Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC for review.

Blood on Her Tongue is an excellent gothic horror novel. One of my favorite aspects of this genre is how the macabre or supernatural elements exist to underline the horror and dysfunction that were already present.

In Blood on Her Tongue, biology is used as metaphor for the relationship dynamics present. For instance, the relationship between the twins Lucy and Sarah is described by Lucy as symbiotic; the two are happily dependent upon each other in a way that is seen by Lucy as perfect and beautiful. However, the relationship dynamics between the two become more transparently nefarious as the story unfolds, and Lucy’s perception of her sister is shown to be warped by her love. Instead, the parasitic dynamic between Lucy and Sarah is highlighted by supernatural horror. This is further highlighted by references and allusions to ticks.

The story is grotesque and enrapturing in equal measure. If you can stomach the gore, and there is a lot of it, I highly recommend this book. I also recommend going into it knowing as little as possible. Honestly, don’t even read this review before you read it. Just go read it.

Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen is a dark and twisted gothic horror that masterfully blends eerie atmosphere with visceral, unrelenting horror. Set in 1887, the novel follows Lucy as she rushes to her twin sister Sarah’s side, who is gravely ill and increasingly obsessed with a mysterious bog corpse. What begins as a tale of familial devotion quickly devolves into a grisly exploration of madness, hunger, and a sisterly bond stretched to its limits.

Van Veen's writing is both atmospheric and unsettling, transporting readers to a decaying Victorian home surrounded by fog and bogs. The setting alone oozes tension, and the slow burn of the story heightens the sense of impending dread. The author has an exceptional ability to create an oppressive, eerie environment where something feels off at every turn. You are never quite sure if the supernatural or a psychological breakdown is at play, keeping the reader on edge.

Lucy’s unwavering loyalty to her sister is both admirable and deeply disturbing. As Sarah’s behavior becomes more bizarre and violent, Lucy’s blind devotion leads her down dangerous paths that highlight the darker sides of loyalty and sacrifice. It’s this tension—between love and self-preservation—that makes the character dynamics so compelling. While Lucy begins as a sympathetic figure, her increasingly questionable actions make her morally grey, leaving readers unsure whether to root for or condemn her.

The horror in Blood on Her Tongue is unapologetically gruesome and gory, perfect for fans of disturbing, visceral tales. However, it's not just shock value; the gore serves to deepen the mystery surrounding Sarah's condition and the family's dark secrets. The novel explores themes of gender, madness, and the oppressive forces that women in the 19th century faced, particularly with regard to medical violence and institutionalization. The subtle critiques of societal expectations and gender roles add an extra layer of depth to the narrative.

What stands out in this book is its unsettling tone and the author’s ability to keep the reader guessing. Just when you think you understand the direction the story is headed, van Veen pulls the rug out from under you with unexpected twists and dark revelations. The writing is rich with imagery, though some readers may find it a bit too dense at times. However, those who appreciate gothic horror and eerie, slow-building suspense will find it captivating.

Overall, Blood on Her Tongue is a gorgeously macabre read that blends gothic horror with psychological depth. Fans of dark, atmospheric tales with a slow burn and shocking twists will be thoroughly engrossed by this twisted journey into obsession, sacrifice, and terror. If you enjoy stories that keep you guessing until the very end and don't shy away from the grotesque, this one is definitely worth picking up.

I had to pause reading the book to eat but after reading certain sentences, I found myself no longer interested in eating. I am also going to have a difficult time sleeping tonight. The horrific visuals from the written words of Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen are going to haunt me for eternity. ARC was provided by Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. I received an advance reading copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Edit for Amazon:
Slow Burn Gothic Horror With A Lot of Blood on the Page
Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen is a slow burn gothic horror novel. At 75% in, the tension keeps building and the story took me to a place that I won’t soon forget. By the end of the story, I was nauseated, grossed out, and yet, enjoying the horror blood bath. ARC was provided by Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. I received an advance reading copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blood on Her Tongue is a unique, suspenseful, and shocking gothic horror that kept me hooked from start to finish. This was delightfully weird and gory and shocking in all the best ways.

Johanna van Veen does not hold back with her writing. If you have a sensitive stomach to violence and rather gory things being described in some detail, take caution when diving into this one. This book is visceral, raw, and will absolutely go places--and describe them in detail--that you might not expect or might even have been afraid to explore.

I really enjoyed Blood on Her Tongue. It seemed like it just kept taking turns that I sometimes anticipated yet never fully predicted so I was always on the edge of my seat. This story felt familiar yet also so incredibly unique--it really makes you think it's going to be one thing, but then it's not quite that.

Blood on Her Tongue begins in 1887 with Lucy traveling to see her twin sister, Sarah, who has been ill and is steadily getting worse. Sarah has become obsessed with the corpse of a woman found in a nearby bog, and as a result of her fixation, she is at risk of being declared insane and sent to an asylum. Lucy is adamant about preventing this from happening since she knows what happens to women sent to asylums, and especially given what happened to their aunt who institutionalized when they were younger.

When Lucy arrives at her sister's side, things are far stranger than she anticipated. weirdest of all is that her sister refuses to eat or drink, and in fact can barely keep any food down, yet she still complains of being utterly ravenous..

I still don't know how I feel about Lucy. she's steadfastly loyal to her sister, pretty much to the greatest extent possible that you can be loyal, which I think is proven in this story. I can't help but admire this type of devotion to a loved one, but I also think the book clearly highlights some of the faults that this blind, faultless loyalty can have in a way that is both compelling and unsettling. I'll be honest that I didn't always necessarily agree with Lucy's actions, and I actually found myself extremely frustrated with her at multiple points throughout. She started out likable, but something about her soured for me--and I loved every second of it.

We also meet Sarah's husband, Michael, and their longtime friend--now their family doctor--and neither of these men are perfect, either. In fact, I'd say just about everyone in this book feels mildly duplicitous in one way or another, which kept me even more engaged in the story than I expected.

This is the type of book that gives you a sense that you're understanding what's happening, yet leaves the tiniest breadcrumbs that hint at something being off. Lucy’s thoughts and observations about something that happens will often feel relatively normal and understandable until there’s one seemingly throwaway line that makes you pause. Those moments always made me wonder, is the author just an odd one and this is their writing style, or is this character not as normal as I thought? And for that answer, I'll leave you to read this book and find out for yourself what it is.

There's just something about this book that is so utterly captivating and impossible to put down. this is a perfect example of a story with characters that are morally grey (maybe some that lean to the darker grey category, I'd say), confusing, and not always likable, but you can't stop reading about them and wondering what will happen next.

Blood on Her Tongue is absolutely dripping with atmosphere. It feels dark and ominous, like something is lurking on every page. Something I realized after finishing this book is that the majority of it--almost all of it, in fact--takes place in one main setting, and within just a few specific rooms, yet it never felt stagnant and was executed excellently. This book is rich, layered, and provides so much to think about and unpack. The story is rich, layered, provides so much to think and unpack. I think it's easy for books like this to end up feeling repetitive or slow, but I have to applaud van Veen on avoiding that pitfall. the pacing felt steady and deliberate, and I never found myself feelings like things were dragging along unnecessarily. Wherever you think this book is going, you're probably going to be on the right track in some ways... but you're also probably not at all expecting some of the choices van Veen makes for the turns in this book.

My only real complaint is that a few characters felt like they got a little cartoon-y near the end, but honestly, it fit the story so well that I wasn't even that bothered by it. But that's really the only negative point I have about this book. My frustration with some characters like Lucy I think were very much a part of the reading experience, so it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment.

Overall, if you're looking for a bloody little horror that will keep you guessing, then you should definitely be adding Blood on Her Tongue to your TBR!

Okay I’m going to be super real here…….I don’t read horror often. Maybe a couple books a year. To be fair I’m also that girl who can’t watch horror movies.
With that preface I will say, that this style historical horror was actually one of my most interesting reads so far this year.
Lucy and Sarah are twins. And poor Lucy is so close to trying or being sent to an asylum that it isn’t even funny.
Honestly I’ll just say pick up this book today and give it a try.
I received a ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

I am on a horror kick and loving it!! This one did not disappoint! After this, I am so sad that I have had Darling Dreadful Thing sitting on my shelf so long and haven’t picked it up yet! 🫣 That is going to be changing!! I loved how close the MC were who are twin sisters, Sarah and Lucy, they are so intertwined. They will stop at nothing to protect and help one another. Even though, they both have some secrets that they are hiding from one another. This book is gruesome and gory and has some super ick moments, all the things you want in a great horror novel! It is disturbing and so twisty with some truly spectacular writing! I really enjoyed it and it is out now! Grab it today!

Gory, brutal, and sisterly love. What would you do if your twin sister came back to life and, well, she wasn’t exactly who she was. She now craves human bodies. This really tests family lines.

I was a big fan of 'My Daring Dreadful Thing' so this was an anticipated read for me. The writing was extremely atmospheric, the narration told through Sarah's letters to Lucy, and Lucy's POV.

