5 *full* stars
Johanna van Veen's second novel "Blood on Her Tongue" is just as delectably perfect as her first.

Something about van Veen's prose feels like very gently and lovingly being ushered into a peaceful death.
I know I'm headed into some degree of bleak, unraveling demise, but I'm being carried there by the gentle whispers
of Colin Firth's portrayal of Mr. Darcy.

It's just so darned comforting and bleak all at the same time.

Plot :
Lucy starts receiving concerning letters from her twin sister, Sarah, indicating that she may be experiencing another mental health crisis. Of particular concern
is Sarah's preoccupation with a corpse that she discovered in a nearby bog. Lucy feels compelled to travel to her ailing sister and quickly finds herself understanding her
sister a little *too* well.

If you are a fan of gothic horror, T Kingfisher's Sworn Soldier series, or the Netflix series Bridgerton (Or, like, you think you WOULD like Bridgerton if it was gothic horror), you need to pre-order this immediately.

Trust me. I'm telling you this as a friend.

Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have been dipping my toes into vampire books so I was really excited to read this one. I’m glad I did, because it was so much more than that. I loved the gothic horror in this book, it made it so eerie. I really liked the authors style of writing and felt that the pacing of the book was good. I tend to go for books that are bit more fast paced, but this book definitely pays off.

Gripping, gothic, creepy, eerie, and hard to put down!
Blood on Her Tongue exceeded my expectations with its interesting take on sisters, relationships, mental health, bog people and vampires. This book gave me such Nosferatu vibes it’s not even funny!! I just love how well this book captured the time period! also loved how the complexities of the sister's relationship were shown - the love, the devotion, the fights, the inflicted pain, and the bond.
There is also the mental health component. Sarah lost a child previously and suffered depression and did some questionable things. When her behavior came into question again, her mental health came under scrutiny.
The vivid description, the imagery, the intriguing characters, the originality, the plot, the gothic setting, and the writing were off the charts! I found this book to be wonderfully written, well thought out, and perfectly executed. There are some gruesome scenes so be warned. This book will not be for everyone, but for those that enjoy gothic horror with a bit of blood, this may be the book for you!

This is one of the first vampire books that I've picked up in a long time that didn't feel like it was written in the 2020s. It felt like it could have been written at any point in time. It's very much a vampire book, suspenseful, mysterious, and full of some ick stuff involving teeth. If that's what you're looking for then this is it.

This book was not what I expected at all, but it had me hooked from the start! While the characters were deeply flawed and their actions made me dislike them (all of the male characters were HORRID), I was totally gripped by blood-boiling feminine rage and the macabre mystery of the bog body. I love learning about bog bodies and mummification, so this was a fascinating premise. The story was dark, creepy, full of bodily horror and gore. Parts of it made me squirm (I hate eyeball stuff), but still, I couldn't stop reading! It did not go where I thought it was going to go, either, and I devoured the last quarter of it as things started coming together. It was the right blend of feminine rage, historical fiction, gothic atmosphere, and mystery, and I really enjoyed it!

First of all, I want I to thank Johanna van Veen, Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this eARC. Here my honest opinion.

Set in the Netherlands in 1887, Blood on Her Tongue is a haunting gothic novel, infused with feminine rage and a good dose of body horror.
Sarah is ill, and her twin sister Lucy is taking care of her. The mysterious disease began after the discovery of a bog body.
Sarah was intrigued by the body and the mystery that surrounded it. Progressively, her interest turned into obsession, and her physical condition got worse and worse. However, most of all, it is her mental health that is of concern, as well as her an insatiable hunger.

Unspeakeble desires, guilty attraction, betrayal and a little bit of sapphic romance and erotic suspense for a horror story that is gothic to its core, and I really appreciated this aspect.

However, there are things that I didn’t like, first of all the “all men are bad” attitude: it’s too easy and too semplicist, and leaves me unsatisfied.
At the same time, it was hard for me to like someone like Lucy: her relationship with Sarah has something morbid, which goes far beyond being twins. Sometimes, it's even dumb in how over the top it is. Her desire for Michael is probably her only good point.
Moreover, the author explained too much too soon, breaking the tension. As a result, the last part of the novel is quite dull.
The final was disappointing. It's easy to understand that the idea of an erupt of feminine rage was cathartic for the author, but the result is incredibly silly. It just makes no sense.

In conclusion: some good ideas, and some successful scenes, but the desire to transform the story into a pseudo-feminist parable heavily affected the final result.

3.75/5

Gothic, sapphic vampire story plus a family drama situation? Sign me up!

