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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
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
Not exactly what I expected! I liked that this was a vampire book but with a special twist that added a certain uniqueness to such a common concept.
This book started off slow for me and I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it. If you feel that way, give it a chance because it really does pick up. The writing was beautiful, atmospheric, and unsettling. I loved reading about the bog and as weird as this is, the autopsied body. There was so much mystery surrounding the state of the body that was found.
The characters were complicated. I really couldn't decide if I liked them or not. I'm also never really a fan of infidelity under any circumstances unless there's a case of domestic abuse where the victim can't physically leave their abuser. But this wasn't that. The characters as a whole were generally unlikable. Specifically the male characters. I was confused on how to view Sarah throughout this story too.
Which feeds into my next point about the personal touch that this book took on vampirism. This wasn't a classic case of vampirism and I won't spoil it for you if you don't want to know. For those of you that are interested:this book takes on what they call a "tick." It has vampiric traits but it's more accurate to call it a parasite. The "tick" latches onto its host and essentially takes over the host's body. It consumes the memories of the host, basically becoming the essence of its victim. This is what had me so conflicted about Sarah. While it had consumed all of Sarah's memories and took on her traits, it still wasn't "Sarah." But what makes a person who they are? Their thoughts and memories? Lucy found herself struggling with this concept and I thought it was extremely interesting.
I also have to mention the gorgeous cover on this! The edition that I own has splayed edges with blood drips down the side. I'm obsessed!
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6703582181
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/3915815f-f072-4b88-86bd-3e9c3da9d8b3/share
This book started off slow for me and I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it. If you feel that way, give it a chance because it really does pick up. The writing was beautiful, atmospheric, and unsettling. I loved reading about the bog and as weird as this is, the autopsied body. There was so much mystery surrounding the state of the body that was found.
The characters were complicated. I really couldn't decide if I liked them or not. I'm also never really a fan of infidelity under any circumstances unless there's a case of domestic abuse where the victim can't physically leave their abuser. But this wasn't that. The characters as a whole were generally unlikable. Specifically the male characters. I was confused on how to view Sarah throughout this story too.
Which feeds into my next point about the personal touch that this book took on vampirism. This wasn't a classic case of vampirism and I won't spoil it for you if you don't want to know. For those of you that are interested:
I also have to mention the gorgeous cover on this! The edition that I own has splayed edges with blood drips down the side. I'm obsessed!
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6703582181
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/3915815f-f072-4b88-86bd-3e9c3da9d8b3/share
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm going to be spending the rest of my life trying not to think too hard about eyeballs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Mental illness, Suicide, Cannibalism, Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Yes
*Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC! All opinions are my own.*
This book was a RIDE. I had to sit with it for a couple days before reviewing to collect my thoughts. I definitely enjoyed my time reading this book. It was twisty and more than once, I found myself physically tensing up and having to catch my breath while reading which is always a good sign. It’s unique in its tone and I’m far-stretched to think of a read alike in my personal experience. This book is fast-paced, the characters are complex and engaging (and next to impossible to like almost the entire time - by design, of course). The descent into madness that occurs throughout this plot is a marvel to watch. There’s themes of codependency, adultery, narcissism, and some just plain gross body horror. It also gave me some freaky dreams if I read a lil too close to bedtime - another good sign of a good creepy story.
Definitely not a book I’d go recommending to just anyone, but I will absolutely be keeping it in my back pocket.
Is it perfect? Most certainly not. The writing can get a *little* repetitive if you’re paying too close attention - Johanna likes certain phrases and that shows. But the reality of reading, at least for me, is that sometimes shit like that just doesn’t matter.
SO. In conclusion, proceed with caution but my god have a funky freaky good time.
This book was a RIDE. I had to sit with it for a couple days before reviewing to collect my thoughts. I definitely enjoyed my time reading this book. It was twisty and more than once, I found myself physically tensing up and having to catch my breath while reading which is always a good sign. It’s unique in its tone and I’m far-stretched to think of a read alike in my personal experience. This book is fast-paced, the characters are complex and engaging (and next to impossible to like almost the entire time - by design, of course). The descent into madness that occurs throughout this plot is a marvel to watch. There’s themes of codependency, adultery, narcissism, and some just plain gross body horror. It also gave me some freaky dreams if I read a lil too close to bedtime - another good sign of a good creepy story.
Definitely not a book I’d go recommending to just anyone, but I will absolutely be keeping it in my back pocket.
Is it perfect? Most certainly not. The writing can get a *little* repetitive if you’re paying too close attention - Johanna likes certain phrases and that shows. But the reality of reading, at least for me, is that sometimes shit like that just doesn’t matter.
SO. In conclusion, proceed with caution but my god have a funky freaky good time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
About as female gothic as you can get. Also a much better take on lesbian vampires that also managed to include Doppelgänger and possession. I liked the setting of dreary, rural netherlands. The plot is mostly there to scrutinize the sister relationship which was really interesting. The characters' behaviour didn't always make sense to me though (not in a "this is not what I would have done" way, which is also true but I didn't mind, more in a "this is not what people do when they are put in that situation" way) and some of the conflicts of monologues about issues felt a bit forced and not fitting the situation they happened in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Classism
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC!
I was immediately pulled in by the story and enjoyed even more than her debut novel. This is a creepy, Disturbing, and gross more than scary horror novel! There were times that the imagery made me nauseous but despite that I “enjoyed” the horror aspects and unique story.
I also appreciated that the author includes content warnings in the beginning.
I was immediately pulled in by the story and enjoyed even more than her debut novel. This is a creepy, Disturbing, and gross more than scary horror novel! There were times that the imagery made me nauseous but despite that I “enjoyed” the horror aspects and unique story.
I also appreciated that the author includes content warnings in the beginning.
I loved the atmospheric, historical setting. The story takes place in Drenthe which is one province over from me which I found really cool!! There was also a mention of my home state, Michigan 😍
Enjoying the mixing of the story as told by Lucy as well as newspaper articles, letters, and diary entries. You really get to know the characters who are flawed and well written! I had a lot of mixed feelings for them throughout the book.
The novel as a whole was well paced throughout and had a great ending. My best read of March so far and makes Van Veen an auto read author for me now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide
Minor: Sexual violence, Lesbophobia
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
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