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dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
I don't consider myself a horror reader, but I adored this book. I loved the different philosophical questions it brought up and I felt like it had a really satisfying ending. I also loved how gruesome it is; the depictions of violence were delicious. Lucy was such an interesting main character and the way that the main mystery unfurled was so intriguing.
I don't think I can really talk about this book properly without spoilers, so here we go!I love how the message at the end with Arthur is like "Yes, even that man. A man is a man!" Because yeah. A man is a man. (I do know men that I love and trust, but you could just tell that Arthur was on some patriarchal bullshit.) I also thought the question of whether or not the being was "Sarah" was a really interesting direction to take this story. I liked how it resulted in (almost) all of the women in the story working together and it just felt like a unique take on this type of story.
Overall, I just really liked this book and I think that as long as you're not squeamish, you'll really like it, too.
Thank you to Sourcebooks and Poisoned Pen Press for the free finished copy.
I don't think I can really talk about this book properly without spoilers, so here we go!
Overall, I just really liked this book and I think that as long as you're not squeamish, you'll really like it, too.
Thank you to Sourcebooks and Poisoned Pen Press for the free finished copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read this ARC!
This is Johanna van Veen's second published novel that took her five years to write, and it is so incredibly good. It's dark and gory and twisted, but also witty and sweet and unique.
There are parts that made me uncomfortable with how descriptive they were, and parts that I reread 3-4 times for how beautifully they were written.
This is Johanna van Veen's second published novel that took her five years to write, and it is so incredibly good. It's dark and gory and twisted, but also witty and sweet and unique.
There are parts that made me uncomfortable with how descriptive they were, and parts that I reread 3-4 times for how beautifully they were written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Delicious gothic horror with an almost nauseating erotic tone
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical trauma
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
**Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press/NetGalley/Johanna van Veen for this Digital ARC of Blood on her Tongue. Expected pub date March 25, 2025.**
Johanna van Veen has done it again, I just adore her writing. She has a way of enchanting you, which keeps you invested in the story from beginning to end. This Gothic Sapphic Vampire novel is truly unique, I can honestly say that I've not read anything like it in the vampire genre.
Johanna van Veen has done it again, I just adore her writing. She has a way of enchanting you, which keeps you invested in the story from beginning to end. This Gothic Sapphic Vampire novel is truly unique, I can honestly say that I've not read anything like it in the vampire genre.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Blood
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks NetGalley for the arc!
Read this one if you love The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, Dracula, T. Kingfishers works and books like Leech by Hiron Ennes.
Summary:
Sarah, Lucys twin sister, discovers a bog body on the grounds of her estate. Fascinated by the morbid and in love with with science, she becomes obsessed with the "bog woman", watching her autopsy and mentioning her frantically in writing to her sister. Two weeks later, Lucy receives a letter letting her know that her sister is plagues by a sickness - similar to a burst "insanity" that has befallen her once before.
After the commitment of their aunt to a mental asylum, Sarah and Lucy are deathly afraid of the same future awaiting Sarah.
Lucy rushes to Sarahs sickbed, but it becomes more and more clear that some kinds of sickness cannot be healed - if you could even call Sarahs state of mind a sickness...
This one was fabulous. Lovely writing fitting for a novel set in the 19th century, a moody atmosphere found in the wetlands of the Netherlands, enticing, yet not always likeable characters and a healthy heap of eeriness made this book a lovely blend of everything slightly unsettling. I would not say this book is gruesome psycho horror, but it is definitely not for the faint of mind (or stomach.)
Between the chapters, we often find letters or articles giving us more insight in the characters and their surroundings. Whilst the twins were generally very loving towards each other, they both had huge flaws which made the book even more believable and interesting. Intersected with thoughts of the pull between whats wrong and what feels right, mostly our main characters have a lot of depth. Be warned that men, especially in the nineteenth century, were awful, so if you feel uncomfortable reading about a man thinking of an independent woman as unnatural, maybe skip this one (but remember that this also entails reading about badass independen.
I loved this slightly different interpretation of vampirism and enjoyed discovering every piece of information we could get our hands on.
This book was moody, eerie, fascinating and creepy - and I loved all of it!
