You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

33 reviews

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.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
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.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings