“It’s not an easy thing, having a mind that can’t always be trusted.”

I’m creeped out, horrified and in love with this dark, gothic story. The writing in this was fantastic in this in that I physically recoiled reading some parts. I don't usually read books that have gore, so the beginning threw me in for a loop as I didn't exactly know what I was getting myself into. I audibly said "EW" at some of the scenes described, which I believe shows the talent of Johanna van Veen. I don't usually react to stories out loud.

The sisters' relationship in the story was very fascinating to explore and unravel. What a strange and compelling dynamic between the two that became even more strange and fierce as the story unravelled. I'm a twin myself, so I connected with Lucy and Sarah's fierce protection and love for each other.

This story was, in short, utter insanity and an unsettling horror that will be in my mind for a while. This was a great introduction into gothic horror for me! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The author describes this book as "this dark, twisted, obsessive little novel", and I think that that's a very valid description. I enjoyed the concept behind Blood on Her Tongue - a novel described as being about a young woman in the Netherlands in the late 1880s who suddenly changes after the discovery of a corpse in the bog on her husband's property, told by her twin sister, who rushes to her side when she becomes ill - and it is that. However, gothic horror is not my usual genre, and while well done, this novel doesn't particularly appeal to me; those who enjoy the genre will quite likely enjoy it, as it does have a certain "I have to find out what happened next" quality to it. Recommended for adults due to violence and cannibalism (of a sort).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Johanna van Veen, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Blood on her Tongue is a gothic tale about twin sisters Lucy and Sarah and their bond. Sarah gets terribly sick and Lucy, dedicated sister that she is, will stop at nothing to see her sister better.

I liked it; I don’t have any strong feelings towards this one, as I didn’t have for My Dreadful Darling Thing, Johannna’s debut novel, but I can see how people would go feral for this one. This book is creepy, yucky, sensual and dark; the vibes are immaculate.

Johanna van Veen’s Blood on Her Tongue is a slow-burning gothic novel that expertly blends psychological tension with folkloric unease. Set in the chilling, fog-draped landscape of 1887 Netherlands, the story follows Lucy, a young woman summoned to her twin sister Sarah’s side after Sarah becomes dangerously fixated on a bog body unearthed near her rural estate. What begins as concern for her sister’s strange behaviour quickly evolves into a spiralling journey through madness, obsession, and ancient forces that may never have truly died.

From the start, van Veen’s writing is lush, immersive, and tinged with the macabre. Her descriptions of the bog and its preserved corpse set the tone for a novel that thrives on discomfort. The atmosphere is dense, leaving every page heavy with dread, not from jump scares or gore, but from the creeping sense that something is deeply, terribly wrong—and no one is willing to name it.

At its core, this is a novel about women: their rage, their repression, their devotion to one another, and their monstrous potential. Lucy and Sarah’s relationship is intense, messy, and at times disturbingly intimate. The way Lucy struggles to reconcile the sister she once knew with the increasingly violent, otherworldly creature Sarah is becoming, drives much of the book’s emotional power. Van Veen explores codependency and self-erasure with a deft hand, turning Lucy’s quest to “save” her sister into a tragic mirror of her own unraveling.

Where Blood on Her Tongue truly shines is in how it uses horror to interrogate societal expectations. The supernatural elements—the bog body, the whispers in the dark, the sense of something ancient rising—are all tied thematically to the ways women are silenced, consumed, and buried by those around them. It’s horror as a metaphor, and van Veen leans into it fully.

That said, the novel may not be for everyone. Its pacing is deliberate, sometimes bordering on sluggish in the middle chapters, and those expecting a more action-driven narrative might find themselves impatient. But for readers willing to sink into the mood and let the story simmer, the payoff is ultimately worth it.

In my opinion, Blood on Her Tongue is a standout in the gothic horror genre—equal parts beautifully written and deeply unsettling. It’s a story of sisterhood and trauma, of feminine fury and ancient hunger, all wrapped in a decaying, dread-soaked setting. I am eager to read more from this author in the future!

Another gothic horror masterpiece from Johanna Van Veen!!! I truly wasn’t sure Blood on Her Tongue would top My Darling Dreadful Thing but my goodness did it ever. I couldn’t put it down, and at the same time I didn’t want it to end.

I absolutely adore the dynamic of the sisterly relationship that Lucy and Sarah. Complete opposites in every way, yet still loyal to a fault. The bog bodies were absolutely fascinating, and the use of medical knowledge at the time was so historically accurate. I felt like I had leaned into the book and fallen in! My favorite part has to be the epic female rage and power though. It was just so, so satisfying.

Easily my top horror read of 2025!!

This book was not what i expected. Book includes alot of horror and gothic themes. Book was interesting to read :)

"If this is what death tastes like and death is as it tastes, then it is a dull thing indeed."

As a lifelong horror fan, I've watched many gruesome, gory movies, and mostly remain unfazed by them. But the way Johanna van Veen crafted words to describe such macabre scenes had me feeling absolutely horrified, a good way.

Masterfully told, this story tackles the complexities of sibling bonds, mental illness, grief, female rage, and more. Such a fantastic take on vampirism, wrapped in a dark, eerie setting.

I don't always have a lot of time to read and often don't finish books as quickly as I'd like, but I found myself absolutely devouring this one—pun intended. I look forward to reading more from this author!

I was expecting this to be a gothic romance so I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a borderline horror. The gore was great, I found myself physically grimacing at times. The atmosphere was a perfect blend of eerie and mysterious. I really enjoyed this

This is a fabulous reimagining of vampire mythology, though (as with van Veen's first novel) I did hate the penultimate plot beats. The initial buildup and conclusion, though, were absolutely excellent, and I can't wait to own my own copy. It seems like Johanna van Veen is an auto-buy author now!

