This was an interesting story that I had expected to love but found I couldn’t get into the story as much as I had wanted. I liked that it was a bit different to other gothic stories I had read recently however.

This dark and macabre novel delivers an exhilarating rollercoaster experience that pushes the boundaries of fiction. Not for the faint of heart, it immerses readers in a world brimming with gore, cannibalism, and sinister vampires. The plot twists caught me completely off guard, adding to the book's suspenseful allure.

What sets this work apart is its strong feminist undertones and a significant emphasis on mental health, offering crucial commentary amidst the horror. At times, I found myself almost feeling sympathy for the male characters, showcasing the nuanced perspective the author brings to the table.

In conclusion, this book is disturbingly captivating in the best possible way—perfect for those who appreciate a blend of horror with deeper themes. A truly unique read that leaves a lasting impression!

Blood on Her Tongue is a historical gothic horror that follows Lucy Goedhart, a rather ordinary and forgettable woman, as her loyalty is put to the test when her twin sister Sarah falls ill after becoming increasingly obsessed with a recently uncovered bog body.

It's chock full of toxic relationships, supernatural and societal horrors, and all around (intentional) discomfort as Lucy desperately attempts to find out what's wrong with her sister and help her before Sarah can be involuntarily committed to an asylum, their worst fear with their (supposed) family history of insanity.

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Writing-wise, the prose of Blood on Her Tongue is beautiful and has wonderful flow that only enhances the horror of the novel with stomach turning descriptions of body horror and the supernatural. Everything feels smooth and well put together and it was a generally pleasant read, even as the topic was anything but.

The early sections of the book were much slower, building up almost repetitively as Sarah devolved. But once we reach the climax, I felt like things fell short. There was an gorgeous reveal that made me shiver and then just... a lot of exposition and quick pacing that just wasn't as satisfying.

Though, credit where it's due: Van Veen's descriptions of vampirism as a form of parasitism were incredibly interesting and I do wish there was more building around it. It's one of the more unique takes I've seen, and there's definitely a lot of potential there.

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The most interesting aspect of the book is solidly Lucy and Sarah's somewhat codependent relationship. Sarah, bright and beautiful and intelligent, and Lucy, the constant second fiddle to her wonderful sister. Nonetheless, it is never even a question whether or not Sarah would give everything to protect her sister (the answer is she would) and despite living in her sister's shadow all their lives, Lucy is the exact same.

Though Sarah's psyche progressively devolves through the first few parts of the book, there's never a moment when Lucy gives up on her even when all seems hopeless. Lucy would do anything to protect her sister, and vice versa.

Everything Lucy does is for Sarah, which is why Lucy's hidden desire for Sarah's husband Michael is even more traitorous and unthinkable. In most cases, this could introduce another layer of complexity into Lucy and Sarah's relationship as they both want over the same man.

But in this case, I just can't see the appeal.

Michael is arguably just... awful. He is violent and temperamental, beats his dog, and generally shows little interest in his wife's well being. Michael liked that Sarah was smart and beautiful, but once he realized that she was smarter than him and once she was sick and no longer beautiful, he didn't seem to care about her at all.

It's clear that Michael is more symbolic than anything. He's the only thing that Lucy wanted for herself, and Sarah took him away from her.

Other than the relationship between the twins, most every other relationship in the novel just fell short. Everything felt pretty intentionally one-sided, and it was hard to see any of the characters other than Lucy or Sarah as actual people rather than props or problems.

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Overall, Blood on Her Tonguewas weird and unsettling, but mostly in a way that works. It's a great exploration of what makes people themselves, the selfless love you can have for others, and the selfishness at its core. A solid 3.75 stars that I'd gladly round up to 4.

(And for what it's worth, the sapphic stuff is pretty minor but pretty neat regardless. I just wouldn't go into this novel expecting it to be a focus.)

When I knew this was another gothic, horror set in The Netherlands I was sold. This book didn't disappoint at all. I also was weirdly interested in bog bodies when I was a kid, so i had a great time reading it.

This story was the right length for me and I do think that if it were written longer it would've dragged the story a lot, so this was nice. The body horror was very well written, it grossed me out quite a bit. I also liked the way the concept of vampires was written in this story, it felt different than the usual get bitten, die and you're a vampire story. I'm so impressed by the writing in general, also the descriptive atmosphere really makes you feel like you're there.

For fans of gothic horror I'd say this book is a must read.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley & Poisoned Pen Press! <3

I wanted to love this one - and as soon as I started it, I thought I would…but the more I read, the less I was convinced about it.

