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dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Misogyny, Self harm, Blood, Cannibalism
Moderate: Child death, Sexism, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, Cannibalism
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse
dark
fast-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Misogyny, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Suicide attempt
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Blood on Her Tongue is vampire horror as it was always meant to be: marked by excess in all aspects. It is seductive past the point of enjoyment to the point of frantic pain; curiosity-inducing to the point of relentless obsession; decadent, but like a fruit on the knife’s edge between ripe and rotting. As you may have guessed, I really loved this book.
From a craft perspective, Van Veen’s prose is clean and haunting, and blends well with the gothic themes of stagnation and decay. It isn’t anachronistic, and rather lends itself to the suspension of disbelief and allows the focus of the narrative to be on the protagonist Lucy’s character arc or the story’s plot progression. There are lovely turns of phrase, but never is the prose purple, and I think the most effective passages are when the focus is on the visceral (I’d say “the body horror scenes”, but that would be ignoring that the sex scenes have much the same effect of forcing the reader to look at something uncomfortable).
I was also a big fan of the thematic resonances of this story. It’s one deeply centered on the nuances of womanhood, and what the right sorts of it are (given the socio cultural context of the setting). We get glimpses of the criminalization of queer identity (Aunt Adelheid’s institutionalization), socioeconomic realities (whether one is a disabled widow with no family who must pay for companionship to get by, or an impoverished relation who’s too highborn to work but must still rely on a male relative’s charity to maintain one’s lifestyle, or a serving woman, or a wife who’s husband is a philanderer and chauvinist, there’s no outcome where a woman’s financial position is truly secure and independent), the axis of sexuality/desire (Lucy’s desire for Michael is shameful and mirrors her sister’s ill and perverse thoughts about the bog woman), and so much more, all as a secondary focus to the horror. Or, rather, a glimpse of a horror story all the more haunting for its roots in reality.
The horror of the story was brilliantly done. The unsettling closeness of the sisters, the weirdness of the supporting cast, all of the characterization lends to the things feeling slightly… off. Couple that with a rainy, boggy landscape, a gloomy old mansion, and the Heroic era of medicine making it so attempts to fix medical catastrophes just make them worse, and you have one spooky setting. The suspenseful pace made the 300+ pages of the book fly by even as the body- and psychological horror scenes kept me rooted in place.
Most of all, I loved Lucy as a protagonist. I loved the places where she was steadfast to the point of madness, especially because they contrasted the many places where she was passive, and her inaction caused problems to escalate. I love her blind devotion to her sister, and the way she’s ready to love ugly things but shies away from the gentle, easy ones if they’re not what she truly wants. Her consistent nature made it so her choices were easy to see coming even as they escalated in intensity, which was a point of anchoring and comfort for me as I made my way through the disquieting world/plot (yes, even when Lucy’s actions were themselves disquieting!).
I recommend Blood on Her Tongue for fans of A Dowry in Blood, Paris Paloma’s song “Labour”, and any woman who’s felt her skin to be a cage in our patriarchal society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism
Moderate: Child death, Forced institutionalization
Every author who writes stories about obsessive devoted siblings: thank you, I love you. This book was...just so good. So good. Lucy and Sarah are twins, and only recently have lived separately. Sarah is now married and Lucy lives elsewhere as a companion for an elderly widow. Then a series of distressing letters arrives announcing Sarah's decent into illness (and insanity, perhaps). This book is so deeply potent in its portrayal of grief, loyalty, jealousy, everything wrapped up in the entanglement of siblings - especially siblings as close as twins usually are. At one point a character remarks that Sarah's husband would feel a deeper grief than Lucy at Sarah's death and Lucy is deeply taken aback and upset by this, something I found I understood so deeply. This is a bloody, messy vampire-ish story with a core of fathomless love to it and I couldn't put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual violence
There is extremely graphic eye gore/trauma in two separate scenes, as well as repeated descriptions of the aftermath of a severe eye injury.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal cruelty
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
historical Gothic horror is definitely a genre i didn't think I'd touch to be honest, but I was drawn in by the pretty dog on the cover (pasja). I was gripped in by the question of, what was really happening or was it all in the main character (Lucy's) head? the combination of mental health mistreatment of the later years and the prospects of a parasite taking over (vampirism) it definitely gives nosferatu vibes. I will advise that some scenes are not for the weak stomached, I had to put this book down a lot to keep myself from being sick; with that being said, I've never liked gore and I still kept reading. this book is nuts, but was very enjoyable for those who love a good vampire historical tale!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is, in fact, a very unconventional story. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, I was thrown for a loop.
I hate every single one of these people: they are horrible to each other and they do terrible things. But I really liked the plot - full of details and little things that made me want to keep reading and for a (somehow) "happy" ending. I particularly enjoyed the dynamics between the twin sisters: despite everything they really love each other.
I really want to read other books by this author.