Read this one if you love The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, Dracula, T. Kingfishers works and books like Leech by Hiron Ennes.
Summary:
Sarah, Lucys twin sister, discovers a bog body on the grounds of her estate. Fascinated by the morbid and in love with with science, she becomes obsessed with the "bog woman", watching her autopsy and mentioning her frantically in writing to her sister. Two weeks later, Lucy receives a letter letting her know that her sister is plagues by a sickness - similar to a burst "insanity" that has befallen her once before.
After the commitment of their aunt to a mental asylum, Sarah and Lucy are deathly afraid of the same future awaiting Sarah.
Lucy rushes to Sarahs sickbed, but it becomes more and more clear that some kinds of sickness cannot be healed - if you could even call Sarahs state of mind a sickness...
This one was fabulous. Lovely writing fitting for a novel set in the 19th century, a moody atmosphere found in the wetlands of the Netherlands, enticing, yet not always likeable characters and a healthy heap of eeriness made this book a lovely blend of everything slightly unsettling. I would not say this book is gruesome psycho horror, but it is definitely not for the faint of mind (or stomach.)
Between the chapters, we often find letters or articles giving us more insight in the characters and their surroundings. Whilst the twins were generally very loving towards each other, they both had huge flaws which made the book even more believable and interesting. Intersected with thoughts of the pull between whats wrong and what feels right, mostly our main characters have a lot of depth. Be warned that men, especially in the nineteenth century, were awful, so if you feel uncomfortable reading about a man thinking of an independent woman as unnatural, maybe skip this one (but remember that this also entails reading about badass independen.
I loved this slightly different interpretation of vampirism and enjoyed discovering every piece of information we could get our hands on.
This book was moody, eerie, fascinating and creepy - and I loved all of it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Blood on Her Tongue is a gothic horror novel dealing with the story of Lucy whose twin finds the body of a woman in a bog and then begins to act strangely.
Following classic gothic horror tropes, you will find a big mansion, pathetic fallacies, a foggy atmosphere, mad women, and bad husbands. But I was ultimately disappointed with what I was given. Every trope I should like is there but it fell short on the delivery. The story is a good one, you are given the keys to make out the twists before they happen if you want to figure them out. The themes are compelling, the characters are all distinct from one another and have different motivations and backstory. And yet I feel like the execution was liking. It could totally be a me thing don't get me wrong. Lucy, the main character, was just unlikable to me, she was not smart and was strung along by everyone else in the novel. I wish Sarah's and Katje's characters would have been more fleshed out because their relationship was interesting. The ending felt a bit too neat but it's also very "good for her" so maybe you will like it.
All in all it was a fine novel but I don't think I will remember it in the long run.
There were some gruesome descriptions about eye damage so be warned.
If you want to read a novel about (twin) sisters, what you would do for a loved one, someone coming back wrong, fighting the patriarchy, etc. This might just be the novel for you.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the book.
Following classic gothic horror tropes, you will find a big mansion, pathetic fallacies, a foggy atmosphere, mad women, and bad husbands. But I was ultimately disappointed with what I was given. Every trope I should like is there but it fell short on the delivery. The story is a good one, you are given the keys to make out the twists before they happen if you want to figure them out. The themes are compelling, the characters are all distinct from one another and have different motivations and backstory. And yet I feel like the execution was liking. It could totally be a me thing don't get me wrong. Lucy, the main character, was just unlikable to me, she was not smart and was strung along by everyone else in the novel. I wish Sarah's and Katje's characters would have been more fleshed out because their relationship was interesting. The ending felt a bit too neat but it's also very "good for her" so maybe you will like it.
All in all it was a fine novel but I don't think I will remember it in the long run.
There were some gruesome descriptions about eye damage so be warned.
If you want to read a novel about (twin) sisters, what you would do for a loved one, someone coming back wrong, fighting the patriarchy, etc. This might just be the novel for you.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
a fun read with interesting and imaginative vampire lore. i particularly enjoyed the atmosphere and tension in the first half of the book.
the second half, however, felt almost like a different book to me. the dialogue seemed much more modern, and once the mystery of the bog body was revealed, a lot of the suspense dissipated. still, it's a worthwhile read for anyone looking for a new take on vampires.
the second half, however, felt almost like a different book to me. the dialogue seemed much more modern, and once the mystery of the bog body was revealed, a lot of the suspense dissipated. still, it's a worthwhile read for anyone looking for a new take on vampires.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
the dog is fine. the author covers trigger warnings in the introduction as well.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Title: “Blood on her Tongue” by Johanna van Veen
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary: When Lucy receives a letter, saying her twin sister, Sarah, is unwell, she rushes to her side. Sarah is bed ridden and seems to be going through an episode, which could see her being committed to an asylum. Fearful for her sister's sanity, Lucy decides to try and understand what's caused her sister's illness and how to help her.
Thoughts: This is an ARC from Netgalley and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
I enjoyed this book a lot. Very gothic, and reminded me a little of “Crimson Peak”. With the atmosphere and the story, I was hooked.
I wanted to know what was going on, and what actually happened with Sarah. The story revolves mostly around Lucy, with diary entries, letters and newspaper articles now and then.
It's not what I was expecting but I still couldn't put it down. The twists were great, and the build up of some scenes was tense. I flinched at one point during a scene; it's well described.
The plot can be heavy but thankfully the author has put in some content warnings in the author's note, which I always appreciate. I think for me, the ending was kind of abrupt, but I would happily read this again.
Good luck to the author, and thank you again to NetGalley for the ARC. I believe this title comes out: 25th March 2025.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summary: When Lucy receives a letter, saying her twin sister, Sarah, is unwell, she rushes to her side. Sarah is bed ridden and seems to be going through an episode, which could see her being committed to an asylum. Fearful for her sister's sanity, Lucy decides to try and understand what's caused her sister's illness and how to help her.
Thoughts: This is an ARC from Netgalley and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
I enjoyed this book a lot. Very gothic, and reminded me a little of “Crimson Peak”. With the atmosphere and the story, I was hooked.
I wanted to know what was going on, and what actually happened with Sarah. The story revolves mostly around Lucy, with diary entries, letters and newspaper articles now and then.
It's not what I was expecting but I still couldn't put it down. The twists were great, and the build up of some scenes was tense. I flinched at one point during a scene; it's well described.
The plot can be heavy but thankfully the author has put in some content warnings in the author's note, which I always appreciate. I think for me, the ending was kind of abrupt, but I would happily read this again.
Good luck to the author, and thank you again to NetGalley for the ARC. I believe this title comes out: 25th March 2025.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher
Lucy's twin Sarah has fallen gravely ill and no medical treatment seems to work. Sarah is feverish, incoherent, rejects food, and has grown obsessed with a bog body that was found on the property. Lucy fears that whatever afflicts her sister might not be only physical but mental, with insanity running in their family, and the prospect of sending Sarah to an asylum scares her beyond measure. As Sarah grows weaker, and stranger with dark bloody cravings, Lucy's suspicions turn to the supernatural as she tries her best to help her twin before it's too late.
Absolutely adored this. A different fun take on vampirism that had twists I never saw coming. The ambiance of this book was well managed, it had all the makings of a gothic horror. Specially liked the use of newspaper articles and letters, it made everything seem more real and like a world existed outside of the family state. Lucy and Sarah's toxic sibling relationship was the heart of this story and the author did an excellent job of portraying all the nuances that made their bond so strong and twisted. I hadn't read anything else by this author, but you bet I'm picking up the rest of her works now.
Lucy's twin Sarah has fallen gravely ill and no medical treatment seems to work. Sarah is feverish, incoherent, rejects food, and has grown obsessed with a bog body that was found on the property. Lucy fears that whatever afflicts her sister might not be only physical but mental, with insanity running in their family, and the prospect of sending Sarah to an asylum scares her beyond measure. As Sarah grows weaker, and stranger with dark bloody cravings, Lucy's suspicions turn to the supernatural as she tries her best to help her twin before it's too late.
Absolutely adored this. A different fun take on vampirism that had twists I never saw coming. The ambiance of this book was well managed, it had all the makings of a gothic horror. Specially liked the use of newspaper articles and letters, it made everything seem more real and like a world existed outside of the family state. Lucy and Sarah's toxic sibling relationship was the heart of this story and the author did an excellent job of portraying all the nuances that made their bond so strong and twisted. I hadn't read anything else by this author, but you bet I'm picking up the rest of her works now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Vomit
Minor: Child death
dark
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:
Complicated
Plot: 5
Characters: 4.5
Writing: 4.5
Entertainment:5
Overall: 4.75
Method: NetGalley (Thank you to everyone involved for allowing me to read the ARC of this book.)
This book was absolutely haunting. The small details really pushed it over the edge, for me. I’m a very squeamish person, and those gory body horror elements were just the perfect amount to make me uncomfortable and almost nauseous if I let the “movie” play in my mind too much, but they weren’t bad enough that I considered putting the book down. Despite a RAGING headache while reading this (it’s just now occurring to me I probably shouldn’t have read the entire thing on my phone) I powered through and read the entire thing in a day. I cannot remember the last time I read for so long straight. Typically I can only manage a couple hours at most.
This book just had all of the vibes. A creepy gothic manor in a dark spooky bog where they find an unidentifiable body buried in the most hauntingly peculiar fashion. The overall theme of madness set in a time where a woman could be deemed mad for… really anything. The message about the power of sisterhood and exactly how much you would endure for your sister.
On top of that, the characters were just so real. Every one of them were dynamic with clear motivations and different opinions. Even down side to characters like the lady on the train and another doctor who we only saw in a correspondence with one of the main characters. My only complaint isn’t even really a complaint, but I just feel like Lucy gave in to what was happening a hair too easily. She does wrestle with it, but I wanted to see just a little more.
I really could talk about this books for a while, but the last thing I’ll mention is the fact that I really didn’t know where anything in this story was going, and that’s so rare for me. I’m entirely too analytical when I read and it ruins the mysterious elements for me every time. But I actually had the distinct thought while I was reading this that I was having so much fun I didn’t actually WANT to try to guess what was going to happen. And even if I had, I wouldn’t have come up with half of the story. It was just beautifully crafted, and you can tell the author wasn’t just putting down whatever sounded good. She absolutely wrote this with intention.
I had never heard of this author before, though apparently her other work is very popular, so I suppose that’s going to have to go on my TBR for this year!
Characters: 4.5
Writing: 4.5
Entertainment:5
Overall: 4.75
Method: NetGalley (Thank you to everyone involved for allowing me to read the ARC of this book.)
This book was absolutely haunting. The small details really pushed it over the edge, for me. I’m a very squeamish person, and those gory body horror elements were just the perfect amount to make me uncomfortable and almost nauseous if I let the “movie” play in my mind too much, but they weren’t bad enough that I considered putting the book down. Despite a RAGING headache while reading this (it’s just now occurring to me I probably shouldn’t have read the entire thing on my phone) I powered through and read the entire thing in a day. I cannot remember the last time I read for so long straight. Typically I can only manage a couple hours at most.
This book just had all of the vibes. A creepy gothic manor in a dark spooky bog where they find an unidentifiable body buried in the most hauntingly peculiar fashion. The overall theme of madness set in a time where a woman could be deemed mad for… really anything. The message about the power of sisterhood and exactly how much you would endure for your sister.
On top of that, the characters were just so real. Every one of them were dynamic with clear motivations and different opinions. Even down side to characters like the lady on the train and another doctor who we only saw in a correspondence with one of the main characters. My only complaint isn’t even really a complaint, but I just feel like Lucy gave in to what was happening a hair too easily. She does wrestle with it, but I wanted to see just a little more.
I really could talk about this books for a while, but the last thing I’ll mention is the fact that I really didn’t know where anything in this story was going, and that’s so rare for me. I’m entirely too analytical when I read and it ruins the mysterious elements for me every time. But I actually had the distinct thought while I was reading this that I was having so much fun I didn’t actually WANT to try to guess what was going to happen. And even if I had, I wouldn’t have come up with half of the story. It was just beautifully crafted, and you can tell the author wasn’t just putting down whatever sounded good. She absolutely wrote this with intention.
I had never heard of this author before, though apparently her other work is very popular, so I suppose that’s going to have to go on my TBR for this year!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization
Minor: Child death, Death of parent