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dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder
dark
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is close to 5 stars, for the twists and turns, the depictions of mental health issues and neurodivergence, and bonds between sisters. The writing is easy but with that Gothic flair, for those craving that vibe. It's creepy and gross and just when you think you know what's going to happen and what the book is about, surprise! I really do love the way the author depicted a woman's experience during this time period and how easily a woman was labeled as "mentally ill" for having opinions and for being outspoken, and how this made things very convenient for men to manipulate situations to their liking. The characters were well developed and had clear roles, and the author handled LGBTQ topics well. Warning - body horror is intense, lots of eye injuries, and it got to a point where I had to skim over paragraphs because of that. Also although the dog is loved, one of the characters is quite mean to her and she does experience emotional stress throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Animal cruelty
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
I was promised toxic sibling dynamics, and boy, did this book deliver! Definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year. An absolute gothic treat!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence
Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Cannibalism, Gaslighting
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Blood on Her tongue nailed the whole gothic vibe, from the writing style to the characters' dialogues. The bog's atmosphere with its many unkown drowned bodies is an interesting addition and one that offers a great change from haunted manors set on cliffs or forests.
I was so invested I didn't see the 350 pages go. It's well paced and the mystery surrounding the main protagonist's sister reveals itself progressively enough, without beating around the bush. There are some very gory passages though, a lot of them involving eyes. It was a change from my usual reads and I actually got to experience what horror movies fans feel when they're so used to watch gory things that they find it almost funny. I sometimes felt these passages were a bit grotesque and it really helped reading through the more graphic scenes.
Blood on Her tongue is also about sisterhood and identity and I liked how the themes were explored. Growing in the shadow of an excentric sister is really well pictured here. I found Lucy's dealing with this and her love for Sarah anyway interesting and quite deep.
Mental health and the treatment of so-called hysteria in women by male doctors and family members is also a huge part of the book. The taking away of women deemed mad in european countries in the 19th century is quite well knowned today and I was afraid the book was going to dwelve on it too much (as it can be painful to read r*pe and medical violence depictions over and over). I liked that it was here, in the interactions between men and women in the book and in the female characters' social status for instance, but that the more dire cases of sexism and ableism were mentionned subtly (though clearly enough). We mainly see how 3 strong female characters fight for their freedom despite the conditions they are forced to live in.
I read this novel as part of a sapphic reading challenge and unfortunately I must say lesbian romance is not the main focus. It is mentionned, but we barely see the characters involved spend time together.
My other regret is that the third part of the book felt a bit weaker than the beginning. At some point when trying to convince her sister's husband, Lucy's argument just revolve around one single idea that she keeps on repeating each time she talks to him, wich doesn't make their dialogue very interesting.
Overall it was a cool read !
I was so invested I didn't see the 350 pages go. It's well paced and the mystery surrounding the main protagonist's sister reveals itself progressively enough, without beating around the bush. There are some very gory passages though, a lot of them involving eyes. It was a change from my usual reads and I actually got to experience what horror movies fans feel when they're so used to watch gory things that they find it almost funny. I sometimes felt these passages were a bit grotesque and it really helped reading through the more graphic scenes.
Blood on Her tongue is also about sisterhood and identity and I liked how the themes were explored. Growing in the shadow of an excentric sister is really well pictured here. I found Lucy's dealing with this and her love for Sarah anyway interesting and quite deep.
Mental health and the treatment of so-called hysteria in women by male doctors and family members is also a huge part of the book. The taking away of women deemed mad in european countries in the 19th century is quite well knowned today and I was afraid the book was going to dwelve on it too much (as it can be painful to read r*pe and medical violence depictions over and over). I liked that it was here, in the interactions between men and women in the book and in the female characters' social status for instance, but that the more dire cases of sexism and ableism were mentionned subtly (though clearly enough). We mainly see how 3 strong female characters fight for their freedom despite the conditions they are forced to live in.
I read this novel as part of a sapphic reading challenge and unfortunately I must say lesbian romance is not the main focus. It is mentionned, but we barely see the characters involved spend time together.
My other regret is that the third part of the book felt a bit weaker than the beginning. At some point when trying to convince her sister's husband, Lucy's argument just revolve around one single idea that she keeps on repeating each time she talks to him, wich doesn't make their dialogue very interesting.
Overall it was a cool read !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Classism
Enjoyment/Appreciation Level: Loved!
Summary:
Gothic historical horror. Lucy and Sarah are twin sisters with a codependent relationship. Lucy receives a troubling letter from Sarah, indicating that she is once again losing her sanity and obsessing over dark, macabre things. She then receives a letter from Sarah's husband, begging Lucy to come and help, as Sarah is incredibly unwell and he is afraid for her.
Sarah is harassed by voices and is told she has a brain fever, but Lucy fears that there may be something much deeper and darker affecting her twin, as she watches her change in monstrous ways.
