Posted on Goodreads: 3/29/2025

Nothing like a little gothic thriller to get your blood pumping! This story follows twin sisters, Lucy and Sarah. After Sarah assists with the discovery of a body in the bog on her and her husband’s estate, she seemingly slips into madness. Lucy works to figure out what is wrong with her sister, and why she has had such a change in appetite. It has themes of family loyalty, guilt, deception, and how far people will go for the one’s they love. This is definitely a great addition to gothic literature, and I’m so glad I was given a copy to review through NetGalley.

Note: Please check the trigger warnings! If things related to eyes freak you out, proceed with caution!

This historical horror puts a unique spin on vampirism combined with Victorian gothic fiction. The historical details and the beliefs of that era enhanced the narrative. I enjoyed the main character Lucy’s perspective, and her desperation to figure out what ails her twin Sarah. The sisters have a special and complex relationship that plays out well with all the spooky, supernatural happenings. Fans of slightly gory horror will enjoy this book. I’ll be adding My Dreadful Darling Thing to my TBR.

BLOOD ON HER TONGUE is a gothic horror that follows the harrowing journey of twin sisters Lucy and Sarah.

Lucy receives an alarming note from her beloved sister that she is unwell—and displays alarming signs of madness. As Lucy tries to unravel the mystery surrounding her sister’s condition, Sarah dies. And then comes back. HUNGRY.   

This book has so many awesome elements that I love!

Gothic horror, Vampires, rich atmosphere, love & violence, and hunger & hope to not only survive but also try to re-Alive.

If you are into a chilling fever dream - then this is for you!

I’m not sure this clicked for me currently! I may have to revisit this later on. I think it’s more me than the book itself.

"Blood on Her Tongue" is a gothic novel set in the Netherlands at the end of the 19th century. The story follows twin sisters, Lucy and Sarah. After the discovery of an ancient corpse on her husband’s estate, Sarah develops an increasing obsession that soon leads to erratic behavior and a diagnosis of temporary insanity. As her condition worsens—refusing to eat, speaking incoherently, and becoming aggressive—Lucy desperately seeks to uncover the truth behind her sister’s transformation. The novel explores themes of possession, madness, and the deep bond between sisters, weaving together tension and a rich gothic atmosphere.

That being said, this novel had the potential to become one of my favorite reads, but it actually left me with mixed feelings.

The first part of the story is absolutely stunning—it almost made me cry out "masterpiece!"
I loved how the author played with typical 19th-century atmospheres. The erotic gothic mood she crafted, along with the vivid portrayal of the twin sisters and their deep bond, is truly enchanting. The overwhelming tension—so full of shadows—kept me glued to the pages, as did the ambiguity surrounding Sarah's transformation.
Is she simply mad, or has some kind of vampiric creature really taken possession of her?

I also admired the effort of stitching together different horror themes: vampires, possession, madness and asylums, sinful passions, haunted places, and eerie legends.

However, as the story progressed, I started to like it less.
Despite the powerful message about female oppression and the struggle for freedom, I found it excessively delirious and extreme. The execution felt rushed, inconsistent with its initial premises, and lacked deeper insight into the characters. As a result, they lost their strength and became mere grotesque figures.

Don’t get me wrong—I love grotesque. But in the second half of the novel, it felt more like a stylistic excess rather than something that truly served the story. Instead of making it more powerful, it simply made me shudder.

Still, I’m giving this book four stars for its mesmerizing atmosphere, beautiful language, and the brilliant way it intertwines different gothic traditions. At first, we all think of Dracula, but there’s so much more! Most of all, I appreciate the choice to tell this story from a female perspective—something we need to see and read more of.

If you liked Johanna van Veen’s debut novel, My Darling, Dreadful Thing and would’ve even stuck around had things gotten bloodier, weirder, and more sexual, then you’re going to love Blood on Her Tongue.

I’m telling you all, at about 22% of the way through this book I found myself saying, “Johanna van Veen, you filthy lil’ hussy!”

I love a great twin story, and BoHT delivers one full of that tremendous twin attachment, sibling infighting, family superstitions and lore, avarice, manipulation, grief, weaponized emotions, infidelity, secrets, lies, domestic abuse, gaslighting, misogyny, violence, and forced medicating. Oh, and we can’t forget the bog body.

If My Darling, Dreadful Thing felt almost like a fever dream at some points, Blood on Her Tongue feels like a blood-soaked gothic horror film in technicolor. Nothing but the reddest of reds would do to match the rage and pain the women in this book both experience and mete out. Sometimes it just feels good to gorge yourself on the violence. 4⭐️

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Body Horror/Feminist Horror/Gothic Fiction/Historical Horror/Horror/LGBTQ Horror/Sapphic

A macabre tale of sisterhood and women fighting for their lives!

I fell in love with Johanna's eerie narration style last year when I read her debut novel, My Darling Dreadful Thing, and she has made me plummet into a story once again with this marvelous novel! Her stories are dark, her characters are brutal, and this story was so delightfully bloody that it felt like my own hands were slick with it while reading. I loved how the topic of vampires was done in this novel! It felt familiar but also extremely unique, something that had me flipping the pages until my eyes burned. The main topic, though, is the indistinguishable bond sisters have, specifically twin sisters. What wouldn't you do for someone whom you share blood with!

This was an ode to women deemed hysterical by men who can't and don't want to open their minds. It was a clever choice to characterize these men the way the author did — it was realistic and worked on so many levels. I don't want to dissect furthermore because I would spoil a lot of the story, but know that this is the type of book I would love to annotate from cover to cover and talk about for hours with a book club.

Highly recommend both this one and the author's debut! Immaculate gothic atmosphere, twisted relationships, perseverance, eye gouging (*wink*), and much more you can find here!

What a fun book. The story follows two sisters who lived in the Netherlands in the late 1800s. However, something is wrong with Sarah, and Lucy is trying to help her. This book had some great twists and turns, and was just a wonderful, dark jaunt through gothic horror. It has a wonderful dark, dreary feel, and the characters were so interesting and multi-faceted.

I would absolutely recommend this for horror lovers, but also especially if you love a wonderful historical piece that has a foggy, dark feel.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:
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.

Thoughts:
Blood on Her Tongue is a gothic tale about two sisters and the lengths they’ll go to for each other, for love, for hunger and for survival.
This was my first read by this author and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT.
I loved this read. So atmospheric, suspenseful, beautiful, delicious, disgusting. Everything you want in a horror novel.
4 star read, easily.
& have already been recommending this read.

Thank you to Johanna Van Veen, Poison Pen Press, & Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. 🖤

This was a new take on the gothic vampire novel. Lucy is summoned to her twin sister’s bedside only to come to the realization that her sister is no longer her sister. The plot sucked me in pretty fast and I found the writing quite enjoyable. I do think that maybe the author tried to do a bit too much - the feminist vibe felt thrown in and the ending felt rushed. All in all, a fun read! I look forward to checking out this authors back list.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

Okay. I have a thing for vampires. I can't explain it, but since reading Dracula in High School, I've been obsessed (I never read Twilight, though, LOL). I saw this on NetGalley, and I was excited. I'm a simple gal. I see 'Vampires,' and I click. It was even better that it was a Gothic Horror set in the Netherlands in the 1880s. How Unique? Right? So, you can see I had high hopes for this book.

Was I surprised by this book? Yes
Was I disappointed? Maybe a little bit.
Did I want to focus more on "Vampirism" and less on the sub-plot weirdness? Yes.

The gore was goring. Why does it always have to be eyeballs?! I made the mistake of eating while reading this, and I had to put my sandwich down because the descriptions were... wow.

This book is beautifully written. I wish it was expanded a little bit like I wanted Sarah, Not-Sarah to go out and hunt like a vampire. I wish we had more relationship-building between Sarah and Katje. I loved the girl gang hang out scenes between Sarah, Lucy and Katje.