I hate every single one of these people: they are horrible to each other and they do terrible things. But I really liked the plot - full of details and little things that made me want to keep reading and for a (somehow) "happy" ending. I particularly enjoyed the dynamics between the twin sisters: despite everything they really love each other.
I really want to read other books by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Blood on Her Tongue was one of the most anticipated reads of the year and I can say that it did not disappoint me.
I REALLY liked the atmosphere and the author's writing in this book. Apart from the part about the asylums, which is not entirely true to period the story is on (but the author made this very clear in one of her interviews), I think that van Heen managed to perfectly convey the gothic and disgusting tone of the time.
And all the credit goes to Johanna's writing, which managed to capture so well the small details that paint a vivid picture of the time and the sinister world that the characters find themselves in. All the descriptions of smells, feelings and textures are rich enough to keep you hooked on the story, but without embellishments that make the reading exhausting with the speech of the time.
I can see the criticism when some people say that the characters serve specific roles and seem to have no other desires, but I honestly didn't mind that.
I find the discussion of the role of women when we talk about their feelings and madness extremely interesting.
It was very interesting for me to see the dynamics between the four main characters.
We have Sarah, the sister with a dominant role, the determined woman, smarter than many men and also a sapphic woman. Three things that are not well regarded by society at the time.
Lucy, the submissive, quiet sister, but no less observant than her twin.
Michael, Sarah's husband, the typical misogynist.
Arthur, the doctor who is the twins' childhood friend, but who belittles their feelings when they are placed above his own.
I think it's cool how the author decided to treat the sisters' relationship, as well as that of the men.
Lucy doesn't live much beyond the self-imposed role of Sarah's shadow. The author comments in an interview that it is intentional the way Lucy becomes a completely different person when she sees her life and dynamic with Sarah threatened by other people. Having lived with twin cousins, I understand the relationship.
The dynamic between Michael and Arthur was also interesting to me. Arthur supposedly hates Michael, but they get together whenever they feel their masculinity is affected. Michael feels that the suffering of others is actually less than his, and Arthur puts his wishes above others, even if it means the detriment of the twins' feelings.
The part that I like most about these relationships is the way that anger and feminine feelings are confused with insanity throughout the reading.
The twins' aunt was put in a mental institution when her girlfriend left and she felt the weight of loneliness. The sapphic role in the book is not the focus, but it is another of the things that was not tolerated at the time.
The parts that stuck with me the most are those in which Lucy's opinions are treated with condescension.
Even when she commits crimes at the end, it is impossible for the characters to understand that it was not Sarah, the more assertive sister, who committed them.
This is a topic discussed in Tori Telfer's "Lady Killers", which opens up discussions about how several female serial killers managed to go unnoticed for so long precisely because the people around them did not believe in the type of planning that women calculate, and not only because of their feelings.
Female rage as hysteria and the inability to see their sinister words as a marker for their future actions.
In addition to these discussions, the supernatural side of the book is a delight. I LOVED the way the author talks about the mystery of bog bodies here and how she portrays vampirism more as a parasitic relationship than a supernatural one. Sarah doesn't act like a regular vampire and I was super intrigued by everything she did. The way she acts and how the parasite behaves are super interesting.
I really like the direction of the story, despite it being predictable.
With all this, I would already be satisfied with the book, but I think my favorite part is the same thing that fascinated me so much in Soma, the 2015 horror game.
The way of dealing with existence is very similar in both works and I'm completely crazy about this portrayal of existential dread. In the game, the characters live on an uninhabitable Earth and in order to be transported to space, they need to make copies of themselves, often leaving their past selves behind.
In Blood on Her Tongue, the parasite's relationship with Sarah is almost the same.She dies and the parasite takes over, even though it still has Sarah's memories and feelings.
The question of "if you were copied (and in this book, taken over by another living being), would you still be you?" is one of the questions I love to debate the most.
I can never find a definitive answer and I find this subject extremely complex.
If a parasite takes over your body, but still has your memories and feelings, are you the parasite or do you no longer exist? If it takes over your brain, is it still yours, even with your past self in it? If our memories make us us, what happens if another being takes over our memories and acts like us, inside our own bodies? If we are no longer ourselves, what exactly died so we can say that we no longer exist?
The main character of Soma, Simon, at a certain point in the game (it is not the end of the game!) copies himself into another body and has to let his other self die, just as Sarah exists even after she dies.
This brief moment when there are two versions of a single person is very fascinating to me. I still can't find the line between what makes a person who they are when there is a "before" and an "after" coexisting.
I could talk about this subject for HOURS. The book is extremely well written and I would have enjoyed it anyway, but it also happened to have one of my favorite subjects.
For those who like a book with family relationships, a gothic atmosphere, vampires, lots of gore and writing that transports you back in time, I highly recommend Blood on Her Tongue. For those who like to wonder about our existence the book also sprinkles some of this debate in the mix.