I enjoyed the author's take on vampirism, with it being parasitic (and somewhat sci-fi) vs the routine supernatural. Taking place in 1880's the novel touches on gender inequality and prejudice, and medical violence against women (hysteria). I'll also say I have a morbid fascination with bog bodies and loved the discovery and autopsy of one in this story.

If you live for gothic horror, eerie vibes, and sister bonds that can't be broken don't miss out on this one.

I really liked the author’s previous book, ‘My Darling Dreadful Thing’, so I was very excited to get an ARC for her second novel. Told partially in the epistolary form that hearkens back to the 19th century, this novel is nevertheless thoroughly contemporary in its treatment of gothic tropes and use of scientific imagination.

Lucy has always been Sarah’s paler, duller twin sister but they have a mutual bond that surpasses all else. When Lucy receives word of Sarah’s grave illness, she rushes down to Sarah’s matrimonial home to be with her, but this also means confronting her past—she had an affair with Sarah’s husband after their only daughter passed away and Sarah had a psychotic break. The issue hanging over their heads is that madness runs in the family and their maternal aunt was sent away to an asylum where she died unaccounted for. The sisters are deadly afraid of the same happening to Sarah, both then and now.

The event that triggered Sarah’s recent condition is the unearthing of a mysterious bog corpse. Sarah became fixated on it but soon fell ill and started writing of an insatiable hunger. We can intuit what for: human meat and blood. Is she genuinely mad? Is this undiagnosed schizophrenia? Is there a supernatural reason (e.g., spiritual possession?) Or is there a believable scientific explanation for this with a basis in the natural world? Regardless of the true reason, Sarah’s change is synonymous with her breaking from the expected heteronormative role of a wife who submits to her husband, and is about to be the catalyst for Lucy’s own liberation.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A very gorey retelling of Dracula with a feminine twist. Codependent twins Lucy and Sarah suffer from health afflictions. When Sarah gets worse, her behavior escalates.

This is fast paced but I found I did not connect with the characters. I wanted to finish it but found it just okay.

Wow, this book was gory, weird, and twisty! Perfect if you loved House of Hollow.

It's based on a time when women were easily seen as mad or unhinged anytime they were upset or men just decided they were crazy because they weren't acting "proper" aka not doing as their husbands or fathers wanted them to do. It's a great story about discovering one's voice and the bonds of sisters. I was kept on my toes, I have to say I had no idea where it was going and I loved it!

It is slow paced and had a lot of imagery. Sometimes I felt as if there was too much imagery for some scenes that just didn't need it, but I don't think hurt the pacing of the story or the overall effects of the story.

Overall I really enjoyed this story!

Joanna Von Veen is great at creating these creepy atmospheres. And letting you know something is off with your main character with a subtlest of sentences

It’s super grotesque in a delicious way. The writing is dark, creepy, and atmospheric.

Something is super off about Lucy and yet she is the “sane” sister and the way the author played with that was so good.

I enjoy how much the author leaned into the horror of the whole situation, not backing off at all.

Immediately an auto buy author.

Are you kidding me?! This was an absolutely gorgeous, gothic story. I am utterly obsessed.

The setting was delightfully dreary. It felt very Crimson peak inspired. A Victorian home in disrepair, surrounded by unpredictable, water logged bog lands. Its rainy and foggy and cold. Just spooky vibes on top of spooky vibes. I am in heaven.

The characters were also a treat. I liked the balance of the twin sisters, they were very much their same but not, sort of like a reflection in a warpped mirror, and I liked how they together paralleled the male characters.
I also very much enjoyed that the love story here isn't a romantic one, but a familial one. I think that particular aspect worked very well for drawing you into caring about these characters and rooting for them.

I can't express how much I adored this story, it was sucked into right from the start and didn't want to put it down.
I'm eyeballing My Darling Dreadful Thing as I write this and can't wait to dig my teeth into that next!

