Book Review: BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL
María, Charlotte and Alice are three women separated by centuries but united by longing, defiance and a burning desire for freedom. In 16th-century Spain, María marries into wealth to gain freedom, only to find herself trapped again until a mysterious widow offers her a dangerous escape. In 19th-century London, Charlotte is exiled for loving the wrong person, until another enigmatic widow reveals a hidden legacy and a new path forward. And in 2019 Boston, Alice awakens as a vampire after a one-night stand, launching her on a desperate quest for answers – and for the woman who turned her life upside down.
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Spanning centuries and continents, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a dark, addictive fever dream. V.E. Schwab's newest book is meant to be savored, even if you want to devour it.
While Schwab engages in plenty of modern vampire tropes, this isn't a romantic story. Instead, it's about obsession, power and a hunger for more. She draws on clear inspiration from Interview with the Vampire . As a result, this is a dark, twisted tale full of morally grey and even downright evil characters. Each must address the same questions: If eternity turns you into something inhuman, can you still be good? Or does survival mean surrendering to the monster within?
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It's the different character studies that make Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil so powerful. María, Charlotte and Alice's stories echo each other in a fierce exploration of power, survival and the cost of choosing yourself. Each woman begins the narrative shackled by society, queer women searching for love, recognition and wholeness in a world that denies their existence.
In spite of these similarities, however, their stories never get repetitive. Each woman's differences make her stand out from the rest. María is sympathetic, ambitious and ruthless. As the one who lives as a vampire the longest, her transformation is fascinating to watch. Charlotte is relatable but also frustrating, and will likely be the most divisive of the three narrators. And Alice is sweet, with a fierceness hidden beneath her grief. All three stories intertwine with themes of grief, longing and the desire for control.
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As a whole, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is another stunning work from V.E. Schwab. It's full of female rage and women who refuse to be tamed. Read this one for a story of yearning and hunger that will stay with you long after you finish.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is out now and available from your local independent bookstore or Bookshop.org.
TW: alcohol, animal death, blood, body horror, car accident, child death, classism, confinement, death, death of a parent, domestic abuse, drug use, emotional abuse, fire/fire injury, gaslighting, gore, grief, homophobia, injury/injury detail, lesbophobia, mental illness, misogyny, murder, panic attacks/disorders, physical abuse, rape, sexism, sexual harrasment/assault, sexual content, suicide/suicidal thoughts, stalking, torture, toxic relationship, violence, war
Book Review: THE FRAGILE THREADS OF POWER
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