Take a photo of a barcode or cover
andra_mihaela_s 's review for:
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
by V.E. Schwab
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Today is #review day! π And this time, is for my most #anticipatedread of the year!π«£
From me, #buryourbonesinthemidnightsoil gets 3.5 β.
Yes, only this much ...π₯²
It looks like even a #favoriteauthor can dissapoint you again and again. π«
Quick question β
Can someone tell me where's the plot and character motivations ???π§ Feel free to answer in the comments . π₯Ή
General info : #adultfantasy with #lesbianvampires, a #fantasybook with historical and horror vibes; #queer representation ; a story about toxic relationships and people, bad choices, desires and the cost of wanting it all.
CW: violence, gore, light homophobia, attempted assault, grief, loss, suicidal thoughts, depression, etc.
#bookthoughts
Not sure where to begin...I'm deeply disappointed.π
I'm very curious how many long-term fans of #veschwab loved this one π§...for me it felt like a #book about vibes and atmosphere, and not much else to talk about .π€·πΌββοΈπ₯²
Hope you can see in the 'synopsis' how flimsy the plot isπ ...I really hope you do.
let's start with the good:
As always, this author knows how to write a sentence...so we'll that someone forgot to edit herπ, but let's keep it positive here.
So, when it comes to writing, we have 10/10. The atmosphere needed some time to be felt ( Maria's story takes a while to give you the final impression), but once that passes, you'll enjoy the vibes and feel of the story without a problem.
This makes for a easy read.π
Pacing is good for the most part, until we hit the second half of the book and Charlotte takes forever to tell us what she wants π« ...not on the level ' let's put this down and come back never ', but pretty noticeable compared to the other 2 protagonists.
The representation is great ( maybe the best she ever wrote π€), as we have lesbian MCs and gay and bi side characters.
Lastly, character work...surprisingly, my favorite is Alice.π€·πΌββοΈ idk...maybe because the book's flaws where pretty in your face with Maria, and Charlotte seems either fake or waaaaay to sentimental for me; or maybe because she has some little plot ( the only one in this book π) and we can easily relate to her situation. I also enjoyed the sidenote we get with her family .
Not gonna lie...I really wanted to see what happened that Alice made the decision to come to Boston.π€·πΌββοΈ
Now....the bad π:
Characters: There's an accute lack of character motivation.π
I might be the only one here...but Maria's story feels like : no idea what I'm giving this MC as a backstory ;she needs to be vicious -> make her 'angry with the world'.
Problem is, this felt more like 'hating men for the sake of it' π« ... Having a 'wild spirit' and looking down to what other women do/ the only choice they have isn't feminism, isn't a reason to depict every interaction with a man as 'see!π€ they're all evil and the only choice is be gay!'
What happened to subtlety???π to reasoning??? Or, idkπ...taking responsibility for your actions??π€·πΌββοΈ...Maria goes to certain lengths to assure herself of a better life. Fair, I approve this message.π. But then proceeds to blame everyone but herself that she doesn't actually wants that role she was fully aware of going into.
She doesn't communicate ( even if you're not attracted to that person, remember, you manipulated your way in.π₯²) and then decide to send everything to hell.π«
Sidenote : I don't understand why anybody is attracted to anybody in this book π ...the most chemistry was from the gay couple π€·πΌββοΈ.
Maria's desire / hunger??π§ for Sabine's life doesn't make sense to me.π€¨
Given the fact she became a vampire and has a certain role, I think her behavior must be seen as a red flag π€·πΌββοΈ.
She's used to dump info on us, though it's done well ( we also get to see different approaches to such a situation through her journey) ; we see a selfish person that's indiferent to life become toxic due to fear and a superiority complex. We explore control and hunger with her.
Alice: my favorite character if I had to pick oneπ. She's relatable, I loved her anxiety and inner demons ( so strange to say this π , but here we areπ€£). Her dynamic with her family is interesting, and frankly the only point of intrigue for me.π«£. Also, she's the only one that changes in terms of emotions.βΊοΈ π...yay! A story arc ππ₯΄
She's an embodiment to uncertainty, loneliness and inner rage.
Charlotte : mainly a tool to share some more info, show innocent desire for freedom quickly become selfish and toxic. Yep, I saw that ending coming.ππ
You can say her POV is the most emotional; despite having a very limited range π...mainly regret, toxic love for an abuser, and selfish hunger for life put above everything else even though she wants to convince you otherwise.
The others are forgotten as soon as they're used.π’.. I really wanted more with Matteo, and Antonia and Jack were interesting to see. Even Ezra could have been used more...
Plot and logic : too many pages, too little plot.π¬
This story can be considered one with an open ending, that's focused on telling a single outcome, while painting backstory around it. Basically we have to find out everything these people did to finally get to a already-known conclusion. π
I guess many readers will feel this book as a slow one, with no real point and I won't be able to contradict them.π€·πΌββοΈ
We know what must happen. We just need to wait for it π« π« π« .
In this note I seriously question the message the author wanted to send.π§
We can say we discussed toxic relationships, abuse, loss of love, the consequences of choice and desire, and the meaning of life; but I highly doubt she wanted me to come out of this with : women always have poor choices at their disposal, society makes it so, but making your own path not only may cost you dearly, but actually be a punishment. Beware and behave. π€π
Lastly, something funny I want to mention : Did you guys see she moves right past WWII???π π€£..I wonder why π
That's it.π€ I could write some more but I think everyone got my point...fluff and no meat. π
Hope someone else can enjoy this one more than me. π
From me, #buryourbonesinthemidnightsoil gets 3.5 β.