Last year I read Johanna van Veen's My Darling Dreadful Thing, which I greatly enjoyed. I always love me a Gothic novel, full of mysterious mansions and dark hauntings, and van Veen provided all of that, creating a sumptuous atmosphere. So naturally I wanted to read her next book, which gave me the same delightful, Gothic shivers. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As with My Darling Dreadful Thing, Johanna van Veen's Blood on her Tongue is set during the late 1800s in the Netherlands. Certain other aspects are shared between the two, such as the eternal sogginess of parts of the Netherlands. It is worth mentioning that a good part of what you now see on the map for the Netherlands was once sea, which was drained to create farmland and land for building. van Veen has a lovely knack for setting her Gothic mansions on this land, perpetually wet and damp, sinking away slowly but surely in the ground, but also consistently revealing secrets of the past. Zwartwater, the estate and mansion of Blood, also makes its money from peat harvesting, in the process of which a bog body is found. Unusual, sure, but not extraordinary. Except that this provides the perfect setting for Johanna van Veen to ask questions about identity, love, and what it means to be alive. I myself am Dutch and so I love how van Veen uses her setting, both the Netherlands themselves but also the late 1800s. In this novel, it is especially the latter, and its attitude to women and (mental) health, which is given special attention. I've done a bit of reading on how mental health was treated in the previous centuries and van Veen weaves this knowledge into her narrative pretty seamlessly.

Lucy is on her way to Zwartwater, where her twin sister, Sarah, has become ill. Unsure of what to expect, Lucy is shocked when she sees Sarah on the brink of death. The illness, physical and mental, came suddenly, two weeks ago, after a bog body was found on the estate. But this is not Sarah's first battle with her own mind and Lucy is determined to take care of her sister and not lose her to institutionalisation. Blood on Her Tongue is largely told, in third person, from Lucy's perspective but is occasionally interrupted by letters or news articles which Lucy herself reads. I love this touch of materiality, of giving us what Lucy is given and allowing us to draw our own conclusions and then watch Lucy do the same. Lucy as a protagonist is intriguing, as is Sarah as her twin. She is fiercely devoted to her sister but also full of her own conflicted desires, at once shy and withdrawn but with an iron spine. Where Sarah is a bright flame, Lucy is like a quietly glowing ember, and the interplay between the two was one of my favourite aspects of the novel. The other characters are worked out to the extent that you need them to be, fulfilling their purposes in the story with aplomb. Again, the setting of a soaked, sodden mansion, dark rooms lit by candle light, and cold, impersonal chapels, was excellent.

In Blood on Her Tongue, Johanna van Veen retains everything I loved about My Darling Dreadful Thing, while ramping up certain aspects. It definitely felt darker, not necessarily in content, but in its exploration of what makes us human and what makes us us. Roos, from Darling, is also a little naiver, perhaps, while Lucy, although young, is an adult with a certain understanding of the world around her. This is clearly a Gothic novel and with that comes a certain level of dramatic energy, which the novel itself pokes occasional fun at. There have to be midnight dashes, dark desires, and a past that refuses to be buried; it's Gothic! I also liked the interspersing of other material, as I mentioned above. I also felt that the writing was a little sharper than in Darling, which I took as a sign that van Veen is ever improving and innovating her craft. She clearly has her genre and setting within which she is comfortable, and certain elements that she loves playing with, but while much of Blood is reminiscent of Darling, it stands solidly on its own and shows an expansion of van Veen's craft.

Blood on her Tongue is exactly what you would want a modern take on Gothic novels to be. It has all the atmosphere and drama, but also demonstrates an awareness of the time period and a responsibility when it comes to dealing with trauma and hurt.

Blood on Her Tongue had an intriguing premise and moments of gripping intensity, but overall, it left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. The writing had a strong atmosphere, and there were scenes that genuinely pulled me in, but the execution didn’t fully live up to its potential.

One of my main issues was the pacing—it dragged in places where I wanted more momentum, and certain plot points felt repetitive rather than building tension. The characters had depth, but I struggled to fully connect with them, making some of the emotional beats fall flat.

That said, there were elements I did appreciate. The book had some striking imagery and unsettling moments that lingered with me. I just wish it had come together in a more compelling way. It’s not a bad read by any means, but it didn’t entirely click for me.

3/5 stars.

Well, shut me in a dark and dreary house and call me mad because I finally found a gothic story that I love. Johanna van Veen’s latest novel, Blood on Her Tongue, proved to me that a story can honor all the typical gothic tale dressings while finding new, complicated ways to shock and disturb its readers. I was bought in from the first page, and it all started when the bog body was discovered.

Miss Lucy Goedhart always looks forward to letters from her twin sister, Mrs. Sarah Schatteleyn, and the letters have been quite interesting of late. Sarah provides all the grotesque details, and even a haunting drawing of the bog body recently found on her estate. While certainly out of the ordinary, the bog body is not what concerns Lucy enough to travel to her sister’s side. As Sarah’s letters become increasingly unintelligible and worrisome, Lucy travels to her sister’s lovely but damp home, fearful of what she may find. Is her sister ill and slowly dying? Has she suffered from another mad episode? When Lucy arrives, she will uncover the bloody secret of what truly ails her twin.

Johanna van Veen gives a fair warning at the beginning of Blood on Her Tongue, and I’ll reiterate here, too, that this story is bloody descriptive. There are horror and gore moments that may be difficult for anyone squeamish, including a lot of blood and some unfortunate situations with eyes. However, don’t let that dissuade you from reading this story. I consider myself pretty squeamish, and I could handle all of the content while only skimming some of the more graphic parts. Overall I don’t consider Blood on Her Tongue too gory as it doesn’t overindulge in these moments, but they are there to heighten the drama in this gothic tale.

There’s something so enticing about a bog body. Johanna van Veen calls out to us to trek through the muck and gaze upon the horror pulled from the earth. She grabs you by the collar and forces you to look upon it while you battle the disgust, pity, and fear that emanate from such a find. The events surrounding the bog body are a great precursor for the horror elements to come. Johanna van Veen relies on her descriptive prose to complicate the unfolding events for the reader, making us feel a multitude of emotions as the blood spills. You will juggle the aversion and sadness the bog body creates and then, much later, the alarm and love that surround Sarah’s ordeal.

Blood on Her Tongue is a story about codependency. This theme is most noticeable between the protagonist and her twin as the reader quickly learns that Lucy is a more compliant, subdued woman compared to her brash and demanding sister. However, their sisterly relationship is but the first stone thrown into the water, and the codependency ripples throughout many other relationship iterations in the story. What I found to be the most interesting is how Lucy and Sarah’s codependency gets more complicated as the mystery unfolds because it changes the rules of their relationship and the world that they know. Where does a person begin and where do they end? What are the things that make up a person, and if these things still exist but are warped, are they still the people you know and love? van Veen asks us these questions and more as we juggle the blurry lines between sisters, lovers, and friends.

Uncover the secrets between sisters in Johanna van Veen’s Blood on Her Tongue. The bog body will haunt you, the men will infuriate you, and the women will find their strength in a bloody, cruel world.

Rating: Blood on Her Tongue - 8.0/10

I had signed up for an ARC off this book and forgot what it was about. So when I began reading I didn’t know what to expect. I liked that this has mythical creatures that I had not heard of before. Meaning that all the guises of what was going on were wrong. Now about Lucy, the main character. She is the quiet twin and always looking after her sister but doesn’t seem to be in life where she feels fulfilled. As the story progresses it feels like it took her time to reflect upon her life decisions and shoe her true self. With this I can’t say she finally became bad ass but just showed what she is willing to do for her sister.

Con: As I began reading I had trouble following who was who because the character uses a nickname for her sister that I didn’t realize it was a nickname until later. So I kept confusing the sister with another character who is a relative of the brother-in-law.

Gothic and bloody tale of sisterhood. A gothic melodrama with grotesque imagery and a philosophical bent. Also a fair amount of eye gouging. I enjoyed this one for all it's imagery and emotion, but I will say I didn't love it as much as My Darling Dreadful Thing. Still a strong book, well worth reading if you are a fan of the genre.
Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

One thing I know about myself is that I do not like the experience of body horror and gore, so why do I keep doing this to myself? That said, there's definitely body horrors, but the number of times I wanted to metaphorically shield my eyes was comparatively few.

I read this almost entirely in one sitting. It's extremely atmospheric, broody, bloody, and queer.

We have two sisters - twins - one married to a man with extra teeth and living in a manor whose name translates to Black Water, one living genteelly as a companion for an elderly woman. One twin has a history of madness, an obsession with a bog mummy found on the estate, and now a terrible illness and rising hunger. The other has always been the rock, and runs to care for her twin.

Naturally, as this is gothic horror, strange and terrible things happen. Dread pervades. Because this is not my primary genre, I don't know all the beats. There's a moment early-ish in the book, 30-40%, where I thought that it would be over and we'd move on to some different bit of story. But the author twisted it in ways I didn't expect or see coming (which I adored).

If this is your genre, absolutely give this one a go. If it's not... maybe give it a try anyway.

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

I think I like this one more than My Darling Dreadful Thing. WOW this is phenomenal work.

First off, the cover is stunning….obsessed. The writing just wraps you in a tight hug and doesn’t let go. It’s beautiful. It’s tragic. It makes you feel everything. The characters are SO entertaining and full of personality. It was such a strange and wild ride but I think it’s one that people need to read.

Shock factor was done so incredibly well too. EWWWW