This is my first book by this author and overall I enjoyed it. Blood on Her Tongue is a gothic horror book with delicious prose and is about Lucy and Sarah who happen to be twins with an unhealthy connection to each other. Sarah then starts to become very, strange. And "hungry." I really appreciated the horror aspect of this novel. It was dark, disturbing, and gritty. The writing was elegant and was super immersive. I am interested to see what other ideas this author comes up with and I will be checking out their first book! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Blood On Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen.
I had seen this title was available to request, but decided to pass as I don’t generally read this genre. Then I saw a post on TikTok with people’s reactions to reading this book, so I decided to give it a go. I am so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and read this. I cannot put into words how much I loved this book! It had everything I never knew I needed in my life. Now I’m off to secure a copy of My Darling Dreadful Thing…

Forewarning: this book is deliciously weird. It's creepy, it's gory and gruesome, and undeniably gothic. I loved everything about Blood on Her Tongue, even the parts that were uncomfortable. And there are many.

It dives into themes of sisterhood, mental health, and Victorian-era patriarchal values. It also presents a fascinating, unique take on vampires that is *chef's kiss* disturbing. A+ to van Veen there. Just prepare thyself for the spinning wheel of emotions that will inevitably surface, sometimes simultaneously. Things like disgust, morbid entertainment, feminist-fuelled rage, and other such feelings.

The tension is slow to build, but where the plot dips, the characters shine. Namely with Lucy and Sarah, and the unfortunate predicament that tests their sisterly bonds. Lucy is really difficult to like at the start and throughout the story, in my opinion, but that thankfully changes by the time the climax happens. The prose is beautifully haunting, filled with lush imagery and vivid descriptions that now has me obsessing over bog bodies.

I'm really glad I was able to read this so early. Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press publishing, and the author Johanna van Veen for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.75/5

Lucy's twin Sarah has fallen gravely ill and no medical treatment seems to work. Sarah is feverish, incoherent, rejects food, and has grown obsessed with a bog body that was found on the property. Lucy fears that whatever afflicts her sister might not be only physical but mental, with insanity running in their family, and the prospect of sending Sarah to an asylum scares her beyond measure. As Sarah grows weaker, and stranger with dark bloody cravings, Lucy's suspicions turn to the supernatural as she tries her best to help her twin before it's too late.

Absolutely adored this. A different fun take on vampirism that had twists I never saw coming. The ambiance of this book was well managed, it had all the makings of a gothic horror. Specially liked the use of newspaper articles and letters, it made everything seem more real and like a world existed outside of the family state. Lucy and Sarah's toxic sibling relationship was the heart of this story and the author did an excellent job of portraying all the nuances that made their bond so strong and twisted. I hadn't read anything else by this author, but you bet I'm picking up the rest of her works now.

Wow, where do I even start with Blood on Her Tongue?

This book is a total gem! From the moment I dove in, I was hooked by the creepy atmosphere and the rich setting of the Netherlands in 1887. Van Veen really knows how to make the estate and the mysterious bog feel alive, almost like they’re characters themselves.

The story revolves around twin sisters Lucy and Sarah, and it’s such a wild ride. Sarah is losing her grip on reality, obsessed with an old bog body, and Lucy is doing everything she can to save her sister from ending up in a lunatic asylum. The tension between them is palpable, and it had me turning pages like crazy!!

What I loved most is how the book blurs the lines between madness and something supernatural. Is Sarah really going crazy, or is something darker at play? It kept me guessing the whole time! The slow build-up of suspense is an element that is hard to find nowadays.

Plus, the emotional depth of the story really hit me. It’s all about love and sacrifice, and how far we’re willing to go for the ones we care about, even in the face of horror. Van Veen does an amazing job of exploring that complicated bond between the twins.

In short, *Blood on Her Tongue* is not just your typical horror story; it’s beautifully written and has a haunting quality that sticks with you. If you’re looking for a chilling yet heartfelt read, this book is a must! Five stars all the way!

What lengths would you go to to protect your twin sister?

Now THIS is a gothic novel. It has alllll the elements. twins, supernatural elements, rich and isolated characters, a mansion, a long history of the property, gloomy weather, gore, romance.

This story follows twins: Lucy and Sarah. When Lucy receives a letter from her brother in law summoning her to their estate right away, Lucy arrives to find her sister critically ill. As Lucy investigates the cause of Sarah's sudden decline, she discovers that things far more sinister are at play.

Van Veen has crafted a near perfect modern gothic. The relationship between Lucy and Sarah was captivating, the story was well thought out, and the pacing was wonderful. The body horror and gore were appropriate for the story and very well written. I highly recommend this novel to any fans of gothic horror.

Blood on Her Tongue was everything I wanted and more. This story had:

-mysterious bog bodies
-madness
-twins
-mystery

Johanna van Veen has yet to disappoint me- they spin such a gripping and horrific tale. The prose is somehow both flowery and horrifying.

I was fully immersed in this delicious gothic horror- slow burn, things are not as they seem and a torturous trickle of information in each chapter. The setting is so vivid, I close my eyes and I can see this Victorian manor, set near a bog, in a cool and grey place.

