In her latest offering, V.E. Schwab ventures into vampiric territory with the sophisticated literary sensibility that has made her a standout voice in speculative fiction. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil presents an intricate narrative that spans centuries, following three women bound by supernatural transformation and the relentless hunger that defines their existence.
The novel opens with María in 1532 Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a young woman trapped by the limitations of her era who makes a desperate bargain with a mysterious widow. This act of rebellion transforms her into Sabine, a creature of the night whose story then intersects with Charlotte in 1827 London—a sheltered young woman who finds freedom and love in Sabine’s dangerous embrace. The third thread follows Alice in 2019 Boston, a college student whose one-night stand awakens something ancient and terrible within her.
Crafting Character Through Centuries
Schwab’s character work represents both the novel’s greatest strength and its most significant challenge. Each woman emerges from her respective historical context with vivid authenticity—María’s fierce determination to escape her prescribed role feels genuine to the constraints of 16th-century Spain, while Charlotte’s sheltered innocence and awakening desire capture the repressive atmosphere of Regency England perfectly.
The transformation from María to Sabine showcases Schwab’s understanding of how immortality might fundamentally alter a person’s core nature. We witness María’s initial hunger for freedom slowly morph into something more literal and consuming. Her relationship with the vampires Hector and Renata becomes a study in manipulation and supernatural bondage, as Sabine finds herself trapped by a promise that binds her to companions who grow increasingly monstrous with each passing year.
Charlotte’s arc provides the novel’s emotional center, particularly in her relationship with the mortal Giada. Their love story unfolds with tender complexity, highlighting the isolation inherent in immortal existence. Schwab captures the particular agony of loving someone whose lifespan is measured in decades when your own stretches across centuries.
Alice’s contemporary timeline, however, feels somewhat underdeveloped in comparison. While her confusion and terror at her transformation ring true, her voice occasionally lacks the distinctive personality that makes María and Charlotte so compelling. This may be intentional—Alice is, after all, the newest to her condition—but it creates an imbalance in the narrative’s emotional weight.
The Architecture of Appetite
Where Schwab truly excels is in her exploration of vampiric hunger as both literal necessity and metaphor for human desire. The hunger is never simply about blood—it represents the insatiable nature of human longing, whether for love, freedom, or simply to matter in the world. This theme resonates differently across each timeline, from María’s hunger for escape to Charlotte’s hunger for connection and Alice’s hunger for understanding.
The novel’s structure, jumping between timelines and perspectives, creates a mosaic effect that gradually reveals the connections between these women. However, this ambitious approach doesn’t always serve the story well. Certain transitions feel abrupt, and the pacing occasionally suffers when switching between the more historically grounded narratives and Alice’s contemporary struggles.
Gothic Atmosphere and Literary Prowess
Schwab’s prose remains consistently elegant throughout, particularly in her ability to evoke atmosphere. The descriptions of 16th-century Spain feel sun-baked and dusty, while her London sequences drip with fog and gaslight ambiance. The contemporary Boston sections, while competently written, lack some of the rich sensory detail that makes the historical portions so immersive.
The author’s background in fantasy literature serves her well here, as she builds a vampire mythology that feels both familiar and fresh. The concept of promises as literally binding magical contracts adds an interesting layer to the power dynamics between characters, particularly in Sabine’s relationship with Hector and Renata.
Echoes of the Author’s Previous Work
Readers familiar with Schwab’s previous novels, particularly The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, will recognize similar themes of immortality, memory, and the price of getting what you wish for. However, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil feels darker and more visceral than its predecessor. Where Addie’s curse was about being forgotten, these women are cursed to remember everything while watching the world change around them.
The novel also shares DNA with Schwab’s Villains series in its unflinching portrayal of morally complex characters. None of the three protagonists are entirely sympathetic—each makes choices that lead to violence and death—yet Schwab manages to maintain reader investment in their fates.
The Weight of Time and Choice
Perhaps the novel’s most successful element is its examination of how immortality might actually feel lived. Schwab avoids the romanticized vampire narratives that focus primarily on power and beauty, instead exploring the psychological toll of eternal existence. The progression from María’s human warmth to Sabine’s cold calculation feels inevitable rather than sudden, showing how centuries of survival might gradually erode one’s humanity.
The relationship between Sabine and Charlotte provides the novel’s most compelling emotional throughline. Their love story unfolds across decades, showcasing both the intensity possible when time isn’t a constraint and the particular cruelties that immortal beings can inflict upon each other. The power imbalance—Sabine as maker, Charlotte as made—adds complexity to what could have been a straightforward romance.
Technical Considerations and Structural Choices
While the multi-timeline structure serves thematic purposes, it occasionally feels mechanical rather than organic. Some transitions between eras interrupt narrative momentum, and certain connections between the timelines feel forced rather than natural. The contemporary sections, in particular, sometimes read more like supernatural thriller than literary horror, creating tonal inconsistencies.
The novel’s treatment of LGBTQ+ themes deserves recognition for its historical authenticity and emotional honesty. Schwab doesn’t shy away from the additional dangers faced by queer women in historical periods, nor does she treat their relationships as exotic or fetishistic. The love between Charlotte and Giada feels genuine and lived-in, making its inevitable tragedy all the more impactful.
Final Reflections on Hunger and Humanity
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil succeeds as both a vampire novel and a meditation on the nature of human desire. While its ambitious structure occasionally overwhelms its emotional core, Schwab’s elegant prose and complex character work make it a worthwhile addition to both her catalog and the broader vampire fiction genre.
The novel asks difficult questions about what we’re willing to sacrifice for the things we want most, and whether eternal life is worth the gradual loss of everything that makes us human. These aren’t new questions in vampire literature, but Schwab approaches them with a literary sophistication that elevates the material beyond mere genre exercise.
For readers who enjoyed the atmospheric complexity of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue or the moral ambiguity of the Villains series, this novel offers a satisfying blend of both approaches. However, those expecting the tighter plotting of Schwab’s fantasy adventures may find the meandering structure occasionally frustrating.
For Readers Seeking Similar Literary Vampires
If Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil appeals to your taste for literary vampire fiction, consider exploring:
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova – A scholarly approach to vampire mythology with rich historical detail
- Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist – A haunting examination of vampiric hunger and human connection
- Fledgling by Octavia Butler – A complex exploration of power dynamics and symbiotic relationships
- The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez – A century-spanning narrative following a Black lesbian vampire
- Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – A contemporary vampire novel that subverts genre expectations
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil stands as ambitious gothic fiction that succeeds more often than it stumbles, offering readers a complex and often beautiful exploration of what it means to hunger—for blood, for love, for freedom, and for a place in an ever-changing world.
Bottom Line: V.E. Schwab delivers a haunting exploration of immortality that weaves together three timelines into a complex meditation on love, loss, and the price of eternal life. While the ambitious structure occasionally stumbles under its own weight, the novel’s gorgeous prose and unflinching examination of vampiric hunger make it a compelling addition to the genre.