I was an absolute fan of “My Darling Dreadful Thing” when I read it last year and knew I had to read “Blood on Her Tongue” the moment I heard about it. Who doesn’t love a gothic little vampire story?!

Things I particularly enjoyed:
🖤 I was a huge fan of the horror itself! I think it did a great job of being creepy and disturbing without being so heavy handed.
🖤 Loved this take on vampires! It’s such a unique version, at least to me, and found it very interesting.

Things I wasn’t necessarily a fan of:
🖤 Personally, I just didn’t understand why Lucy made certain decisions she made throughout the book and I found that to be super distracting for me.

Overall I did enjoy the book and think it is definitely worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for making an advance copy available to me in exchange for an honest review!

Overall Rating | ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Set in the Netherlands in 1887, Lucy finds out that her sister, Sarah, is unwell and heads to see what is happening. Sarah seems not to be eating, mumbles a lot, and has a strange obsession with the bog woman. The bog woman is a corpse that was found on Sarah and her husband's property, which the doctor was doing an autopsy on once it was removed from the bog. The doctor, a childhood friend, has reported that she is temporarily insane due to fever of the brain. Due to past family history with trauma around insane asylums, Lucy must figure out what is causing her sister to act so strange before she is carted off to an asylum. Sarah is hiding something, but Lucy has her dark secrets too.

This book was interesting. At times it felt a bit slow, but at others it was intense. I thought this was a vampire book, but it was an excellent gothic horror showing a bond between twin sisters tested through illness, grief, and something lurking from beyond. I think the author did a great job of staying within the time period while weaving in queerness as well with Sarah. There are definitely some gruesome scenes, which don't bother me, but if you can't handle blood and guts - maybe stay away.

If you’ve been searching for a book to satisfy your endless craving for gothic stories, look no further than Blood On Her Tongue.

This book was beautiful, eerie, and atmospheric. I truly enjoyed my experience reading it. I could go on and on endlessly about how much I loved it. Suffice it to say, I devoured it. In just a few pages, I was enthralled and I found it hard to put the book down. There was a line at the beginning when I knew I would love it because it reminded me of Jane Eyre. If you’re like me and you can never have enough gothic stories, the this book is for you.

This is a book about two twin sisters, Lucy and Sarah. Lucy rushes to her sister’s side when she receives an alarming letter from her sister. It seems that Sarah is gravely ill after finding something on her property. Lucy is quickly drawn into the mystery at Zwartwater and things soon take a turn for the worse. Lucy is then left to decide how far her devotion to her sister goes.

Van Veen took well known gothic tropes and breathed new life into them. This had everything one could hope for in a good gothic novel from mystery, a bit of body horror, gore, and even bog bodies. The story kept me engaged throughout the novel. The atmosphere was so vivid that I felt I was in Zwartwater with Lucy and her sister. This book was as easy to fall into as a puddle of water. Once it has you in it’s grip, it won’t let go until the end.

This was my first experience reading this author’s work and it definitely won’t be the last. I look forward to reading My Darling Dreadful Thing next. If you’re someone who fell in love with the story in Crimson Peak and has desperately been trying to find something that feels similar, I’d highly recommend Blood On Her Tongue. I'd recommend this book to horror lovers, especially those that love gothic books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and the author for providing me with an ARC for review.

4/5 ⭐️

This had the most gothic, dark, mysterious, creepy, and grotesque vibes. This is the second book by Johanna I've read and I really enjoyed both books. I don't want to say too much to give anything away but if you're into gothic/horror books I would recommend this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Johanna van Veen, and Poisoned Pen Press for my early access to this.

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

The author gives a fair warning at the beginning of “Blood on Her Tongue,” that this story is bloody descriptive. There are horror and gore moments that may be difficult for anyone squeamish, I don’t consider “Blood on Her Tongue” too gory as it doesn’t overindulge in these moments, but they are there to keep the drama in this gothic tale. The novel is about codependency. One sees it between the twins. There are secrets between sisters. As one finds the secrets, will it satisfy you?

First things first I sadly didn’t love this as much as My Darling Dreadful Thing, but you can’t love everything an author puts out. Although I thought this was a pretty solid story.

In the Netherlands in 1887, Lucy receives word that her sister, Sarah, is gravely ill. Determined to care for her during this difficult time, Lucy makes it her top priority to ensure that Sarah is not sent away to an asylum due to her unusual behaviour. This task becomes increasingly challenging as Sarah begins to act erratically, exhibiting a foul smell and displaying an insatiable hunger.

This book was very unhinged, and I was drawn in from the very first chapter. It’s full of gore, sisterly love, mental illness, and self-worth; also, the gothic theme was on point. It presents a great take on vampires! If you are a fan of Carmilla, I think you would enjoy this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for my Arc!

Preliminary feels: a bloody good time.

I have a feeling this is going to be one of my top reads of 2025. It's got all of the trappings of a historical gothic - a restrictive era of behavior, family drama, dark secrets, a supernatural twist, body horror, vampiric acts, and a moody, broody locale. But it's also got dynamic women who are loyal to each other, and have no qualms about overruling the controlling and patronizing men in their lives to do what they believe is right.

Despite the older cadence of the time, the writing is dynamic and pulls you in quickly, sucking you into the estate of Zwartwater, the complex dynamic between lead Lucy and her twin sister Sarah, and the both allure and repulsion of the bog woman, having very specific appetites, and how far we would go for the people that we love.

