Blood On Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen when the book starts we meet Lucy who is on her way to her sister’s marital home to tend to her. It seems her twin sister Sarah has become ill and may not live very long. when she arrives she cannot believe her sisters appearance nor her strange demeanor including, begging Lucy to leave and warning her all “she“ wants to do is eat people. Lucy doesn’t know what she’s talking about nor who she’s referring to but stays because she loves her twin. things turned disastrous when her sister bites their lifelong friend Arthur who’s their doctor but this isn’t the first time Sarah has proven how much she loves the taste of blood just the worst so far. A few days later while Lucy is riding in her journal her sister Sarah wakes up and seems lucid, but not to set on the recent happenings in the house. So when Lucy explains to her about the lady found buried in the bog and her recent notations on tics, Sarah goes crazy and stabs herself to death in the eye. unfortunately this isn’t the end but the beginning. There are so much more to this book including Sarah and husband Michael’s marital problems her relationship with Michael’s cousin Cat and just so much more I am totally skipping over the lady they found in the bog and her whole story, not to mention the family members bleed more than a group of hemophiliacs. Now on to my opinion, I loved this author‘s first book but unfortunately this one which was set in 1889 was not only not scary I think they were a lot of missed opportunities with the storyline that had it went one way it could’ve been much more creepy not to mention I’m getting so tired of man hating books. It seems every story has to have a lesbian all the men have to be bad and no matter what era the book is set in they’re always has to be 21st-century commentary and I’m so over that. Having said that I do think the majority of this book was good but once she had that whole come to Jesus confession with her sister Lucy I believe that took all this sting out of the book I mean I did like the book for story and plot sake but I didn’t like the ending nor would I consider this a Victorian mystery or haunting story because it totally was not. I do think if you like vampire and or possession type stories you will enjoy this one and I did for the most part it just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. #NetGalley,hh#PoisonPenPress, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,#JoannaVanVeen, #BloodOnHerTongue,

✨REVIEW: 4.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

🩸Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen 🩸

🥩synopsis: 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.

🥩my opinion: Year 1887. Lucy receives a letter explaining that her sister, Sarah is terribly ill. So, she goes to take care of her since they are twins and she feels super worried about her. 🙂‍↔️💞

I loved the book, the relationship between Lucy and Sarah is pretty solid and sweet 🥲. The fact that I knew Sarah had SOMETHING (ok, I won’t say more but it’s important…🫣) and that Lucy still went along with her twin, is really special. <33

The atmosphere is 🖤SUPER🖤 gothic, just fantastic. I got a lot of Nosferatu vibes from it! And that’s why I put Ellen in the picture; they’re both (Sarah and Ellen) suffering from an illness from fever?? Oh yeah, it’s always fever...until it’s not and actually the cause is much more gross and creepy. 🤣

✨Highly recommended if you✨

🩸Like Nosferatu.
🩸Like possessions.
🩸Like bog bodies.

I would like to thank @netgalley, @johannavanveen1997 and @poisonedpenpress for the advanced e-copy. <33

A wonderfully gothic tale of sisterly love, bogs, vampiric parasites, and bad men. Sharply original with utterly grotesque descriptions, albeit tastefully and rarely done. But when it gets foul does it getFOUL. Squelch squelch squelch!

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t right for me. I didn’t care for the writing. The pacing changes too frequently, and the writing is repetitive. I would have liked to see some depth in the characters as I found them flat.

But I’m an outlier on my thoughts with this because so many people have enjoyed it.

Amazing story. The time period is so fascinating and van Veen does a great job exploring the mental health of women during the late 1800s. I thought this was a vampire story (Lucy, Arthur, blood, etc.) but this is no vampire. Blood on Her Tongue is beautifully written with complex characters and their complex relationships. There's a gruesome villain that you somehow don't hate. Once again van Veen incorporates the true wonder of bogs in this story and I'll never tire of it. Highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

This book was so dark and lush. An exceptionally unique take on the curse of vampirism. Johanna has such a gifted way of describing rot that makes it so visceral you can almost smell the decay.

I love when a book feels like it was written for you.

I just recently went down a bog body rabbit hole so to open this book and find that it begins with the discovery of one was just 👌

An absolutely wonderful Gothic Horror- some of the body horror is the best written I’ve read in a long time. I’d classify this as one of my favorite sub genres/tropes(?) called “Supporting women’s rights and wrongs”

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eArc in exchange for a review.

4.5 stars

I was so excited to read this book because I am a Gothic Studies Major and I adore the vibes of this book and the atmosphere. I adored the sisterly bond that was shared throughout the book and provided intrigue from the very beginning. My interaction with Gothic books can be hit or miss if it hits the same feeling and this book was amazing.

This book has all the Gothic vibes, but there are gruesome moments so be warned before entering this book. The writing style was beautiful and created a feeling of being included within the storyline.

I do not want to share too much of the actual story because I feel like it needs to be experienced by the reader. I recommend this book for Gothic Fiction and horror readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the E-Arc

I really enjoyed this story. To start, I love how Johanna van Veen writes her historical horror. I don't know if I can think of another author that uses the correct language and colloquialisms of the time period she writes. It lends an air of authenticity to her stories that is often missing.

The dynamic between Lucy and Sarah was easy to understand and the character's motivations was clear because the relationship was so well defined. I don't have a twin but the book made me understand the link between twins quite well. Even with the revelation, I still understood why Lucy made her decisions and I enjoyed their dynamic quite a bit.

The sapphic story line was chef's kiss. In the end, this book sends the message that yes, it is all men, and having a sapphic love story layered in with men who portray themselves one way only to benefit themselves was perfection.

My only issue with this story was the pacing. We were given tidbits of the horror throughout the story, but it left me wanting more. Normally, I enjoy that tease between the author and reader, but it went on so long that I was feeling restless. In the end, the horror of it all was fantastic, but I needed a bit more sprinkled throughout and I wanted it to feel more haunting from start to finish. Overall it was a good story with good character development and writing, and I will be recommending.

2.75? Ok so I am having trouble reviewing this one. There are some things that I loved: crazy eyeball horror and great gothic atmosphere! However, the overall story felt disjointed to me and the characters not fully realized to me. Also, wasn’t the biggest fan of her take on the vampyness of it all. I would still read from this author again for sure but I just didn’t overall have the best time with this one.
*thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Blood on Her Tongue is a WILD ride!

Unsettling. Gothically lush. Complex sisterly bonds.

If you are looking for a horror with a mix of mystery, look no further! You'll be sucked into the atmospheric eeriness and messy family drama that it will be difficult to look away from.

Lucy’s twin sister Sarah has suddenly fallen ill but with what no one can determine. It all begin when Sarah first discovered and began examining a long deceased body that was found in the near bog. As time passes Lucy quickly realizes she has to be the one to unravel what is truly happening to her sister in order to save her from herself and her hunger.

Did someone say girl dinner? This slow burn gothic horror read not only kept me engaged by its ever building tension and mystery but I was completely immersed in the atmospheric writing. I could easily picture the Victorian home and the eerie bog. This setting alone heightened the overall gothic feel of this hungry tale. Add in the at times graphic body horror and I found myself easily descending into the story, wondering if it was all supernatural in nature or if I was witnessing a journey into madness. Many times I felt nods to classic gothic literature while reading but was also happy to see more modern perspectives being highlighted, making this feel like a splendid mix of the two worlds. There are some trigger warnings with some gore being one along with mentions of SA and child abuse so do keep those in mind. However I did not find these to be overly off putting and just couldn’t get enough of this strongly character driven mix of gothic horror and mystery. If you are fan of chilling plots, morally grey characters, gothic atmosphere, vampiric energy, and some fungal filled horror then you will most definitely enjoy this darkly twisted tale.

Blood on her Tongue comes out March 2025. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A very enjoyable gothic horror book that manages to feel both traditional and fresh. I enjoyed that the author followed a lot of classic story beats but managed to inject a lot of new intensity and a bit more elaborate lore into the story. While it was a little more gory than I'd personally prefer at points, the gory scenes made sense for the book and helped to inject some liveliness into the pacing.

My only big complaint is that the relationship between the sisters is never fully explored. There are a lot of hints of Lucy resenting Sarah, feeling like she's only a shadow compared to her livelier twin, and wondering who she is without Sarah. However, these issues are never resolved in a satisfying way. Lucy ends up getting pulled into the big quest to save Sarah and is never given any time to explore these more complex feelings. Ultimately, I'm left feeling like I would've rather the twins' contentious relationship not been brought up in the first place instead of having it get left hanging at such a weird point.

Blood on her tongue is a fantastic Gothic tale. I really enjoyed Lucy as a character. I always have an infitinity towards the more quiet and shy characters. She wasn't perfect, but she definitely wanted to do whatever it took to help her sister. I enjoyed the mystery to what exactly was going on with Sarah. I feel like the author gave a few misdirects/potential scenarios of what exactly was happening, and I was genuinely surprised by the truth. As someone who isn't a twin or has a sister, I did find Lucy's and Sarah's relationship at times a little maddening. They were almost toxic, but I guess sisters can be. The writing was fantastic as well, captivating and easy to read. There was a good amount of gore near the end, which I thought really added greatly to the conclusion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC for my honest opinion.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this on ebook from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: This was a well done gothic horror novel. It is kind of a vampire novel but a bit weirder than that. I enjoyed the uniqueness of it and how oddly vicious it was.

Lucy goes to stay with her sister, Sarah, when she learns that Sarah is sick. Sarah has been diagnosed with temporary insanity, something she suffered from after a miscarriage as well. However, this time the sickness seems different. Sarah found a body in the bog before her sickness, and some of the writings that Lucy finds around Sarah's study make her think this sickness might be related to something from the bog. Lucy has her own secrets and she must deal with those as she tries to figure out what is happening to Sarah.

