While this book takes a slow start once it gets going you are going to wish it didn't stop.

This book tells a dark gothic tell of twin sisters Lucy and Sarah. Lucy travels to her sister to visit after receiving disturbing letters detailing her sister's sickness after the discovery of a bog body near Sarah's home. Once arrived Lucy realizes things are far worse than the letter leads on.

Death, secrets and lies run rampant between the characters of this story and the twist of the book will have you questioning everything you are reading.

Lucy receives increasingly disturbing letters from her beloved twin sister Sarah, in which it seems as if Sarah is losing touch with reality. She decides to visit her sister and her husband at the Zwartwater estate, to see if she can help their mutual friend/doctor. When they arrive, the situation turns out to be even worse than Lucy feared: Sarah really does not seem to be herself. Lucy slowly discovers that her condition seems to have originated from the discovery of a dead woman in the peat, who was buried there with a stone in her mouth. Who is she, and what has she done to her sister?

Vampires, symbiotic sisters, revenge, blood and bog bodies in the 19th century: what else could you wish for? Johanna van Veen has written another riveting horror book that is finger-licking good. With the detailed descriptions of the clothing, the writing materials (if you know, you know) and the chambermaids, you imagine yourself as a reader in the Netherlands in 1887. Johanna is someone who does her research down to the last detail and then writes a thrilling story. I'm a fan!

An exceptionally exquisite gothic horror tale that hooked me from the very beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A hauntingly refreshing take on gothic horror. Perfect for readers who enjoyed What Moves the Dead and Victorian Psycho. I loved the eerie setting, the letters between were a lovely touch to add some perspective, and the characters and twists felt so original. I think I had an idea, based on a general sense of how stories tend to go, of how this one might end, but then by the halfway point it had taken a 180 and we were careening down a hill blindly all the way to the end. It was a lot of terrifying fun and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

The gore and development of the cause for the horror aspect was very interesting and needing to know the ins and outs of it carried me all the way to the end of the story. I literally cringed and gagged and flinched away from the text at certain parts, it was so immersive and well written.

If you like gothic horror you’ll like this one, especially if you aren’t queasy at the mentions of blood, gore, and general violence. But in our characters’ defence, they had it coming!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

In a time where men labeled women hysterical, ushering them off to madhouses, supporting women’s wrongs never felt so right.

I fell in love with Johanna Van Veen’s writing and storytelling with My Darling Dreadful Thing and Blood on Her Tongue solidified her as a favorite, auto-read/buy author.

This gothic Dracula-inspired horror is so atmospheric and haunting. It’s queer and chilling. It’s grotesque and satisfying.

Revolving around twin sisters, the story feasted on unique dynamics between characters, creating unsettling experiences that were morbidly delightful as a reader. I cannot wait to experience more of Van Veen’s storytelling in the future!

Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Blood on Her Tongue is an unhinged soap opera gothic horror story. And I loved every moment of it. It starts of as many gothic stories do, with a creepy house that was built on equally creepy lands. We also get a woman losing herself, fading into a mysterious ailment that no one seems to be able to get a handle on (it is very Fall of the House of Usher-like). However, in this story we get to see this tale unfold between two sisters, twins, in Lucy and Sarah. Sarah is the one at the mercy of whatever it is that is slowly taking her apart. Lucy is forever her stalwart protector, there to help Sarah in any way she can.

In this macabre setting, we slowly see beneath the surface to the lies not spoken. The family history of madness that colors the choices Lucy and Sarah make. Sarah’s husband Michael, Arthur the doctor, and Katje all have their own machinations at play, and Lucy is in the middle of it all. Desperate to save her sister. Save herself, in a way. But what exactly is it that she is saving Sarah from? That is the true horror here. Or is it?

