With a slow-burn, unsettling tension, Blood on Her Tongue is a must-read. As Lucy digs deeper, trying to protect her sister from whatever is taking hold of her, the story takes dark, unexpected turns that will keep you hooked. The eerie atmosphere and growing sense of dread build throughout. This gothic horror is seriously chilling and will stick with you long after you finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and most importantly, Johanna Van Veen, for this early ARC. Expected publication: March 25, 2025

I don’t know how Johanna Van Veen did it, but she has taken everything that made her debut so remarkable and elevated it to something absolutely extraordinary. This book is nothing short of a masterclass—gothic, haunting, and entirely consuming. Where her first novel was brilliant, this one is a force of nature.

The characters here are so vivid, so exquisitely realized, they feel like flesh and blood—ghosts of themselves lurking at the edge of your vision. Their struggles, their desires, their desperate choices ache on the page. You don’t just read this story—you live it. Van Veen’s gothic prose is pure sorcery, wrapping itself around you, dark and hypnotic, until you’re completely enthralled.

At its heart, this is the story of two sisters—identical in every way and willing to risk everything to save one another. It is a story of sacrifice and resilience, of unyielding love forged in the fire of impossible choices. It is a tale about how far someone will go to save the person they cannot bear to lose, even when the world turns cruel and unrelenting.

Every chapter ratchets up the tension, weaving together a narrative that is equal parts elegant and savage. It’s a story that doesn’t let you breathe, doesn’t let you look away, and leaves you gutted yet grateful by the final page.

To confine this story to a single label would strip it of its brilliance. What Johanna Van Veen has crafted is something far more profound—an unrelenting, blood-drenched tapestry of shadows and secrets, stitched together with a masterful hand. It is gothic horror at its most ambitious and consuming: a story that seeps into your bones, cloaked in dread and dripping with elegance, refusing to be forgotten.

Johanna Van Veen has written the ultimate gothic love letter—beautiful, unsettling, and dripping with tragedy. It’s a book that will haunt you long after you close it, and it solidifies her as a rising master of the genre.

This is one you need on your shelf!

To be a woman is to hunger for freedom.

Blood on Her Tongue embodies gothic horror to a degree rarely held by its contemporaries. It begins in 1880s Netherlands, with Lucy boarding a train to visit her ailing twin sister, Sarah; then quickly spirals into a mess of gore and conspiracies.

Johanna van Veen, with her exact talent for imagery, takes you along a complex tale of sisterhood and womanhood, constantly redefining the concept of hero and villain until you are left at the end simply too stunned to care.

Chilling, thought-provoking, and above all bloody.

I loved this gothic horror! Tense family dynamics, secrets, body horror and a unique setting.

A body is found in a peat bog. A woman is haunted by voices. Her sister must try to save her, but that may mean sacrificing someone else.

🥀 ARC review 🥀

Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

Synopsis:
“I’m in your blood, and you are in mine…” The Netherlands, 1887. Lucy’s twin sister Sarah is unwell. She refuses to eat, mumbles nonsensically, and is increasingly obsessed with a centuries-old corpse recently discovered on her husband’s grand estate. The doctor has diagnosed her with temporary insanity caused by a fever of the brain. To protect her twin from a terrible fate in a lunatic asylum, Lucy must unravel the mystery surrounding her sister’s condition, but it’s clear her twin is hiding something. Then again, Lucy is harboring secrets of her own, too. Then, the worst happens. Sarah’s behavior takes a turn for the strange. She becomes angry… and hungry. Lucy soon comes to suspect that something is trying to possess her beloved sister. Or is it madness? As Sarah changes before her very eyes, Lucy must reckon with the dark, monstrous truth, or risk losing her forever.

Genre:
Gothic Horror

Fav Quote:
“Though if God disagrees and you are damned and restlessly must roam, please, please come and haunt me.”

What I Liked:
* A long time fan of horror, and a recent fan of gothic horror (thank you Brom), this was the perfect continuation of my descent into this genre
* The prose and descriptions in this novel really fed into the atmosphere of this story. I don’t often physically react to what I’m reading but there were several times where I felt uncomfortable/unsettled - which is exactly what I’m looking for in a horror novel!
* This book delves into the meaning of individuality, the morals of love, devotion and loyalty, and the impact of gender roles, which are so powerful in a horror story
* Slightly biased but I loved the touch of historical forensics/anthropology/archaeology as a tool to drive the plot!

For Fans of:
* Brom
* Stephen King
* Shirley Jackson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to #netgalley and #poisonedpenpress for this ARC 🫶🏻 I honestly gasped when I got the email notification!

‘Blood on Her Tongue’ by Johanna van Veen
4.5 ⭐️

ARC REVIEW ‼️

Lucy’s twin sister Sarah, is unwell. She refuses to eat, mumbles nonsensically, and becomes obsessed with a centuries old body recently discovered in the bog. As Sarah continues to become more unwell, Lucy begins to suspect something more is happening to her sister than a simple illness.

Gothic horror at its finest, Blood on Her Tongue grabs you by the throat and tosses you in a beautifully dreadful story. I haven’t dabbled in gothic horror much since I’ve started reading, but after this I think it’s something I need to dive more into because I loved it. Gothic horror seems to have this dark but beautiful story telling about it, and Johanna van Veen just hit it on the nail with this release. Aspects of grief, mental health, and misogyny are explored in this tale, the characters are flawed, even the twins and you might find yourself thinking what makes us who we are?

The reason I’m not giving it a full 5 stars is the second half seemed to lose its steam and the overall vibe for me personally. The first half however makes up for a lot of that because I craved for more answers every chapter.

Blood on Her Tongue is a book that is written to show it’s not afraid of its own genre, and I love that. ‘My Darling Dreadful Thing’ has been on my TBR list for a while and now I am so excited to dive into it.

I will for sure be picking up a beautiful physical copy of this book.

*Blood on Her Tongue* by Johanna van Veen is a dark, atmospheric thriller that delves into themes of revenge, power, and identity. The story follows a woman who embarks on a dangerous and mysterious journey after a traumatic event, using her voice as both weapon and shield in a world full of deceit. Van Veen’s writing is sharp and evocative, creating a sense of tension and unease that lingers throughout the narrative. The protagonist is complex and morally ambiguous, making her journey both compelling and unsettling. With its blend of psychological suspense, gritty realism, and an exploration of female agency, *Blood on Her Tongue* offers a gripping, thought-provoking read for fans of dark thrillers.

I’m so sorry but it’s so disgustingly well-written I had to dnf. I recommend this to those with a strong stomach

I'm not sure how to review this one without giving anything away, but I loved so many things about this book. I especially loved that even though what it all turned out to be wasn't what I thought it was going to be, when the author revealed what it was, it didn't feel like something that came in out of nowhere. All the clues were there, and it wasn't a twist that felt unearned. There were multiple things that made me audibly gasp, but none of them felt out of place.

My only complaints were that the men were either cartoonishly horrid or weak and embarrassing, and every woman was at risk of being deemed hysterical and thrown into a lunatic asylum. As a historian of the 19th century (admittedly, primarily in Britain and the British Empire and not the Netherlands), I understand that female hysteria was a common diagnosis, but it felt dreadfully unrealistic that every woman in this book was either institutionalized at one point or being protected in some way (by a kind or well-intentioned man) from being institutionalized. Making every man horrible and every woman out to be a victim in some way isn't good writing, and it detracts from the feminist attempt to show women's agency, and it makes the complaints by Lucy, our primary POV character, about Michael's binary view of the sexes seem rather out of place. Why are the only ways a woman can show agency [1] extreme violence and/or betrayal, or [2] staying quiet and doing everything expected of them until their husbands are dead and they're old enough to do whatever the fuck they want (though still within the realm of societal expectations)?

Nevertheless, this was a fantastic book. It was good, fun, dirty gothic horror, and I had a great time reading it.

This is a gothic, slow burn horror that is done so well. It is deeply disturbing, grotesque, depraved but in all the right ways. The atmosphere is captivating, and the characters well developed. Loved he female rage, and you are not sure throughout the book, if some of the behavior is madness or something darker. Make sure you read the trigger warnings as it is not for the faint of heart. I just did not want this story to end. I can't wait to get a copy on my shelf. This author is now and auto-buy for me! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Poisoned Pen Press
5 stars ++ (I have not had a five star like this since A Dowry of Blood)

I devoured this book so quickly because of how captivating it was! The author's take on vampires is unique and something I have never read before. I really truly loved this book and if you're looking for a gothic vampire horror, this is a great one!

Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen

“For you, l’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.”

First off, thank you @poisonedpenpress for the gifted advance reader copy of Blood on her Tongue.

And happy Friday the 13th everyone! I cannot think of a better day to post a review of this beautifully written gothic, horror, novel. Which is ultimately a unique twist on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Even though it was not advertised as such.

So, let’s get into it:

1. I have read a couple of reimagining of the above mentioned short story, and while I have loved both of them, they essentially had the same premise. Blood on Her Tongue, however, adds an interesting twist to the story in more ways than one, that I thoroughly appreciated.

2. The atmospheric writing and prose were beautifully detailed making it incredibly difficult to choose a quote for this review. (I marked over 20 I wanted to use.)

3. I enjoyed how the author explored the themes of misogyny within the novel as well. This was throughly flushed out both thoughtfully and intentionally.

4. Oh and that ending was so satisfying! Dark and gruesome, but satisfying.

I loved this book and immediately bought the author’s first novel, “My Darling Dreadful Thing” after reading this one. I expect Van Veen to be an auto-buy author moving forward.

If you are a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia or T. Kingfisher this is a must read. But just a heads up, there is a considerable amount of body horror and other potential triggers. Fortunately, the author has a detailed explanation at the beginning of what you will find within the pages.

Really enjoyed the spookiness of the bog and the gothic nature of the spooky old house. If you innately find bogs creepy, you'll definitely be creeped out by this one. I also loved that this really walked the line between madness and paranormal - you could read it both ways, which is super fun. Highly recommend this book to any fans of gothic horror.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Morbid, Dark and Twisted. Bow THIS is a good gothic horror novel.

Sarah got on my nerves a LOT but this was such a great read.

This book made me want to cry, scream, throw up… and then start the whole book over again. Dracula and Wuthering Heights had a sadomasochistic affair and produced a deformed, deranged hatechild with modern day horror sensibilities. How deliciously disgusting, how gut churning, how infuriating. Our MC makes every wrong decision. Our author turned the gore up to 100. This is for those who want characters twisted and gnarled, as oozing and hollow as the bog body that begins this drama. What a sinful, blood-crusted delight.

Okay I think I loved this even more than “my darling dreadful thing”!

I rarely read historical fiction but the author does an amazing job of making the book and the characters feel relevant and relatable whilst combining history with gothic and horror aspects. I love the blending of genres which gives the plot such a natural feel even when discussing unnatural subject matter. I also enjoy having an escape from present day life whilst digesting an outdated dialogue which flows poetically and gives the pacing of the book a fast forward momentum.

The plot follows Lucy who is called to visit her sick sister, Sarah by means of written letter. There is plenty of use of written letter format throughout the book in the form of letters between sisters, journal entries, letters between doctors and archived letters from the 1500s. I absolutely loved the letter format, specifically anything Sarah wrote I found to be extremely entertaining and engaging.

After finding a “bog woman” and examining the body, Sarah believes that she has been possessed by some type of parasite entity, this snow balls and things get increasingly dramatic and weird.

I just loved everything about this book, every page was entertaining and interesting and I loved both of Lucy and Sarah’s characters and how fiercely they cared about each other and would do anything to protect the other. There are strong themes of womanhood and sisterhood.

All the stars!

Thank you to the author and Poisened Pen Press for the EARC!

Publish date: March 25th 2025

You will find yourself immersed in a beautifully crafted world where it feels both oddly familiar and otherworldly. This story evokes a creeping dread that continues to grow with every turn of the page. You never quite know whether the character’s affliction is rooted in madness or something far darker due to the author’s clever blurring of lines between madness and mystery. A gothic horror with decadent prose and richly detailed setting that will leave readers feeling mildly disturbed.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 | 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐞𝐞𝐧

Blood on Her Tongue is such a cool book. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's THAT GOOD!!! So lovely, the plot is soooo good omg!

Set in 1887 Netherlands, Blood on Her Tongue is a horror story about a woman named Lucy uncovering the mystery of her sister’s strange condition that began with the discovery of an old corpse in a bog. I liked the spookiness of the bog corpse, how it was found and the creepy state it was in. The horror is mainly graphic, with lots of blood and gore. As I was reading, I kept wondering whether Lucy’s sister was being slowly consumed by a supernatural entity but it turned out to be something else—more sci-fi in nature (since I’ve seen this idea in sci-fi horror stories). Some things left me unsatisfied, but that’s just me; I don’t think this book is for me, overall. But there were some interesting parts! Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel.

Rating: 3.5/5

Blood on Her Tongue is an atmospheric, unsettling read that immerses you in 19th-century Dutch countryside gloom and family secrets. Lucy’s desperate attempt to save her twin sister, Sarah, from both madness and what might be a far darker possession, is where the story shines. The tension between them is real, and the slow unraveling of old mysteries kept me guessing. There’s a claustrophobic feel to the estate, and the author skillfully blends historical detail with a creeping supernatural dread.

On the flip side, the pacing can drag in places, and I sometimes wished the characters’ motivations were clearer. Still, the eerie mood, the unsettling changes in Sarah, and the persistent question—madness or something else?—make this a compelling gothic thriller that fans of haunting family dramas will enjoy.