Themes:
Gothic motifs of the haunted/unnerving house. Misogyny/sexism. How mental health is diagnosed and treated, especially in women. Tip-toeing around men's anger - walking on eggshells. Feminine rage.
TL;DR:
This was grotesque and horrifying in all the best ways. Very well-written and EVOCATIVE.
Writing:
THE WRITING...! Evocative is truly the word of the day with this book. There were so many descriptive lines focused on sensory, tactile pleasures and some were standard (the velvety feel of a dog's ears) while others were either suggestive or UNNERVING... "She did not suck on ribbons for their color, though; she simply liked the sensation of the thin wet silk on her tongue and against her lips." / "She rubbed her cheek harshly against her sister's hand, wanting the feel of it to be ground into her very cells." / "As he worked, Lucy wrung her hands with such force, the skin at the base of her index finger split."
The gothic vibes were very much present and clear; I loved it.
Characters:
Lucy was a hypocrite and not necessarily a wonderful person, and I liked that. She was soft-spoken and submissive, but secretly quite jealous and resentful. I found her to be a fascinating character to follow.
Plot/Pacing:
I found the pacing to be consistent; I blew through this book, couldn't put it down. Something happens that I figured wouldn't happen until much later, so that definitely added tension and curiosity. I liked where it ended and didn't hate that the actual ending was pretty open-ended.
Memorable Quotes/Standout Moments:
THE EYEBALL omg. The skin rubbing off... THE FUCKING ROCK... good lord. The way the bog woman was killed.... !!!!!! Countless unnerving scenes like that... GROSS scenes! (again, in the best way)
Summary:
Gothic historical horror. Lucy and Sarah are twin sisters with a codependent relationship. Lucy receives a troubling letter from Sarah, indicating that she is once again losing her sanity and obsessing over dark, macabre things. She then receives a letter from Sarah's husband, begging Lucy to come and help, as Sarah is incredibly unwell and he is afraid for her.
Sarah is harassed by voices and is told she has a brain fever, but Lucy fears that there may be something much deeper and darker affecting her twin, as she watches her change in monstrous ways.
Themes:
Gothic motifs of the haunted/unnerving house. Misogyny/sexism. How mental health is diagnosed and treated, especially in women. Tip-toeing around men's anger - walking on eggshells. Feminine rage.
TL;DR:
This was grotesque and horrifying in all the best ways. Very well-written and EVOCATIVE.
Writing:
THE WRITING...! Evocative is truly the word of the day with this book. There were so many descriptive lines focused on sensory, tactile pleasures and some were standard (the velvety feel of a dog's ears) while others were either suggestive or UNNERVING... "She did not suck on ribbons for their color, though; she simply liked the sensation of the thin wet silk on her tongue and against her lips." / "She rubbed her cheek harshly against her sister's hand, wanting the feel of it to be ground into her very cells." / "As he worked, Lucy wrung her hands with such force, the skin at the base of her index finger split."
The gothic vibes were very much present and clear; I loved it.
Characters:
Lucy was a hypocrite and not necessarily a wonderful person, and I liked that. She was soft-spoken and submissive, but secretly quite jealous and resentful. I found her to be a fascinating character to follow.
Plot/Pacing:
I found the pacing to be consistent; I blew through this book, couldn't put it down. Something happens that I figured wouldn't happen until much later, so that definitely added tension and curiosity. I liked where it ended and didn't hate that the actual ending was pretty open-ended.
Memorable Quotes/Standout Moments:
THE EYEBALL omg. The skin rubbing off... THE FUCKING ROCK... good lord. The way the bog woman was killed.... !!!!!! Countless unnerving scenes like that... GROSS scenes! (again, in the best way)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Forced institutionalization
Minor: Child death
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Y'all this book was wild.
Heed the trigger warnings.
I'm not sure there are any good people in this book. I mean, I think I understand why Lucy and Sarah did what they did and it really could only end up with the deaths of Michael and Arthur. They did deserve it after all.
Heed the trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Classism
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Pregnancy
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Not what I thought it was going to be, but still fun and very interesting!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Homophobia, Forced institutionalization
dark
emotional
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Any multiple will tell you that the representation of multiples in fiction is not good. Multiples in horror are particularly bad. It's all "come and play with us, Danny." But Johanna van Veen, herself a triplet, didn't come to play; so, instead of weird twins in this vampire, gothic horror, we get, dare I say, an interesting twin plot.
The vampire is fun, the men are embarrassing, the sisters are devoted, and the setting is mad spooky. I read this in a day, practically a single sitting.
I'm an identical twin and I endorse this book.
The vampire is fun, the men are embarrassing, the sisters are devoted, and the setting is mad spooky. I read this in a day, practically a single sitting.
I'm an identical twin and I endorse this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault