CANR
WORK TITLE: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.victoriaschwab.com/
CITY: Edinburgh
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: CANR 340
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born July 7, 1987, in CA; daughter of Kent and Linda Schwab.
EDUCATION:Washington University, B.F.A., 2009; University of Edinburgh, M.S.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. No Write Way with V. E. Schwab (podcast), host, 2023–. Also worked as a bookstore clerk, a department store clerk, an assistant caterer and personal chef, and a dog day-care attendant.
AWARDS:Bisexual Book Award for speculative fiction, Bi Writers Association, 2021, for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
WRITINGS
Vicious was optioned for film, 2013.
SIDELIGHTS
American author Victoria Schwab writes fantasy novels for young adults; she also writes for adults under the name V.E. Schwab. She is the “product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing,” as she notes on her website. Schwab hit the ground running as a novelist, publishing her debut in 2011 at age twenty-four, and then following with eight more books in five years. In a Fantastic Faction website interview, Schwab noted her love of writing: “Writing is my passion, and my job, and that can sometimes be very tricky, being financially dependent on something you love. It inevitably alters your relationship to the material. But honestly, this is my dream job, and my first thought, every time I sell a project, is how grateful I am that I get to keep doing what I love.”
(open new1)In an interview in Cosmopolitan, Schwab spoke with Tamara Fuentes about how she presents her characters. Schwab admitted: “I write villains. That’s what I do for a living. They’re all messy, all accountable in different ways.” She also talked with Sonia Charaipotra in an interview in Publishers Weekly about how justified becoming a fulltime writer. She recalled that “writing has always been my full-time job…. So I figured, just take it to the next step. If your career is going well, you’re going to have to write another book. If your career is going poorly, you’re going to have to write another book. The only proactive thing you can do in publishing is write another book.”(close new1)
Schwab’s first novel is the dark fantasy The Near Witch. “Near is a village that sits out on the moor, a world unto itself. Lexi lives on the edge of the village, where only witches and hunters make their homes,” stated a contributor to the Lady with Books website. “Her father … is dead, her mother is withdrawn,” declared a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “and her brutish uncle Otto is unsympathetic to Lexi’s aspirations.” He wants her in a stable relationship with one of the local boys—even if the prospective beau is obnoxious and abusive.
“Then one night Lexi sees a stranger out on the moor, a pale boy with dark hair,” the Lady with Books website contributor continued. “Soon after, the children of Near begin to disappear and people would like nothing more than to blame the stranger.” “Each night,” explained a Kirkus Reviews contributor, “a village child hears the wind singing a tune and climbs out the window to play on the moor.” “Lexi wants to use the hunting and tracking skills she learned from her father,” explained Erika Sogge in Voice of Youth Advocates, “to venture to the moors outside the village and find out what is really happening.” “With its bleak, Bronte-like setting,” wrote Bethany Fort in Booklist, “this will have immediate appeal.”
“The Near Witch is a debut novel that will no doubt thrill and spook fans of classic fairy tales and will ignite new fans as well,” wrote a There’s a Book website reviewer. “Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.” “Schwab’s descriptive powers are strong,” declared Deirdre F. Baker in a Horn Book magazine review, “and the story has a vivid visual component that lingers in the mind’s eye.”
“I was captivated by The Near Witch from beginning to ending and loved just about everything about it,” declared a Book Smugglers contributor. “The writing, the setting, the story and the characters, all come together in what is both a familiar and original story. The familiarity comes from the timeless feel of this story, from never knowing when it is set, or where Near is located like any fairy tale about missing children that could be set at any time, any place. In this sense, the writing reminds me a lot of books by some of my favourite writers: Neil Gaiman (especially Stardust), [and] Franny Billingsley.” Schwab “has an awesome way of writing. It’s so fantastical and lyrical,” wrote a reviewer on the At Home between the Pages website. “I really felt like the wind was whispering and the grass was swaying because she’s so great at describing these things in a magical way. I like that The Near Witch is a stand-alone, and it ended really well. But I’ll definitely be looking forward to [Schwab’s] next book.”
“What I enjoyed most about The Near Witch,” stated a Good Books and Good Wine website reviewer, “was the atmospheric writing. I could feel the claustrophobia of the moor. I could hear the wind singing.” “This book was a very quick read,” declared a Casual Reader’s Blog contributor. “I found it to be a bit spooky, and you feel Lexi’s urgency throughout. I loved the fairy tale feel to the story.” “Part fairy tale, part legend with a little romance,” opined Karen Alexander, writing in School Library Journal, “this well-written mystery will capture the attention of teens.” “It’s like every Grimm’s Fairy Tale you’ve ever heard, yet something completely its own,” wrote a Parental Book Reviews website contributor. “Beautifully crafted, fantastically written, and deliciously creepy, The Near Witch is sure to be an instant classic.”
Schwab followed up this debut with the first in a new series, the young-adult title The Archived, a supernatural thriller in which the dead are placed on shelves in the library-like Archive. These so-called Histories are ghosts, and librarians keep them in order on a shelf. Occasionally, a History might escape the Archive into the chaos of the Narrows, and that is where the Keepers come into play. It is the Keeper’s job to return such escaping Histories to the Archive before they reach the outer world. Mackenzie Bishop is just sixteen, and she is a Keeper. Mackenzie begins finding more and more Histories on the loose following the death of her younger brother, but meeting another Keeper, Wesley, helps somewhat. Then she meets a History named Owen who seems to know her very well, and her life grows complicated again by a terrible secret she begins to understand that is connected to the apartment building where she lives. “Mackenzie sets out to right what is disrupted, only to discover twists and turns of ‘what seems to be’ along the way,” commented Voice of Youth Advocates contributor Beth H. Green.
Booklist reviewer Debbie Carton termed The Archived an “intriguing view of the afterlife, and [a] thoughtful exploration of death and our reactions to it.” Horn Book writer Deirdre F. Baker similarly noted: “Schwab’s image of the Archive and its Librarians is both poignant and intellectually piquant.” A Kirkus Reviews critic was also impressed with The Archived, calling it a “gripping supernatural thriller” that is a “refreshingly angel-free departure in afterlife fiction.” Further praise came from School Library Journal reviewer Tara Kehoe, who observed: “Schwab skillfully manages that rare accomplishment: a spine-tingling, supernatural, ghostly mystery that is fully believable.” Kehoe dubbed Schwab a “writer to watch.” Likewise, an online Book Smugglers contributor commented: “The Archived is a beautifully written book, a morose, slow-simmering modern gothic novel, with a truly intriguing premise.”
Schwab takes readers back to the world of The Archived in her 2014 sequel, The Unbound. After the near-death events of the first book, Mackenzie Bishop is trying to get her life back in order as she begins her junior year at Hyde School. However, she is still haunted by the experiences she has undergone, and nightmares now begin to invade her waking hours as well. Owen, the History that she thought she had earlier returned to his proper shelf, has managed to free himself again. At the same time, people are beginning to disappear, and the only thing any of those who have disappeared have in common is that they have some connection to her. Mackenzie is certain that the Archive knows something about this, but before she can pursue this lead, she becomes the prime suspect in the disappearances. Now time is running out for Mackenzie not only in her position as a Keeper but in her life.
Writing in Horn Book, Baker had praise for The Unbound, noting that the “sharpness of [Schwab’s] prose and plot give this action-intense story abundant energy.” School Library Journal reviewer Danielle Sena likewise commended this installment to a “suspenseful and engrossing supernatural series.” Sena added: “Schwab’s characters are distinct, and she has a talent for conveying the connections between them.” Writing in Booklist Online, Carton stated: “Schwab continues to explore themes of loss, grief, and recovery.”
Schwab turned in her first adult tale with Vicious, the first book in her “Villians” series. Vicious is the tale of two brilliant and also very disturbed pre-med students who set out to create their own superpowers and end up mortal enemies. Victor and Eli are college roommates who recognize a common ambition in one another. In their senior year, they both are researching adrenaline and the power of near-death experiences, and decide that with the proper conditions, a person could develop special powers. Their experiments eventually leave the lab and enter real life, changing the two forever. Ultimately, Victor is sent to jail while Eli starts to work with the police. The problem is, these roles should actually be inverted, for Victor is innocent of the charges that sent him to jail while Eli has been disposing of anyone whose powers might be stronger than his. He seems to meet his match, however, when he attempts to get rid of twelve-year-old Sydney, who can raise the dead. And then when Victor is finally released from prison, he decides that Eli must be stopped.
Reviewing Vicious, a Publishers Weekly contributor noted: “Schwab’s tale of betrayal, self-hatred, and survival will resonate with superhero fans.” A Bookwatch writer similarly called this a “powerful novel of greed and power struggles.” A contributor to the website There Were Books Involved also had a high assessment of Vicious, terming it a “masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world.” The contributor further remarked: “If you’re a fan of anti-heroes, or villains who might possibly be redeemable, you need to read this book. If you’re a fan of the ‘superhero’ genre and want to read a book that’s dark and obsessively engaging, read this book. If the premise of two already-a-little-twisted individuals gaining superpowers and pitting their powers against each other sounds remotely interesting to you, read this book. If you’re a fan of layered characters who twist our view of what a ‘hero’ or ‘villain’ can be, read this book.”
(open new2)Vengeful is the sequel to Vicious. Victor learns that Sydney having resurrected him comes with a price to pay. After being resurrected herself, Marcella Riggins is out for revenge against those who wronged her. Despite slowly losing his powers, Victor tries to stop Marcella’s murderous rampage. A Kirkus Reviews contributor insisted that “readers won’t be able to put down this dark and riveting tale of power and revenge.”(close new2)
Schwab again writes for an adult audience in her “Shades of Magic” series. The first, A Darker Shade of Magic, is about a magician who can move through multiple versions of London and of the young female thief who steals a talisman that could destroy them all. In the past, the interlocking worlds of magic were open to each other; now the doors between them have been shut. Only a special few can now travel between Grey London, a place without magic, to Red London, where it is plentiful, and White London, where magic is seldom found. Kell is a messenger who travels between these three Londons and is also a smuggler of artifacts. Not even the brave Kell, however, will dare risk a trip to Black London, but when the thief Lila steals one of his artifacts, Kell has no choice.
“Fantasy fans will love this fast-paced adventure, with its complex magic system … [and] thoughtful hero and bold heroine,” noted a Kirkus Reviews critic of A Darker Shade of Magic. A Publishers Weekly reviewer similarly termed the novel an “imaginative, well-crafted fantasy.”
The second in “The Shades of Magic” series, A Gathering of Shadows, features Kell and his brother, Rhy, along with Lila and a new character, privateer Alucard Emery, in a return to the “linked alternate realities of London,” in the words of a Publishers Weekly critic. Four months after the adventures of A Darker Shade of Magic, readers find themselves once again confronting the parallel worlds of White London, Grey London, Red London, and Black London (which has been destroyed by magic). Which London will thrive, and which will collapse?
Booklist critic Kelly Fann applauded the “beautiful language, strong characters, … magic, intrigue, … deception, … piracy, … epic throw downs, and one … brutal cliffhanger.” A reviewer in Publishers Weekly described the characters as “complex, fully realized creations who challenge conventional ideas of what a hero should be made of.” In Kirkus Reviews, a contributor concluded: “These rich, lifelike characters draw the reader in and make this well-realized fantasy impossible to put down.”
A Conjuring of Light is the conclusion to Schwab’s fantasy trilogy “The Shades of Magic.” Kell finds himself a prisoner in White London, unable to fully use his magical powers. His magical connection to his brother, Prince Rhy, may no longer be able to keep the prince alive. At the same time, Black London’s “shadow king” Osaron is steadily overpowering White London’s magician Holland. Lila is determined to save Kell and, with him, the world.
A Kirkus Reviews critic remarked that “desperate gambits, magical battles, and meaningful sacrifice make this a thrilling read” and reported that “Schwab has … delivered on the promise of this inventive and captivating series.” Online at Across the Words, a correspondent called A Conjuring of Light “magically captivating” and a “wonderful conclusion to a brilliant series.” Michelle Herbert, writing in Fantasy Book Review, noted that A Conjuring of Light is “everything you could want from the last book in a trilogy.” Even with the “tragedy that befalls the characters in their fight against Osaron,” this was an “immensely satisfying ending for those that survived.”
The premise of “The Monsters of Verity” series is that in Verity violent acts have created actual monsters: Sunai, Malchai, and Corsai, who feed on weak and fearful humans, each in a different way. In the first offering of the series, This Savage Song, Kate Harker and August Flynn, who is a Sunai but wants to be human, are at odds in how to respond to this situation. The Flynn family work to keep South Verity safe, while Kate’s father, Callum, rules over North Verity using the Malchai and Corsai as his enforcers. A Publishers Weekly reviewer commented that Schwab creates a “strange, captivating alternate America filled with offbeat, fascinating characters” and called it a “fast-paced, frightening read.” In Kirkus Reviews, a critic observed that the “world is fascinating … the characters complicated, and the political machinations and emotional depths both charged and compelling” The book, said the critic, has a “zinger of an ending.” Sunnie Scarpa, writing in School Library Journal, praised the “nonstop action” and Schwab’s “immersive writing style.”
Our Dark Duet takes up the story of Kate and August six months after the events of This Savage Song. August has stayed in Verity, which is overrun by monsters bred of human sin. Kate has escaped to Prosperity, with fewer monsters and ones whose existence is ignored. August is leading a war against the Malchai, monsters who drink the blood that spills from murders. In a change of heart, Kate returns to Verity to join August and the Flynn Task Force in a fight against the Chaos Eater—a monster who causes humans to become violent as a way to engender the chaos he craves. Katie Bircher, in Horn Book, asserted that the “suspenseful action sequences are well paced, with affecting moments of understanding and tenderness, building to a satisfying if not happy ending.” A Kirkus Reviews critic asked: “In a world where monstrous acts beget actual monsters, what is humanity?” The reviewer informed readers that “the breakneck pacing … eventually resolves into a poignant ending.” Maggie Reagan, writing in Booklist, stated that if the first book in the series “was a tense exploration of human nature,” Our Dark Duet “is a reckoning.” Schwab, commented Reagan, “folds questions of identity, morality, and judgment into her stunningly crafted narrative.”
(open new3)City of Ghosts marked the start of the “Cassidy Blake” series. Twelve-year-old Cass is able to see beyond the “Veil” after surviving a near-death incident. Her best friend is a ghost named Jacob. Her parents are shooting a reality TV show in Edinburgh, the City of Ghosts. While there, the malevolent Raven in Red wants to trap Cass in the Veil and take her life. Armed with only her camera and help from Jacob and Lara, Cass must be smart to avoid falling victim to the Raven in Red.
In a review in Horn Book, Bircher claimed that Schwab “evokes the real-world Edinburgh with plenty of vivid sensory detail, and imbues the Veil and its inhabitants with spine-tingling spookiness.” A contributor to Publishers Weekly summarized that “courageous, quick-witted Cassidy inspires, her relationship with Jacob is tender, and the thrilling conclusion” will “gratify.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor said that the novel “begs to be read in the dark of night.”
In Tunnel of Bones, Cass and Jacob must banish a poltergeist before it creates more problems for them and the city of Paris. Writing in Horn Book, Bircher mentioned that the novel’s “final spooky incident will leave readers impatiently awaiting the next ghost-hunting expedition.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor found it to be “another spine-tinglingly satisfying trek into the world of the dead.” Booklist contributor Julia Smith pointed out that “mystery and Paris history intermingle nicely.” Smith also noted that “a subplot involving Jacob’s past intensifies readers’ investment in the characters.”
Bridge of Souls finds Cass and her parents in New Orleans. She must deal with an Emissary, whose sole purpose is to bring those who have interacted with those beyond the Veil to the other side for good. A Kirkus Reviews contributor found it to be “another strong entry in a series offering thrills and chills.”
In The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Adeline exchanges her soul for the curse of living forever but being forgotten by everyone who she meets after she is out of their sight. After 300 years living like this, she meets a boy in Manhattan who remembers her. Booklist contributor Reagan stated: “Narratively, this is a whirlwind–deeply romantic, impossibly detailed, filled with lush language, wry humor, and bitter memories.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor stated: “Spanning centuries and continents, this is a darkly romantic and suspenseful tale by a writer at the top of her game.” The same reviewer remarked that the novel is “rich and satisfying and strange and impeccably crafted.” A contributor to Publishers Weekly opined that the characters are “beautifully rendered, and the view of human connection on offer is biting and bitter, yet introspective and sweet.”
With Extraordinary, Charlotte awakes from narrowly surviving a fatal school bus crash an finds that she can see who people die through their reflections. Out of curiosity she begins to study the man who will eventually kill her. Booklist contributor Sarah Hunter commented that readers “of superhero comics will be gratified to find a lot of the hallmarks of the genre here.”
Gallant centers around fourteen-year-old deaf artist, Olivia Prior, who has lived at the Merilance School for Independent Girls since her first birthday. At his request, Olivia joins her Uncle Arthur at his estate, only to learn that he is dead. She stays despite her cousin’s order to leave and learns a great deal about her family history. A contributor to Publishers Weekly mentioned that “evocative prose, eerie b&w artwork by Sumberac, and superbly rendered characters … elevate this affective, bone-chilling” novel. Booklist contributor Suzanne Temple reasoned that “since Schwab writes across audience levels, this work will appeal to her fans of any age.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor insisted that the novel “will hook readers with its gripping worldbuilding, well-rounded characters, and fantastic horror.”
The Fragile Threads of Power takes place seven years after Kell, Lila, and Holland defeated the evil Osaron. Sea captain Lila and weapons master Kell comes together after the Hand organization target Kell’s brother, Rhy. Along with Rhy’s husband, Alucard, the four set out to protect their families while magical power plays spin around them. Booklist contributor Lily Hunter lauded that the novel “will entrance and delight fantasy readers everywhere.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked that it is “a delicious treat for fans of the ‘Shades of Magic’ series and a lush, suspenseful fantasy in its own right.” A contributor to Publishers Weekly suggested that while new readers to the series “may miss some nuance, fans will devour this exciting return.”
In Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, lesbian vampires Sabine, Charlotte, Alice all deal with love and loss across time and space. A contributor to Publishers Weekly found it to be “a haunting and worthwhile story about cruelty, grace, love, and what it means to live forever.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor opined that “Alice’s flashbacks to Catty are particularly moving.” The same critic called the novel “a beautiful meditation on queer identity against a supernatural backdrop.” Booklist contributor Frances Moritz commented that “the vampires’ intertwined stories explore the centuries between them, ultimately reaching an unexpected yet satisfying conclusion.”(close new3)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 15, 2011, Bethany Fort, review of The Near Witch, p. 75; February 15, 2013, Debbie Carton, review of The Archived, p. 75; April 15, 2014, Tiffany Erickson, review of New Beginnings, p. 51; February 1, 2015, David Pitt, review of A Darker Shade of Magic, p. 32; February 15, 2016, Kelly Fann, review of A Gathering of Shadows, p. 37; May 1, 2016, Maggie Reagan, review of This Savage Song, p. 85; May 1, 2017, Maggie Reagan, review of Our Dark Duet, p. 71; August 1, 2019, Julia Smith, review of Tunnel of Bones, p. 82; September 1, 2020, Maggie Reagan, review of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, p. 51; October 15, 2021, Sarah Hunter, review of ExtraOrdinary, p. 36; April 15, 2022, Suzanne Temple, review of Gallant, p. 63; August 1, 2023, Lily Hunter, review of The Fragile Threads of Power, p. 38; April 1, 2025, Frances Moritz, review of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, p. 52.
Bookwatch, November 1, 2013, review of Vicious.
Cosmopolitan, June 22, 2025, Tamara Fuentes, “V.E. Schwab Is Making Her Own Rules,” p. 16.
Horn Book, September 1, 2011, Deirdre F. Baker, review of The Near Witch, p. 101; January 1, 2013, Deirdre F. Baker, review of The Archived, p. 89; May 1, 2014, Deirdre F. Baker, review of The Unbound, p. 97; Katie Bircher, July 1, 2017, review of Our Dark Duet, p. 141; November 1, 2018, Katie Bircher, review of City of Ghosts, p. 88; September 1, 2019, Katie Bircher, review of Tunnel of Bones, p. 99.
Internet Bookwatch, November 1, 2013, review of Vicious.
Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2011, review of The Near Witch; November 15, 2012, review of The Archived; December 15, 2014, review of A Darker Shade of Magic; December 15, 2015, review of A Gathering of Shadows; April 15, 2016, review of This Savage Song; March 15, 2017, review of A Conjuring Light; May 15, 2017, review of Our Dark Duet; July 1, 2018, review of City of Ghosts; September 1, 2018, review of Vengeful; June 15, 2019, review of Tunnel of Bones; July 15, 2020, review of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue; February 1, 2021, review of Bridge of Souls; January 1, 2022, review of Gallant; July 15, 2023, review of The Fragile Threads of Power; April 15, 2025, review of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil.
New York Times Book Review, June 29, 2025, “V.E. Schwab,” p. 5; July 20, 2025, Everdeen Mason, review of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, p. 6.
Publishers Weekly, June 20, 2011, review of The Near Witch, p. 55; July 8, 2013, review of Vicious, p. 70; November 4, 2013, review of Vicious, p. 28; January 5, 2015, review of A Darker Shade of Magic, p. 56; December 21, 2016, review of A Gathering of Shadows; May 9, 2016, review of This Savage Song, p. 71; July 2, 2018, review of City of Ghosts, p. 70; June 8, 2020, review of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, p. 78; August 10, 2020, Sona Charaipotra, “Time after Time,” p. 27; November 23, 2022, review of Gallant, p. 86; July 10, 2023, review of The Fragile Threads of Power, p. 42; April 28, 2025, review of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, p. 40.
School Library Journal, December 1, 2011, Karen Alexander, review of The Near Witch, p. 130; March 1, 2013, Tara Kehoe, review of The Archived, p. 174; May 1, 2014, Danielle Sena, review of The Unbound, p. 139; June 1, 2014, review of New Beginnings, p. 134; May 1, 2016, Sunnie Scarpa, review of This Savage Song, p. 121.
Voice of Youth Advocates, October 1, 2011, Erika Sogge, review of The Near Witch, p. 409; December 1, 2012, Beth H. Green, review of The Archived, p. 493.
ONLINE
Across the Words, https://acrossthewords.com/ (March 28, 2017), review of A Conjuring of Light.
At Home between the Pages, http://homebetweenpages.blogspot.com/ (June 13, 2012), review of The Near Witch.
Booklist Online, http://www.booklistonline.com/ April 29, 2014), Debbie Carton, review of The Unbound.
BookPage, https://bookpage.com/ (July 1, 2016), Linda M. Castellitto, author interview; (October 1, 2020), Kathryn Justice Leache, author interview.
Book Smugglers, http://thebooksmugglers.com/ (June 13, 2012), review of The Near Witch; (October 20, 2015), review of The Archived.
BookTrib, https://booktrib.com/ (September 21, 2023), Aurora Dominguez, “Dive into V.E. Schwab’s World of Magic, Her Next Writing Project, and Current Reads.”
Casual Reader’s Blog, http://ellsey.blogspot.com/ (June 13, 2012), review of The Near Witch.
Deadline, http://deadline.com/ (December 17, 2013), Mike Fleming Jr., “Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Teams with Story Mining & Supply on Vicious Deal.”
Fantasy Book Review, http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/ (February 12, 2017), Michelle Herbert, review of A Conjuring of Light.
Fantasy Faction, http://fantasy-faction.com/ (October 6, 2014), “Interview with V.E. Schwab.”
Fiusm, http://fiusm.com/ (April 10, 2015), Maria Gil, review of A Darker Shade of Magic.
Good Books and Good Wine, http://www.goodbooksandgoodwine.com/ (June 13, 2012), review of The Near Witch.
Her Bookish Things, http://herbookishthings.com (February 23, 2017), review of A Conjuring of Light.
Horror Writers Association, http://horror.org/ (June 1, 2013), Jonathan Maberry, “Scary Out There: A Blog on Horror in Young Adult Fiction—A Chat with Victoria Schwab.”
KniteWrites, http://knitewrites.com/ (January 12, 2015), review of Vicious.
Lady with Books, http://ladywithbooks.wordpress.com/ (June 13, 2012), review of The Near Witch.
Los Angeles Public Library website, https://www.lapl.org/ (October 26, 2018), author interview; (November 12, 2020), author interview.
Love Is Not a Triangle, http://www.loveisnotatriangle.com/ (February 21, 2013), review of The Archived; (February 4, 2014), review of The Unbound.
Maude’s Book Club, https://www.maudesbookclub.com/ (June 15, 2023), Amanda Guarragi, “Everything You Need to Know About V.E. Schwab’s Bookography.”
NPR.org, http://www.npr.org/ (February 25, 2015), review of A Darker Shade of Magic.
Parental Book Reviews, https://sites.google.com/site/parentalbookreviews/ (June 13, 2012), review of The Near Witch.
Parnassus Musing, https://parnassusmusing.net/ (July 26, 2025), Jennifer Murray, “Days, Decades, Centuries: An Interview with V.E. Schwab.”
Portalist, https://theportalist.com (October 17, 2017), Carolyn Cox, author interview.
SFF World, http://www.sffworld.com/ (March 21, 2015), Mark Yon, review of A Darker Shade of Magic.
There’s a Book, http://www.theresabook.com/ (June 13, 2012), review of The Near Witch.
There Were Books Involved, http://www.therewerebooksinvolved.com/ (November 1, 2013), review of Vicious.
Un-Required Reading, http://un-requiredreading.com/ (June 13, 2012), author profile.
V.E. Schwab website, https://www.veschwab.com (December 15, 2025).
V. E .Schwab was born in California, raised in Tennessee, and currently splits her time between Denver, Colorado and Edinburgh, Scotland. She got her undergraduate degree in book design at Washington University in St. Louis, and her masters in depictions of monstrosity in medieval art at the University of Edinburgh. In addition to writing books and hosting a podcast called No Write Way, she spends her time on tour, or plagued by the knowledge of how short life is, in terms of the number of books she’ll be able to read, and obsessively saving tiktok videos for recipes she’ll probably never make. She also likes to run, and cycle, and swim—though not all at once.
V.E. is the author of more than 25 books, spanning MG, YA, and Adult, though she’s never been keen on labeling stories for a certain audience. Plenty of young readers like Vicious, and plenty of older ones like Cassidy Blake, and she believes the best story is the one that finds you when you need it.
Her greatest goal as an author is to make you doubt your reality. Not by convincing you that magic is real, but by planting a seed of doubt that it’s not.
V. E. Schwab
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
V. E. Schwab
V. E. Schwab in 2025
V. E. Schwab in 2025
Born Victoria Elizabeth Schwab
July 7, 1987 (age 38)
California, US
Pen name Victoria Schwab
Occupation Novelist
Alma mater Washington University in St. Louis (BFA)
Period 2010–present
Genre fantasy, science fiction, young adult, adult and middle grade fantasy
Notable works The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, the Shades of Magic series and the Villains series.
Website
www.veschwab.com
Victoria "V.E." Schwab on tour in 2022
Victoria Elizabeth Schwab (born July 7, 1987) is an American writer. She is known for the 2013 novel Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which was nominated for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.[1] She publishes children's and young adult fiction books under the name Victoria Schwab. She is the creator[2] of the supernatural teen drama series First Kill, based on her short story of the same name originally published in the 2020 anthology Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite.
Early life and education
Schwab was born on July 7, 1987, in California and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. Schwab went to Harpeth Hall School,[3] an all-girls Southern preparatory school.[4] She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2009. She had originally planned to study astrophysics, but changed directions after taking art and literature courses. She completed her first novel (unpublished) in her sophomore year,[5] and sold her debut novel, The Near Witch, to Disney before graduating.[6]
Career
Schwab's debut novel, The Near Witch, was published by Disney in 2011.[6]
The Guardian called Vicious "a brilliant exploration of the superhero mythos, and a riveting revenge thriller".[7] Additionally, it received a starred review from Publishers Weekly,[8] which also named the novel one of its best books of 2013 for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror.[9] The American Library Association's Reference and User Services Association likewise awarded it the top fantasy book in their 2014 Reading List.[10] In late 2013, the rights for a film adaptation of Vicious were bought jointly by Story Mining & Supply Co and Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions.[11][12]
In 2014, Schwab signed a two-book deal with Tor Books,[9] which included A Darker Shade of Magic and its sequel. The former was published in February 2015, and also received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.[13] In 2017, they signed another book deal with Tor for Vengeful, the sequel to Vicious; a new trilogy set called Threads of Power, which takes place in the same world as the Shades of Magic series; and an "homage to Blade Runner" called Black Tabs.[14]
In May 2018, Schwab gave the sixth annual Tolkien Lecture at Pembroke College, Oxford.[15]
In 2020, Schwab joined the panel of Podcast Writing Excuses[16] to discuss book themes and other topics.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was published by Tor Books on October 6, 2020.[17] It was heavily praised and nominated for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.[1]
Schwab's short story "First Kill" was published in the 2020 anthology Vampires Never Get Old: Tales With Fresh Bite. On October 15, 2020, Netflix gave a series order to the production First Kill (TV series).[18] Schwab served at the creator and an executive producer of the series and as a writer for a number of episodes.[19] The first season of the series premiered on June 10, 2022, on Netflix.[20] The show was cancelled in August 2022, despite having a "decent run" in terms of viewing figures.[21] Gay Times, along with many LGBTQ fans, speculated that the cancellation was due to homophobic bias at the highest levels of TV decision making, as the show centred on a lesbian love story.[22]
Schwab has been the host of the podcast No Write Way with V. E. Schwab, in which she discusses the craft of writing with successful authors, since 2023.[23]
In June 2025, Schwab published Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, which topped the USA Today Bestseller List and The New York Times Bestseller List.[24][25] The Chicago Review of Books stated that "In Schwab’s hands, even the well-trod territory of immortal bloodsuckers turns fresh and new."[2]
Personal life
Schwab grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and has lived in St. Louis, Brooklyn, Liverpool and Edinburgh. She first came out as gay at age 28.[6]
Bibliography
As Victoria Schwab
The Dark Vault series
The Archived (2013)
The Unbound (2014)
"Leave the Window Open" (2015; short story)
The Returned (TBD)
Everyday Angel series
New Beginnings (2014)
Second Chances (2014)
Last Wishes (2014)
Monsters of Verity series
This Savage Song (2016)
Our Dark Duet (2017)
Cassidy Blake series
City of Ghosts (2018)
Tunnel of Bones (2019)
Bridge of Souls (2021)
Standalone works
Spirit Animals: Fall of the Beasts - Broken Ground (2015; Book 2 of a series by various authors)
Because You Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy (2017; contributing writer)
(Don't) Call Me Crazy (2018; contributing writer)
As V. E. Schwab
Villains Series
"Warm Up" (2013; short story)
Vicious (2013)
Vengeful (2018)
"Common Ground" (2018; short story)
Victorious (TBD)
Villains Graphic Novels
ExtraOrdinary (2021)
Shades of Magic series
A Darker Shade of Magic (2015)
A Gathering of Shadows (2016)
A Conjuring of Light (2017)[26]
Threads of Power Series (spin off to Shades of Magic)
The Fragile Threads of Power (2023)
Shades of Magic Graphic Novels series
Shades of Magic Vol. 1: The Steel Prince (2019)
Shades of Magic Vol. 2: Night of Knives (2019)
Shades of Magic Vol. 3: The Rebel Army (2020)
The Near Witch series
The Ash-Born Boy (2012; novella)
The Near Witch (2011; republished in 2019 under V. E. Schwab)
Standalone works
First Kill, a short story within the anthology Vampires Never Get Old: Tales With Fresh Bite (2020)
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (2020)
Gallant (2022)[27]
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil (2025)
Black Tabs (announced)[28]
Awards
2018 Winner Goodreads Choice Awards—Best Science Fiction for Vengeful[29]
2022 Winner Goodreads Choice Awards—Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction for Gallant[30]
V E Schwab
A pseudonym used by Victoria Schwab
Victoria Schwab is an American fantasy author best known for her 2013 novel Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and for her children's and young adult fiction published under the name Victoria Schwab.
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy
Series
Villains
0.5. Warm Up (2013)
1. Vicious (2013)
2. Vengeful (2018)
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Shades of Magic
1. A Darker Shade of Magic (2015)
2. A Gathering of Shadows (2016)
3. A Conjuring of Light (2017)
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Monsters of Verity
1. This Savage Song (2016)
2. Our Dark Duet (2017)
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Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince
1. The Steel Prince (2018)
2. Night of Knives (2019)
3. The Rebel Army (2019)
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ExtraOrdinary
1. ExtraOrdinary (2021)
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Fragile Threads of Power
1. The Fragile Threads of Power (2023)
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Novels
The Near Witch (2011)
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (2020)
Gallant (2022)
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil (2025)
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Series contributed to
Tor.Com Original
Warm Up (2013)
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Omnibus editions hide
The City of Ghosts Collection: Books 1-3 (2021)
Days, Decades, Centuries: An Interview with V.E. Schwab
Posted onJuly 26, 2025
V.E. Schwab’s latest novel is a wickedly luxurious tale of three women’s stories tangled in centuries of bloody immortality. What is life without love and love without hunger? This is a sapphic vampire love story like you’ve never experienced before. We’ll be discussing it at our Fantasy Readers Guild meetings on Sunday, July 27th at 11:00am and 5:30pm. All are welcome! In the meantime, please enjoy bookseller Jennifer’s interview with V.E. Schwab.
Jennifer Murray: One of the trademark qualities of your books is how different they are from each other. You never seem to be afraid to allow the book to be itself, free from the constraints of its successful predecessors. When you were in the beginning stages of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, what surprised you most about the project that stood out to you amongst your earlier novels?
V.E. Schwab: I set out each time with a certain narrative ambition, a desire to not only tell a new story, but to tell it in a new way. I immediately knew that, for Bury Our Bones, I wanted to tell not one story but three, in three very distinct voices. I jokingly call Bones three novellas in a trench coat, not because I wanted it to feel like that for the reader, but because I wrote each of the women’s stories in its entirety before twisting them together.
JM: In Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, we spend a lot of time with each character, really getting to know them, their backstories, and the stories that they tell themselves. Time is also a major theme in the book, with readers moving through whole eras. How do you approach constructing characters who grow over multiple life spans versus characters who are currently living in their first one?
VES: The primary reason I wrote each character’s arc in its entirety was to preserve the distinct voices. But the secondary reason was so that I could explore the nuances of growth and change in each woman over time. Alice’s story takes place over roughly 3 days (9 years if you include her flashbacks), while Sabine’s is set over nearly 500. There’s obviously a chasm between those two, but I approach each one the same. Sabine has simply had a lot longer to become and be who she is, but Alice is going through some very radical personal crossroads that could impact her future the way Sabine’s impacted her past.
JM: Continuing with the discussion of time and immortality, what do you think your book says about humanity’s relationship with time?
VES: I may technically be writing about supernatural creations, but whenever I write fantasy, it’s really just another way to explore a facet of human nature. There is a theory at the crux of this book that my vampires lose their humanity over time, but that it happens at different rates depending on their attachment to it in the first place. That allows for a wide spectrum of experience—for some, their humanity dies off in days, for others decades, for others centuries. But it’s inevitable: all things wither over time. They may get to take life itself for granted, but what gives life its meaning?
JM: As someone who feels like it took me a while to grow into my own skin and understand myself and what I want, I’m curious about how you think that evolution of self plays into the development of your characters?
VES: Self—identity and acceptance—are crucial to this story and the women in it. Alice doesn’t know who she is or who she wants to be. Charlotte knows who she is, and is terrified of not being loved for it. Sabine knows who she is, and embraces it, without apology or fear. I would say I’m finally in my Sabine era, but god knows I went through my Alice and Charlotte years, too. Of course, Sabine is in many ways the villain of the book, but in this, she is my hero. She believes she is deserving of what she wants, as well as what she needs, and that’s a model I wish more of us could follow (perhaps without the serial killing).
JM: I worked your last event at Parnassus when you were releasing The Fragile Threads of Power, and you mentioned the different books and TV shows that inspire you to write. What is a surprising muse for this book?
VES: This book is a love letter to so many things, from Only Lovers Left Alive and The Vampire Lestat, to Killing Eve, but perhaps the most surprising is Florence Welch, from Florence + the Machine. I saw her in concert in 2019 and she was mythic, larger than life. I thought, that’s how I want Sabine to feel, to Charlotte by the time they meet. Otherworldly.
JM: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil features a ton of different cultures and countries. What was the process of exploring the nuance of how place impacts a person?
VES: Setting is a character in most of my work. We are so much a product of our places—the ones we’re born into, the ones we make home, the ones we love and the ones we escape. While writing Addie LaRue, which is also set across centuries and countries, I would challenge myself to capture the essence of a city or a village in only a handful of sentences, at most a single scene. Addie belonged to none of them, a visitor, a voyeur, a ghost. But each of the three women at the center of Bones is escaping their original place, and laying claim to new ones. I knew where they would each begin—16th century Spain, 18th century England, 20th century Scotland—and where they would all end up: 21st century Boston—but the fun is figuring out the roads they take, and how each one informs or changes them along the way.
JM: In the book, intimacy and vulnerability is explored through not only romantic relationships, but also through family– both the people we are related to and the people we choose. What inspires the family dynamics in the book?
VES: I often shy away from writing romance, not because I don’t enjoy it, but because too often the mere existence of a romantic storyline seems to downgrade the presence and importance of other relationship dynamics, and to be honest, those tend to interest me more. Siblings, parents and children, friends, adversaries, and all the complicated permutations, are my favorite part. Here, family—the kind you’re born into and the kind you create for yourself—is vital to the story. Sabine has no love for hers. Charlotte has a great deal, but has to escape. Alice has even more, but it’s complicated by grief.
JM: Through your newsletters, you have developed a community around writing and the process of writing. I personally loved learning about your thoughts on this book before it was published. How do you feel like this kind of writing impacts your fiction writing?
VES: For better or worse, I am an extremely self-aware writer, so I often stop to explore the why behind my storytelling decisions, which I suppose helps me turn both my strengths and weaknesses into teaching moments. Writing is so often a lonely pursuit, so I love the opportunity to find more universal throughlines or advice that might make someone else’s process a little smoother, or simply let them know they’re not alone. Plus, finding ways to articulate my experiences helps me gain enough psychic distances to talk about the work once it’s done. But alas, so far, it hasn’t made my own writing process less fraught, I think in part because there’s no way to anticipate the specific struggles of a specific story. The only way out, each and every time, is through.
JM: What is your favorite memory inside of an indie bookstore?
VES: I remember when Parnassus first opened. I’d grown up with Davis Kidd, reading books and eating chocolate cake in their café. When it closed, I was bereft. My debut novel had just come out, and I didn’t even have an indie store to dream of being shelved in. For years, Nashville didn’t have one. And then, when Parnassus opened, it felt like oxygen rushing back into my lungs. A new and precious chapter. Watching Parnassus grow into such a landmark, knowing it’s there for new generations of readers and writers—what a gift.
Dive Into V.E. Schwab’s World of Magic, Her Next Writing Project and Current Reads
Contributor: Aurora Dominguez
Aurora Dominguez
September 21, 2023
6 min read
Fantasy author V.E. Schwab is more than a writer. She is a creative force to be reckoned with, as legions of fans flock to bookstores when her newest book arrives, hungry for more of her stories.
Schwab is the author of the Darker Shade of Magic series, as well as The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. The Darker Shade of Magic books tell the tale of powerful magicians who can travel between parallel versions of London. Addie Larue is an adult romance filled with whimsy as it tells the story of a girl who lives a thousand lives with immortality, and how her life progresses as she tries to understand it all.
While Schwab is most well-known for these books, she also has written stories for younger audiences, such as the young adult Gallant novel, and the spooky and adorable middle-grade City of Ghosts series. Her short stories and her graphic novels make her a multi-faceted creator that readers looking for diverse fantasy stories are sure to enjoy. Her short story, Vampires Never Get Old: Tales of a First Bite, became the Netflix film First Kill, released in 2020.
We had the chance to interview V.E. Schwab about her upcoming novel, The Fragile Threads of Power, writing across vast timelines, working on a graphic novel and what she’s been reading.
An Interview with V.E. Schwab
Your upcoming novel, The Fragile Threads of Power, is an action-packed romp that continues the Shades of Magic series. It builds upon a world you’ve already created and introduces powerful and bold characters, as well as a few familiar faces. How did this new installation in the series come about? Did you always wish to revisit this world?
I outline all my books in reverse, meaning I know the ending before I ever write the first line, so everything is pretty well planned. Because of that, storylines don’t usually sneak up on me, but I was about halfway through Conjuring of Light when I realized I had a plot thread I didn’t want to resolve in that novel. I left it in, like a door cracked open, and by the time I finished the book, the story that would become the Threads of Power arc was already forming in my mind. But it would be almost 5 years before I sat down to write it!
It’s an understatement when I say that fans and new readers should be ready for not only a rollercoaster of emotions in The Fragile Threads of Power, but also a deep dive into the characters and their psyches. What was the most enjoyable part of crafting their stories? Was there a particular character who was exciting to write?
It honestly felt like coming home. The day I reached the re-introduction of Kell and Lila I couldn’t stop smiling. I knew it was coming, but writing them was a reunion, and I didn’t realize how much I’d missed them until I was back. Then, designing the new characters, I really pushed myself to make them as complex and interesting as possible, because I knew they’d have to clear the bar set out by the existing cast. As for which one I was most excited to write, that prize might go to Kosika, the 14-year-old queen of White London.
Your Shades of Magic series is a perfect mix of magic and fantasy, but despite these surreal elements, touches on reality. Is there anything or anyone in real life that inspired this fictional world and the characters’ distinct personalities?
I think fantasy does its best work when we feel the reality in its bones. Character needs to feel like people, no matter where their stories are set and if there’s magic. Kell and Rhy’s relationship, even though there’s a supernatural bond, is about brotherly love/devotion. Kell and Lila’s, about loving someone else more than yourself. Kell’s current situation with magic looks pretty heavily at chronic pain and its effects on mental health. The new leads, Tes and Kosika, are both examinations of adolescence and agency.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue showed a character living across different centuries. What was the most challenging thing about writing a character that lived through so many years, historical events and lifetimes?
With three hundred years of story, you can’t give a comprehensive look. Instead, you need to pick highlights and lowlights, moments that leave a mark, shape the characters, chart an important piece of their physical and emotional arcs. The challenge is in the choosing.
The worlds in your stories are beautifully crafted, allowing the reader to envision the setting when they read. You’ve had the chance to release your Shades of Magic series as a graphic novel, and the Villains novel ExtraOrdinary has come to life in comic book form. What was it like to have those worlds become colorful images alongside their stories?
It’s such a gift, having a written art form intersect with a visual one. When I write, I’m trying to create a movie that plays in the reader’s mind. With comics, I get to work with an artist to actually show a version of what that could look like. It’s like having professional fan art to go with the story you’re telling.