A body is recovered from a bog and strange things begin to happen to Sarah. Her twin sister Lucy is summoned to help tend to her. It becomes apparent that this is no ordinary illness, Sarah knows things she shouldn't and has an insatiable hunger that cannot be quelched with regular food or drink. Terrified of being placed in an asylum and suffering a similar fate as their beloved aunt, Lucy and Sarah race to find a solution that will allow them to stay together.

In theory, this book should be a straight home run for me. Vampires? Sisterhood? Unfortunately, I had some issues with pacing that made my brain wander for a bit. However, the moments that were good, were pretty freaking good. There were some gag-tastic gore filled moments, some strong female rage, and ultimately the strongest theme throughout, was the bond of sisterhood. What lengths would someone be willing to go to for their siblings, especially when that sibling is someone you no longer recognize?

Overall it was enjoyable experience that I think some people will really enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to review this book!

This was a true gothic horror.
I did find myself not being interested in the beginning due to the letters but I picked up.

3.5 for the total.

This started off so strong. I loved the first half. It was creepy and gross and super atmospheric and the epitome of gothic literature. However, once the midpoint twist happened, the tone and vibe totally changed. It became clinical and detached and had almost not personality anymore. And then all of the action of the second half of the book happens in the last 10%. The balance and pacing were off for my tastes. I didn't Hate the second half, but it did not hold my attention nearly as much as the first. I ripped through the beginning, and then had to push myself to continue after the twist reveal. Would recommend if you're wanting to try gothic and are a little weary since this gives respite from the claustrophobic nature of that after a point. Also, if you're into vampire and undead stories, this was a different take which was fun and interesting. I'm always down for a unique monster.

Also, there were some errors in the dates of letters and articles vs the events of the book. I hope they fix that in the pub'd version over the ARC I read.

𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝖔𝖓 𝕳𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖚𝖊 by Johanna Van Veen
🩸🩸🩸🩸

Thank you, Johanna, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

This book took me a little while to get into, but every time I picked it up, I was drawn into the creepy, eerie gothic story.
This tale is set in the Netherlands in 1887, marking a significant time jump from everything else I’ve been reading and the roles of the characters. Lucy visits her twin, Sarah, who is unwell and obsessed with a bog body that she and her husband discovered on their estate. The family has faced difficulties in the past, which greatly influences how everyone treats Sarah during her illness this time around.
I loved how parts of the story are conveyed through letters and news articles.
The entire narrative keeps you guessing about what is truly going on, and when it is explained, it paints a beautiful picture of loyalty.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of Blood on Her Tongue in exchange for review.

4.25 stars

I ate this up (haha get it?). I read the first half of the book in one night instead of sleeping because I just couldn’t stop. The mystery of it all was so intense and intriguing. I had to know what happened next.

This book is quite visual with its horrors… but not in an off putting way by any means. I loved it. Around 75% in I had the thought “how is there only 25% left I feel like we’re just getting started?”
The ending took me hugely by surprise and it felt very quick, though everything that happened totally made sense for the story I suppose I just didn’t want it to end, I wanted to know more.

If you like strong sibling bonds, mystery, semi possession(?), mild sapphic romance, gothic horror manor settings, sassy lady-maids, or if you’ve ever questioned if someone is actually truly dead…. This book is for you! In 2025 we set aside trauma and choose love I guess.

This book was great, thank you again for letting me read it early!

I couldn't put this down! Captivating and creepy, with some female rage and body horror. (Sometimes vividly described... Heads up if you're squeamish!) A dark tale about monsters, and the monstrous things people will do for those they love.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this eARC! This is an honest review.

I couldn't believe it when I got this ARC, as it was one of my most anticipated releases for the year, and it did not disappoint!

The atmosphere the author puts into her writing is just so lush and provocative. You have a secluded gothic house, two sisters on the edge of madness, descriptive body horror that gets under your skin, and bog bodies with crumbling historical documents to unravel. I loved how flawed both sisters were in a lot of ways and the drama that caused between them--I never found them unlikeable because of it, they were just really messy but interesting characters to follow. And all the Victorian science tidbits (a man's blood is "stronger" than female blood, etc.) was fascinating.

And the way vampirism was done here was just so cool. I highly recommend if you liked Nosferatu this past year. The vibes and gore are just on point! I'll still be ordering one of the gorgeous physical copies because I loved it so much.

Yet again, Johanna van Veen does not disappoint. The characters, the story, the pacing, the writing--I have nothing to complain about or offer critique of. This story is magnificent, horrifying and delightful. I devoured it in one sitting. I cannot wait to have a physical copy in my hands and look forward to future works by this author, who is now an 'auto buy' author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-copy. The opinion is my own.