I REALLY liked the atmosphere and the author's writing in this book. Apart from the part about the asylums, which is not entirely true to period the story is on (but the author made this very clear in one of her interviews), I think that van Heen managed to perfectly convey the gothic and disgusting tone of the time.
And all the credit goes to Johanna's writing, which managed to capture so well the small details that paint a vivid picture of the time and the sinister world that the characters find themselves in. All the descriptions of smells, feelings and textures are rich enough to keep you hooked on the story, but without embellishments that make the reading exhausting with the speech of the time.
I can see the criticism when some people say that the characters serve specific roles and seem to have no other desires, but I honestly didn't mind that.
I find the discussion of the role of women when we talk about their feelings and madness extremely interesting.
It was very interesting for me to see the dynamics between the four main characters.
We have Sarah, the sister with a dominant role, the determined woman, smarter than many men and also a sapphic woman. Three things that are not well regarded by society at the time.
Lucy, the submissive, quiet sister, but no less observant than her twin.
Michael, Sarah's husband, the typical misogynist.
Arthur, the doctor who is the twins' childhood friend, but who belittles their feelings when they are placed above his own.
I think it's cool how the author decided to treat the sisters' relationship, as well as that of the men.
Lucy doesn't live much beyond the self-imposed role of Sarah's shadow. The author comments in an interview that it is intentional the way Lucy becomes a completely different person when she sees her life and dynamic with Sarah threatened by other people. Having lived with twin cousins, I understand the relationship.
The dynamic between Michael and Arthur was also interesting to me. Arthur supposedly hates Michael, but they get together whenever they feel their masculinity is affected. Michael feels that the suffering of others is actually less than his, and Arthur puts his wishes above others, even if it means the detriment of the twins' feelings.
The part that I like most about these relationships is the way that anger and feminine feelings are confused with insanity throughout the reading.
The twins' aunt was put in a mental institution when her girlfriend left and she felt the weight of loneliness. The sapphic role in the book is not the focus, but it is another of the things that was not tolerated at the time.
The parts that stuck with me the most are those in which Lucy's opinions are treated with condescension.
Even when she commits crimes at the end, it is impossible for the characters to understand that it was not Sarah, the more assertive sister, who committed them.
This is a topic discussed in Tori Telfer's "Lady Killers", which opens up discussions about how several female serial killers managed to go unnoticed for so long precisely because the people around them did not believe in the type of planning that women calculate, and not only because of their feelings.
Female rage as hysteria and the inability to see their sinister words as a marker for their future actions.
In addition to these discussions, the supernatural side of the book is a delight. I LOVED the way the author talks about the mystery of bog bodies here and how she portrays vampirism more as a parasitic relationship than a supernatural one. Sarah doesn't act like a regular vampire and I was super intrigued by everything she did. The way she acts and how the parasite behaves are super interesting.
I really like the direction of the story, despite it being predictable.
With all this, I would already be satisfied with the book, but I think my favorite part is the same thing that fascinated me so much in Soma, the 2015 horror game.
The way of dealing with existence is very similar in both works and I'm completely crazy about this portrayal of existential dread. In the game, the characters live on an uninhabitable Earth and in order to be transported to space, they need to make copies of themselves, often leaving their past selves behind.
In Blood on Her Tongue, the parasite's relationship with Sarah is almost the same.
The question of "if you were copied (and in this book, taken over by another living being), would you still be you?" is one of the questions I love to debate the most.
I can never find a definitive answer and I find this subject extremely complex.
If a parasite takes over your body, but still has your memories and feelings, are you the parasite or do you no longer exist? If it takes over your brain, is it still yours, even with your past self in it? If our memories make us us, what happens if another being takes over our memories and acts like us, inside our own bodies? If we are no longer ourselves, what exactly died so we can say that we no longer exist?
The main character of Soma, Simon, at a certain point in the game (it is not the end of the game!) copies himself into another body and has to let his other self die, just as Sarah exists even after she dies.
This brief moment when there are two versions of a single person is very fascinating to me. I still can't find the line between what makes a person who they are when there is a "before" and an "after" coexisting.
I could talk about this subject for HOURS. The book is extremely well written and I would have enjoyed it anyway, but it also happened to have one of my favorite subjects.
For those who like a book with family relationships, a gothic atmosphere, vampires, lots of gore and writing that transports you back in time, I highly recommend Blood on Her Tongue. For those who like to wonder about our existence the book also sprinkles some of this debate in the mix.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Vomit, Medical content
Minor: Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to absolutely love this book. Unfortunately it just didn’t click with me. It was often very slow moving and I found myself questioning where the story could go. I could not stand Lucy or Sarah. Lucy is obsessed with her sister to an extremely disturbing level and I found myself just questioning everything. This was set in 1887 Netherlands but was written in today’s modern language and it felt a bit disjointed.
This is just my opinion and I still recommend giving this a read if it sounds like your cup of tea.
This is just my opinion and I still recommend giving this a read if it sounds like your cup of tea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis