I got this as a physical copy, but just got accepted for this digital one! I’ll give my review below:

4.5⭐️ loved loved this second book by this author!! Same author as my darling dreadful thing, and thank you so much to poisoned pen press for sending me an early copy!

This was a gory and wild ride! The early bits gave me autopsy of Jane doe vibes?? It took a paranormal creature like turn! The plot is unmatched- a twin who has been deemed insane? Yes please

Includes female revenge, which is my fav sub plot 🔪🩸

"A thought had come to her, horrible enough that she remembered it even now: What if she and Sarah were like those pieces of the worm? Sarah, vivid and alive, and Lucy, nothing but a weak imitation of the real thing?"

Honestly, I requested this book so long ago that I never thought I would actually get it. As soon as I got the email, I dived right into it. And let me tell you, it felt both like a classic and one of the best things I've ever read.

I love me a disturbing book, but you can easily make me uncomfortable by going into vivid vegetal descriptions. That's why House of Hollow was a big no for me. However, I've had no such problem with 'Blood on Her Tongue'. I took every grain of horror, macabre, and grotesque with a crazy excitement. It's not often you find a book that merges so beautifully the concepts I love most in fantasy and, as of late, horror.

Now, to get into more serious matters, this was a work of art of highest quality. And it's not for those looking to read something light. On the contrary, it triggers such deep emotions you can't help but shudder. From complex and obsessive siblings to relationships harbouring dark and twisted secrets, the author truly gave us everything, coating it in a layer of decay and deception.

“Though if God disagrees and you are damned and restlessly must roam, please, Saartje, please come and haunt me,”

Twin dynamics are my guilty pleasure, I must admit. Even taking that into consideration, Sarah and Lucy were so fucked up. Sometimes I wonder, aren't we all siblings a little fucked up though? Sharing a love so fierce, capable of turning mountains to dust, but letting ourselves build up frustration until it bursts open and makes a mess. Our young women were exactly like that. Sarah, born to be the leader, ever restless, ever protective of her twin, Lucy, who's a quiet thing, hiding among her darkest, unfulfilled desires and the need to please those around her. One has it all, while the other drowns in the remains of a life unspent. They are inseparable until Lucy's fear pushes her into exile. But when Sarah, unwell again, seeks her aid, what can Lucy do but obey? Madness is in the family, and one dead child later, she's terrified her sister will end up in a mental facility, just like their aunt.

I'm dying to tell you some spoilers, but what I can tell you safely is that Lucy is not what she seems at all. There are so many secrets between these two sisters and it all unravels with the appearance of a bog body, a woman who's apparently come to haunt Sarah, a woman who will reveal the dark nature of this obsessive and frayed relationship, putting it to the test. Will their love prevail, or will Lucy finally rise to be something more than Sarah's sister? When I tell you this book won't let you put it down, IT WON'T LET YOU PUT IT DOWN.

THESE TWO WOMEN HAVE ME IN THEIR CLUTCHES AND I LOVE THEM TO RUIN.

As to the other characters, the author portrayed so nicely different types of people. We've got the standard, but not that standard, shitty husband who's got an extra pair of teeth, which I've never seen done before, but it was a really appreciated detail (at least someone liked it very much😉). He was hell-bent on getting on my nerves with his 'proper' woman bullshit, thinking himself some intellectual while dirty talking to a certain someone I won't name. Then comes the good doctor, aka the childhood friend. He might've annoyed me even more than the shitty husband. THE WOMAN SAID NO MY GUY. SHUT UP. And Katje! How could I forget about her? She is the light of my life, my forever sun and moon and everything. What j really liked in terms of side characters is that they were so well defined you could always take a liking on the most unexpected individuals. Everyone got their well deserved attention.

The action was a mix of betrayals and fighting for survival in a world where intelligent women exhibiting great interest in the sciences were considered fit for the madhouse. One wrong move, one out of proportion display of grief or curiosity, and you were done for. Lucy and Sarah fought against society, unwilling to let themselves share their aunt's fate.

Don't get me started on the aesthetics because I will never shut up! I'm convinced this is how a gothic novel should read like. Disturb you in such a way you will never recover! The vibes were immaculate, teleporting you into the past, bring a chill down your spine and having you addicted to the act of death and blood spilling. It was grotesque, macabre, brutal, charming and rotted to the core!

'Don’t you see your promises don’t mean anything if you’re only willing to help me when it doesn’t inconvenience you?'

There is so much more to this book you will have to find for yourself, but you must know this author is brilliant. If you're a gothic fan, what are you waiting for????

With a slow-burn, unsettling tension, Blood on Her Tongue is a must-read. As Lucy digs deeper, trying to protect her sister from whatever is taking hold of her, the story takes dark, unexpected turns that will keep you hooked. The eerie atmosphere and growing sense of dread build throughout. This gothic horror is seriously chilling and will stick with you long after you finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and most importantly, Johanna Van Veen, for this early ARC. Expected publication: March 25, 2025

I don’t know how Johanna Van Veen did it, but she has taken everything that made her debut so remarkable and elevated it to something absolutely extraordinary. This book is nothing short of a masterclass—gothic, haunting, and entirely consuming. Where her first novel was brilliant, this one is a force of nature.

The characters here are so vivid, so exquisitely realized, they feel like flesh and blood—ghosts of themselves lurking at the edge of your vision. Their struggles, their desires, their desperate choices ache on the page. You don’t just read this story—you live it. Van Veen’s gothic prose is pure sorcery, wrapping itself around you, dark and hypnotic, until you’re completely enthralled.

At its heart, this is the story of two sisters—identical in every way and willing to risk everything to save one another. It is a story of sacrifice and resilience, of unyielding love forged in the fire of impossible choices. It is a tale about how far someone will go to save the person they cannot bear to lose, even when the world turns cruel and unrelenting.

Every chapter ratchets up the tension, weaving together a narrative that is equal parts elegant and savage. It’s a story that doesn’t let you breathe, doesn’t let you look away, and leaves you gutted yet grateful by the final page.

To confine this story to a single label would strip it of its brilliance. What Johanna Van Veen has crafted is something far more profound—an unrelenting, blood-drenched tapestry of shadows and secrets, stitched together with a masterful hand. It is gothic horror at its most ambitious and consuming: a story that seeps into your bones, cloaked in dread and dripping with elegance, refusing to be forgotten.

Johanna Van Veen has written the ultimate gothic love letter—beautiful, unsettling, and dripping with tragedy. It’s a book that will haunt you long after you close it, and it solidifies her as a rising master of the genre.

This is one you need on your shelf!

To be a woman is to hunger for freedom.

Blood on Her Tongue embodies gothic horror to a degree rarely held by its contemporaries. It begins in 1880s Netherlands, with Lucy boarding a train to visit her ailing twin sister, Sarah; then quickly spirals into a mess of gore and conspiracies.

Johanna van Veen, with her exact talent for imagery, takes you along a complex tale of sisterhood and womanhood, constantly redefining the concept of hero and villain until you are left at the end simply too stunned to care.

Chilling, thought-provoking, and above all bloody.

I loved this gothic horror! Tense family dynamics, secrets, body horror and a unique setting.

A body is found in a peat bog. A woman is haunted by voices. Her sister must try to save her, but that may mean sacrificing someone else.

🥀 ARC review 🥀

Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

Synopsis:
“I’m in your blood, and you are in mine…” The Netherlands, 1887. Lucy’s twin sister Sarah is unwell. She refuses to eat, mumbles nonsensically, and is increasingly obsessed with a centuries-old corpse recently discovered on her husband’s grand estate. The doctor has diagnosed her with temporary insanity caused by a fever of the brain. To protect her twin from a terrible fate in a lunatic asylum, Lucy must unravel the mystery surrounding her sister’s condition, but it’s clear her twin is hiding something. Then again, Lucy is harboring secrets of her own, too. Then, the worst happens. Sarah’s behavior takes a turn for the strange. She becomes angry… and hungry. Lucy soon comes to suspect that something is trying to possess her beloved sister. Or is it madness? As Sarah changes before her very eyes, Lucy must reckon with the dark, monstrous truth, or risk losing her forever.

Genre:
Gothic Horror

Fav Quote:
“Though if God disagrees and you are damned and restlessly must roam, please, please come and haunt me.”

What I Liked:
* A long time fan of horror, and a recent fan of gothic horror (thank you Brom), this was the perfect continuation of my descent into this genre
* The prose and descriptions in this novel really fed into the atmosphere of this story. I don’t often physically react to what I’m reading but there were several times where I felt uncomfortable/unsettled - which is exactly what I’m looking for in a horror novel!
* This book delves into the meaning of individuality, the morals of love, devotion and loyalty, and the impact of gender roles, which are so powerful in a horror story
* Slightly biased but I loved the touch of historical forensics/anthropology/archaeology as a tool to drive the plot!

For Fans of:
* Brom
* Stephen King
* Shirley Jackson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to #netgalley and #poisonedpenpress for this ARC 🫶🏻 I honestly gasped when I got the email notification!

‘Blood on Her Tongue’ by Johanna van Veen
4.5 ⭐️

ARC REVIEW ‼️

Lucy’s twin sister Sarah, is unwell. She refuses to eat, mumbles nonsensically, and becomes obsessed with a centuries old body recently discovered in the bog. As Sarah continues to become more unwell, Lucy begins to suspect something more is happening to her sister than a simple illness.

Gothic horror at its finest, Blood on Her Tongue grabs you by the throat and tosses you in a beautifully dreadful story. I haven’t dabbled in gothic horror much since I’ve started reading, but after this I think it’s something I need to dive more into because I loved it. Gothic horror seems to have this dark but beautiful story telling about it, and Johanna van Veen just hit it on the nail with this release. Aspects of grief, mental health, and misogyny are explored in this tale, the characters are flawed, even the twins and you might find yourself thinking what makes us who we are?

The reason I’m not giving it a full 5 stars is the second half seemed to lose its steam and the overall vibe for me personally. The first half however makes up for a lot of that because I craved for more answers every chapter.

Blood on Her Tongue is a book that is written to show it’s not afraid of its own genre, and I love that. ‘My Darling Dreadful Thing’ has been on my TBR list for a while and now I am so excited to dive into it.

I will for sure be picking up a beautiful physical copy of this book.

*Blood on Her Tongue* by Johanna van Veen is a dark, atmospheric thriller that delves into themes of revenge, power, and identity. The story follows a woman who embarks on a dangerous and mysterious journey after a traumatic event, using her voice as both weapon and shield in a world full of deceit. Van Veen’s writing is sharp and evocative, creating a sense of tension and unease that lingers throughout the narrative. The protagonist is complex and morally ambiguous, making her journey both compelling and unsettling. With its blend of psychological suspense, gritty realism, and an exploration of female agency, *Blood on Her Tongue* offers a gripping, thought-provoking read for fans of dark thrillers.

I’m so sorry but it’s so disgustingly well-written I had to dnf. I recommend this to those with a strong stomach

I'm not sure how to review this one without giving anything away, but I loved so many things about this book. I especially loved that even though what it all turned out to be wasn't what I thought it was going to be, when the author revealed what it was, it didn't feel like something that came in out of nowhere. All the clues were there, and it wasn't a twist that felt unearned. There were multiple things that made me audibly gasp, but none of them felt out of place.

My only complaints were that the men were either cartoonishly horrid or weak and embarrassing, and every woman was at risk of being deemed hysterical and thrown into a lunatic asylum. As a historian of the 19th century (admittedly, primarily in Britain and the British Empire and not the Netherlands), I understand that female hysteria was a common diagnosis, but it felt dreadfully unrealistic that every woman in this book was either institutionalized at one point or being protected in some way (by a kind or well-intentioned man) from being institutionalized. Making every man horrible and every woman out to be a victim in some way isn't good writing, and it detracts from the feminist attempt to show women's agency, and it makes the complaints by Lucy, our primary POV character, about Michael's binary view of the sexes seem rather out of place. Why are the only ways a woman can show agency [1] extreme violence and/or betrayal, or [2] staying quiet and doing everything expected of them until their husbands are dead and they're old enough to do whatever the fuck they want (though still within the realm of societal expectations)?

Nevertheless, this was a fantastic book. It was good, fun, dirty gothic horror, and I had a great time reading it.

This is a gothic, slow burn horror that is done so well. It is deeply disturbing, grotesque, depraved but in all the right ways. The atmosphere is captivating, and the characters well developed. Loved he female rage, and you are not sure throughout the book, if some of the behavior is madness or something darker. Make sure you read the trigger warnings as it is not for the faint of heart. I just did not want this story to end. I can't wait to get a copy on my shelf. This author is now and auto-buy for me! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Poisoned Pen Press
5 stars ++ (I have not had a five star like this since A Dowry of Blood)

I devoured this book so quickly because of how captivating it was! The author's take on vampires is unique and something I have never read before. I really truly loved this book and if you're looking for a gothic vampire horror, this is a great one!

Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen

“For you, l’d lie and cheat and kill and damn myself straight to hell. I’d do all that and more, again and again and again, as long as it took to ensure you were safe, because you are my twin, my half, my more.”

First off, thank you @poisonedpenpress for the gifted advance reader copy of Blood on her Tongue.

And happy Friday the 13th everyone! I cannot think of a better day to post a review of this beautifully written gothic, horror, novel. Which is ultimately a unique twist on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Even though it was not advertised as such.

So, let’s get into it:

1. I have read a couple of reimagining of the above mentioned short story, and while I have loved both of them, they essentially had the same premise. Blood on Her Tongue, however, adds an interesting twist to the story in more ways than one, that I thoroughly appreciated.

2. The atmospheric writing and prose were beautifully detailed making it incredibly difficult to choose a quote for this review. (I marked over 20 I wanted to use.)

3. I enjoyed how the author explored the themes of misogyny within the novel as well. This was throughly flushed out both thoughtfully and intentionally.

4. Oh and that ending was so satisfying! Dark and gruesome, but satisfying.

I loved this book and immediately bought the author’s first novel, “My Darling Dreadful Thing” after reading this one. I expect Van Veen to be an auto-buy author moving forward.

If you are a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia or T. Kingfisher this is a must read. But just a heads up, there is a considerable amount of body horror and other potential triggers. Fortunately, the author has a detailed explanation at the beginning of what you will find within the pages.

Really enjoyed the spookiness of the bog and the gothic nature of the spooky old house. If you innately find bogs creepy, you'll definitely be creeped out by this one. I also loved that this really walked the line between madness and paranormal - you could read it both ways, which is super fun. Highly recommend this book to any fans of gothic horror.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Morbid, Dark and Twisted. Bow THIS is a good gothic horror novel.

Sarah got on my nerves a LOT but this was such a great read.

This book made me want to cry, scream, throw up… and then start the whole book over again. Dracula and Wuthering Heights had a sadomasochistic affair and produced a deformed, deranged hatechild with modern day horror sensibilities. How deliciously disgusting, how gut churning, how infuriating. Our MC makes every wrong decision. Our author turned the gore up to 100. This is for those who want characters twisted and gnarled, as oozing and hollow as the bog body that begins this drama. What a sinful, blood-crusted delight.

Okay I think I loved this even more than “my darling dreadful thing”!

I rarely read historical fiction but the author does an amazing job of making the book and the characters feel relevant and relatable whilst combining history with gothic and horror aspects. I love the blending of genres which gives the plot such a natural feel even when discussing unnatural subject matter. I also enjoy having an escape from present day life whilst digesting an outdated dialogue which flows poetically and gives the pacing of the book a fast forward momentum.

The plot follows Lucy who is called to visit her sick sister, Sarah by means of written letter. There is plenty of use of written letter format throughout the book in the form of letters between sisters, journal entries, letters between doctors and archived letters from the 1500s. I absolutely loved the letter format, specifically anything Sarah wrote I found to be extremely entertaining and engaging.

After finding a “bog woman” and examining the body, Sarah believes that she has been possessed by some type of parasite entity, this snow balls and things get increasingly dramatic and weird.

I just loved everything about this book, every page was entertaining and interesting and I loved both of Lucy and Sarah’s characters and how fiercely they cared about each other and would do anything to protect the other. There are strong themes of womanhood and sisterhood.

All the stars!

Thank you to the author and Poisened Pen Press for the EARC!

Publish date: March 25th 2025

You will find yourself immersed in a beautifully crafted world where it feels both oddly familiar and otherworldly. This story evokes a creeping dread that continues to grow with every turn of the page. You never quite know whether the character’s affliction is rooted in madness or something far darker due to the author’s clever blurring of lines between madness and mystery. A gothic horror with decadent prose and richly detailed setting that will leave readers feeling mildly disturbed.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 | 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐞𝐞𝐧

Blood on Her Tongue is such a cool book. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's THAT GOOD!!! So lovely, the plot is soooo good omg!