What creative endeavors are next for you that you can share with us?
Right now, I’m hard at work on my next standalone novel, which I’m thinking of as kind of as a spiritual sibling to Addie LaRue, because it’s a different kind of immortality tale, but also an anti-Addie. Where that is a story about defiant hope and stubborn joy, this one is about sexuality and hunger and rage.
After that, it’s back to work on the next installment of the Threads of Power!
What are you currently reading? Are there any authors or genres that particularly inspire you?
I am always reading, but in periods of first drafting, I tend to veer toward non-fiction, so my head doesn’t get too narratively cluttered, so a lot of what I’ve consumed lately has been memoir and autobiography. Recently I’ve loved Strong Female Character by Fern Brady, and Life on Other Planets by Aomawa Shields. And when I emerge from the drafting cave, I have an entire stack of fiction — literary, historical, fantasy — to dive into!
About V.E. Schwab:
Victoria “V.E.” Schwab is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the Cassidy Blake series and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Her work has received critical acclaim, translated into over two dozen languages, and optioned for television and film. First Kill – a YA vampire series based on Schwab’s short story of the same name was produced by Netflix. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.
Everything You Need to Know About V.E. Schwab’s Bookography
Book News
Jun 15, 2023
Written By Amanda Guarragi
V.E. Schwab
About the Author
Victoria “V.E.” Schwab is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the Cassidy Blake series and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
If you’re new to ‘Maude’s Book Club’, then you don’t know that V.E. Schwab is one of Maude Garrett’s favourite authors. Garrett has said that Schwab will always be a day one “insta-buy” because of how talented of a writer she is. In a previous book chat, the community absolutely adored reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue with Garrett because of her love of the author.
Garrett was thrilled she would be able to sit down and have a conversation with V.E. Schwab. Our book club members were able to submit questions for Schwab about any of the books she has written. Schwab and Garrett hit it off instantly and they had an in-depth discussion about her process, the characters she has written and how powerful books can be.
Maude Garrett Interviews V.E. Schwab
MAUDE: You are my number one because of your versatility. I think the way you write and how you create different universes with different characters are usually morally grey, which is everyone's fave. But, I guess out of all those things, which of the books do you feel like you poured the most of you authentically into it?
V.E. SCHWAB: I think it's hard to answer that because the books I write are time capsules of the period I'm writing them. So, Vicious was written when I was 25 and Vengeful when I was 30. Darker Shades of Magic at 27. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue took 10 years. So I think it's one of those things where the obvious answer is Addie because it took so many years. But honestly, I pour everything of the age that I am and everything that I'm feeling, and everything that I wanna convey into the book. When it’s done it becomes this time capsule of who I was at that time.
Villains duology
M: What was it about 25 where you are just like, we glorify superpowers, but let's put a very realistic lens over what it would be like?
VE: Honestly, Vicious (my fourth novel) is born out of a very specific period for me because I was about to quit publishing. My first one for adults. I had a toxic relationship with my first publisher, and Vicious came out of two things. One, academic interest in how we choose who we root for. Where I make you root for bad people and the the thesis is that we don't judge people based on what they do. We judge them based on why they do it. That's the fundamental difference between Victor and Eli is not what they do, but why?
M: I also love that little nugget where you are dealing with characters that start with V and E. Was that a little nod too?
VE: I was publishing as Victoria at the time. And then we like got through edits on this book. My editor goes, “Okay, we wanna use your initials.” So we were gonna use VE, and I was like, “Great.” She said, "I never asked you what the E stands for.” I replied with, “Oh, it's Elizabeth.” There was a very long pause. She goes, “Your name's Victoria Elizabeth? It's very regal. You named your main characters, Victor and Eli, just the male versions of your name.” Then, we were both like, “Well sh**, it's too late to change any of this now.” They were just two halves of my personality.
M: So you relate to both Victor and Eli?
VE: Victor is much more me. Victor, up until I wrote Henry Strauss in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Victor was my first-ever autobiographical character. Super villainy aside, in terms of performative nature and kind of like social mimicry. I'm an introverted only child who leaned into social mimicry hard when I was growing up, and so in a lot of ways that sense of isolation.
A Darker Shade of Magic
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
M: You know, all is not what it seems. Something quite innocent, like a phone box or like a coat, you know, has so many more dimensions than you think. But what was it like introducing it? A darker shade of magic, but a different type of magic with the anari, and Tara.
VE: So most of my magical systems and Vicious is a magical system. It's playing with science. So I guess it often gets shoved in science fiction because it's playing with medical science. But my magical systems, whatever they are, I try to make them grounded and natural and nature-based. It's really like a love letter to Avatar: The Last Airbender and Metal Alchemist. I wanted to take my magical system and make it grounded.
M: I do think that it's a real testament, and you're right, like when we kind of explored fantasy when we were younger, it was often written by the same type of man.
VE: I should also think that sometimes with fantasy, it's telling me who's writing it. If you design a fantasy that looks exactly the same power dynamics that our world already has, what that says is you already see yourself at the centre of the story. So my stories tend to be aggressively more queer. They tend to be aggressively less white. They tend to like to take characters who are often fringe characters in those traditional white male, straight narratives, and they take them out of the periphery and they give them centre stage. My fantasy is that you got to love whom you wanna love. So instead of the power dynamic being on your identity or your sexual orientation, it is literal power in who has more magic.
M: Would you say that character and plot supersedes the world-building side for you?
VE: No, I mean they're all in conversation. I think at the end of the day, character is King and the reason character is King is if you don't care about the people that a story is happening to you don't care about the story. Like if you look at why we come back to subsequent novels in a series, we don't ever come back for the plot. We come back because we miss the people. We come back because we wanna see more of the people. You come back because you're like, I miss my friends.
M: Some of the members have jotted down questions, about all the different books. So here's one from Lisa who says, “Is the Shades of Magic series being made into a movie or a television series?
VE: It's being made into a movie. Everything is on hold right now because of the strike. But, I just wrote the adaptation myself. And turned it into the studio. So, I have to say, I'm really, really excited. We're proud. Sony is our studio and I have an amazing team.
M: Vaidin has asked a question, “What inspired Kell's Coat of Possibilities?”
VE: Oh, I love what somebody asked that! So it's two things. It's in one part what Howl’s Moving Castle is like. I just love Howell. And Kell is largely in many ways inspired by Howell. Specifically like the Miyazaki version. I love both the book and the film, but the Miyazaki version. I have a hard time talking about Harry Potter these days because it was so fundamental to me, and, as a member of the queer community, it's complicated. Yes, it's kind of ruined. But, the room of requirement in Harry Potter, this idea of a space within space of a place that has whatever you need. But even sometimes before you know what it is that you need.
M: You say that you're a cinematic writer, so you'll storyboard whether it's a graphic novel or a fully-fledged novel, but you create a beat sheet with every scene. So that explains why your pacing's phenomenal.
VE: I outline. The more books I've written, the more rigidly I do this. I truly outline every single beat. And I do it because I'm an anxious person. I need to know that there's enough story, but also it's just the way my brain works. I will outline. I mean, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue had 300 outline beats. I do that for every scene they have like a sentence of what needs to happen physically in this scene. As I dive into each scene, I'll just start unfolding it into a larger and larger outline until I have essentially every dialogue and I know what I want the outro to be.
M: It solves a problem that a lot of authors do have, where it's like they've got the whole story and the characters on the plot, but they don't know how to finish it in like a nice, succinct way.
VE: I'm like evangelistic about the fact that I believe that the ending makes the book because I think that it's the taste left in your mouth at the end of the meal. And similarly, the way that you need to care about the characters, to care about the story. I truly believe if you don't love the ending, you'll downgrade the whole book, even if it was amazing up until the last chapter.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Inviisble Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
M: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, sat with you for nearly a decade. You had the idea and it was inspired by several different things, including the inverted Peter Pan, your dealings with dementia, and then including the fasten bargain. So I want to talk about where it all began. Even though you love focusing on the end of it all. Take it back to the beginning because this is a book that you felt like you had the idea always brewing, but it was the one that you had to write before, time was up.
VE: It was the one I had to write before I died, and I didn't. I sat on it. It took me about five years to understand the plot and my characters. Then at that point, I should have started writing it, and I didn't. Year after year, I just found reasons not to start. Until I realized at about 29, Henry's age that, I was scared. I was just too scared. I wasn't that I couldn't do it. It's just that the thing in my mind had grown too big, right? And too beautiful. And then the thing about an idea is that it's all potential and you can't mess it up, but you can mess up the concept by putting it down on paper.
Then I had to have a really hard conversation with myself around 29, where I was like, you have two choices. Either you write the book and embrace the fact that it can't be perfect or you don't write it, and you die without writing it. I had to decide whether I could live with the imperfection. So when I was 29 or 30, I finally was like, I would rather have an imperfect reality than a perfect idea.
Threads of Power
Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab
M: Can you give us any news on the Threads of Power series?
VE: Yeah! It comes out this September. It's the first book and you'll see everyone who survived the contrary of light.
M: Thank you so much for joining me, talking about all these books, diving into these characters, and blowing my mind several times. What's the next big thing that we are shining the spotlight on?
VE: Appreciate that. Right now I'm doing a Shades of Magic read-a-long over on YouTube where I am walking readers through the entire trilogy and giving behind-the-scenes looks on it. And giving away the annotated copies of each book as I finish the individual read along.
October 2020
Victoria Schwab
Finding defiant joy amid unusual times, Addie LaRue is the hero we need in 2020
Interview by Kathryn Justice Leache
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was set to become the biggest book of Victoria “V. E.” Schwab’s career thus far. She’d spent 10 years imagining Addie, and finally sharing her story with the world would be cause for much celebration. An extensive tour was planned to help ease Schwab, the author of 17 fantasy novels, including the Shades of Magic trilogy and multiple YA and middle grade series, out of the fantasy pigeonhole and into the literary space. But instead, COVID-19 happened.
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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was set to become the biggest book of Victoria “V. E.” Schwab’s career thus far. She’d spent 10 years imagining Addie, and finally sharing her story with the world would be cause for much celebration. An extensive tour was planned to help ease Schwab, the author of 17 fantasy novels, including the Shades of Magic trilogy and multiple YA and middle grade series, out of the fantasy pigeonhole and into the literary space.
But instead, COVID-19 happened. Our conversation takes place over Zoom in late July, while Schwab is still holed up in her parents’ home in France, her quarantine spot of five months. Schwab grew up in the States but now lives in Scotland. She arrived at her parents’ home the day before the French lockdown began with eight articles of clothing, figuring she’d be there a month to six weeks max. “I’m a 33-year-old who did not plan on spending all of 2020 living with my parents,” she says with a laugh.
“It’s about being willing to live through hard times because of the promise of good ones.”
Instead of an in-person book tour with all the trimmings, Schwab will spend the two weeks after Addie’s publication on a nocturnal schedule in Europe, doing virtual events for bookstores in the U.S. Fortunately, she has mostly made peace with her (and Addie’s) lot. “If I have to wait a couple of years to toast her with my publishing team, I think that I could take a lesson in patience from this character that I lived with for 10 years,” she says. And at 324 years young, Addie LaRue is nothing if not patient.
Addie’s story begins in early 18th-century France. About to be married off against her will, Addie prays in supplication to the gods, as her witchy neighbor Estele has taught her. But when Addie mistakenly summons a god of darkness, she makes a deal that will save her from marriage but whose contours take her many years to fully comprehend: Addie can live forever, but the catch is that she won’t be remembered by her friends, her family or anyone she encounters.
Addie spends the next 300 years learning to navigate—and indeed, enjoy—this strange reality. By the year 2014, she has hit her stride when she meets a boy named Henry who actually remembers her—and her world is turned upside down once again.
ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our starred review of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
To some extent, Schwab says it took a global pandemic to fully appreciate the themes of her own novel. She calls Addie “a very strange, hopeful book from an author who usually writes very dark, violent, almost anarchic stories.”
Living an author’s virtual life has had unexpected advantages. In June, Schwab appeared in conversation with one of her heroes, Neil Gaiman, for an audience of 7,000 on Crowdcast during Macmillan’s TorCon, and Gaiman ended up endorsing Addie. Virtual events also make it possible for her international fans to participate.
But virtual events can also be draining and disorienting. When touring IRL, Schwab likes to find a happy face in the audience and test out one-liners to see what gets a good reaction. “I have a personal relationship with my readers, and I miss seeing their faces,” she sighs.
I decide to play the part of an audience member and ask her a question that frequently comes up at book events: What is Addie LaRue’s origin story? “I was living in an ex-prison warden’s backyard in Liverpool,” Schwab begins. (Don’t all great stories start this way?) Without her own transportation, Schwab relied on her roommate to drop her off in various small towns, where she would spend hours exploring. One day, she visited a Lake District town with a “wild atmosphere” and timeless quality that left her pondering the pros and cons of immortality.
“I think immortality is such a gift,” she explains, “because I’m somebody for whom life is always moving too fast. I blink, and 10 years go by.” Addie says nearly the same thing as she stares down her impending marriage.
Invisible Life of Addie LaRueIn 2020, finding small reasons for hope and optimism when too many tedious days stretch ahead is a scenario that people around the world understand in an intimate way. Unlike Addie, we can’t fill our quarantine days with the endless pursuit of fine art or good food or high culture. But we do have stories.
“What I’m discovering through early readers,” Schwab says, “is that Addie’s is a philosophy that many people need to see right now. The book is about defiant joy, it’s about a stubborn hope, it’s about being willing to live through hard times because of the promise of good ones. I think there’s a huge current of loneliness and fear running through things right now. When I was in a really, really dark place in my life, the smallest things kept me going. I thought, I don’t ever want to miss a thunderstorm.” So she created a character who could find joy in small acts.
In the end, Schwab knows that she and Addie will have their moments in the sun, albeit on a timeline nobody can yet predict. “The themes of the book are about patience. I’m trying really hard not to mourn a version [of my book launch] that will never exist. Another beautiful thing about books is that they don’t have an expiration.”
Interview With an Author: V.E. SchwabDaryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library, Thursday, November 12, 2020
Author Victoria “V. E.” Schwab and her latest book, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Photo credit: Jenna Maurice
Victoria “V. E.” Schwab is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series (A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, A Conjuring of Light), Villains series (Vicious, Vengeful), Monsters of Verity duology (This Savage Song, Our Dark Duet), and the Cassidy Blake series (City of Ghosts, Tunnel of Bones). Her work has received critical acclaim, been translated into more than two dozen languages, and has been optioned for television and film. When she’s not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is her latest novel and she recently talked about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What was your inspiration for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue?
Sometimes inspiration is a single seed that grows a tree, but most often for me, it’s ingredients in a meal. It’s many things, drawn together into something cohesive. I was inspired by Peter Pan and the loss of memory, by my own grandmother’s dementia and the way my mother watched herself being erased from her memory, by the classic depictions of Faustian bargains and the idea that men and women move through the world differently, and are afforded different space, by the promise of forever, and what it means to leave a mark.
Are Addie, Luc, Henry, or any of the other characters in the novel inspired by or based on specific individuals?
I never base a fictional character on a real person, lest I feel allied to the inspiration instead of the creation, but I do absolutely take pieces of myself—my fear, anxiety, hope, longing, ambition—and inject them into characters. In that way, Henry is the closest thing to based on a person, but that person is me, or at least, who I would have been if I hadn’t found writing.
How did the novel evolve and change as you wrote and revised it? Are there any characters or scenes that were lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version?
Well, I first had the beginnings of the idea when I was 23, and I finished the book when I was 32, so the remarkable thing is that not only did the story shift and grow over time but so did I. The characters changed, their motivations and fears honed into sharp relief by my own growth, the story deepening from an immortality tale to an examination of time and longing and fear and inspiration. As for things lost, no, in fact, things were lost between idea and first draft, but over the course of revision, the story found its way. I can honestly say the finished book is the closest I’ve ever managed to an idea in my head.
The novel spans the hundreds of years of Addie’s life. Did you have to do a lot of research on the 18th through 21st centuries to tell the story you wanted to tell? If so, what is the most interesting or surprising thing that you learned during your research?
I did both historical research and geographic research, meaning I traveled to every place I wrote about, and many places that ended up not playing a part on the page. I knew I wanted to graze history, but also that Addie’s interest would be less geopolitical and more art. I will say, even though I never got to spend very long in any time/scene, I was fascinated by the composition of the salons in Paris in the mid-to-late 1700s, and the role of women in fostering those intellectual communities.
If you could, would you want to live during one of the periods through which Addie lives? If so, which one? Why that one?
Every time has its advantages and disadvantages, especially for a woman (and even then, Addie had the massive privilege, like me, of being white). Those restrictions on female autonomy aren’t the most appealing, but I will say, I’ve always wondered about the world’s fairs, the age of art and invention. I would have loved to see the first Ferris Wheel, or the glass plazas full of new ideas, or the Eiffel Tower when it was debuted.
What’s currently on your nightstand?
I’m currently reading The Mothers by Brit Bennett after devouring The Vanishing Half. After that I have Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera and Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman.
What is the question that you’re always hoping you’ll be asked, but never have been? What is your answer?
Hah, honestly I don’t know! In that, I feel like I’ve been asked every question under the sun, so I’m waiting now to be surprised by one I haven’t. :p
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on several short stories, a novel I’m calling Secret Garden meets Crimson Peak, a new comic book series set in the Villains world called ExtraOrdinary, and the next book in the Shades of Magic series. No rest for the wickedly ambitious!
Interview With an Author: V.E. SchwabDaryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library, Friday, October 26, 2018
Author V.E. Schwab and her latest book, Vengeful
Victoria "V.E." Schwab V.E. Schwab has been called “the heir to Diana Wynne Jones.” She is the author of the New York Times bestselling Shades of Magic series, as well as a number of middle grade and young adult novels, including the recently released City of Ghosts. Schwab has a Masters degree in Art History from the University of Edinburgh. Schwab has a penchant for tea and BBC shows, and a serious and well-documented case of wanderlust. Her latest book, Vengeful, is the sequel to her much-lauded adult debut, Vicious, a masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, and superpowers. She recently agreed to be interviewed by Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What was the original inspiration for Vicious?
Honestly, it started simply as a writing exercise, something to help me rediscover my love of the creative process as I was learning to navigate the business side. I asked myself what I would write, if I could write anything, what I would read, and the answer was simple: I wanted to write/read about villains. Specifically, I wanted to write about people who did terrible things, and see if I could make the reader still root for one of them. On top of that, I wanted to do something really ambitious with structure, and the braided narrative of Vicious was born.
Did you always plan to revisit this world and write a second book?
I certainly always wanted to, but publishing is a business where writing is an art, and I designed Vicious so that it could stand alone for as long as need be, until the publisher decided it was a smart investment to let me continue. ; )
Are Eli, Victor, Sydney, Mitch, Marcella, June or any of the many different characters in the book based on specific individuals?
I never base entire characters on real people, but I’ve been known to steal fragments of personality, traits, etc. And honestly, every one of my characters has a piece of my own identity, broken off and used to grow a new person. My ambition, my fears, my neuroses, they’re tucked into Victor, Eli, Sydney, Marcella.
How did Vengeful evolve and change as you wrote and revised it?
I mean, it certainly changed a lot. I rewrote the entire book from scratch early this year. Sometimes you have to write a scene wrong in order to write it right. Sometimes you have to write a whole book wrong to find the story you mean to tell.
While Vengeful has a very clear ending, it also seems open to the possibility of additional stories in this world. Do you have plans to write about these characters again?
Check back in 5 more years ; )
If you could be an EO and choose your power, what would it be? Is there a character trait that you think might assert itself and result in a power if you couldn’t choose?
I would choose the power to control time, but only moving forward. All the problems happen when a person tries to go back, but I’d happily settle for the ability to slow down, speed up, or pause. Think of all the reading I could do!
What’s currently on your nightstand?
Bad Blood by John Carryrou.
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum.
Can you name your top five favorite or most influential authors?
Neil Gaiman
T.H. White
JK Rowling / Robert Galbraith
Kristin Cashore
Leigh Bardugo
Is there a book that changed your life?
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It made me eat my words about what I did and didn’t like as a reader.
Can you name a book for which you are an evangelist (and you think everyone should read)?
I don’t often get evangelistic about books, but when I do, I really do. Recent titles I’ve forced upon people include Circe by Madeline Miller, Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, and (a slightly older one but I always rec it) Lab Girl by Hope Jahren.
What is your idea of THE perfect day (where you could go anywhere/meet with anyone)?
It’s a reflection on how busy my schedule is right now that my perfect day would involve a cup of tea, a good book, a long workout, and a tall whisky.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on quite a few things simultaneously, from short stories to novels, comics, to things in-between, and of course a good number of them I can’t talk about. But I will say that right now I’m revising the second book in the City of Ghosts series, working on the Steel Prince comic, first drafting The Invisible Life of Addie LARue, and writing the short stories for the A Gathering of Shadows Collector’s Edition.
Schwab, Victoria CITY OF GHOSTS Scholastic (Children's Fiction) $17.99 8, 28 ISBN: 978-1-338-11100-2
The 900-year-old city of Edinburgh takes center stage in this middle-grade ghost story.
Since a near-death experience a year ago, Cassidy Blake can see ghosts. She can enter the Veil, the curtain between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her best friend, Jacob, is one of the "corporeally challenged." Cass' parents, paranormal-nonfiction authors known as the Inspecters (pun intended), have big news: The family is off to Scotland to film the first episode of their self-titled docuseries about haunted places. In Edinburgh, Cass meets Lara Chowdhury, a British-Indian girl who shares Cass' ability. Lara informs Cass they are ghost hunters whose purpose is to help ghosts pass beyond the Veil (what Lara calls the "in-between") to the "place beyond." When a sinister specter known as the Raven in Red sets her malevolent sights on Cass, the American must use her new knowledge to save her own life. Cass narrates in the present tense, and Jacob, who can hear her thoughts, interrupts when he doesn't agree with her. This clever narrative style choice and the real-world setting, which includes the cafe where Harry Potter was "born" and the most haunted cemetery in Europe, Greyfriars, firmly anchor the story in reality. The dead lack diversity, and biracial Lara seems to be the only living person of color (her father is British-Indian, and her mother is Scottish).
Begs to be read in the dark of night. (Paranormal adventure. 8-13)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Schwab, Victoria: CITY OF GHOSTS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A544638015/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=93bb706f. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
City of Ghosts
Victoria Schwab. Scholastic Press, $17.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-338-11100-2
Unbeknownst to her parents, who write books about ghosts but have never seen one, 12-year-old Cassidy Blake has paranormal abilities: ever since she almost drowned, she's been able to visit the spirit realm. She is best friends with Jacob, the apparition who saved her life, and whenever she encounters a phantom, she feels compelled to "cross the veil." Constant specter activity exhausts Cassidy, so she is dismayed to learn that her family is headed for Edinburgh to film a haunted cities television show. There, Cassidy meets Lara Jayne Chowdhury, a girl with similar skills. Jacob doesn't trust Lara, but Cassidy thinks the self-proclaimed ghost hunter could shed light on her own abilities and prove useful--particularly after they attract the attention of a malevolent specter. This atmospheric ghost story from Schwab (the Monsters of Verity duology) chills and charms while challenging readers to face their fears. Courageous, quick-witted Cassidy inspires, her relationship with Jacob is tender, and the thrilling conclusion is sure to gratify. Ages 8-12. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (Aug.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
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"City of Ghosts." Publishers Weekly, vol. 265, no. 27, 2 July 2018, p. 70. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A546187930/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=31947d08. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Schwab, V.E. VENGEFUL Tor (Adult Fiction) $25.99 9, 25 ISBN: 978-0-7653-8752-3
Victor Vale has died twice--and it's not getting any easier.
Five years ago, after the bloody battle that ended with Victor dead and his former friend Eli imprisoned, Sydney Clarke used her power to bring Victor back. But for ExtraOrdinary people like Victor, Sydney's resurrection power comes at a price. Now Victor is racing against time to figure out how to repair the damage death has done to him--and struggling to hold his weird little makeshift family--made up of an ex-con, a former soldier, and a girl who can raise the dead--together even though he's falling apart. Meanwhile, a new EO is rising in the town of Merit. Marcella Riggins isn't the type to take murder lying down, and she's come back from death with only one thought in her mind: ruin. She'll start with her husband, who killed her when she confronted him over his infidelity, but she won't stop there. Five years may have passed since the events of Vicious (2013), the first book in Schwab's (A Conjuring of Light, 2017, etc.) Villains series, but her superpowered characters haven't exactly used that time to relax. The tension in this sequel starts high and keeps ratcheting higher, as Victor's grip on his power starts slipping and the body count starts rising. Victor and his friends and enemies are a fascinating group of complicated characters, and the utterly ruthless Marcella is a great addition to the mix.
Readers won't be able to put down this dark and riveting tale of power and revenge.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Schwab, V.E.: VENGEFUL." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A552175402/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5d2dd972. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
City of Ghosts
by Victoria Schwab
Intermediate, Middle School Scholastic 289 pp.
8/18 978-1-338-1 1100-2 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-1-338-11 103-3 $10.99
Twelve-year-old Cassidy's parents, experts on the historical and social contexts of ghost stories, have just accepted an offer to shoot a reality TV show pilot in Edinburgh, the titular "City of Ghosts." What they don't know is that, after a near-death experience a year ago, Cass herself now has the ability to see beyond "the Veil" and a best friend who's, well ... "corporeally challenged." (Jacob is sensitive about the g-word.) When a particularly strong, malevolent spirit known as the Raven in Red plots to trap Cass in the Veil and steal the girl's life, Cass and Jacob must rely on their wits and the expertise of fellow "in-betweener" Lara to protect both of their existences. That Cass's camera, which was damaged in her accident, now captures images of the afterlife--operating, like its owner, somewhere between our world and the next--is just one intriguing element of Schwab's fresh spin on ghost tales. She evokes the real-world Edinburgh with plenty of vivid sensory detail, and imbues the Veil and its inhabitants with spine-tingling spookiness and melancholy. The humor and warmth of the protagonists' strong bond and the support and safety of Cass's and Lara's loving families nicely balance the suspense of this supernatural adventure.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
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Bircher, Katie. "City of Ghosts." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 94, no. 6, Nov.-Dec. 2018, pp. 88+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A560014879/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=de71c91f. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Tunnel of Bones. By Victoria Schwab. Sept. 2019. 304p. Scholastic, $17.99 (9781338111040). Gr. 4-8.
There's a lot of darkness lurking in the City of Light, as Cass discovers on her parents' latest ghost-hunting assignment. Their reality-TV gig takes the family (and Cass' BFF Jacob, a ghost) to several iconic Paris locations, but their first stop at the catacombs becomes the epicenter of the story's action. There, Cass is besieged by restless spirits trying to pull her into the Veil, a sort of paranormal purgatory, and when they succeed, the ghost of a young boy follows Cass back into the living world. Soon, the increasingly dangerous accidents dogging Cass' steps reveal that she's dealing with a poltergeist, and the only way to send this disaster-causing boy on is to discover what happened to him in life. Schwab's sequel to City of Ghosts (2018) is another hair-raising romp for middle-graders ready to dip their toes into horror. Mystery and Paris history intermingle nicely, and a subplot involving Jacob's past intensifies readers' investment in the characters. Readers can jump straight into the series here, but have book one at the ready.--Julia Smith
HIGH DEMAND BACKSTORY: That buzz you're feeling might be from spirit energy, or it's from the excitement the publisher is drumming up with a national author tour and a Halloween campaign.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 American Library Association
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"Tunnel of Bones." Booklist, vol. 115, no. 22, 1 Aug. 2019, p. 82. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A598305392/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e618d8c9. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Schwab, Victoria TUNNEL OF BONES Scholastic (Children's Fiction) $17.99 9, 3 ISBN: 978-1-338-11104-0
The sequel to City of Ghosts (2018) takes Cassidy Blake to Paris.
Cass and her parents travel from Edinburgh, a city of shadows, to the City of Light for the next episode of the paranormal TV show The Inspecters. First stop: Paris' catacombs, where, five stories underground, the remains of more than 6 million people lie beneath the feet of the city's 2 million living inhabitants. Here, in this tunnel of bones, the golden, glittering light of the metropolis above yields to an eerie dimness. Both Cass, who is a beacon for the dead, and her spectral best friend, Jacob, who continues acting as the voice of caution, immediately feel its psychic negativity. When Cass mistakenly frees a poltergeist from the catacombs, she and Jacob must race against the clock to stop it before it wreaks irrevocable havoc on all of Paris. From the the Tuileries to the Père Lachaise cemetery to the Paris Opera House, sense of place is tangible. Vivid descriptions of the catacombs highlight the morbidly fascinating nature of one of the world's creepiest locations. Knowledge of the previous book isn't strictly necessary, but readers will want to delve into Cass' first adventure before embarking on this one. The open ending will leave readers wondering where Cassidy's paranormal adventures will take her next. Assume whiteness except for Cassidy's Scottish Indian friend, Lara Chowdhury, who offers guidance via text and video.
