“Grief can make us do the most peculiar things.”

It’s the late 1800s and for Lucy Goedhart, she has two dire mysteries to try and solve:
Why is her twin sister Sarah so ill?
Who is the bog woman unearthed on the marshy property a few weeks prior?
Now, at the Zwartwater estate, she’ll learn that these two questions and their answers are more intertwined than she could have ever surmised.

“How many colors blood could take on, depending on the light.”

Psychological disturbance? Supernatural presence? Or natural phenomenon? Readers will be glued to the pages to find out the truth.

With aspects of complex grief, family dynamics, misogyny, and the roles women are tucked neatly into by society, body horror, and mental health (along with outdated treatments and practices), and so much more than I can even list. It goes beyond its parts and pieces to weave a spellbinding story.

“You can have my blood, if you need it. You can have my flesh and bones, too. You can have it all, as long as it keeps you here.”

The author’s characters, plot, and prose were all so well crafted, this was such a treat to read!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Poisoned Pen Press for a copy!

Blood On Her Tongue is set in the Netherlands in 1887, and it follows young Sarah as she tries to save her sister Lucy from a mysterious illness.
Johanna van Veen has a beautiful writing style and doesn't shy away from exploring dark themes in Blood On Her Tongue, which I love. This book is a unique take on vampires (a very gory and cannibalistic one), and crafts an expertly eery, unsettling, gothic atmosphere that put me on the edge of my seat and also horrified me. I did think that the pacing in this book got a little wonky at times due to its odd structure, and it especially dragged a bit to the end. The ending was also a little open-ended for my tastes, though I did understand what Johanna van Veen was trying to accomplish with it. I also felt that some reveals happened too early in the story and thus undercut the suspense of the story and satisfaction of the reveals. Nonetheless, I do recommend this book for horror lovers, especially ones who enjoy gothic horror and vampires.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Johanna van Veen for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Engaging enough story that was propulsive to read but lost steam halfway through then snowballed into an ending that felt rushed to me. The characters never really felt fully fleshed out to me and some even felt one dimensional to me. The concept of a parasite demon was very exciting but i felt like the author didnt do anything more with it, she warped it into a cannibalistic, vampiric feature which felt odd to me, and frankly coming off a few books about vampires and obsessions, it felt lacklustre and unoriginal. aside from these harsh comments, will say the writing was good and the story moved along at a good pace. I don’t know, maybe after the debut i was expecting a little bit more.

Many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

A true gothic horror book, with modern twists to keep it interesting. I could see the echos of Edgar Allen Poe, early gothic romance, and the Brontës throughout. The drafty house in a creepy setting, the letters that help us learn more about the characters, the assumptions of female hysteria, and a few tried and true horror situations. This definitely has more graphic horror than some of those old books, plenty of dripping blood and gross body horror. And for sure has more sex. But the tone overall was the right balance of creepy and weird that I was hoping for. And the sister story linking the characters together was perfect.

There were some too-long sections and additional characters that didn't seem to fit in to the story well. I think it would have benefited from a bit more claustrophobia and a tight focus on a couple key people. But overall, it was what I was expecting and hoping for from this book.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an Advanced Copy that allowed me to read this in time for Halloween!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC! I couldn't let this book wait until after Halloween: it was perfectly spooky season, and I cringed more reading this book than any of the other horror novels I've read in the last few weeks. In the best way: this book was so gnarly, and hit so many of the things I personally find absolutely horrifying, it was hard to put down once Sarah really started to get more and more unwell. This was also my second bog body novel of the month, and I love the way the author used the phenomenon to add to the unsettling nature of the setting and the lore of the monster. Monstrosity goes hand in hand with moving against patriarchy and misogyny in 1800s Netherlands, and honestly, good for Lucy and Sarah at the end. They deserve a break from the sheer bullshit they've had to deal with the whole book. An absolutely wild ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I love a good creepy Dutch horror. The Netherlands is a fairly spooky place, and I feel that it often gets overlooked in fiction in favour of countries that are a little better known (and perhaps have bigger castles). But with a country that feels like it’s 99% water, and bogs, with a long history and lost cities with merpeople buried with time (Saeftinghe), there is so much potential for good horror.

This book delivers on the ‘good horror’ brief. This is a really good vampire novel, and I emphasise- REALLY good. We go through the nasty transition into vampirism and insatiable lust for blood, and then slide into a certain blend of madness and social statement that I haven’t seen in a while.

Far from the sexy man vampire approach that so often gets commercialised, this is a gritty and hyper-female horror novel, which is delightful. The main characters, Lucy (nice reference) and Sarah are both very distinct, and there’s a white knight quality to the men in this book as well that is insidious.

The body horror was also delightfully extreme, with some wonderful descriptions of terrible things being done to people. It’s rare that you get something so gratuitous, but this book leaned into it, and it was so good. I’m looking forward to reading more where I can from this vein (pun intended).

_Blood on Her Tongue_ by Johanna van Veen is an atmospheric, disturbing, and character-driven gothic horror read that will enthrall the reader. Set in the Netherlands in 1887, it follows Lucy as she cares for her sick twin Sarah and struggles with the dark secrets kept by them both. The story is chilling, and will leave the reader questioning what depraved acts they would do for a loved one.

I have to commend Johanna van Veen on this absolutely thrilling crazy book. It was such a wild and gothic filled ride. I absolutely loved it and if I didn't already have My Darling Dreadful Thing on my TBR this would definitely make me want to add it. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and discover a new author!

Give me a gothic novel and I will devour it. This definitely reminded me of “Mexican Gothic” and “The Autopsy of Jane Doe” combined. Lucy, separated from her twin sister, Sarah, by marriage, hurriedly heads to Sarah’s estate to be by her sickbed. Sounds simple and gothic enough, but throw in a mysterious bog body and things get creepy! This had all the things we love in gothic novels: big moody estate, moors, sexual tension, body horror, questionable relations and secrets.
I had a great time reading this and sure a lot of readers will find it as enjoyable as me.

Sensational. Delicious. Devious. Beautiful. Articulate. I could go on forever.
I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to read this before it is released. I have read another book by this author and she just does not fail.
Gothic horror at it's finest. Now, it's a slow burn but it's worth it. You are fed a trickle of excitement at every chapter that keeps you hooked and aching for the next piece of the puzzle.
The descriptive atmosphere made me feel like I was in this story. The fog, rain, cold, bogs and victorian house made me feel immersed. Perfect read.

Wow.
I've seen this book on Goodreads and have been wanting to read it for awhile and it did not disappoint. That was a ride to say the least.
I actually felt scared while reading and couldn't put this book down. Just when I thought I could predict how Lucy and her sister Sarah would be in the plot, the story takes a turn and I loved it.
It was creepy, atmospheric, and perfect for spooky season.
I'm definitely recommending this book for others to enjoy as well. Just...wow.

I *really* enjoyed this. It's perfectly atmospheric--I could feel the dampness of the air and the tension crawling on my skin. I also appreciated the showcasing of familial/sibling love. The reason this wasn't five stars for me is because I feel that the emotional journey kind of ended at the halfway point. Despite interesting action happening in the second half, it felt slightly emotionally one-note. I would definitely recommend this, and will be thinking about certain imagery in the spooky months to come.

Incredibly unsettling and atmospheric in exactly the way I want from a gothic horror. It had me both on the edge of my seat and recoiling away for most of it. This book is gory and gross and I loved it. The bog woman in particular was so disgusting and creepy and absolutely fascinating. Completely understandable why Sarah became obsessed.

This is also one of the most unique takes on vampires I’ve read in a bit. It takes a more cannibalistic route for one, feeling reminiscent of the ghouls from Bones and All, while also having an interesting parasitic aspect.

Van Veen raises the question of what exactly makes us who we are, if we’re a cumulation of our memories or our actions, what we’re willing to accept of our loved ones and what we’re willing to do to protect them.

Johanna van Veen did it again! 
When i saw that a new book by her was coming out i just had to read it.

When Lucy's sister Sarah is starting to become unwell strange things are starting to happen.

This book had me sitting on the edge of my seat. It was so disturbing and i loved it!
It was so bloody and gory.
I kept getting more and more surprised the more i read

Johanna van Veen’s My Darling Dreadful Thing is one of my favourite horror debuts I’ve read in a while — delightfully gothic and romantic and gruesome — so to say that I was excited about snagging an advance reader’s copy of Blood on Her Tongue may be an understatement. Thanks very much to the author, Netgalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where does one end and another begin? This is the question this novel asks repeatedly. Where does Lucy end and her twin sister Sarah begin? Where does Sarah end and the thing she has become begin? And where does love end, where does family end, where does duty and morality and desire and… where does the horror begin?