This was at times deliciously filled with tension as well as jaw-dropping moments that made me go “what did I just read?!” When I thought I knew what was happening, the story took a twist or a turn that made things just slightly different than I was expecting. At one resolution, we find that there is actually more to go. And as things progress, we also see the darker truths behind everyone’s motivations around Sarah and Lucy and the darkness that has taken root.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

I thought I was going to love this one being that we were dealing with vampires, but I have to say this book was very mid. Middle of the road in writing, themes, resolution. It satisfied my curiosity and I enjoyed myself, but it definitely still left something to be desired. This one also explores the bonds of sisterhood and family in a time where women have little say in society. I also think the tone of this novel was fun - it was quite moody, desolate, and dark. I picture this one being best enjoyed in the fall or on a rainy day.

This was an absolutely incredible read! I don't want to take away anyone's experience to experience it fully themselves, so I won't say too much - but this is amazing!

This is Johanna van Veen's second published novel that took her five years to write, and it is so incredibly good. It's dark and gory and twisted, but also witty and sweet and unique.

There are parts that made me uncomfortable with how descriptive they were, and parts that I reread 3-4 times for how beautifully they were written.

No idea why, but I thought this book would unfold differently. Van Veen writes beautifully and many of the scenes will live in my head for... quite some time (👁️🖊️) and it's quite possible I'm not much as much of a gothic horror fan as I originally thought (?!)

This was a really interesting take on vampires that I haven't seen before, and probably for the mystery of learning what these creatures were, I read the entire novel. The writing is dark, moody, and just enough gore to push me to the limits of what I'm able to stomach. The scene building is rich and the (thriller) burn is JUUUUUST slow enough to have you confused and at the edge of your seat.

I was also a fan of the format - bouncing between first person POV, letters, and excerpts.

All that said, I had a really hard time with the characters. The men were so completely irredeemable as characters and the sisters' codependency was too much. The ending was abrupt and I found myself desiring something more satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC!

Can we just appreciate this beautiful cover? Blood on Her Tongue was my second read by Johanna and I adore her writing. This is a slow burn gothic novel that delivers body horror and a whole lot of female rage. Highly recommend to fans of the strange and unusual.

I can’t wait to see what Johanna writes next!

I knew the second I saw the cover for Van Veen's next novel, I was going to love it. I didn't even need to read the synopsis. I was not disappointed.

Blood on Her Tongue is a gothic horror about twin sisters, Lucy and Sarah, who are very different but share a bond that is unbreakable. No one knows either of them like they know each other.

We first meet Lucy when she's on the way to visit Sarah, who has become very ill. We learn straight away that Lucy is very kind and that Sarah is very curious.

I had no idea where this story was going. I'm thinking of zombies, vampires, or shape-shifters. I'm thinking one thing, and then something else happens. I was never right, and I'm not mad about it. It was a wild ride that I wasn't ready to have end.

It was immersive and maddening. Haunting and beautiful. Twisted and gory. Simply fantastic.

A bloody good time 🙌


Set in the Netherlands in 1887, we follow a set of twins named Lucy and Sarah. Sarah has been unwell and as her twin, Lucy has a fierce devotion to her sister and refuses to leave her side. As Sarah’s condition deteriorates, Lucy begins to suspect there is more at play than any common illness she or her doctor friend have laid eyes on before.

—-

If you have a particular aversion to eyeball trauma, you may want to skip this one. There is also cannibalism. And blood 😂. I, however, thought the imagery was brilliant and it had my skin crawling in disgust. This story was truly a gothic delight; Atmospheric, gory, dark and disturbing.

I really loved the writing- it was lyrical and poetic. If there was one flaw for me, it was the overall pacing of the book. I found some parts went too quick then it felt dragged out about half to three quarters in, but it was still quite enjoyable.
The characters were fantastic. They were all a bit nutso in their own way and it was great!

In the beginning I was enthralled. I was confused at the sister's sudden acceptance of her twin's possession. The ending was a bit abrupt and did not make much sense to me or wrap it up in a satisfying way, but overall, I enjoyed the book and ate it right up!