Blood on Her Tongue is my favorite of Johanna van Veen yet! Like My Darling Dreadful Thing, this is dark, morbid, dreary, sapphic, tense and so haunting you can’t pull yourself away from it. I love the Victorian era, gothic atmospheres and possessions of any kind, so these were all aspects I was incredibly excited for and I think they delivered well. I loved the turn this one took with the possession, and the bond between twin sisters Sarah and Lucy. The ending was so satisfying and so disturbing - I loved it! Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for my eARC!

First off—what a ride. Blood on Her Tongue is sharp, atmospheric, and absolutely dripping with gothic vibes. I went in expecting a dark mystery and got so much more: witchy secrets, a slow-burning tension that never lets up, and prose that’s equal parts lyrical and chilling.

The story follows [insert main character’s name if known – I can fill this in if you have it!], who returns to her hometown only to uncover a web of occult history and buried truths. There’s something deliciously unsettling about the way van Veen writes—she doesn’t just tell you something’s wrong, she makes you feel it crawling under your skin.

Also, huge shoutout to the way van Veen writes female rage. It’s raw, it’s earned, and it doesn't apologize. The themes around power, silence, and reclaiming your voice are threaded in so seamlessly that they stay with you even after the final page.

If you love moody forests, haunted legacies, and heroines who bite back (sometimes literally?), this book belongs on your TBR. I couldn’t put it down, and honestly—I didn’t want to.

🩸 Feminine Rage
👁 Gothic Horror
🩸 Eyeball Jelly
👁 Classic Vibes
🩸 Unputdownable

This was such a captivating, creepy, and immersive read.

Lucy is summoned to help her ailing twin sister, Sarah, who has taken a sudden turn for the worst and been diagnosed with temporary insanity. Lucy is alarmed to find that her sister has become... bloodthirsty... and has quickly deteriorated in health.

This is such a difficult book to explain, and there is such a unique mix of horror elements intertwined to create this story. It's definitely not what I was expecting. The gothic horror vibes were immaculate.

I loved the unique spin of bog preservation that was built into the plot. The vivid descriptions are amazing; the family drama layered in with sisterly rivalry, the haunted setting, and overall, just really great symbolism.

My only setbacks are that I didn't feel as attached to the characters and their stories as I would've liked. There is some great feminine rage, but I feel like it could've been more developed. There is a supernatural element as well, but it didn't quite work for me.

However, the story is beautifully written. I loved the vibe, and it felt very unpredictable. I had a hard time putting it down and found that I was continuously hungering for more.

~

Why had the phrase to break a heart ever become popular? It likened this onslaught of pain to the clean break of a China cup when, in reality, it was much closer to being mauled.

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓟𝓸𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓟𝓮𝓷 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴. 𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓭𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓸𝔀𝓷.

Johanna van Veen has done it again! A beautiful story mixed with all the gore, lust, love, & distaste I could have ever wanted. I really enjoyed the connecting themes between this novel and her debut, but both are their own unique story. I only wished for maybe a brief epilogue of where the sisters end up, but other than that a wonderful story! Thank you for letting me review this ARC!

The gothic feel of this novel was palatable; dark, mysterious and thrilling. It is a clear story from beginning to end, and I felt engaged the whole time. Nauseated at times, sure, but still engaged enough to continue. I wanted to know how the story would end.

It is a vampiric story, but I felt like it brought something new – at least to me – within this genre which gave me a great reading experience.

This is my first novel from this author and I’m beyond eager to dip into her back catalogue. This grotesque gothic follows twin sisters Lucy and Sarah as Lucy travels to Sarah’s bedside after falling ill with a mysterious illness. Her symptoms arose after the discovery of a corpse preserved in the bog on Sarah’s estate. Her fascination with the bog body leads both Sarah and Lucy down a twisted path that reveals just how far sisters are willing to go for each other in spite of anyone’s best interests….or sanity. Van Veen wove such an unsettlingly atmospheric tale of obsession and toxicity (with a dose of supernatural dealings) that made my skin crawl on several occasions. I found the pacing fairly consistent, with my only major critique being that the voice/ dialogue may not have lined up 100% with the era but it wasn’t anything that took you out of the story too heavily. Overall, I’d recommend this to lovers of swampy estates, damp mansions, and bloodshed. Definitely check your trigger warnings for this one.

The writing style in this lost me quickly. It felt juvenile and did not match the tone I want from a gothic story. I may return to it later but for now there was not enough to keep me invested.

A riveting story about two sisters and their length they will go to protect one another from danger. This story had me hooked from beginning to end.

I should have expected cannibalism idk what I thought when I first saw the title but not complaining. I love dark and mysterious books and I absolutely loved it as well.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

3.5 stars - This was a wild ride from start to finish. I went into this sort of expecting a spooky gothic romance, but I got a lot more gore than that. The novel instead looks at extremely codependent twins where one of them experiences an affliction that causes them to seek human flesh and blood. I really like the direction the book went in, especially how van Veen did not shy away from the grossness of her story. She did an excellent job with the atmosphere of the novel as well; I definitely felt as though I was within the setting. The descriptions are really disgusting. I found myself gasping at certain scenes for how vivid they were. My main issue with the novel surrounds its protagonist Lucy. As mentioned, she has a very codependent relationship with her sister to the point that it was annoying lmao. Like, I have two sisters I get it, but at the same time this was nuts. In addition, she had the most boring POV because she was such a boring person in comparison to her sister (so really, am I any better than the men in this book pitting two sisters against one another? I guess not but damn). It made the ending more tantalizing for sure, but the journey in her POV was a little rough sometimes.

I didn't have a thing about eye gore until this book, so take that as your warning. I loved it. It was so interesting and haunting and made me have such visceral reactions to everything that was happening.