If I haven't sold you yet, our story follows Lucy who drops everything to visit her ailing twin sister Sarah. Prone to madness, Sarah has taken a turn for the worse after the discovery of an ancient body, preserved in the bog. Sarah becomes obsessed with it.

Mental health is a main theme here as well as grief - it's always so amazing when a story, such as gothic horror can have me thinking about bigger picture things.

A beautifully written and deeply unsettling horror novel about Lucy and Sarah, twin sisters whose closeness is tested by Sarah’s sudden strangeness and dark urges.

Van Veen gets right into her story with letters from Sarah and her husband begging Lucy to come quickly to their dark and sodden estate in the watery bogs of the Netherlands. Van Veen reveals her characters so cleverly, builds the tension so precisely, describes the bog woman and its subsequent autopsy so chillingly, my god, I was SWEPT UP.

I was in this story for every second. Every gotdam second. I loved this gothic yet oh so modern twist on the vampire trope.

This book ticked all the boxes for me. Gothic, gory, Victorian era treatment of female “mental illness”, visceral descriptions. She’s bloody, she’s emotional. She’s sapphic. She’s brutal when it comes to eyeballs. She's absolutely gory-geous! She's a gothic Santa Clarita Diet set in the Netherlands.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the author’s previous novel My Darling Dreadful Thing and highly recommend them both. Can't wait for van Veen's next novel.

Is 2025 shaping up to be the year of modern-gothic horror??

Here's another one for a rainy day!

This book is an atmospheric look at sisterly bonds and female rage positioned against a historic backdrop (1880s). Lots of body horror, graphic descriptions (teeth and eye stuff-- shudder), parasitic relationships, swampy, gothy deliciousness. And I found myself giggling a couple of times. 😬🫢

I read this in a day and a half-- it moves well and really kept my attention, considering most of the action takes place in one room.
While not a "scary" book, the dark vibe is strong and many descriptions aren't for the squeamish.

Not too many cons here-- the middle is slightly dense, and there is some frustratingly anachronous prose, but overall a fun read!

Comp: HELPMEET

If someone told me that there could be a book that was classic gothic horror, with a dose of body horror, plus make it horny and sapphic...well I would have felt that was a tall order. However, van Veen has done it and done it so well.

The book opens with a bog body, an excellent vehicle for the creepies. Much like Sarah, my feeling is "tell me everything." Add in some classic vampire lore (hello Mercy Brown and the American Vampire Panic) all set against a rambling and desolate estate and the perfect creeping horror novel emerges. In the beginning, you do feel like you know where the tale is going (it all feels comfortably familiar ), but then there are some twists and turns that even seasoned fans of the genre may find surprising. All this combines to create a horror lore that is as fresh as it is scary.

To all my spooky friends, this one is a must read.

Instant 5 stars for me!

After reading and loving My Darling Dreadful Thing, I had really high hopes for this one and it did not disappoint.

This book was so much more gruesome than her previous one and it takes a lot for me to squirm, but eyeballs? I think I am now scared of them (iykyk)

I loved the setting of this novel, with the dark, gloomy and gothic atmosphere of the mansion and the gross description of the bogs! Johanna really knows how to set an amazing and unsettling atmosphere.

This book is now my number 1 favourite of this year so far, and I will always read everything this author writes and I already cannot wait for more.

With no offense meant to the author's debut novel at all: I enjoyed BLOOD ON HER TONGUE so much more than My Dreadful Darling Thing. This Gothic vampire(ish) novel with a hint of dracula and a delightfully cannibalistic twist, was so good. I don't dare say more for fear of spoiling a novel where the reading journey is half the fun. Honestly, just delightful. Weirdly funny in ways I didn't expect, and which sometimes were just so wrong (complimentary), queer (which is always a plus), and definitely one that I'll be recommending to my horror friends.

Thank you to NetGalley for this wonderful ARC!

What can I say? Good for her! This book is disturbing and hauntingly beautiful. Twin sisters with a tight knit relationship cannot be torn apart, even by death. I cannot say much without spoiling it but this book was perfectly paced with vivid characters and lots of action. The ending was powerful and feminist for a book set in a time where women could not use the library without a male chaperone. This is one of my favorites this year so far.

I was initially very intrigued by the cover, and then the shocking title, so decided to give this one a go.

Firstly, I did really enjoy the writing style. This author is new to me, but I found the world and character building throughout this book really well done and engaging. A large portion of this entire story takes place in just one room within the house, and this was really excellently done. The characters were also incredibly interesting, and while many of them were intentionally horrible people, I still felt that I wanted to know how their individual stories would end.

The only thing I wish I knew more about is the mystery creature. This new take on a sort of vampire horror creature was very well done, but we did only get very minimal information about the creature and its origins and I did wish we got more. However, I can also understand that the lack of background does add to the mystery of its origins and how the main character deals with this.

This novel is quite graphic in parts, which is not my normal cup of tea, but I did feel this was well done and very much in keeping with the tone of the story.