I also love the underlying thread that darkness and selfishness can be forgiven. While I still think Lucy gets the shortest end of the stick even if she's got a chance for happiness in the end, there's so much about how we all act selfishly or make mistakes, and that there's room to move on from them. That we aren't damned forever by the majority of our choices.

This was so excellent. A bloody, slutty, vicious good time.

With Blood on Her Tongue, Johanna Van Veen took everything in the vampire genre and turned it all the way over, providing such a unique and fresh perspective I’ve yet to see.
From page one this was everything I could hope for in a twisty gothic horror novel, dark and creepy, mysterious, and vaguely sexy in a strange, indeterminate way. Right away it’s clear something eerie is going on, but as we delve into what has happened and things progress, the anticipation builds to a heady tension that shatters everything in such a delightfully violent way.
The female rage vibes are immaculate and I love the perspective of what happens when girls stick together in the face of dismissive, self important men. I 100% recommend you dig right into this one like it’s a girl dinner 😉

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley.
Publication date 3/25/25

Thank you to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of Blood on Her Tongue in exchange for an honest review.

"If this is what death tastes like, and death is as it tastes, then it is a dull thing indeed."

This is a fast-paced gothic horror that I enjoyed reading. We're starting the book with Lucy coming to Zwartewater to care for her unwell twin sister. Sarah becomes obsessed with a bog body that was found on their estate and is not refusing to eat. Lucy is trying to unravel the mystery of the corpse while Sarah keeps getting worse

The book had me in the first 2 parts, but then I was lost when we got to part 3. (Spoilers) This book was just chaotic. The description of how the parasite operated was annoying. Lucy needs to grow a backbone and should have lived happily ever away from all of that foolishness. Sarah was a horrible human being before and after the parasite and did not deserve that bling support from her sister.

Overall, I rated this book a 3.5. It's a cool book if you don't look too deeply and are just here for entertainment.

“𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙪𝙨 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨.”

i do not have the words, wow, i did not anticipate that ending at all.. like.

weirdly creepy, dark at times, but!! such a good read. aside from her main characters, the side characters really stood out to me (i am trying so hard to not spoil this). the writing flowed well, didn’t feel at all overwhelming. slow start but that ending! pls, overall enjoyed reading this. got me out of a reading slump a bit.

recommend looking up some TWs before reading -

𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 :’)

This is a splentactuar gothic horror novel. Johanna van Veen knows how to write dark, gothic novels that make me uncomfortable. This is a great story of a sisters' love that know no bounds. If you love bog stories, vampires, gore and body horror following strong and determined women, you need to add this book to the top of you TBR.

Blood on Her Tongue, while not bad just kind of fell into the okay category for me. Van Veen creates a lovely eerie period atmosphere and then the characters will speak in a wholly modern manner which would jolt me out of the story. It was a curious style choice to make and I personally think it detracted from the success of the novel. My biggest problem with the book is it just seemed a little derivative of other gothic vampire novels and didn’t bring much new to the table. Not a bad book but one I doubt I will remember.
Thank you to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for this arc.

First and foremost, thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the ARC! I enjoyed this one a lot!

Since I'm currently in my Gothic Horror Era, I was so, so happy to be able to read this one prior to publishing and I can say it did not disappoint in any way.

The story begins when Lucy, our narrator, rushes to her sister Sarah's sickbed after receiving notice that she is currently battling an unknown sickness. Ever since growing up, Lucy always made sure that Sarah was okay, and that her twin was happy, going as far as letting her marry the love of her life without saying anything. So it's no surprise that she left everything behind in order to help her sister in any which way she can, even if it's just sitting by her bedside. The only thing anyone knows about her sister's sickness is, that it followed immediately after her discovery of a bog body on her grounds. Once Lucy is on Sarah's side she notices just how peculiar this mysterious illness really is. Her sister doesn't eat and speaks in riddles, telling about a mysterious woman haunting her, her delusions making her act irrational in Lucy's eyes, going as far as biting her husband Michael and drinking his blood. Lucy, a prisoner of her time, needs to act fast to discover how to help and save her sister before the men in their life act.

Oh, how I liked this one. Johanna van Veen has such a way with words, it immediately pulls you into the story and era it plays in and paints this haunting, mysterious atmosphere you can't help but wonder about. Reading the letters Sarah wrote Lucy highlights just how fragile her mind truly is, how much she's haunted by the presence surrounding her. Lucy, in the beginning, feels very much trustworthy, even angelic, having nothing on her mind but saving her twin and looking after her. Only after a time do you start to realize that Lucy isn't the angel you think her to be at the beginning, having done things in the past, not only frowned upon but also hurtful against the very sister she's trying to save. And still, you understand her reasoning, where she came from, and why all of it happened the way it did.

The ending both surprised and actually made me happy, as haunting as it was. I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a happy ending, at least not in the traditional sense you'd expect. They break boundaries, do the wrong thing and the reader is left asking themselves, what happened after.

This book is as haunting and dark as you'd expect, with a surprising and yet satisfying conclusion. For all the gothic horror fans out there, this one is a great read!

This was such a unique and interesting story. It definitely made me more curious about exploring the gothic horror genre. I liked the characters I was supposed to like and hated the characters I was supposed to hate. The ending of the book was done masterfully with all the loose ends tied up. I'd definitely recommend this!

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