there is nothing like the love between sisters
the author did a great job building the relationship between the two sisters, it felt very genuine to me. at its core that is what the story is about so i really appreciated how complex their relationship was made. however, i felt that the rest of the characters fell flat. i found myself not caring about any of them. the writing was stunning and i loved the vibes of this book! it felt very immersive, i could picture the setting in my mind the whole time. the narration really elevated the story for me! it was so well done.

thank you netgalley and RBmedia for the audio arc!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. I was drawn to the dark, gothic element to this book as well as the cover. Once I started listening to the book, it was hard to follow based off the the narration and how fast the narrator talked at times. She was very emotionally driven that it was hard to follow making this book a DNF. I will probably attempt to read a physical copy instead.

I love a spooky read in the summer, especially anything vampy or with body horror. Blood on her Tongue was a solid pick for this summer's reading list and I would recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an audio ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. Firstly, the narrator was PERFECT for this story, she made it highly engrossing and addictive. The story itself follows twins Sarah and Lucy while Sarah goes through a mysterious illness and ultimately dies...or does she? This was dark, atmospheric gothic at it's best. I suggest researching trigger warnings before reading as some parts made me wince, but I loved it! I enjoyed the underlying story and the research aspects of the book really drew me in. I definitely recommend for lovers of gothics, bog horror, twin weirdness, and any one looking for a tale that will stick with you for days to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advance copy of Blood on her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen. Narrated by Emily Tucker.

After reading Johanna van Veen’s “My Darling Dreadful Thing”, I knew I needed to read this one. And she doesn’t disappoint. The narrator matched the mood and theme of the book so well to help draw you in. A perfect novel for those who like a dark fantasy!

This audiobook had me pushing pause to collect myself so many times! If you are looking for a disturbing read with a good dose of body horror, this one is for you!

Creeeeepy sisters doing creeeeepy sisters things in the Netherlands in… 1887. Won’t spoil the ending (obv), but, hands down, soooo validating. #girlpower

(Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

This was very dark!! The writing style was so atmospheric— I truly felt transported into the novel. The story was interesting as well as the characters. Gothic horror is a new genre for me but I have been really diving in head first and enjoying every read. This one is a must for fans of the genre!

My Selling Pitch:
Dracula x Wuthering Heights. Bangin’ gothic imagery and body horror, but it’s a run of the mill good for her plot that won't satisfy. The audiobook is phenomenal.

Pre-reading:
Fuck me up, I love a Gothic! And get your cover artist a raise.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
Stop hiding trigger warnings in authors’ notes. I do consider them spoilers. I would like to go into this in my flimsy nightgown knowing nothing.

Oh, so a migraine 🙃 (I read this while I had my own horrendous migraine.)

I’m picking this up at midnight, and this audiobook is doing the most. Like it’s very good, but she is manic, and it is midnight, and I was reading to wind down. This is not doing that lol.

Look, Bella, a worm! (My brain is rotted.)

I always assume identical twins are going to switch places. (Not this time, boo boo.)

Oh cool, I like that it seems like it’s gonna be doing is it supernatural, or is it science because did she give it blood and awaken it vampire style or did she get infected from something on the teeth? It sounds like they were trying to silence a woman though because of the rock in the mouth. (Firmly just supernatural.)

The audiobook is phenomenal!

The way I thought they were in Ireland or Scotland or wherever that Nancy Drew book is with the bogs and the banshee. (Ireland.)

A little Saltburn, a little gayyyyy

I assume she had a baby die super young. (Yup.)

It’s very Mina and Dracula and I’m lovinggg.

Old habits die screaming 🎶

Why is shark man kinda hot? (Samantha, you need psychiatric evaluation.)

incels: women only want a hemsworth
women: shark boy kinda hot tho
incels: smh just another unrealistic expectation for men

Oh, they def been fuckin’. (Def.)

I’M GONNA HURL. Holy body horror!

Haunt me then! Wuthering, much?

I feel like Katja got bit during lesbianing. (Yes’m.)

Don't eat it omfg
EW!

Pteridomania

Let’s go lesbians!

It’s a little Verity. (Was kinda rooting for an unhinged sister revenge plot ngl.)

I’m not here for your entertainment 🎶 it’s just you and your hand tonight🎶

I got really depressed hearing that hysteria diagnosis because there is that comedian who made the song of like I want to be a hysterical woman in the 1880s because you just get orgasms and cocaine, and I know she’s aware that time for women was pretty shit, and she’s trying to make light of a bad situation, but it’s just so depressing!
It’s literally always so bad for us because of men.

Girl dinner🎶

I just don’t buy that an Italian greyhound that’s all of like 10 pounds can do that.

The ending’s really falling off for me.

Oh what a SHIT ending, jesus.

Post-reading:
Wow, that ending was a letdown.

The first half of this is a vibey, gothic horror full of messy affairs and genuinely stomach-turning body horror. The ending peters out into something from a Frieda McFadden or Hoover’s Verity. It’s so blah!

I think the half epistolary style is a nice nod to Dracula. The body horror is masterfully done and well paced. It lets you catch your breath before making you wince again.

The characters are a little underbaked in my opinion. There's not much going on for them outside of being twins.

There's a feminist slant to this that makes sense for its good for her plot, and while it never got soapboxy, it was a little heavy-handed. I think there's a smoother way to point out that historically life’s always been shit for women, but that doesn't mean they ever went quietly. I think the aunt’s hysteria diagnosis was appropriately shown not told, but the rest of it bordered on spoonfeeding.

Similarly, there's A LOT of villain monologuing. There's less mystery to this book and more settle in for yet another info dump before we get this ball rolling again. The pacing is a little stop and start outside of the story's horror elements.

The couples felt obvious from page one, so their reveals never felt like a surprise. The plot kinda just plods along to the end rather than giving the audience a puzzle to engage with and try to figure out a solution to. The ending itself requires Herculean feats of suspension of disbelief to the point that it was no longer enjoyable and quite frankly soured me on the book so much, I toyed with giving it two stars. I think if you are a good for her girly, this might work better for you. If you need a little more than yas bitch, slay! to your books, I think this is gonna leave you wanting. I need better feminism than all men are bad, and all women’s wrongs are justified, you know? The audiobook is phenomenal though, and I highly recommend picking it up if this story interests you.

Who should read this:
Gothic horror fans
Good for her fans

Ideal reading time:
Spring

Do I want to reread this:
No

Would I buy this:
No

Similar books:
* Dracula by Bram Stoker-duh
* Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte-duh
* Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnam-same book, different font. Short story, gothic horror, possession, revenge plot
* Lucy Undying by Kiersten White-Dracula retelling, queer romance
* Verity by Colleen Hoover-mystery thriller, psychological horror, revenge plot
* Grey Dog by Elliott Gish-historical, gothic horror, queer
* The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling-historical, gothic horror, queer, revenge plot
* The Buffalo Hunter Hunter-Dracula retelling, historical, revenge plot
* Isola by Allegra Goodman-historical retelling, revenge plot
* Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid-historical, classical retelling, magical realism, revenge plot
* Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk-historical, queer romance, vampires

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was just the perfect amount of gothic horror! As a reader (listener since I had the ALC) I kept guessing where the story line was headed with every chapter. I love how the twin sisters Lucy and Sarah remained front and center of the story and how their characters got built and changed. There was a love between them, doubt, betrayal and so much more like a real life family. Love that it is written from historical perspective and addresses some strong topics like misogyny. We witness an unknown illness , the makings of a vampire but it is left upto to us to figure out what exactly was happening in-between the dialogue.

I read this book via audiobook which may or not may have impacted by rating because the narrator did an absolutely fantastic job! The narrator pulled me in and matched the story so well. They didn’t just narrate, they acted! It didn’t even feel like an audiobook, rather the narrator made the story come to live and atmospheric.

The production is flawless and eerie. The story itself is interesting. I adore that it was a subversion of the vampire trope but doesn’t necessarily lean into vampirism. I like that there is a sense of ambiguity of the “parasite”, and the gothic elements intertwined with sibling dynamic and family drama.

I will say that while I appreciate the author delving into societal standards and expectations on women and misogyny, it was not subtle and the characters that express such read like caricatures. I wished the ending was not concluded so rapidly, it felt too messy when the rest of the story was polished and precise.

Still, I enjoyed the story and I adore Sarah/Not Sarah!

Really good but the narration was a little hard to listen to at times thank you NetGalley or the alc!

Well this was a fun read. I had zero idea where this was headed from the beginning. I enjoyed Lucy and Sarah’s characters but that was about it. Both men worked my ever loving nerves. Regardless, the story was a nice gothic tale. I do think it could’ve have a bit more gore.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will definitely pick up more in the future.

Going into it, I assumed it was going to follow a similar formulaic plot but it didn’t. Vampires are a bit different in this one, a parasite. Every time. I thought I knew what was going to happen next, I was wrong. And I loved the ending! Also enjoyed the mention of Michigan, as I laid in bed in Michigan reading the book.

I listened to the audiobook for this one thanks to NetGalley, and I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice and pacing.

4.5/5 stars because in the beginning I kept mixing up the sisters and it threw me off, but that probably was just been a me tho.

Thanks NetGalley and Tantor Audio 🙌🏼

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advance copy of Blood on her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen. Narrated by Emily Tucker.

Props to the narrator for a great performance! I believed her emotional highs and lows.

Honestly, this is a great rage woman book. I felt the accuracy of how women were treated was infuriatingly correct. I’m also thankful, the author gave these female characters a chance to respond strongly.

With that said, it checked off what I was hoping for in this book.

I’m officially a Johanna van Veen fan. I loved her debut My Darling Dreadful Thing, and Blood on Her Tongue is another standout gothic horror novel. Van Veen’s writing is enthralling and penetrating. I physically cringed while reading (in a good way)! I couldn’t put this down.

Eerie and disturbing, Blood on Her Tongue is a fungal fever dream of a book that will rot its way into your core. Pairing gothic atmosphere and psychological dread with body horror, Van Veen crafts a wholly unique and original horror story.

The audio is stellar, and Emily Tucker was a perfect choice to narrate.

A gory, graphic gothic horror about thr bonds of sisterhood.
This 1887 tale of twin sisters portrays their complex relationship of competition, betrayal and love.
what length will Lucy go to, in order to protect her sister?
This audiobook has great narration that pulls the reader in, it was a faced paced enjoyable read.
The beginning reminded me of Mexican Gothic, so if you enjoyed that story, you will probably enjoy this one.
There were little hints that there could be more to the story, that didn’t end up going anywhere. Not sure if this was an attempt to misdirect, but was a little disappointing.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tantor Audio for the ARC to review

Okay, the start and climax of the story. Perfect! I loved the weirdness, the secrets, the discovery of what is actually going on. That sisterly bond to wanting to keep each-other safe and doing everything possible to help while seeing your sibling getting worse.
Now the ending is where it lost me a bit. It felt like it just went on and on and in.
Everything else, was great! I still recommend reading this.

Loved the narrator, loved the sisters, and the creepy goriness of it all. Fascinated by a bog body that has come to surface, one of the sisters named Sarah becomes ill and you follow the journey and the aftermath of what has become of her. Her sister Lucy will do whatever it takes to protect her. Such a fun read! I love a period piece, and loved the lgbtq+ representation.

Will be keeping an eye out for more books by this author!

Finally an author who really understands what Gothic horror is. This book was dark and very gory and beautifully written. It did take me a little bit to get into it but once I did I loved every second.