Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by VE Schwab

10/10

In "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil", V.E. Schwab delivers what may be her most ambitious and stylistically refined work to date. Moving away from the swashbuckling energy of her previous series, Schwab embraces a lush, mournful gothicism that feels deeply rooted in the earth itself. The novel is a triptych of stories spanning centuries, following three women whose lives are irrevocably altered by a "hunger" that transcends the traditional vampire mythos.

Schwab's prose is the star of the show; it is rhythmic, atmospheric, and heavy with the scent of damp earth and ancient secrets. She masterfully utilises the "midnight soil" as a recurring motif - a place where things are buried but never truly die. The narrative explores how trauma and desire are passed down through blood and bone, suggesting that we are all, in some way, haunted by the appetites of those who came before us.

The horror in this novel is not found in jump scares, but in the existential dread of immortality and the agonising persistence of memory. Schwab deconstructs the vampire as a figure of tragic isolation rather than romantic allure. Her characters are beautifully flawed, driven by a desperate need for connection in a world that consistently tries to prune them back.

The structure of the book is intricate, with the three timelines weaving together to create a tapestry of shared history. It is a slow-burning experience that demands the reader's full attention to appreciate the subtle echoes between the eras. "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil" is a triumph of atmosphere and emotion - a dark, poetic meditation on what it means to leave a legacy and what it costs to survive the passage of time.