This is my second read by Johanna van Veen and I am classifying myself as a fan of her writing. While I didn’t enjoy Blood on Her Tongue as much as My Darling Dreadful Thing, I was still thoroughly enraptured by this story of Lucy, her twin sister Sarah, and the Bog Woman. I thought this was going to be a traditional vampire novel…and I was absolutely wrong! The atmospheric descriptions of the cloying estate of Zwartwater and the gruesome scenes of violence place this firmly in the horror genre, but the darkness and eeriness come across as a pure gothic treat. About 80% of the way through the book, things slow down a bit and there is some repetition which felt unnecessary, which is why I rendered the review I did. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC in return for this unbiased review of the novel.

So....this is another book I'm not quite sure how to review. Johanna’s books are an experience you truly have to experience yourself. As gothic literature seems to be making a reappearance, Johanna offers a fresh perspective on the horror aspects of gothic tales, while still maintaining the mysterious and eerie. Featuring a menacing bog rather than moors. This book is truly disturbing, unsettling, and unpredictable in the best ways. Filled with countless moments where I couldn’t help but put the book down for a moment to allow the repulsion settle. Sisterly devotion is the heart of the story that keeps you pushing through. While at times a bit verbose, overall a well written work that I recommend to those looking for a dark, and twisty story.


A huge thank you to both Poisoned Pen Press and Johanna van Veen for this ARC!

“For you, I’d lie and cheat and kill and damn myself straight to hell. I’d do all that and more, again and again and again, as long as it took to ensure you were safe, because you are my twin, my half, my more.”

Morbidly dark and twisted, Blood on Her Tongue is a fascinating piece. It has unsettling plot with feminine rage, an insatiable hunger, and the true test of sisterhood.

It all begins when a mysterious big body is discovered, causing Sarah to become obsessed to the point of maddening illness. Her twin Lucy comes to help unravel the mystery to protect her from going to an asylum. But Lucy has secrets of her own.

Fans of gothic horror, you will eat this up. Gothic, eerie, unhinged, and hard to put down. I loved nearly every second of it. The only issue I had was some of the pacing. Other than that Blood on Her Tongue was fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. This is an honest review and my thoughts are my own.

This story… I never wanted it to end!!

This is a hauntingly enchanting tale of the human psyche, morality, and how far one’s love can go for things that are not as society seems they should be.

This book had me engrossed from the very beginning. Not only were the details, down to the teeth grinding of the bog body, beyond immersible, this story had a gravitational pull that left me morbidly curious and uncomfortable. Truthfully it made me feel as if I was living the story myself.

EVERYTHING your heart can desire with a gothic piece of literature with the morbid and macabre is throughly executed in this story, and I can promise it will give you chills at times with how unnerving the narrative is.

One of the best reads so far this year for me :)

Included in monthly horror round-up at BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/2025/03/13/the-chill-quill-march-belongs-to-women-with-these-gripping-new-reads/

4.5 stars

I was immediately pulled in by the story and enjoyed even more than her debut novel. This is a creepy, Disturbing, and gross more than scary horror novel! There were times that the imagery made me nauseous but despite that I “enjoyed” the horror aspects and unique story.

I also appreciated that the author includes content warnings in the beginning.

I loved the atmospheric, historical setting. The story takes place in Drenthe which is one province over from me which I found really cool!! There was also a mention of my home state, Michigan 😍

Enjoying the mixing of the story as told by Lucy as well as newspaper articles, letters, and diary entries. You really get to know the characters who are flawed and well written! I had a lot of mixed feelings for them throughout the book.

The novel as a whole was well paced throughout and had a great ending. My best read of March so far and makes Van Veen an auto read author for me now!

Tw/cw: death, body horror/gore, misogyny, sexual abuse, infidelity, domestic abuse, mental illness (and the stigmatizing of it), toxic relationship, child death, suicide, grief

I absolutely love a good book and this one was amazing. I was engaged in this book until sitting on the edge of my feet needing to know what happened next the Gothic part of this was perfect touch to it. I am definitely going to be checking out more books by this author.