Another spine-tinglingly satisfying trek into the world of the dead. (Paranormal adventure. 8-13)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Schwab, Victoria: TUNNEL OF BONES." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A588726845/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=dad83373. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Tunnel of Bones [City of Ghosts]
by Victoria Schwab
Intermediate, Middle School Scholastic 290 pp. g
9/19 978-1-338-11104-0 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-1-338-11106-4 $10.99
In City of Ghosts (rev. 11/18), set in Edinburgh, twelve-year-old Cassidy and her (ghost) best friend Jacob narrowly escaped being trapped in the Veil between life and death by a malevolent spirit. Now, Cass's parents are filming their paranormal TV show in Paris, where Cass and Jacob are drawn into the orbit of another dangerous entity: a poltergeist. The pair must banish the creature before its mischief escalates to mayhem for the entire city. As they learn about the poltergeist's human life and tragic end, Cass grows concerned that Jacob's increasing kinetic abilities and caginess about his death are indications that, like the poltergeist, he may forget his humanity and turn violent. Schwab skillfully weaves her setting's atmosphere and history into the brisk adventure; the claustrophobic-feeling climactic scene set in Paris's infamous Catacombs is especially immersive. Jacob, previously mostly a source of comic relief and moral support for Cass, here takes a more central role and ultimately reveals some details of his own poignant backstory. Scary and sad moments are balanced by the supportive friendship and witty, pop-culture-reference-filled banter between Cass and Jacob. A final spooky incident will leave readers impatiently awaiting the next ghost-hunting expedition.
Most of the books are recommended; all of them are subject to the qualifications in the reviews. g indicates that the book was read in galley or page proof. The publisher's price is the suggested retail price and does not indicate a possible discount to libraries. Grade levels are only suggestions; the individual child is the real criterion. * indicates a book that the editors believe to be an outstanding example of its genre, of books of this particular publishing season, or of the author's body of work. For a complete key to the review abbreviations as well as for bios of our reviewers, please visit hbook.com/horn-book-magazine.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
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Bircher, Katie. "Tunnel of Bones [City of Ghosts]." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 95, no. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2019, pp. 99+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A610419071/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=38401775. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
* The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
V.E. Schwab. Tor, $26.99 (464p) ISBN 978-0-7653-8756-1
Schwab (the Shades of Magic series) crafts the tale of one woman's desperate drive to be remembered into a triumphant exploration of love and loss. The story hops across time as it follows the life of Adeline "Addie" LaRue from the French country side in the early 1700s to New York City in 2014. As a young woman, Addie makes a deal with the devil to save herself from the tedium of an arranged marriage, asking for "a chance to live and be free." The devil grants her immortality but curses her to a life of horrible isolation: no one she meets will be able to remember her. The first half of the book--as Addie learns the limits and loneliness of her curse--is as devastating as it is prescient in these self-isolating times. Which makes Addie's eventual meeting with Henry, the first person to remember her in some 300 years, all the more joyous. This sweeping fantasy is as much a love story as it is a tribute to storytelling, an, and inspiration. Schwab's diverse cast is beautifully rendered, and the view of human connection on offer is biting and bitter, yet introspective and sweet. This ambitious and hopeful work is a knockout. Agent: Holly Root. Root Literary. (Oct.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 PWxyz, LLC
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"The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 23, 8 June 2020, p. 78. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A630941623/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=644a6dc6. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Schwab, V. E. THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE Tor (Fiction None) $26.99 10, 6 ISBN: 978-0-7653-8756-1
When you deal with the darkness, everything has a price.
“Never pray to the gods that answer after dark.” Adeline tried to heed this warning, but she was desperate to escape a wedding she didn’t want and a life spent trapped in a small town. So desperate that she didn’t notice the sun going down. And so she made a deal: For freedom, and time, she will surrender her soul when she no longer wants to live. But freedom came at a cost. Adeline didn’t want to belong to anyone; now she is forgotten every time she slips out of sight. She has spent 300 years living like a ghost, unable even to speak her own name. She has affairs with both men and women, but she can never have a comfortable intimacy built over time—only the giddy rush of a first meeting, over and over again. So when she meets a boy who, impossibly, remembers her, she can’t walk away. What Addie doesn’t know is why Henry is the first person in 300 years who can remember her. Or why Henry finds her as compelling as she finds him. And, of course, she doesn’t know how the devil she made a deal with will react if he learns that the rules of their 300-year-long game have changed. This spellbinding story unspools in multiple timelines as Addie moves through history, learning the rules of her curse and the whims of her captor. Meanwhile, both Addie and the reader get to know Henry and understand what sets him apart. This is the kind of book you stay up all night reading—rich and satisfying and strange and impeccably crafted.
Spanning centuries and continents, this is a darkly romantic and suspenseful tale by a writer at the top of her game.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Schwab, V. E.: THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A629261550/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a6cb759a. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
On lockdown at her parents' 500-year-old stone farmhouse in the Sarthe region of France, Victoria Schwab is, like many of us, stressed out. "I landed here an hour after lockdown, and I feel safe, from a very privileged perspective. It's like I'm in a medieval village," says the Nashville-raised author, who now calls Edinburgh, Scotland, home.
"I feel like the whole world is burning, and I can't do anything," says Schwab. She's taken these feelings of helplessness and decided to focus on work. And Schwab, 33, is nothing if not a good worker.
Now a frequent bestseller, Schwab, who's notably prolific, is known for successful fantasy series like the Darker Shade of Magic trilogy and the Villains duology. She has published 17 titles (plus comics and graphic novels) since making her YA debut with 2011 's The Near Witch (Disney).
A decade into her career and about to launch her next book, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (Oct. 6, Tor), the publishing process should be old hat for Schwab. But this one feels different. "I'm coming up on my 10-year anniversary of my first book," she says, "but in some form I've been working on Addie since then."
Addie LaRue centers on a woman who makes a Faustian bargain to live forever, but soon realizes her deal with the devil comes with a curse--she can never be remembered. It's an ambitious historical fantasy that shimmers with shades of The Picture of Dorian Grey and Peter Pan, while covering 300 years and spanning from medieval France--not far from where Schwab is now--to modern-day New York City.
The idea for the novel first struck when Schwab was 24 and living in "a literal Home Depot shed" in an ex--prison warden's yard in Liverpool, England. "Those were the three most formative months of my life," she says, shaking her head at the memory. It was February and freezing, she recounts, and her grandmother had dementia. While hiking in England's Lake District one day, she recounts, she began thinking about immortality. "I started thinking about the heinously sad ending of Peter Pan. He's already forgetting all of it, the magic, the people."
Given her grandmother's condition, "I had very close-range experience, watching my mom being erased from my grandmother's mind. Forgetting is sad, but being forgotten is truly horrible. That really started the whole idea. An immortality tale, sort of an inverted Peter Pan--instead of a boy who forgets, I wanted to write a girl who is forgotten."
The idea simmered for a decade, Schwab says, because she knew she wasn't ready. "I checked in with myself about it every few years," she explains. "By the time I hit 30, I started thinking to myself, I'm going to die without finishing it. It became like this huge white whale. I knew it was going to be a monstrous process and I knew there was going to be more fear than joy in it."
Despite her fear about the difficulty of writing the novel, Schwab finally felt, at 30, ready to tackle it. Part of her readiness can be attributed to the empathy she began feeling for Addie. With years in publishing under her belt, Schwab felt like she, too, had made her own difficult bargains. "We're all just trying to leave our mark, in some way or another," she says. "Especially the artists and writers among us. It can be a really lonely, isolating business, especially when you only hear about the triumphs, never about the failures. At least that was how it was for me."
Schwab started her career off with a bang, selling her 2011 debut, The Near Witch, to Disney before she'd even graduated from Washington University, in St. Louis. Witch, which didn't make much of a showing commercially, was followed by the YA fantasy duology The Archived (Disney, 2013). The duology was also released to little fanfare. "I earned out, but was told I'd failed to meet some arbitrary expectations," Schwab says. "It was really rough, and I felt really alone. I was 21 when I debuted, and I remember feeling like I was washed up at 24."
"Writing has always been my full-time job," she says. "So I figured, just take it to the next step. If your career is going well, you're going to have to write another book. If your career is going poorly, you're going to have to write another book. The only proactive thing you can do in publishing is write another book."
Broke and living in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, she decided to move back to her parents' home in Nashville. Her parents told her she could stay for three months; she wound up there for nine. "That's the only way I could make this career work," she says. "I could always go home to them, and that's a huge privilege."
She also decided to shift gears. "I figured, if I can't control the mechanisms of publishing, if I can't control whether or not my books are successful, at least I can control what I want to write." She started working on Vicious, "a very weird supervillain bromance." According to Schwab, Miriam Weinberg at Tot bought Vicious with an eye toward "what I would write next."
That next book, even then, was supposed to be Addie LaRue. "Every so often, Miriam would ask, 'Hey, when are you going to get back to that project?' " Schwab says. "But I wasn't ready yet, voicewise, timewise, agewise."
While she was working on Vicious and its follow-up, Vengeful, Scholastic reached out with a work-for-hire middle grade series about guardian angels. The series, Schwab recalls, laughing, "was like the least on-brand thing ever." Nonetheless, she took the job. "I ended up pitching this really Dr. Who-esque adaptation of it and said, 'What if I do this?' The Everyday Angel series became the darling of the [Scholastic] book club and fair scene and sold almost a million copies."
Her next project was the Shades of Magic trilogy, centered on misfits, magic, and mayhem in four alternate versions of London. Looking back at these books, Schwab says, "I think so much of my work has been about the fact that I didn't come out 'til I was 28, even to myself," Schwab says. "Poor me, it's like the throughline of all my books: 'This is a book about a person who doesn't feel at home in their skin and in their community.' And then when I finally came out, I was like, 'Shit, that's what it is.'"
While the Shades series made her a bestseller, it didn't make her rich. "I got paid $ 15,000 for A Darker Shade of Magic," she says. Her smaller advance checks required her to juggle multiple projects; while working on A Darker Shade of Magic, for example, she was also writing the YA fantasy This Savage Song. "Like a lot of writers, I was constantly working, and constantly underpaid, and always scrambling."
That's why she feels the constant need to remind writers that publishing is not a meritocracy. "We assume that we are at fault for our own experiences," she says. "We assume that if we are feeling sad or lonely or unheard, that it's on us, not on the publisher or on our team. It's so difficult to feel like equals in this game. It's so important to find relationships--with an agent, an editor, a team--that make you feel like you're on equal footing. We're gaslit by this business every day, when it wouldn't function without us, the creators."
Next up for Schwab is the recently announced five-issue Extraordinary graphic novel series with Titan, set in the world of her Villains titles. Then she makes a return to the Shades world, with the three-book Threads of Power series. "I'm terrified," she confesses. "I mean, 33-year-old me is going to write a different book. I'm gayer, I'm louder, I'm weirder, and I care about different things. I just hope my readership gives me the space. I think they will, because I try never to do the same thing twice. I unfortunately have this complex where I need to challenge myself every book. I have to, because I live with the story for so much longer than anybody else does."
That's certainly the case for Addie LaRue, whose time has come, for better or worse. "It's crazy to have a book out this year," Schwab says. "But what guarantee is there that the world will be better in 2021? I've lived with this story in my head for a decade. I'd rather people just read the damn book before the end of the world."
She also thinks the book can serve as an escape--with a relevant message. "It's about survival and defiant joy, and I'm hoping whoever does get around to reading it in this flaming hellscape will at least enjoy that," she says. "The irony of me starting to write something considered hope-punk, though, is hysterical. Looking at my canon, which is so dark, and it's like, 'I guess I write hope now?' But I have to. Because I can't compete with reality at the moment."
BY SONA CHARAIPOTRA
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Charaipotra, Sona. "Time After Time: Nearly a decade in the making, 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue' is the book of V.E. Schwab's heart." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 32, 10 Aug. 2020, pp. 27+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A632758321/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e1d9fa7e. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. By V. E. Schwab. Oct. 2020. 464p. Tor, $26.99 (9780765387561).
On July 29, 1714, in a small village in France, a young woman named Adeline prays to any god who will answer for salvation from a stifling life. But the one who arrives grants Addie a gift, in exchange for her soul, that comes with a curse: though she will not age or die, everyone she meets will forget her as soon as she leaves their sight. For 300 years, Addie moves through the world without touching it, balancing ephemeral but immense suffering against the joy of witnessing, and often underhandedly influencing, art and artists. As the devil she bargained with lingers in the shadows, Addie makes herself his equal, laying claim to her strange life. And then, one day in 2014 Manhattan, she finds a boy who, impossibly, remembers her. Schwab deftly weaves time and place, flitting between Addie's frantic past and her grounded present while visiting intermittent July 29ths in between. Narratively, this is a whirlwind--deeply romantic, impossibly detailed, filled with lush language, wry humor, and bitter memories. This often startlingly raw story begs the questions: what is a soul? What does it mean to be remembered? And what prize is worth giving those things up?--Maggie Reagan
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Renowned for her Shades of Magic series, Schwab presents her most ambitious venture yet.
YA: Schwab's loyal teen fanbase will be eager for a new book; this Faustian tale will appeal to many. MR.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 American Library Association
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Reagan, Maggie. "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 1-2, 1 Sept. 2020, pp. 51+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A637433430/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ab61e7cb. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Schwab, Victoria BRIDGE OF SOULS Scholastic (Children's None) $17.99 3, 2 ISBN: 978-1-338-57487-6
Cassidy Blake has encountered spirits before.
She’s met ghosts in Edinburgh and poltergeists in Paris, and now she’s in New Orleans, city of beignets, jazz funerals, and 42 cemeteries, where her parents are filming the third episode of their paranormal investigation program. It’s not long before Cassidy, an in-betweener who has escaped death and as a result can interact with the dead, catches the unwanted attention of an Emissary. This terrifying creature is unlike any spook Cassidy has ever dealt with; its job is to bring those who have defied death to the other side—those like 12-year-old Cassidy. In order to defeat the Emissary, Cassidy will lose something—or someone—no matter the path she chooses. Not knowing which road to follow is frightening, but the scariest thing of all is not knowing how this ends. Armed with her spirit-guiding pendant and accompanied by ghost Jacob Hale (whose foothold in the living world seems to be strengthening) and Scottish friend and fellow in-betweener Lara Chowdhury, Cassidy charges ahead. Intensely curious and furiously independent Cassidy must learn to proceed with caution and know when to ask for help. Her first-person narration is often interrupted by sarcastic Jacob, who can hear her thoughts, a narrative device that adds levity to the scares. The conclusion leaves the door open for another adventure. Cassidy is assumed White; there is diversity in the supporting cast.
Another strong entry in a series offering thrills and chills. (Paranormal adventure. 8-13)
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"Schwab, Victoria: BRIDGE OF SOULS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A650107471/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b35f64fd. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Extraordinary: A Villains Story. By V. E. Schwab. Art by Enid Balam and Jordi Escuin Liorach. Nov. 2021. 112p. Titan Comics, $24.99 (9781785865886). Gr. 10-12. 741.5.
When Charlotte wakes up at the hospital, she's the only survivor of a school bus crash and has the uncanny and disturbing ability to see a person's death in their reflection, including her own, which is how she learns about Eli Evers, the man who's destined to be her killer. Set in the universe of Schwab's Villains series, this comic (plus a linked short story) hints at the plot of Vicious and Vengeful, but the main story focuses primarily on Charlotte as she learns about Eli's dogged quest to exterminate other ExtraOrdinaries (EOs) and joins forces with some other EOs to stop him. Balam crisply draws the action, and his character designs, full of lantern jaws and exaggerated limbs, are lithely dynamic. Fans of superhero comics will be gratified to find a lot of the hallmarks of the genre here--quippy dialogue, cinematic action, secret identities, and twisted motivations--though readers who have background knowledge of the central conflict and main characters of Schwab's novels in the series will get the most out of this.--Sarah Hunter
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 American Library Association
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Hunter, Sarah. "Extraordinary: A Villains Story." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 4, 15 Oct. 2021, p. 36. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A696451981/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6659dbd3. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Schwab, V.E. GALLANT Greenwillow Books (Teen None) $18.99 3, 1 ISBN: 978-0-06-283577-2
Seeking a place to call home, Olivia uncovers long-buried secrets after arriving at Gallant.
Olivia Prior has always hoped for a place to belong and a family that cares for her. Instead, she's isolated at Merilance School for Independent Girls, with its strict matrons, shunned by students who ostracize and torment her for being mute. Olivia uses sign language, taught to her by a now-departed matron (although nobody else signs); treasures the journal belonging to the mother she doesn't remember; and can see ghouls. When she receives a letter from her uncle, Arthur Prior, inviting her to live at his manor, Olivia leaps at the chance. However, instead of the big, welcoming family she imagined, the opulent yet run-down Gallant only holds Matthew, her irritable cousin, and kindly caretakers Hannah and Edgar. Olivia unravels the ominous secrets of both her family and the house, where ghouls lurk around every corner and the dilapidated garden gate calls to her. The evolving relationships between Olivia and her found family shine, and themes of freedom, the self, and belonging are well depicted. The gripping writing and effective incorporation of horror elements, including haunting, inky artwork, are satisfyingly spine-tingling. Olivia's use of sign language and her artistic talents, part of the exploration of the importance of communication, are skillfully incorporated into the overall story. Olivia and the main cast are White.
Will hook readers with its gripping worldbuilding, well-rounded characters, and fantastic horror. (Fantasy. 12-adult)
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"Schwab, V.E.: GALLANT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A688199653/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e3f26613. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Gallant
Victoria Schwab, illus. by Manuel Sumberac.
Greenwillow, $18.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-06-283577-2
Though artist Olivia Prior--who is 14 and communicates via sign language--has lived at the Merilance School for Independent Girls since age one, she has never felt at home. Other residents don't sign, the girls bully her, the staff "takes her silence for stupidity," and the building teems with ghouls that only Olivia can see. Olivia's mother's journal, which chronicles the woman's descent into madness following Olivia's father's death, doesn't mention any kin, so Olivia is elated to receive a letter from her uncle Arthur, inviting her to come live at Gallant, the Priors' estate. Upon arriving, however, Olivia learns that Arthur is dead, and neither her illtempered cousin, Matthew, nor the manor's kindly caretakers are expecting her. Matthew orders Olivia to leave, citing spirits and curses, but Olivia stays on; at least the specters here are relatives, and she's determined to uncover the truth regarding her family's past in this place. Evocative prose, eerie b&w artwork by Sumberac, and superbly rendered characters (most of whom cue as white) elevate this affective, bone-chilling standalone from Schwab (the City of Ghosts series), which fuses Shirley Jackson's gothic horror sensibilities with the warmth and dark whimsy of Neil Gaiman. Ages 13-up. Agent: Holly Root. Root Literary. (Mar.)
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"Gallant." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 3, 17 Jan. 2022, pp. 67+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A691684703/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f82c25df. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Gallant. By V. E. Schwab. Read by Julian Rhind-Tutt. 2022. 8hr. HarperAudio, DD, $23.99 (9780063220751). Gr. 7-10.
Before receiving an invitation to the mysterious Gallant Manor, Olivia Prior's only connection to her family had been her mother's journal, which contained cryptic entries including this warning: Stay away from Gallant. Ignoring it, Olivia, who can see ghouls, goes to Gallant, where she meets family, both alive and dead, and discovers an alternate Gallant. Schwab is a master of dark fantasy, and Gallant blends in gothic fiction and gateway fantasy elements, using descriptive language that is evocative and suspenseful. Rhind-Tutt has the perfect voice for young-adult dark fantasy: resonant, gravelly, and intense. The creepy tone of the book is reflected in the tone of his voice, immersing the listener in Gallant Manor. As the story reaches its climax, the narration quickens, and Olivia's third-person voice reflects her bravery, while the Master's voice purrs with cunning. Without the print to reference, listeners may wonder at the scratching sound heard on occasion; these are lines in Olivia's mother's journal that are crossed out. Since Schwab writes across audience levels, this work will appeal to her fans of any age. For those who are looking for more middle-grade or YA recommendations like Gallant, Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, Auxier's The Night Gardener, and Hardinge's The Lie Tree will be hits.--Suzanne Temple
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 American Library Association
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Temple, Suzanne. "Gallant." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 16, 15 Apr. 2022, p. 63. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A702054556/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=375fc028. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Gallant
V.E. Schwab, illus. by Manuel Sumberac. Greenwillow, $18.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-06-283577-2
Though artist Olivia Prior--who is 14 and communicates via sign language--has lived at the Merilance School for Independent Girls since age one, she has never felt at home. Other residents don't sign, the girls bully her, the staff "takes her silence for stupidity," and the building teems with ghouls that only Olivia can see. Olivia's mother's journal, which chronicles the woman's descent into madness following Olivia's father's death, doesn't mention any kin, so Olivia is elated to receive a letter from her uncle Arthur, inviting her to come live at Gallant, the Priors' estate. Upon arriving, however, Olivia learns that Arthur is dead, and neither her ill-tempered cousin, Matthew, nor the manor's kindly caretakers are expecting her. Matthew orders Olivia to leave, citing spirits and curses, but Olivia stays on; at least the specters here are relatives, and she's determined to uncover the truth regarding her family's past in this place. Evocative prose, eerie b&w artwork by Sumberac, and superbly rendered characters (most of whom cue as white) elevate this affective, bone-chilling standalone from Schwab (the City of Ghosts series), which fuses Shirley Jackson's gothic horror sensibilities with the warmth and dark whimsy of Neil Gaiman. Ages 13-up.
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"Gallant." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 49, 23 Nov. 2022, p. 86. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A728493935/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=509b35e1. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
The Fragile Threads of Power
V.E. Schwab.Tor, $29.99 (656p) ISBN 978-0-7653-8749-3
Bestseller Schwab revisits the world of the Shades of Magic series--where multiple alternate Londons feud with one another--in the action-packed start to a new spin-off series. The lives of Kell Maresh, Delilah Bard, Alucard Emery, and King Rhy Maresh have changed much in the seven years since A Conjuring of Light concluded. When Rhy's life is threatened, it will take the abilities of all to find his would-be assassins. Meanwhile, Schwab introduces Tesali "Tes" Ranek, whose talent for fixing things comes from her rare ability to see threads of magic and manipulate them to her will. Tes uses this skill to earn a living but keeps her powers a secret by inventing a powerful man to whom she claims to be merely an apprentice. When she's presented with a piece of technology that could turn the tide of power in Red London, her world begins to waver--as do the walls keeping Grey London, White London, and Black London at bay. Schwab cleverly builds on her existing worlds, introducing new threats and expanding the magic system. The new characters captivate and the plot twists shock. While readers visiting the Shades of Magic universe for the first time may miss some nuance, fans will devour this exciting return. (Sept.)
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"The Fragile Threads of Power." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 28, 10 July 2023, p. 42. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A758336708/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7a41f585. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Schwab, V.E. THE FRAGILE THREADS OF POWER Tor (Fiction None) $26.99 9, 26 ISBN: 9780765387493
The opener for a new series set in Red, White, Grey, and Black London.
It's been seven years since Kell, Lila, and Holland defeated the evil force known as Osaron. Lila has spent those seven years as captain of a ship, exploring her new magical world and occasionally spying for the Crown. Kell has spent them learning to fight with ordinary weapons now that wielding his magic causes him intense pain. Holland, of course, gave his life to defeat Osaron. But now a shadowy organization called the Hand is plotting against Kell's brother, King Rhy, and they've set their sights on a powerful magical object. Lila, Kell, Rhy, and Rhy's husband, Alucard, will all be drawn into new danger in their efforts to uncover the plot and protect their family. Meanwhile, a young girl named Tes with the rare ability to see and manipulate the threads of magic is hiding out in Red London, fixing magical objects--and Kosika, the young queen of White London, will do whatever it takes to restore her world's magic. Returning to the world of her fantastic A Darker Shade of Magic (2015) and its sequels, Schwab gives readers more of everything they love about that series: dynamic, unconventional characters; suspenseful plots; rich worldbuilding; and compelling relationships. New characters Tes and Kosika more than hold their own against returning fan favorites. Schwab's pacing is confident, assured, and the book weaves a masterful spell on the reader.
A delicious treat for fans of the Shades of Magic series and a lush, suspenseful fantasy in its own right.
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"Schwab, V.E.: THE FRAGILE THREADS OF POWER." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A756872238/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7dced7b3. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
The Fragile Threads of Power. By V. E. Schwab. Sept. 2023.656p. Tor, $29.99 (9780765387493); e-book (9780765387516).
Schwab (The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, 2020) is an experienced fantasy author capable of bringing the reader right into the world built in her novels. She writes with a sense of authority and mischief, letting her characters drive the action through intense plot to extremely satisfying conclusions. Her series, The Shades of Magic (starting with A Darker Shade of Magic, 2015), is a skillful demonstration of this, and now she begins a new series set in the same world. Old friends are brought back to life and new ones join the fray as Kell, Delilah Bard, Rhy Maresh, and Alucard Emery struggle to make sense of the changing rules of magic and the rebellion fermenting in their midst. A young queen named Kosika rules her kingdom with the iron fist of religious fervor, and a tinkerer named Tes fixes broken things using magic no one else can wield. Schwab wields her pen just as competently; The Fragile Threads of Power will entrance and delight fantasy readers everywhere.--Lily Hunter
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Schwabs Shades of Magic series is megapopular with fantasy readers, and this new series, set in the same world, will garner much attention.
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Hunter, Lily. "The Fragile Threads of Power." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 22, 1 Aug. 2023, pp. 38+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A761981688/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ee36f860. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. By V. E. Schwab. June 2025. 544P. Tor, $29.99 (9781250320520); e-book (9781250320537).
This is an entrancing tale of three lesbian vampires spanning five centuries, including how their lives and deaths intersect and their different approaches to their vampiric afterlives. Maria, who died in 1532, craved more and found a Spanish viscount to marry, landing herself in a miserable marriage and desperately avoiding pregnancy. When her husband forbids her to associate with the local herbalist, Maria flees to the apothecary, accidentally slays her creator as she is turned into a vampire, then gleefully slaughters her husband and his family. A decade later, now known as Sabine, she meets other vampires willing to teach her. But when they become sloppy in their slaughter, Sabine barely escapes as the other two are killed. Her story alternates with that of modern-day Alice, who brought Lottie home from a college party and woke up as a vampire. When Alice tracks Lottie down, Lottie tells her her history, and how Sabine, almost a century after their parting, still stalks her and the women she feeds fTom. The vampires' intertwined stories explore the centuries between them, ultimately reaching an unexpected yet satisfying conclusion. --Frances Moritz
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Schwabs fantasies are always a big draw, and this enticing tale of lesbian vampires that crosses centuries will be irresistible to her many readers.
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Moritz, Frances. "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 15-16, Apr. 2025, p. 52. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A847030215/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8fb8a7d0. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Schwab, V.E. BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL Tor (Fiction None) $26.99 6, 10 ISBN: 9781250320520
Three women deal very differently with vampirism in Schwab's era-spanning follow-up toThe Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (2020).
In 16th-century Spain, Maria seduces a wealthy viscount in an attempt to seize whatever control she can over her own life. It turns out that being a wife--even a wealthy one--is just another cage, but then a mysterious widow offers Maria a surprising escape route. In the 19th century, Charlotte is sent from her home in the English countryside to live with an aunt in London when she's found trying to kiss her best friend. She's despondent at the idea of marrying a man, but another mysterious widow--who has a secret connection to Maria's widow from centuries earlier--appears and teaches Charlotte that she can be free to love whomever she chooses, if she's brave enough. In 2019, Alice's memories of growing up in Scotland with her mercurial older sister, Catty, pull her mind away from her first days at Harvard University. And though she doesn't meet any mysterious widows, Alice wakes up alone after a one-night stand unable to tolerate sunlight, sporting two new fangs, and desperate to drink blood. Horrified at her transformation, she searches Boston for her hookup, who was the last person she remembers seeing before she woke up as a vampire. Schwab delicately intertwines the three storylines, which are compelling individually even before the reader knows how they will connect. Maria, Charlotte, and Alice are queer women searching for love, recognition, and wholeness, growing fangs and defying mortality in a world that would deny them their very existence. Alice's flashbacks to Catty are particularly moving, and subtly play off themes of grief and loneliness laid out in the historical timelines.
