Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

89 reviews

dark informative tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I love that it's a twisty! its suspenseful and chilling! It's a different take on Vampires. The notice of misogyny in general but also within medicine.  

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dark mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a beautiful, disgusting, eerie, creepy and incredibly unique gothic tale that sucks you right in. Truly have never read a vampiric tale quite like this one and I'm grateful I went into it knowing nothing and having zero expectations. 
Read it. Add it to your spooky season tbr lists 

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dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A lot of times there will be boiler plates on the back of horror books promising gore, gruesomeness, and gross body horror. Those promises have started falling flat for me. Blood On Her Tongue has been a pleasant exception. The author really delivers on truly icky body horror and gross moments. She even includes a really well-done Checkov’s gun style mention that elegantly ties in to a nasty moment later in the book. 

I really felt like this was a greatest hits tour of Victorian Gothic lit; amateur scientists, mild doctor friends of the family, poor relations, manor houses, mad aunts, etc. The setting was a stunning backdrop for the mechanic of what’s unsettling this set of twins. If you’ve been drawn to these dark, historic stories of elegant families upset and brought to ruin by the supernatural, it’s a great choice. 

The author also has a very interesting take on twins and sisterhood. This also mirrors a sometimes converging conversation on parasitism (both literal and figurative). I really thought the non-horror themes were well discussed and clearly had a lot of thought behind their inclusion. 

For me, this is a very easy 5/5 recommendation for anyone who loves a gooey, gross body horror book (with carriages and signet rings as a bonus.) 

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dark

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious tense fast-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

I can already tell this will be in my top reads for 2025. Absolute perfection. 

Gripping, horrible, macabre, gruesome, lovely, dark, monstrous, and some of the most infuriating and relatable characters I've ever read. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was a story that definitely drew me in. It did a great job of embracing the gothic horror. It follows Lucy and her twin sister Sarah. Lucy travels to Sara's home of Zwartwater after her sister falls ill.
There is a bog body that was discovered. That element was creepy and fun.
The atmosphere of this book was great! I really enjoyed some of the mixed media elements.
I liked the writing style. I had times where I couldn't stop reading.
Lucy makes bad choices. The third part of this story really proved it. I did not agree with her decisions and I felt like her logic was flawed.
This book has a very strong aspect of sisterhood, but I didn't think the way they were using it made sense. No spoilers, so that's as vague as I can be.
This also had a lot of Body Horror. It gave me too much yuck at one point and I had to take a little bit of a break.
I would definitely read more from this author.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings