There’s blood in the water, and Johanna Van Veen knows exactly how to make you taste it.

Blood on Her Tongue is a lush, slow-burning gothic horror that doesn’t scream—it whispers, coaxes, and chills. It’s the kind of book that doesn’t just ask for your attention—it earns it, one eerie, fog-soaked page at a time.

From the first chapter, I was trapped in a world of bogs, brittle cold, creeping ivy, and a house that feels like it breathes. The atmosphere is so vivid it might as well reach through the pages and brush against your skin. Every detail—rain sliding down old glass, whispers down narrow halls, the pulse of something not quite right beneath the surface—was soaked in dread and beauty.

This isn’t horror for the impatient. It simmers. Builds. Tightens. And when it hits? It hits. Each chapter delivers a sliver of unease, a carefully placed clue, a deeper descent. Gothic fans, you’re in for a feast.

I’ve read Van Veen before, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s this: she doesn’t miss. She writes with elegance and quiet menace, and this book is no exception.

A deliciously moody, sinister triumph. I’m honored to have read it before release. Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Johanna for the opportunity♥️

Johanna van Veen has become a must-read author for me. Blood on Her Tongue has all the hallmarks of a gothic novel with 100% more body horror and a dash of spice. The audiobook narration was perfect and made for a thrilling escapist read.

Lucy is caring for her sister, Sarah, who has went mad and obsessed with the life of the corpse found on her husband’s land.

Lucy is set in avoiding Sarah being sent to a facility, but in order to do that she has to get to the bottom of her illness. This will take uncovering the secrets that Sarah is clearly hiding.

Sarah becomes dangerous, angry, acting more animal than human as she becomes obviously possessed by something and Lucy (and me) continues to wonder what the hell is going on…

I don’t even know what to say other than I had no idea what was going on for most of this book, but I did enjoy it. Does that make sense ? No, and neither does this book but it’s also somehow entertaining and kind of great. Totally original and the narrator was EXCELLENT !!

Eerie, dark, gothic, (not romance), and gory / unsettling. Lots of descriptive body horror. I don’t even know how to rate this it was so bizarre, going with 3 stars bec I’m still processing.

Thanks to NetGalley and RBMedia for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 6/3/25.

I was lucky to listen to the excellent narration by Emily Tucker and loved every gory second.

Lucy goes to see her sick twin, Sarah, who is obsessed with the freshly dug up body of a woman, buried in a bog on the property for centuries. Lucy, who has lived in Sarah's shadow all her life, and who has been in love with Sarah's husband for a long time, watches in horror as her sister's health continues to decline.

I don't want to spoil anything because honestly, this book needs to be experienced, but every word and every violent, horrific moment were so utterly captivating that I finished this in one day.

I read the ARC of Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen and was so excited to listen to the ALC. Emily Tucker was a fantastic narrator. She brought the text to life and now I know the pronunciation of words I didn’t know before. The story was as dark and disturbing as I remembered. ALC was provided by Tantor Audio via NetGalley. I received an audiobook listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is the definition of gothic horror! The pen in the eye scene was hands down my favorite!! The description of it was gross and unsettling and absolutely wonderful! The narrator for the audiobook did an excellent job! Their voice matched the era of this book so perfectly! I can’t recommend this one and My Darling Dreadful Thing enough!!!

I was so excited for this book but ended up kind of disappointed. I found myself consistently desiring more. Simply put, for me, this book was lacking. I still enjoyed it enough to finish it, but that's about it.

I received a gifted copy. This review is honest and voluntary.

Blood on Her Tongue is an atmospheric and chilling exploration of madness, secrets, and the macabre in 19th-century Netherlands. Van Veen masterfully crafts a haunting tale that keeps you guessing at every turn. Lucy’s desperate attempt to save her sister Sarah from a mysterious and horrifying fate pulls readers into a world where the line between sanity and monstrosity blurs. The eerie setting and the discovery of the centuries-old corpse add a Gothic touch that heightens the suspense. Sarah’s disturbing transformation—from silent obsession to violent hunger—keeps the tension tight and the dread constant. Lucy’s own secrets intertwine with her sister’s curse, creating a layered narrative filled with twists and unsettling revelations. While some moments lean heavily into horror tropes, the richly detailed atmosphere and compelling characters elevate the story beyond mere fright. It’s a compelling read for fans of historical horror and dark psychological thrillers. Overall, Blood on Her Tongue delivers a visceral, thought-provoking experience that lingers long after the last page.

Blood on her Tongue by Johanna van Veen 4 ⭐️! Lucy is sent letters about her twin sister Sarah’s mysterious illness. Sarah has been diagnosed with insanity due to a fever of the brain. Sarah has become obsessed with a bog body found on her husband’s property and speaks of it as if it is still alive and…hungry. Lucy tries to figure out the mystery of her sister’s illness and what led up to her insanity to keep her from being sent to an asylum. But then strange things happen and I’m not going to say what cause I don’t want to spoil it! This was so atmospheric! A Victorian gothic tale with mysteries, gore, and a very unique take on vampires if that’s what the creature in the book is? I’m honestly not 100% sure lol There is also some LGBTQ+ representation in it 🏳️‍🌈. The audiobook was very well done! I do find British accents harder to hold my attention, that’s just a me thing but that was why I gave it 4 stars. I felt bored at times. The narrator did a great job giving each character their own voice and feelings! It also seemed like there was a somewhat long wait between chapters? Even with me listening at 1.75x speed it felt like there were long pauses between each chapter.

3.5❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

This is so fun!!

We are following twin sisters Lucy & Sarah. Lucy gets a couple of letters from her sister Sarah and let’s just say it’s concerning.! Then she gets a letter from her sisters husband and decides it’s time to head home.

Once she is there several things are discovered. Lucy and Sarah have to decide how far they are willing to go to keep their bond unbreakable.

I love vampires ☑️
I love sisters ☑️
I love anything gothic ☑️

I do think that the world needed to be built more. It didn’t ✨feel✨ like a gothic atmosphere as much as it could have IMO.

Annnnd I would have loved to have more character development in our characters to feel a close attachment to them.

BUT

All of that said, this was SO FUN!! The audio book narrator did a FANTASTIC job!

Thank you Netgalley && Tantor Audio for the ALC!

Thank you NetGalley for an audio ARC for this book. Before you read it you MUST READ THE AUTHORS NOTE! Because I can see people hating it because of the misogyny.

Holy eyeballing Batman. This book was bloody awesome! The men in this book were horrible. This book shows you there is nothing like a sister's love.

This was such a fun twisty story. And the perfect ending. I loved it. The sisters willing to do whatever to keep each other safe was everything.

Johanna van Veen doesn’t waste any time with Blood on Her Tongue. It is an atypical gothic horror in that it is satisfyingly creepy quite early on. I don’t mind the other slow burn stories (usually), but I did really enjoy the eerie atmosphere that surfaced quickly here.

I liked that the most disturbing aspects of this story weren’t the gruesome body horror scenes, but instead, the overt misogyny, societal expectations of women, and the fragility of every woman‘s freedom. I think that this was well illustrated throughout, with a shocking conclusion that raises this question: What choice does a woman have when choice was never a thing she was granted?

I did waver on my final rating simply because I felt some disappointment with the story around the 60% mark. Suspense had been slayed in exchange for a long winded exchange between the sisters to explain what was going on. I think this would have worked better if the reader was able to slowly uncover the truth alongside Lucy. Instead, what we learn feels akin to an info dump, and that isn’t exceptional storytelling.

However, when I considered the story as a whole, its message mattered, and it certainly provoked emotion from me. I love horror with social commentary, and I found the way van Veen choose to illustrate her point addictive and unique.

I am immensely grateful to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Poisoned Pen Press for my copy. All opinions are my own.

This book seriously creeped me out an there were moments that downright grossed me out (IYKYK), but I couldn’t get enough of the eerie, gothic atmosphere. It offers a unique and unsettling exploration of mental illness and the treatment of women during a time when simply being “difficult” could get you labeled as insane by the men.
As twin sisters Sarah and Lucy strive to hang on to their codependent relationship and equally struggle with mental illness, they also find themselves entangled with a sinister force that begins to consume Sarah, and soon sets its sights on Lucy. There’s a subtle vampire undertone that seemed to reel me into the story wondering what was actually happening. And the aspect that these sisters are willing to go to great lengths in order to protect one another was dark.
That said, there were definitely moments that had me thinking, what the actual hell is happening? The plot started to drift in unexpected directions, which made parts of the story feel a bit disjointed. Still, it’s an atmospheric and unsettling read for fans of dark gothic fiction.

*Thank you to Johanna van Veen, Tantor Audio and Netgalley for the ALC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5⭐️

I’m a fan of gothic horror and decided to try to take a dive and explore the darker and more gory side of the genre more to see if it was for me - and I appreciate the opportunity to do so! After listening, I’m not sure this level of horror is for me, so I’m approaching this review from the perspective of someone who can handle/enjoys this greater depth in the genre. First, Please mind the trigger warnings and take it seriously (particularly if eyeballs freak you out).

Second, I did enjoy a good amount of this book! I loved the writing style and descriptions and the communication through letters - I particularly thought the first act was exceptional. I appreciated the creepy atmosphere and the unique take on vampires. I’m also always here for female rage.

Third, these characters are absolutely unhinged and no one here is truly “good” (as is semi normal for the genre) - except the dog, the dog is perfect - but truly, this is crazy town over here. And the crazies do crazy things and react to things in crazy ways and either you like that or you don’t (personally it was a bit much for me).

I wished we’d gotten some more answers at the end and that the ending hadn’t been so rushed with loose ends. I just felt like there were more things that needed answers but I don’t even know what the questions would be?

Since it was an audiobook, I did like the narrator - there were some truly theatrical performative moments, particularly in the first letter which made for such a strong opening. I struggled with the voice not always being alters enough between characters so I sometimes lost track of who was speaking.

Thanks so much again for giving readers like me the chance to further explore genres!

Definitely not a book that is meant for a lighthearted read, though I knew that going into this listen! If you love gothic horror, and everything creepy and twisted this is the book for you. Though if you are squeamish, I would maybe skip this one because body horror is a big part of this one. It is very much one that I would be selective about who I recommended it to. Though that being said I truly enjoyed this book. The narrator did a fabulous job setting the tone and creating an atmosphere that made you want to listen!

4.5/5

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

Sarah has been working with one of the bog bodies that has just recently been unearthed. When she begins to hear a voice in her mind of a woman and starts dreaming of the woman they pulled out of the bog, she's afraid she's losing her mind. Now, a little crazy, her sister Lucy comes in to take care of her. But Sarah begins mentioning that there's something else in her head with her, and Lucy doesn't know what to think of her sister. As signs of something more supernatural going on begin to add up, Lucy needs to decide just how important family is, and the lengths she'll go to to protect them.

Vampires and parasites and weird body horror galore, this book had a little bit of everything in it. I like this take on vampires and the idea that it's not necessarily a disease but a parasite that consumes the person, then taking their place, was such an interesting concept. It's almost like creating the perfect predator, and it was just fantastically done. The whole relationship dynamic between Sarah and Lucy was well written, especially as you watch everything play out and you start to feel that anxiety and anger that Lucy and Sarah are both feeling. It gets under your skin and makes you need to keep going to find out what's going to happen. I like the whole plot from the discovery of the body all the way to the end, and I thought setting it in 1887 really drives home the paranoia Lucy begins to feel, especially as to how much she can talk about what's going on with the men in the house because back then women were locked away for a lot less, and so her having to work around that and also deal with what's happening... you really get that feeling of helplessness that she feels towards the situation, and it just takes off from there. I was stunned with how much I enjoyed this book.

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

This is a dark, creepy Gothic novel with seriously disturbing images. A different, feminist take on Dracula, Lucy’s twin sister Sarah has been losing her mind after cutting herself with the teeth of a “bog body.” Lucy rushes to her side to help and sees her transformation. The audiobook performance by Emily Tucker is amazing, as she gives voice to these two incredibly developed characters. I loved how the author portrays the love between the sisters. The petty grudges and jealousies, all those things we do because we’re human and hurt the ones we love the most. Lucy and Sarah have both harmed each other, but their love and devotion are deep and, more than vampires or murder, this is the main theme of this book. The way women were treated in Victorian times is another important theme. The pervasive fear of being put in a “nuthouse” if you misbehaved, or were too sad at losing your child was worse than the horror of vampirism. This sounds heavy-handed, but it isn’t. The plot is horrific, full of death and much gore, but so addictive that I couldn’t stop reading. Again, Tucker’s narration helps, she plays all the voices so well that it’s always easy to know who’s talking. So, it is not a light read, but it is an enjoyable one.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Tantor Audio.

This one falls squarely into the “fine, but forgettable” category for me. The premise had bite and the beginning set the stage for something intense and eerie, but somewhere along the way, it lost a bit of its edge. I kept waiting for the tension to snap or for a big moment to pull me back in, but my attention drifted more than once.

That said, the audiobook narration was solid. The narrator brought a steady, moody atmosphere that definitely helped immerse me when the story did grab me. It’s not a bad book—there were some genuinely interesting moments and the writing had potential—but overall, it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression.

If you’re in the mood for something dark and atmospheric to have on in the background, this might still be worth a shot. Just don’t go in expecting it to haunt you after.