Well this was fun in a way I had not expected. A tale of one's sister's increasing desperate attempts at not letting her twin sister die or worse, go to the asylum; gothic horror with some body horror and a perhaps unsurprising amount of blood. Sort of I got a bit surprised at times. It's written in third person POV of Lucy, interspaced with either diary entries or newspaper clips. It starts slow as a mystery to be solved and getting the answer does not end the story.

It plays upon the jealously and possessivenes between twins and plays the misogyny of the time for advantage in the story, peppering how women and madness and feeble minds were all in the same package. And by this latter one I meant you will probably want to whack people in the head.

Also a twinge of sapphic love over here - and no it is not between the twin sisters. The incestuous gothic trope at any level does not touch this book.

Finally, this book managed to make me gag. One description (two actually) managed to get a physical reaction out of me, in public transit. A sign of good description really.

All in all, if you want a gothic like read about two sisters, some philosophical considerations about what makes a person and with a helping of blood and gore, this book does have it covered.

It was kind of short and sweet (not literally this book was far from sweet). I loved the exploration of this era, the plot and the characters (a bit of a love hate relationship). This book kind of has a creeping sense of horror and dread with it becoming more explosive towards the end (not for those who are squeamish as this is quite gory). I liked that it mostly focused on the relationship between two sisters. However, there were things I didn’t really like. That mostly being Sarah (I really don’t think we are meant to like her). I found her quite a hard character to sympathise with. I also found that the first part dragged a bit but overall I did enjoy this book and ended up giving it 3.5 ⭐️

A gothic horror about twin sisters. When one of them falls into a mysterious "madness" after discovering a bog body and developing an obsession with the story around it, the other comes home to nurse her back to health.

The following story is full of suspense, gore and dark undertones of female rage and societal misogyny. The "mad" woman at its finest. It's beautiful written and grips you from the first page. Loved every dark, disgusting bit of it. Will be reading more form this author.

Will love if you're a fan of Nosferatu and Dracula. 🧛‍♂️

3,5 stars. This is a second book from this author that I had a pleasure to read. and although it doesn't deliver quite a punch like the last one, it is still enjoyable and quick read.
The story revolves around twin sisters and as it is with such stories one twin - Sarah is a shining, bright creature and the other - Lucy, is considered a dull copy. We follow Lucy as she makes her way to her sister's estate. Sarah fell mysteriously ill after a discovery of a bog body, that quickly turned her obsessed with fear. The first part of the book is atmospheric and wonderfully creepy with the author making you feel the dread. the author has amazing capability to describe bodies and earth in such a way that you can smell damp soil and rot from the pages. And in this, building sense of unknown dread, the story is the strongest, unfortunately once the story unspools it looses lots of it charm.
At one point you may wonder whether this story is something that you already read, whether it will follow a common pattern and the moment you think that this is exactly what is happening, you get a trope subversion and the story "properly" starts. Big kudos for that choice as I was really surprised but I feel that we rush too much to the next and next action point. This leaves very little space for the reader to feel encompassed by the story rather than just following the plot. What doesn't help, is that there isn't a single person that you could be symphatetic to, the whole cast is pretty despicable with men of this book being over-the-top cruel to the point where it feels laughable rather than menancing. Pasja, the dog is the only one I was cheering for and let me tell you there were at least a dozen moments when I was scared for her!
The book shines most in it's quiet moments and I wish we've spent more time in heavy atmosphere.
I'm looking forward to authors future work.

3.5*

Ok, I support women's rights. But more importantly I support women's WRONGS. And this book was full of women's wrongs. And I say, good for her.

This book is eerie and also kind of f*cked up. Or actually, really f*cked up, but in a good way. There were times that I held my kindle away from my face saying "ew" audibly because of what was happening. There is definitely some body horror in this, so trigger warning if that bothers you.
I really enjoyed (enjoyed is not quite the right word for this experience though...) my time reading this, and I read the last 30 percent in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. However, I can't give it a full 4 stars because it did really lag for me in the middle and I just wasn't feeling a pull to pick it up. It was definitely intriguing the whole time, just the middle was a lot of the same thing repeating.

Overall, I think this is a great gothic book that has some good messages about feminism and the idea of "mad women" during this time period and what would happen to those women deemed "mad".

Dark, visceral storytelling with a unique take on gothic horror, I really loved this one: great premise, delivered with atmospheric storytelling and rich character development.