A beautiful meditation on queer identity against a supernatural backdrop.
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"Schwab, V.E.: BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A835106628/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0d3e21ff. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
V.E. Schwab. Tor, $29.99 (544p)
ISBN 978-1-250-32052-0
* Bestseller Schwab (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue) unfolds an epic and emotionally resonant tale about three lesbian vampires connected through the centuries. In 16th-century Spain, wild Maria avoids pregnancy and eventually escapes her lonely marriage with the help of a mysterious herbalist widow, but poorly rewards the woman's offer of the gift of eternal life by killing her and taking on her name, Sabine. After centuries of wandering, only rarely finding others of her own kind, Sabine hunts and then turns Charlotte in 19th-century London--but Charlotte flees when their loving connection sours under mercurial Sabine's jealousy. In 21st-century Boston, Scottish Harvard student Alice seeks novelty and reminisces about her sister, but after a postparty hookup with Lottie leaves her as a vampire, she is determined to find Lottie again and get some answers. Schwab crafts intricate backstories for her leads, beautifully balancing the humanity and monstrosity of all three women while chronicling their transformations over time. The result is a haunting and worthwhile story about cruelty, grace, love, and what it means to live forever. (June)
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"Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil." Publishers Weekly, vol. 272, no. 17, 28 Apr. 2025, p. 40. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A838688127/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2cab5140. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Starting with a different kind of vampire story in her new novel Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. Here, she shares an exclusive excerpt and talks about the power of writing hungry and vulnerable villains.
This book is similar to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, where you reinvented some genre norms.
I like to write fantasy that has a single point of departure, because you essentially start with both feet on the ground in a known place and then move from there. And I think I approach tropes the same way.
You've made vampires your own. What's so different about them?
My vampires do age, just on the inside instead of the outside. They wither and they decay morally, existentially, romantically until all that's left is the urge to hunt. "The heart dies last" is part of that. The last piece to go for the vampire is also what was sustaining them emotionally.
This excerpt introduces us to Sabine for the first time, and she has this sense of fear. Why did you pick this section?
Sabine is a character that definitely strikes a very specific note. She is like, "Kill first; ask questions later." I think it's really important--especially when dealing with a villain--to show you that behind the curtain, there are still fears. It's showing you both her strength and her weaknesses. She is learning that she has something to be afraid of, but there is no moment where she is afraid.
It also features your favorite line. Why do you love it?
"The heart burns last" is a lot of foreshadowing for every character in that scene, some in very, very literal ways and some in metaphorical ways. For an immortal, the passion, the hunger, the need, the desire is what keeps you going. It's the idea that once it's gone, there's nothing keeping you going.
This is your second time writing about lesbian vampires, but this time, they're all toxic in their own way. Was there a fear in going that route especially when it comes to representation?
I spent the first 15 years of my career not writing lesbian villains for that reason. But that's so reductive when we break it down because what we're saying is that queer people and queer characters don't deserve the same complexity and nuance as their straight counterparts. I write villains. That's what I do for a living. They're all messy, all accountable in different ways. These three women have moments where they are villainous and moments where they are heroic and moments where they are everything in between. I wanted to write somebody who made me feel seen.
Sabine looks down, weighs the bloody mass in her palm. She has never held a heart before. It is small, but dense, at once heavier and lighter than she imagined. This lump of flesh made lifeless without its host.
"Behold," he says, "the sole source of our fragility."
Her fingers tense around the heart, as if willing it to beat. But her grip is too strong, and it emits only a trickle of blood before collapsing inward. Fragile.
Nothing about her is supposed to be fragile now. And yet--"If
that bit of wood had driven deeper, you'd be dead."
Sabine flinches.
"Are there other ways to die?" she asks, thinking of the widow, crumbling to ash against her dress.
"Yes, and no," says Renata. "Your bones will set. Your skin will mend. But the heart alone stays mortal. It is the seat of life, and death. If it is ruined, or removed, severed from the head or drained of all its blood, there is no mending to be done. When the heart collapses, so do we. If you must die," she adds thoughtfully, "a blade or stick is quick, a bite is kind, but fire is a bad end."
Sabine looks up. "Why is that?"
It is Hector who answers. "Because the heart burns lasty He fetches up a bit of broken stool, a slice of wood the length of his forearm, and wags it like a finger. "Fire, steel, wood, it does not matter. Destroy our hearts, and we are destroyed as well. So, I suggest you learn to guard yours better."
With that, he flicks his hand, and sends the wood slicing toward her chest.
Sabine catches it, of course, he knew she would, but the point is close--too close--and the look in his eye is full of scorn, the air taut as a cord, and there is a moment, only a moment, when she wants to stand -land drive the shard up beneath his ribs, just to end this lecture.
Just a moment, but then Renata is on her feet, gliding between them.
"Easy, my love," she coos at Hector, though she reaches for Sabine. "She didn't know. And now she does." Renata is still looking at her love as she grazes Sabine's wrist, gently takes the stake from her hand and tosses it into the hearth. Her head never turns, and yet, that touch is like a small but knowing look, a silent warning.
And then it's gone, and she is focused solely on Hector. She strokes his back and says something in his native Catalan. He sighs and rakes his fingers through his hair, leaving flecks of dry blood in their wake. And by the time his hand falls back to his side, the pendulum has swung again, the air loosening as he sweeps up the fiddle and begins to play, neither the dirge nor the dance, but something brighter.
And it would be easy to forget, to believe that nothing happened, except the evidence is everywhere.
The broken stool.
The decimated corpse.
The heart, cold and lifeless in her hand.
Later, she will think about this moment as a turning of the tide.
The beginning of the end. But for now, Hector finds the melody, and Renata folds herself back into her chair, and Sabine tosses the ruined heart into the fire, and watches as it burns.
The biggest question when writing immortals is "What is the weakness? What do they fear?"
I always like to set my own rules.
Sabine has a TEMPER
One of the hardest things to do is find ways to explain criminal details in a way that feels organic to the story. In short, for the characters, not the reader (but it is always both).
A returning sentiment for all three women. Only retrospect is 20/20.
And now she will lose it in a game of Never Have I Ever....
Foreshadowing for someone
TL;DR: the point of the book!
My monsters wither from the INSIDE and this is a sign.
A recurring motif and one that signals a dramatic turn/pivot for the woman who does it.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Reprinted with permission of Hearst.
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Fuentes, Tamara. "V. E. Schwab Is Making Her Own Rules." Cosmopolitan, vol. 274, no. 2, summer 2025, pp. 16+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A841117434/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c343942d. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
In an email interview, the author of the triple-timeline lesbian vampire novel our critic called ''sumptuous'' challenged the notion that ''storytelling is a zero-sum game.'' SCOTT HELLER
How have your reading tastes changed over time?
I've gotten both harder to please, and much more evangelical about anything that delights and surprises me. I've also reached the point where I'm far more interested in a story that takes swings and misses than one that doesn't try. Give me weird. Give me ambitious. Give me original.
What's the last great book you read?
You can't possibly expect me to pick one. ''James,'' by Percival Everett. ''Jade City,'' by Fonda Lee. ''Rejection,'' by Tony Tulathimutte.
What's your go-to classic?
''The Count of Monte Cristo,'' by Dumas. It's my desert island book, not only because it's a tome, but because no matter how many times I revisit it, I find new lines to appreciate, new narrative corners to explore.
Did attending an all-girls high school shape your sensibility as a writer?
It might not have shaped my storytelling, but it shaped my belief that I could only be limited by my own ambition. Not that anything would be easy, but that no external voice would ever be as loud as my internal one.
Why did you turn to 16th-century Spain as a setting for your new book?
Some fantasy writers take you out of your world in order to deposit you into a magical one. Others try to convince you that magic has been in your world all along. I'm one of the latter, and weaving fantasy into history, setting it alongside and in conversation with times and places we recognize, helps make it feel not only real, but deep-rooted, as if it's been growing there all along.
Everywhere I am lucky enough to spend time, I look around and wonder, what kind of magic could be growing here. What -- or who -- could be carried down a pilgrimage road in 16th-century Spain? A perfect crossroads for strangers and small towns, for the known and the unknown, and the seeding of ideas, and opening of doors.
The galley includes a blurb that praises you as a ''cruel'' storyteller. How do you feel about that designation?
Honored. I like to think I've earned the descriptor not by simply twisting a narrative knife (though I'm fond of that too), but I've always tried to write the kinds of characters who feel real enough that you grieve them when they're gone, whether they die on page or the story ends and you're no longer invited to follow where they go.
You referred to your ''love of the literary gray zone'' in a recent New York Times piece on books that don't fit into neat genre categories. Where does that come from?
I like to think of genre categories as expanders, not constrictors, and I've always had a fondness for the stories refuse to be contained, that insist on being horror and romance, or fantasy and literary, or suspense and satire.
''We're gaslit by this business every day,'' you told Publishers Weekly in 2020. Do you still feel that way?
I have had very positive experiences, and very negative ones, and a variety that fell somewhere between, and what I've learned from that spectrum is how lucky (and stubborn) I am, and how fickle and frustrating it is when business and art are made to coexist. I think writing is an inherently lonely pursuit, and publishing is an industry that can make it feel even lonelier. It holds certain titles up and lets others swim or sink. It puts so much of the burden for success on the author, discourages transparency, and often pits titles against each other, creating a sense that storytelling is a zero-sum game.
But I've also discovered the power of community. Of holding the door open for new talent and championing other voices. Of working with teams who truly believe in the work.
Is there a book in your vast output that you wish you could rewrite?
No! Not that I look back on anything I've written and think it's perfect -- one of the hardest lessons a creative perfectionist learns is that such a thing doesn't exist, that the act of writing an idea down is the act of accepting its imperfection -- but because each and every book is a time capsule of who I was at the time I wrote it.
How do you sign books for your fans?
I've had to adjust over the last few years, as the audience has grown (what a privileged statement to be able to make!). Now, the only time I get to do a live signing (as in, scribbling in the book while chatting with a reader) is at festivals. But I wanted to make ''Bury Our Bones'' as special as I could for as many as I could, so I agreed to sign the entire first printing. Little did I know it was 300,000 copies. It took me two-and-a-half months of signing 7,000 copies a day, but hopefully it was worth it!
Email interview conducted and edited by Scott Heller. An expanded version is available at nytimes.com/books.
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"V.E. Schwab." The New York Times Book Review, 29 June 2025, p. 5. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A845846475/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=41dc33d6. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
In V.E. Schwab's ''Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil,'' three women turned into vampires are thrown into a centuries-long drama of love, power and hunger.
BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL, by V.E. Schwab
I don't think I'll ever tire of vampires. I do, however, have my preferences. I like my vampires to be old and sexy and inhuman. I like when their immortality is still a kind of death. To me, a vampire should be a little miserable. Living forever sounds awesome until you remember that living is a long slog of repeated maintenance tasks. What is life but a continuous search for sustenance and then dealing with the aftermath of your consumption?
So I was pleased by the vampires in V.E. Schwab's new novel, ''Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil.'' They are very hungry, and very mad about it.
The novel follows three women across three different timelines. In 1530s Spain, María chafes at her family's control over her life. She's a wild child with red hair so bright that no dye or mud they use can cover it. María doesn't want to get married or have children, as is expected of women of her time, but figures if she must, it should take her away from her small-minded family. She engineers her own marriage to a rich viscount in a bid for freedom, but finds herself bound further by his domineering nature. She's eventually shipped off to her in-laws, held as a vessel for her husband to impregnate. Her only escape is visits to a mysterious, ageless widow who runs an apothecary. ''I want to be free,'' María says, as she is finally seduced into vampirism. ''By any means necessary.''
Nearly 300 years later in the English countryside, Charlotte lives an idyllic life enjoying nature and literature and the company of her childhood friend Jocelyn, whom she is in love with. But when her brother catches the two young women kissing, he arranges for Charlotte to be sent to London to become a proper lady and find a husband. Though she is bound in corsets and trapped in manors to wait for men to fill her dance card, she eventually finds excitement in a glamorous widow who takes the impressionable Charlotte under her wing, seduces her and changes her in more ways than one.
In 2019, Alice has chosen her own exile, leaving her small town in Scotland to attend Harvard University. Growing up, Alice was a shadow to her more feral sister, Catty, and now away at college, she wants to form her own independent identity. Alice seems to get her wish when she meets a beautiful, magical girl at a party. But after a dreamy one-night stand, Alice finds herself transformed in ways she hadn't imagined possible -- and didn't agree to. Alice, confused and tortured by an insatiable hunger, goes in search of answers, and finds herself drawn into a centuries-old drama.
Schwab has impressively woven a compelling character drama and feminist critique into a horror thriller. But with so many moving parts and timelines, it's inevitable that something has to suffer. I felt impatient every time we jaunted into Alice's modern time, which is less enticing than the lesbian affairs that unfold in the other sections. The story lines eventually thread together, though not until well into the novel's 500 pages. I found it well worth the wait, though, because of the sumptuous descriptions of place and time, and the slow-burn melodrama between each of the women.
Like many vampire novels, ''Bury Our Bones'' muses over what makes us human. Is it our relationship to death? Our friendships and familial ties? The place we were born and raised? These are connections that should enrich our lives, but in ''Bury Our Bones,'' family, friends and home are sources of pain. They come loaded with gendered expectations and constraints, and thus they bind María, Charlotte and Alice.
Vampirism is offered as reprieve from oppression. By becoming undead, these women gain bodily autonomy and societal agency. But their immortality also introduces new troubles -- as vampires, they will always face the threat of their hunger and yearning calcifying into something as dangerous as the forces they wanted to escape.
It's an apt story for our current culture: Decades of improved (but not equal) conditions for women in the United States have given way to the end of Roe v. Wade, a backlash against D.E.I. initiatives and a dystopian focus on women having children above all else. At the same time, 45 percent of American women voted for an administration that has pursued these limitations. The mommy versus child-free wars continue. We wonder if tradwives are bad. We are eating ourselves alive.
''Bury Our Bones'' gets at this idiosyncratic feeling with a tale told sharply but sweetly enough it goes down as easy as that happy-hour cocktail that, surprisingly, knocks you flat.
BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL | By V.E. Schwab | Tor | 535 pp. | $29.99
Everdeen Mason is an editor and critic currently serving as the executive editorial director of NYT Games, overseeing puzzles such as the Crossword, Spelling Bee and Connections.
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Mason, Everdeen. "The Hunger." The New York Times Book Review, 20 July 2025, p. 6. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A848315110/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=11b8a82e. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.