peter Lutjen |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Dark fantasy |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
Publication date | June 10, 2025 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 535[1] |
| ISBN | 9781035064649 |
| 813.6 23 | |
Development
V. E. Schwab has stated that she considers Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil to be her most autobiographical book. She was inspired by classic vampire lore, including Carmilla and Anne Rice's work. She considers classic vampires to be inherently queer and has a lifelong love of vampires. The novel takes place in the same universe as one of her previous novels, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. She has stated the three storylines represent the three eras of her own coming out journey.[3] She wrote the three storylines in their entirety before linking them together.[4]
Synopsis
In 1532, María, a peasant from Santo Domingo de la Calzada, marries a wealthy viscount in an attempt to gain control over her life, but after finding herself stifled by her domineering husband and desperate to avoid pregnancy, she escapes with the help of a herbalist widow she had known as a child, who turns her into a vampire.
In 1827, Charlotte is sent from her home in rural England to live with her aunt in London and find a husband after her brother finds her kissing her best friend Jocelyn. There, she encounters a widow named Sabine, who turns her into a vampire as the two enter into a relationship.
In 2019, Alice has recently left her small town in Scotland to study at Harvard and to escape from the shadow of her more outgoing sister, Catty. After waking up after a one-night stand having turned into a vampire, she searches Boston for a stranger named Lottie, whom she hooked up with the night before her transformation.
Reception
Critical reviews
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil received positive reviews upon its release. It was praised for its compelling plot, its prose, and its feminist themes, but Alice's storyline was criticized as being less interesting than the other two.
In her review for the British Fantasy Society, Melody Bowles praised the novel's "compelling plot" and its ability to jump between settings and characters, but criticized it for its bleakness and its ending.[5] Everdeen Mason also called the novel "compelling" in her review for the New York Times. She called the novel an "apt story for our current culture", drawing parallels between the novel's themes of expectations and constraints placed on women with the rollback of women's rights in the 2020s.[6] However, she criticized Alice's storyline for being less enticing than the other two. Greer Macallister for the Chicago Review of Books also felt that Alice's storyline was the least appealing of the three, but recommended it to those who enjoyed Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue for its "inventiveness, complexity, era-spanning scope, historical detail, and gorgeous writing".[7]
In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews called the novel a "beautiful meditation on queer identity", and praised it for its subtle portrayal of grief and loneliness.[8] Maura Krause of Reactor also commented on its queer themes, comparing it to the 1872 sapphic vampire novella Carmilla and recommending it to "readers that crave canonical vampire fiction with a queer sensibility".[9]
In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called the novel a "haunting and worthwhile story", and praised it for the three leads' intricate backstories and Schwab's ability to balance their humanity and monstrosity.[10]
In his review for SFF Insiders, Noah Isaacs recommended it for people who "like vampires and being emotionally devastated", and praised the novel's prose and atmosphere.[11]
Adrienne Martini of Locus called the story a "well-tuned engine" and praised its "small moments that illuminate each character".[12]
Awards
The novel won a Goodreads Choice Award in the Reader's Favorite Fantasy category[2] and a Libby Book Award for Best Fantasy.[13] It was also nominated for an Audie Award for Fantasy.[14] It was the Indie Next List's #1 pick of June 2025.[15]
Sales
Upon its release, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil topped the USA Today Bestseller List and The New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Seller List.[16][17]