Overall, I found this to be a very interesting and engaging story, and such a novel take on a well known creature. If dark gothic stories are what you're looking for, then this is certainly a good place to start.

4.5 stars
"please don't let her be mad. not again."

Raw, gothic, eerie, and sinister, this was definitely one for the girls!

I received an advanced copy of Blood on Her Tongue and I am so glad I did!
My love for gothic writing is truly felt in this horror as it demonstrates the heart of classic gothic writing.

Reading the authors note was significant in setting the atmosphere for this work. She does well in placing the reader into the story itself. This sets the tone for the rest of the work as I often felt I was racing up the old stairwell with a mad sister to aid.

The personality that breaks through in Sarah's letters to her sister developed the character in such a unique way; I felt as though I could hear her voice and understand her yearning for information along with the unraveling of her mind.

What truly hooked me with Johanna's elegant writing was the body horror demonstrated throughout. I often felt ill at the raw descriptions, however, also mesmerized at the way in which she so beautifully writes gore to evoke feeling from the reader.

Nearing the end of this novel, I found myself delving further into delusion along with the sisters. The writing as well as Sarah and Lucy's characters, intertwined me further into madness, the sentiment of womanhood, and all its unrestrained beauty.

This book is nothing like I was expecting, and I couldn’t put it down... well except when I was eating - word of warning do not read this whilst you are eating! There is some brilliantly written body horror and gore that you couldn’t imagine in this story and it had me cringing, feeling sick and shocked but also entranced. Im not somebody who scares easily, I love horror and gore and anything along those lines so when I read this book I was shocked to discover that it was possible for me to have such visceral reactions to words on a screen! (E-Book)

This book is so unpredictable in the best way, set in The Netherlands in the 1800s Lucy receives worrying letters from her twin sister about finding a body in the bog, her unnatural fascination and later unraveling causes alarm and so she travels to see her on her sick bed, hoping to help her heal. Lucy suspects that what’s wrong with her sister is something much more sinister than the temporary insanity that the doctor has prescribed and things start to get more and more dark and twisted from there on out.

I don’t want to give too much away but this is a really great interpretation of the ‘vampire’ trope, I haven’t read anything like it and that made it all the more terrifying. You can tell that this book is brilliantly researched because the setting, clothing, social etiquette and world building really created a believable and enticing atmosphere. I learnt a lot from this too which I love like the victorian craze for ferns (Pteridomania) who knew? Little things like this just drew me into the story. I am a big fan of classic horror and this felt like a modern gothic horror but slightly more feminist and progressive.

Not only is Lucy dealing with her sister Sarahs illness, lingering secrets and resentments, but both her and her sister have to hide their intelligence and fierce personalities. Their anger and any other emotion men found unbecoming in women during those times could ruin them as men had such control over them and the household. The social commentary on how women and mental illness was treated in the past is important and played a vital role in the characters decisions and behaviour in the story, Lucy has to tread a careful line or else they could both end up in the asylum.

I absolutely adored the wonderfully gothic atmosphere this book created, I guarantee you can’t guess how this book will end and I seriously recommend it to anyone who loves horror, gothic settings, vampiric creatures and strong women. This story is like an eerie mist that you get lost in, unfurling slowly uncovering more and more sinister and horrific things and you can’t help but keep walking in.

Twin sisters in late 1800’s Netherlands encounter a parasitic, blood drinking, flesh eating entity that forces them to confront the secrets they have hidden from each other and tests the bonds of family loyalty.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 3.5 stars. I thought this book was fast paced and a lot of fun. I thought it was gory, but not too gory for readers who are relatively new to the horror genre.
I know that comparisons will be made to vampires and Dracula, but this really felt more like a little shop of horrors to me. The biggest issue I had with this book was the fact that one of our characters was married to a man who was so unlikable that it was hard to believe she would be married to him or that Either of the sisters would actually care about him.
My video review for this book is already posted on TikTok and YouTube and the link is included below and I am definitely recommending this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Blood on Her Tongue. I was looking for a scary book and boy did this scratch the itch. Great writing, shocking moments and some just creepy shit man. My skin was crawling at one point. There was a night where I had to put it down and pick it back up in the morning. I would be interested in more from this Author! Overall I enjoyed my time with this book, 3.75

5/5 Stars

Thank you to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an early copy for review purposes.

This was my most anticipated read of 2025 and it DELIVERED. Blood on Her Tongue is a gothic horror in which Lucy travels to her twin sister Sarah's estate when Sarah falls ill. Lucy's love for her sister is tested as she discovers her secrets and the potential cure to her sister's wasting illness.

Johanna Van Veen set the bar high with My Darling Dreadful Thing and she followed it up beautifully. Every single character had such a fascinating story, weaving their webs of lies and deceptions. The horror elements were unnerving but fascinating at the same time, gruesome but not overly grotesque. Johanna Van Veen's writing is poignant and beautiful, without being overly flowery. I was gripped from the very start and could not put the book down until I found out everything the characters were hiding. This is a perfect book for people who love Dracula, but wanted Lucy and Mina to hook up. 5/5, perfect, no notes. I will be recommending this to every person I know all year.