Review - Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

 

 

 

 Title: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

Author: V.E. Schwab

Pages: 514

Publisher: Tor

Release Date: 10th June 2025

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 This is a story about hunger. 
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada. 
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets. 
 
This is a story about love. 
1827. London. 
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined. 
 
This is a story about rage. 
2019. Boston. 
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge. 
 
This is a story about life— 
how it ends, and how it starts. 

 

Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

My Review: 

 *I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan* 

In 1532, María lives in a small town and dreams of more. She makes a decision that will change her life forever. 

In 1827, Charlotte reluctantly arrives in London to stay with her aunt. At a ball, Charlotte meets an alluring widow who offers her a new life. 

 In 2019, Alice is a college student in Boston having left her homeland of Scotland behind to see the world. Then, after spending the night with a stranger, Alice finds her life derailed and she wants vengeance. 

 

I have a mixed history with this author's works - I was a big fan of their earlier books, but I've found over the last few years that I've liked the concepts more than the execution. So, I was a little hesitant going into this new novel, however, I did enjoy this overall. 

María, Sabine, Charlotte, and Alice were all interesting characters who I empathised with. It was interesting to find out more about them and to see where their decisions led. 

The different time periods the novel was set in were interesting. 

The plot held my attention throughout, but I think it did help that I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrators were very good. The pacing was maybe a little off at times, and there were a few things that bugged me, but I found this to be an enjoyable novel with interesting themes. 

 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. 

 

Review - The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 

 

 Title: The Intrigue

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Pages: 325

Publisher: Del Rey 

Release Date: 14th July 2026

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a sizzling noir about desire, danger, and greed, in which seduction is the ultimate con. 
 
Handsome con artist Ulises has long charmed lonely women via letters to steal their money, but money is hard to come by in 1940s Mexico. Ulises knows his looks won't last forever, and he's desperate to get his hands on a real fortune. 
 
He thinks he's found it when he captivates his newest correspondent, Perla, the owner of a small-town boardinghouse in picturesque Veracruz. But when he meets her, he finds something he didn't expect. The woman has a niece, Inés, who is as observant as she is desperate to escape her aunt’s household. 
 
When Inés discovers Ulises' true intentions, she wants in on the scheme. They’ll convince her aunt that Ulises is a great catch, Perla will marry him, and her money will vanish. Easy, fast and clean. 
 
But Perla is not the desperate, silly spinster Ulises imagines. She harbors secrets. And although Ulises does not believe in true romance, Inés is more alluring than he bargained on. Suddenly, a simple plan may become perilously complicated. 
 
Venture into the streets of a small town where the patina of convention and good manners conceals a cauldron of avarice and lust. 

  

Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

My Review:

  *I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey* 

 

Ulises is a con artist down on his luck. After a con that went wrong, Ulises is running out of money. Using his tried and tested technique of charming, lonely women through love letters, Ulises decides to pay one of his marks a visit. 

Perla is the owner of a boardinghouse in a small town. Never married, Perla spent her youth caring for her parents. 

Perla has a niece, Inés, who was born out of wedlock to Perla's younger and now deceased sister. Inés longs to escape the small town and doesn't turn Ulises in when she discovers his scheme. Instead, Inés offers to help Ulises steal Perla's money. 

 

Having read several of the author's previous books and enjoyed them, I was looking forward to reading this new one. 

Inés and Ulises were interesting protagonists. They were both morally grey characters. I empathised more with Inés and hoped her situation would improve. 

The setting of Mexico in the 1940s was interesting, especially a small town where everyone knew everyone else.  

The plot was good overall and held my attention, but the pacing was a little off and not that much actually happened. I also found the events a bit predictable. 

 I'm a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more. 

 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.