I went in expecting a Vampire story thanks to the Dracula epigraphs, the protagonist’s name, etc. and Blood on Her Tongue does certainly have vampiric elements. But it’s also much more, an intriguing blend of horror elements from the natural horror of death and decay to something decidedly supernatural. I loved the super evocative imagery, gruesome often to the point of grossness (the pen! the eyes!), and as someone who lives in rural Ireland I found it easy to call to mind the smell of the peat and the sucking thickness of the bogs, but I think even if you’re not familiar I think you would be able to imagine it based on van Veen’s writing.

Lucy is a fascinating protagonist. She’s not a nice person; she’s obsessive and greedy and haughty and her relationship with her sister is nothing short of toxic, and yet she’s so compelling. Sarah, too, is equally riveting. Even though so much of the action in the first half of the novel takes place around her, her presence is key and her perspective, as told through her letters and journal entries, rounds out the setting and the wonderfully creepy gothic atmosphere so well. And when she (or someone) starts to really take the stage, well. It takes talent to do a good exposition scene, and there’s one around halfway through this novel that’s particularly good, managing to build the tension while delivering a lot of information about the nature of the being that has gotten its grips into Sarah.

There are some great layers to the plot that also help to build the overall world of this 19th Century Dutch manor and its inhabitants. Early on, the men in the novel are quick to dismiss the sisters’ fears as mistakes or madness, and although the women’s violent actions in the latter half of the book certainly aren’t out of any sort of feminist intentions, Arthur’s and Michael’s paternalistic mindsets do bring an interesting element to the story, although as characters they are far less developed than Lucy, Sarah, or even some of the other minor characters such as Magda the serving woman.

Overall, I think I enjoyed this even more than My Darling Dreadful Thing (although I seriously loved that one as well). Toxic codependence will always be a favourite horror trope of mine, especially when it leads to devastating consequences, and it’s so well executed here along with an exquisitely-crafted story that grows the creeping, unsettling tension to a truly disturbing climax. Van Veen has quickly been added to my list of the authors whose work I will eagerly devour (ha) as soon as I see it.

Surprisingly grotesque, and in a world of books that promise gore and barely deliver a trickle of blood, I appreciated that. But while the horror elements are well done, others weren’t as satisfying. The relationships between the main character, Lucy, and her sister, her brother-in-law, and her childhood friend were all interesting as a premise, but lacked any sort of subtlety or nuance. Everything was explicitly stated, and I wished the author had trusted the audience enough to come to the correct conclusions without the blinking neon signs. I also found the pacing to be off, with many scenes being either redundant or unnecessary. Great stylistically, but not enough meat on the bones for me to leave satisfied.

Johanna van Veen, you are a creepy weird genius and I love you! After reading My Darling Dreadful thing I knew I had to read this one. I wasn't sure how it was going to live up to her first novel, but wow, so fantastic!! Taking place in the 1870's making it even more gothic and creepy and dreadful. I loved it so much. Thank you for the opportunity to find another new favorite author!

This review is based on an arc, not the final copy of the book.

I requested for the beautiful cover and high reviews and stayed for the gothic horror. My first gothic horror novel and I quite liked it.
Just like Sarah, was obsessed with the bog body..I was obsessed with finishing this story...and I did so in one sitting.

Quite a bit of gore, descriptive grotesque elements and dread. I felt cold and uncomfortable in the best way possible featuring cannibalism and rotting corpses.

The story begins with Sarah, Lucy's twin sister, who is slowly falling into a mental and physical decline after a centuries-old corpse is discovered on her husband's estate. The doctor's diagnosis of "temporary insanity" due to a fever of the brain seems to offer a rational explanation. Lucy believes that there is something far more sinister at play. Lucy's love for her sister pushes her to take desperate measures to protect Sarah from being confined to a lunatic asylum. The author's depiction of Sarah's transformation is particularly chilling. The ambiguity of Sarah's sanity blurs the lines between the supernatural and psychological. As Lucy grapples with the possibility that her sister may become something monstrous, she must also confront the secrets she has been keeping, asking who the monster is.

The historical context of the 19th century, with its limited understanding of mental illness and the harsh realities of treatment, adds a layer of tension. Women were labeled hysterical and removed from society, which in many cases was not due to illness but to families or husbands silencing women. The story forces readers to confront unsettling questions about the nature of sanity, the existence of evil, and one's ability to face overwhelming fear.

The pacing was inconsistent and drug at several places. It was also repetitive. Overall, the plot was unique, and the writing was atmospheric and eerie. Its chilling depiction of a descent into madness was thrilling.

I received an ARC ebook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Poison Pen Press.

Really a remarkable historical fiction haunted story, very deep in detail and possessing. Enjoyed it!