This is very much a gory, horror story. There is some body horror in here, as well as flat out just yuck parts. There is also sexual abuse (kind of), violence, and a lot of people being generally not nice to each other. You have been warned.

This is an odd story, and it doesn't end up being what you think it's going to be when you start it. At first I thought it was going to be some sort of vampire horror story but it is much stranger than that.

I loved the strange setting in the bogs of the Netherlands in the late 1880's. This is a mysterious and eerie setting that fit the book perfectly. I also loved how complex most of the characters were. None of these characters are nice people; they are all selfish and messed up in their own special ways. Still, I couldn't help but be strangely sympathetic to them. Lucy with her loneliness and her life living in Sarah's shadow, Sarah with her sadness and her broken marriage that she hides from the world, and even the old woman that Lucy has been a hired companion to.

This book doesn't pull any punches when it comes to gory descriptions or vicious scenes; it is all described in great (sometimes nauseating) detail. I am not a huge fan of super descriptive body horror and gore, but it worked well for this book. I ended up liking this book just because it did what it was trying to do so well. It is a beautifully vicious gothic horror story. It doesn't shy away from women's issues and doesn't apologize for the selfishness of the characters or their moral grayness.

The descriptive writing is what really makes the dank, dark setting and characters come alive. This book has a strange sort of calm to it as well. In between the horrific scenes, these characters are just going about their day to day lives.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I liked this, it was different and unapologetic in its viciousness. It is a gothic horror that doesn't shy away from the horror or the details. The characters are all questionable in their morals and actions, but somehow it works. Is this the type of story I want to read every day? Nope, it was a bit too gross and graphic for me at times. However, if you are into detailed gory body horror with some unique gothic twists, I would definitely recommend. This type of book is definitely not going to be for everyone, but what it does, it does well.

This is such an interesting take on the vampire concept and I’m kind of obsessed. We follow two sisters, Lucy and Sarah, living their life, writing letters. Until one day a body shows up in the bog on Sarahs’s property. Sarah is all like, let me get my notebook so I can sketch it. Shortly after, Sarah starts acting off and the writing in her letters becomes incoherent and disturbing. So Lucy goes to nurse her sister back to health, and then, things get intense. really intense.

I loved everything about this and need to read more of this author’s work asap! It’s disturbing with some intense body horror, delightfully weird, and a bit heartwarming. The relationship Lucy and Sarah share is complex and the exploration of their relationship was something I really enjoyed. The actual cause of what goes down is intriguing and thought-provoking. And while on the surface this is a story of a mysterious entity possessing someone it’s also a story about patriarchal systems and misogyny, which quite frankly are the real monsters truly.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

“A girl needs to eat.”

Blood on Her Tongue was gory and delightful!

Set in the Netherlands in 1887, the story immediately has an eerie feel. Throw in a dreary estate, a century old corpse, and a mentally ill sister? You’ve got a gothic horror.

Johanna van Veen does an excellent job setting the scene of the story - utilizing tropes such as a dark setting, a fascination with death, and supernatural elements. It is obvious from the beginning that Sarah, one of our main characters, is suffering from more than just mental illness. But, it’s interesting to watch as Lucy, her twin sister and our narrator, tries to separate Sarah’s history of illness from what’s happening to her. I enjoyed van Veen’s historical representation of how a woman’s mental illness likely would have been addressed during this time period. This fact plays largely into Lucy’s motivation to figure out what’s happening to Sarah.

“What was a person if not the sum of all they had ever thought and felt and lived through?”

Through the bond of Lucy and Sarah, van Veen presents readers with multiple questions surrounding identity and morality. What makes a person a person? How far are you willing to go for those you love? What if they’re not themselves? I loved this aspect of the story, as well as Lucy and Sarah. I thought their characters were interesting and that despite being opposites, they compliment each other in a way only sisters could. While they definitely stray from their sanity and create many messes, I respect their dedication to each other when it really matters.

If you enjoy gore, feminine rage, vampires, and sapphic lovers - this book is for you!

(Thank you to Net Galley, Poisoned Pen Press, & Johanna van Veen for this opportunity!)

**Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press/NetGalley/Johanna van Veen for this Digital ARC of Blood on her Tongue. Expected pub date March 25, 2025.**

Johanna van Veen has done it again, I just adore her writing. She has a way of enchanting you, which keeps you invested in the story from beginning to end. This Gothic Sapphic Vampire novel is truly unique, I can honestly say that I've not read anything like it in the vampire genre. The author has added a fresh new take on the vampire lore that was interesting and plausible. Definitely a must read for any vampire lover!

The atmosphere of this book is so eerily and intense. I was disturbed and delighted by every word. The plot is thrilling. The themes are engaging. The character dynamics are masterfully wound.

A really good gothic novel, gruesome and dark in the best ways.
The fact that the main relationship was between twin sisters is a nice change rather than the focus being on a romantic couple. Pretty grizzly in parts. I look forward to reading more from this author.