It is dark, gothic and definitely morbid -I started it while having breakfast: definitely not recommended, but hey, that’s on me-, so it had all the vibes and right ingredients to be something really good. The plot is intriguing, the writing style had me hooked, the characters were all so interesting - for the first part, at least.

While reading the first part, I was sure this book would have ended up being a 5/5; it was a bit slow paced, but not in a bad way. By the second part, things started to change, rushed and unmotivated. The last part, which should have been the most interesting, as it answers the many questions, was the one I found the most boring. By then, I didn’t care about the characters, I wasn’t as intrigued as in the beginning.
The ending left me unfazed and uninterested, unfortunately.

Gothic, sapphic vampire story plus a family drama situation? I'm in!
This was a moody, eerie, and bloody horror with an interesting spin on the classic vampire trope. Fans of gothic horror, you will eat this up. A slow burn horror with characters you aren't sure you like or dislike. The setting is immaculate and you feel chilled the entire time. A slower-paced book overall, but worth the extra push to get through. The horror is certainly there but it isn't exorbitant or excessive. I hated Michael and while I didn't necessarily hate Arthur, I hated that he seemed to have no backbone when it came to the twins or Michael.
This is the first book read by this author and I will 100% be reading more from them from now on!

3.5 stars.

While I appreciate and like the direction that this book took with centering around sisterhood and specifically twins, this unfortunatley wasn't my favorite read. Lucy and Sarah definitley had ineteresting moments as twins, which was why their conneciton came into play as an integral part of the story. It was a bit slow at times and there were a few conversations around the 60-75% mark that felt too long or repetitive. I liked Lucy as a main character overall, it felt like I didn't like characters that weren't meant to be liked, but I didn't find them too interesting either and I found the side characters not explored well enough (Arthur, for example, confused me by the end of the book and Katje felt relly flat). Michael and Arthur felt like two characters that I was curious about, but it felt like more could have been done with them, especially Arthur.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars for this delightfully gory and strange little gothic horror story. I very loudly exclaimed all kinds of things to myself as I was reading, which doesn't happen a lot, so it's safe to say that this book both engaged and entertained me, as well as grossed me out. The writing is good all around, but there wasn't as much emotional depth as I would have liked overall, especially from a gothic horror, so that did detract from my enjoyment. I also would have liked a bit more exploration of Sarah's...affliction than we get, but that's me with almost every book ever that involves spooky things. I also do greatly appreciate the sapphic rep, always such a treat to find that in a book that doesn't advertise as such! Overall, a solid book, and definitely one to read if you don't mind some gore!

This book wasn't for me. I really struggled to get through it & while the concept was unique, I couldn't get into it as much as I wanted to.

This took me much longer to read than I would want to admit.
This was my first time reading work from this author so I was not accustomed to her writing style.

Setting wise, in my head, it gave me the same vibes as the movie Crimson Peak. Gothic and eerie.

At first I thought we were delving into a book with a vampiric monster but I was definitely wrong. You MUST read to see!

I found that I had a hard time with keeping my attention on this book at the beginning, but as I read and reached 35-50% of the book it gripped me, just to lose me a little at the end.

Still a good read. If you like My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna then you will definitely enjoy Blood on Her Tongue

I thought that the horror of this story was pretty solid--I don't tend to go for gore or anything with bodies, but I was actually really interested in this story. I think that this story lost me with the characters, though. I just wanted more from them, especially Lucy. But all of the other characters I felt like just needed slightly more time in the oven. Though the setting can be atmospheric at times, the lackluster characters and the fact that I was just expecting a little more from this overall, the story as a whole just wasn't quite for me. That cover is absolutely phenomenal, though.

first of all, there is some great horror in this. if gore, including eye body horror, is an issue for anybody i would consider looking at trigger warnings and taking caution. but i loved this aspect! im not easily squicked out by any horror, really, but some parts of this really got me. very creepy, and atmospheric.
the characters, in my opinion, were oftentimes lackluster. i got along with our main girl, lucy, right at the beginning, especially considering how quickly i was flying through the book. the first 50% or so was an absolute breeze and a good time. other than the twins the other characters felt either undeveloped and unimportant, or just stereotypical figures you might see in the 1880s. it annoyed me a little that lucy was so endeared to one of the men, considering it was obvious he had little to no redeeming qualities. her personality was one of meekness and staying in 'her place,' but it sometimes got annoying to read from her pov due to this.
the plot was fairly interesting, with some cool ambiance concerning the bog and dark, rancid water. i felt there could have been even more description, and this type of horror story really lends itself to creepy description and the building of tension.
if you were looking for emphasis on the sapphic of it all, i wouldnt necessarily recommend this to you for that, as there wasn't a great deal of it in the book.
all around this was a fun, horror-filled time with some creepy moments and a first half that absolutely flies by.

