Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was pretty excited to read this book, because it sounded like everything I love. In the end, I was both disappointed and positively surprised.
First, for the things I loved: The concept is so interesting! This book draws heavily on the vampire tradition but doesn't only limit itself to the obvious (Dracula, Carmilla). There's some cool revenant folk lore and science influences as well, all grounded in a pretty convincing historical setting. There's sapphics (so many sapphics, guys!!) and having just finished Hungerstone, a Carmilla retelling, I was so happy to get not one but two sapphic vampire stories within the same month! What a wonderful surprise.
For things that I didn't enjoy: the writing wasn't as evocative as I would have liked. For a gothic, I have pretty high expectations when it comes to atmosphere and the creeping sense of dread as the mystery unfolds but this book unfortunately fell on the weaker end of the spectrum. Also, there was a heavy dose of bigotry voiced through many side characters, and while I do believe that it was meant to make a point (about the times, womanhood, etc), I personally found it made the reading experience a little less enjoyable, since it was just too heavy-handed for my taste.
All in all, I do recommend this though. The story offers a fresh approach to a very old topic, the ending felt very well deserved and I am looking forward to whatever the author writes next.
First, for the things I loved: The concept is so interesting! This book draws heavily on the vampire tradition but doesn't only limit itself to the obvious (Dracula, Carmilla). There's some cool revenant folk lore and science influences as well, all grounded in a pretty convincing historical setting. There's sapphics (so many sapphics, guys!!) and having just finished Hungerstone, a Carmilla retelling, I was so happy to get not one but two sapphic vampire stories within the same month! What a wonderful surprise.
For things that I didn't enjoy: the writing wasn't as evocative as I would have liked. For a gothic, I have pretty high expectations when it comes to atmosphere and the creeping sense of dread as the mystery unfolds but this book unfortunately fell on the weaker end of the spectrum. Also, there was a heavy dose of bigotry voiced through many side characters, and while I do believe that it was meant to make a point (about the times, womanhood, etc), I personally found it made the reading experience a little less enjoyable, since it was just too heavy-handed for my taste.
All in all, I do recommend this though. The story offers a fresh approach to a very old topic, the ending felt very well deserved and I am looking forward to whatever the author writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
She knew instinctively and hotly that she would destroy anyone who dared to hurt her sister.
This was so nasty. I loved it.
The atmosphere was so, so beautifully written. So very gothic and moody. Even when everything crumbled and hell broke loose. Ah, sisterly love.
For those who need to know what happens to the dog (a minor character but who is so prominent on the cover):she lives, presumably getting a happy ending in a loving home, and is mostly unscathed aside from some injuries gained from one scene .
This was so nasty. I loved it.
The atmosphere was so, so beautifully written. So very gothic and moody. Even when everything crumbled and hell broke loose. Ah, sisterly love.
For those who need to know what happens to the dog (a minor character but who is so prominent on the cover):
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Pregnancy
challenging
dark
emotional
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
well written, kept me hooked. perharps i would've liked it more if i wasn't an only child and could fully understand the bond between siblings; as it is, it was an enjoyable book, with a good amount of gore and plot along with the main character's introspection.
4 stars bc i can't really think of a reason why i didn't love it other than vibes and the overall rating shouldn't suffer bc of that
4 stars bc i can't really think of a reason why i didn't love it other than vibes and the overall rating shouldn't suffer bc of that
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Child abuse
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It wasn't bad, but I don't think it was my cup of tea. It felt like the characters were sort of just thrown at me and none of their decisions really made much sense. But in that way it also felt nice to engage with reading that I wasn't 100% on board with 100% of the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cannibalism
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Arc provided by Netgalley
This novel establishes itself as a leading player in the current world of gothic writing, appealing to iconic and well-established tropes but removing us from their expected routes to lead readers into a horrific, gory and thrilling story that grips onto your attention and refuses to let go.
I loved this book. It gave me everything and more I could have wanted, and leaved enough room to surprise and shock me with every page. As an avid lover of the gothic, mostly classic Victorian gothic, it’s a pleasure to see a modern gothic novel take on the genre in a way that feels refreshing and familiar in one fall swoop.
Honestly, I hesitate so say too much because this book does more than enough to draw you in with as little prior information as possible. All I shall say is if you love gothic horror, pick this book up.
This novel establishes itself as a leading player in the current world of gothic writing, appealing to iconic and well-established tropes but removing us from their expected routes to lead readers into a horrific, gory and thrilling story that grips onto your attention and refuses to let go.
I loved this book. It gave me everything and more I could have wanted, and leaved enough room to surprise and shock me with every page. As an avid lover of the gothic, mostly classic Victorian gothic, it’s a pleasure to see a modern gothic novel take on the genre in a way that feels refreshing and familiar in one fall swoop.
Honestly, I hesitate so say too much because this book does more than enough to draw you in with as little prior information as possible. All I shall say is if you love gothic horror, pick this book up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism
Moderate: Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Murder
Minor: Sexual content, Lesbophobia
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Blood, Cannibalism
Moderate: Child death, Self harm, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal cruelty
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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, Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Cannibalism
Moderate: Child death, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Forced institutionalization
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If you can't handle lots of blood or eyeball...things, this is probably not the book for you. It does have a theme of queerness (sapphic).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content
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