This book, although not a typical vampire tale, was a great, addicting read. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. Check Triggers because, wow, there are a few.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.

3.5⭐
The beginning Is a Little slow and It seems that there Is no horror and gothic. When the sister dies, It changes. The story Is a Little too simple but i appreciated the vibes. The waiting style Is fluente.

Another delightfully creepy horror novel from Johanna van Veen! I found it more dynamic and much scarier than the Dreadful Thing - which I also enjoyed.
In this novel, I thought Van Veen did a wonderful job developing her characters and weaving the strange relationships between them. Both Sarah and Lucy are very distinct and interesting. I loved the exploration of the relationship between the classes and the stigma of mental illness in that era. The mansion is dark and creepy and the surrounding bogs add to the gothic atmosphere.
Van Veen works beautifully with sounds and smells (and by that I mean the descriptions of them), creating at times revolting but powerful scenes.

The cover is gorgeous, too.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press, for providing an early reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this wild eARC!

I love when books leave me feeling all, "WTF did I just read?" Completely unhinged, delightfully slow burning Gothic horror. 10/10 would read this author again.

Mysterious, suspenseful, unpredictable, and gruesome. This book is definitely an experience.

Minor spoiler - I love that the book ended with casual cannibalism as a problem solving tactic.

A gory gothic horror featuring bog bodies, co-dependent sisters, and an inventive take on vampirism? Yeah, sign me up.

This is my first Johanna van Veen book, and I'm please to say she's got a new fan. I loved the relationship between the sisters because it felt very real. It's hard to describe the love and hate that get melded into a symbiotic relationship like that, and van Veen excels in doing so. They cannot survive without each other and isn't that beautiful and terrible? The ways in which they betray each other but still love one another fiercely is brutal.

The author doesn't shy away from gore, and I really appreciate someone who's unafraid to go there. Look, there's a lot of eye stuff in this book, so if that bothers you maybe skip this one (though you'll really be missing out).

The book leans into melodrama at some points and becomes a bit repetitive, but obsession and heightened emotions are to be expected - that be the genre, my friends.

Overall, a great dark tale that I felt I needed a shower after (that's a good thing). I'm looking forward to reading what she does next.

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

The cover of this book drew me in and while it is not my normal genre, I could NOT put this down. It is labeled as Gothic Horror and oh boy oh boy, was it ever. Creepy, mysterious, and delicious!

BLOOD ON HER TONGUE details the harrowing story of twin sisters Lucy and Sarah. When Lucy receives an alarming note from her beloved sister that she is unwell—and displays alarming signs of madness. As Lucy tries to unravel the mystery surrounding her sister's condition, Sarah dies. And then comes back. HUNGRY.   

A big thank you to @netgalley, @johannavanveen1997, and @poisonedpenpress

Praise has poured in from authors and media alike:

"Immersive and disturbing, Blood on Her Tongue etches itself into your mind and leaves behind a permanent mark. Fans of modern gothic and masterful prose, look no further."   — Marcus Kliewer author of We Used to Live Here 

“A new gothic masterpiece. Blood on Her Tongue is decadent, full of gore and rot, and viscerally, relentlessly engaging. I devoured this one. Once you’ve tasted a little, you’ll need more, then more, then more…”  —  CJ Leede, author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture

“Chilling in its intimacy, this tale of monsters and monstrous love is a gorgeous gothic treat. I drank up every delicious word.”  — Jennifer Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of Diavola  

"Blood on Her Tongue is a lush gothic fever dream, a tale of love, violence and spiraling madness that will linger long after you've read the last page."  — Christina Henry, author of The House that Horror Built 

Publishers Weekly in a starred review praises the book as “gothic horror for the ages…combining shiver-inducing horror with sharp-fanged social commentary, this more that merits comparison to Dracula and other genre titans.”

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!