Yes, only this much ...π₯²
It looks like even a #favoriteauthor can dissapoint you again and again. π«
Quick question β
Can someone tell me where's the plot and character motivations ???π§ Feel free to answer in the comments . π₯Ή
General info : #adultfantasy with #lesbianvampires, a #fantasybook with historical and horror vibes; #queer representation ; a story about toxic relationships and people, bad choices, desires and the cost of wanting it all.
CW: violence, gore, light homophobia, attempted assault, grief, loss, suicidal thoughts, depression, etc.
#bookthoughts
Not sure where to begin...I'm deeply disappointed.π
I'm very curious how many long-term fans of #veschwab loved this one π§...for me it felt like a #book about vibes and atmosphere, and not much else to talk about .π€·πΌββοΈπ₯²
Hope you can see in the 'synopsis' how flimsy the plot isπ ...I really hope you do.
let's start with the good:
As always, this author knows how to write a sentence...so we'll that someone forgot to edit herπ, but let's keep it positive here.
So, when it comes to writing, we have 10/10. The atmosphere needed some time to be felt ( Maria's story takes a while to give you the final impression), but once that passes, you'll enjoy the vibes and feel of the story without a problem.
This makes for a easy read.π
Pacing is good for the most part, until we hit the second half of the book and Charlotte takes forever to tell us what she wants π« ...not on the level ' let's put this down and come back never ', but pretty noticeable compared to the other 2 protagonists.
The representation is great ( maybe the best she ever wrote π€), as we have lesbian MCs and gay and bi side characters.
Lastly, character work...surprisingly, my favorite is Alice.π€·πΌββοΈ idk...maybe because the book's flaws where pretty in your face with Maria, and Charlotte seems either fake or waaaaay to sentimental for me; or maybe because she has some little plot ( the only one in this book π) and we can easily relate to her situation. I also enjoyed the sidenote we get with her family .
Not gonna lie...I really wanted to see what happened that Alice made the decision to come to Boston.π€·πΌββοΈ
Now....the bad π:
Characters: There's an accute lack of character motivation.π
I might be the only one here...but Maria's story feels like : no idea what I'm giving this MC as a backstory ;she needs to be vicious -> make her 'angry with the world'.
Problem is, this felt more like 'hating men for the sake of it' π« ... Having a 'wild spirit' and looking down to what other women do/ the only choice they have isn't feminism, isn't a reason to depict every interaction with a man as 'see!π€ they're all evil and the only choice is be gay!'
What happened to subtlety???π to reasoning??? Or, idkπ...taking responsibility for your actions??π€·πΌββοΈ...Maria goes to certain lengths to assure herself of a better life. Fair, I approve this message.π. But then proceeds to blame everyone but herself that she doesn't actually wants that role she was fully aware of going into.
She doesn't communicate ( even if you're not attracted to that person, remember, you manipulated your way in.π₯²) and then decide to send everything to hell.π«
Sidenote : I don't understand why anybody is attracted to anybody in this book π ...the most chemistry was from the gay couple π€·πΌββοΈ.
Maria's desire / hunger??π§ for Sabine's life doesn't make sense to me.π€¨
Given the fact she became a vampire and has a certain role, I think her behavior must be seen as a red flag π€·πΌββοΈ.
She's used to dump info on us, though it's done well ( we also get to see different approaches to such a situation through her journey) ; we see a selfish person that's indiferent to life become toxic due to fear and a superiority complex. We explore control and hunger with her.
Alice: my favorite character if I had to pick oneπ. She's relatable, I loved her anxiety and inner demons ( so strange to say this π , but here we areπ€£). Her dynamic with her family is interesting, and frankly the only point of intrigue for me.π«£. Also, she's the only one that changes in terms of emotions.βΊοΈ π...yay! A story arc ππ₯΄
She's an embodiment to uncertainty, loneliness and inner rage.
Charlotte : mainly a tool to share some more info, show innocent desire for freedom quickly become selfish and toxic. Yep, I saw that ending coming.ππ
You can say her POV is the most emotional; despite having a very limited range π...mainly regret, toxic love for an abuser, and selfish hunger for life put above everything else even though she wants to convince you otherwise.
The others are forgotten as soon as they're used.π’.. I really wanted more with Matteo, and Antonia and Jack were interesting to see. Even Ezra could have been used more...
Plot and logic : too many pages, too little plot.π¬
This story can be considered one with an open ending, that's focused on telling a single outcome, while painting backstory around it. Basically we have to find out everything these people did to finally get to a already-known conclusion. π
I guess many readers will feel this book as a slow one, with no real point and I won't be able to contradict them.π€·πΌββοΈ
We know what must happen. We just need to wait for it π« π« π« .
In this note I seriously question the message the author wanted to send.π§
We can say we discussed toxic relationships, abuse, loss of love, the consequences of choice and desire, and the meaning of life; but I highly doubt she wanted me to come out of this with : women always have poor choices at their disposal, society makes it so, but making your own path not only may cost you dearly, but actually be a punishment. Beware and behave. π€π
Lastly, something funny I want to mention : Did you guys see she moves right past WWII???π π€£..I wonder why π
That's it.π€ I could write some more but I think everyone got my point...fluff and no meat. π
Hope someone else can enjoy this one more than me. π
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder
Minor: Racism, Death of parent