At the core I am a gothic horror baby and this was DELICIOUS.

Johanna Van Veen has written a totally immersive historical gothic horror that's at times disturbing, visceral, and traumatizing. A few times in this book I literally had to say "BLECH" out loud at some of the descriptions, they were so gross!

One of the strongest parts of this novel is that the whole time you have no idea if these things are real or imagined and I especially loved the idea of a bog body preserving some kind of evil parasite. Pepper in a bit of feminine rage and this is such a compelling read. I couldn't put it down!

This book doesn’t just scare you—it unsettles you, creeping under your skin in ways you don’t notice until it’s too late. Every shadow feels darker, every silence heavier, and by the time you reach the end, you’ll wonder if you were ever really alone while reading it.

I had high hopes for this one. I loved the setting, gothic atmosphere, and body horror elements. What ultimately led to my DNF around the 70% mark was the poor reveal/info dump in dialogue that would have been much more fascinating if written as a deduction or late 19th century experimentation. I struggled to care after the truth was revealed and I only had her choice to see me through.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the digital ARC of “Blood on Her Tongue” by Johanna van Veen! If you're looking for a chilling gothic horror novel, with an interesting take on the gothic formula, and on vampires, you should check out “Blood on Her Tongue”. These characters are complicated, they are messy, and their love is absolutely monstrous. The complicated and toxic relationship between the twin sisters, Lucy and Sarah, is at the center of the tale, driving it forward. The author also takes full advantage of the historical setting to reflect on women’s lack of rights at the time, adding another layer of horror to the plight of the sisters. I enjoyed reading through the mystery of Sarah’s illness, wondering what is a fevered delusion and what is real, and how far Lucy is willing to go to help her sister… and I won’t spoil those answers for you. If you’re wondering about trigger warnings, and there will be a couple, the author gives some at the beginning of the book! Personally some of the gory bits had me squirming, but I’m just a bit squeamish. If you pick up this book I hope you will enjoy your dread filled trip to the Schatteleyn estate as well, be careful of the bogs, sharp pens, and sharp teeth…

I just want to start off by saying that I simply could not pass up the opportunity to read a sapphic, vampire novel. And better yet, it was a gothic novel too!

I am honestly so conflicted about whether I’m slightly disturbed or if I absolutely loved it! I think it’s probably a mixture. The body horror in this book was done so well, it didn’t feel like too much.

Although the sapphic part wasn’t super in your face, I still really enjoyed that element of the novel. I think specially because of the time period in which the book is set.

I highly recommend reading this if you enjoyed Dracula or Carmilla. This is undoubtedly your gothic horror you’ve been looking for!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for granting me access to this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

An absolutely fantastic read. I was bought in right from the very first page. I cannot wait to read more by Johanna, she is dynamite!

A beautiful gothic horror story at its finest!

The atmosphere and vibes were absolutely immaculate and immersive. There were time I forgot I was actually reading a book and felt like I was involved in the story as well.
Van Veen‘s lyrical writing is so eerie and dark it catapults you into the world right away.
The longing and tension were definitely well done and I‘m so happy I got the opportunity to read this.
Whoever yearns for beautiful writing paired with a beautiful eerie atmosphere and the perfect gothic setting, then this is for you😍

"Some hungers can’t be starved—and some horrors can’t be buried."

Dark, unsettling, and dripping with gothic horror, Blood on Her Tongue is a feast of eerie atmosphere and creeping dread. Set in 1887 Netherlands, it follows Lucy, who rushes to her twin sister Sarah’s side when Sarah becomes obsessed with a bog body dug up on her husband’s estate. Sarah stops eating, starts speaking in riddles, and is quickly diagnosed with madness—but Lucy isn’t buying it. Something far more sinister is at play, and as Sarah’s hunger grows, so does the terror.

Johanna van Veen spins a tale that feels both classic and fresh, blending supernatural horror with an intimate, eerie exploration of sisterhood. The prose is lush, the tension is sharp, and the sense of doom clings to every page. There’s a slow, creeping horror here—one that builds until you’re breathless, unsure whether the true monster is the curse lurking in the shadows or the desperation of those trying to fight it.

Bloody, haunting, and impossible to put down, Blood on Her Tongue is gothic horror at its best—deliciously eerie, beautifully written, and sure to linger long after the final page.

Thanks Netgally for the arc!