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A review by libertyindiarose
Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I haven't read a horror book in a while, but Blood on Her Tongue was the perfect reintroduction. Inspired by Dracula and Carmilla, this Gothic horror is set in the late 1887 in The Netherlands, and follows Lucy as she travels to her twin sister to nurse her through an illness. She had fallen ill shortly after discovering a bog body nearby. Lucy has to unravel the mystery for her sister's affliction, with the help of Sarah's husband Michael and Childhood friend (now doctor) Arthur. It was told with different reports, newspaper articles and Sara's diary entries spliced between Lucy's point of view which was really effective. The book was well paced to keep the tension exactly where it needed to be throughout.
The writing style was really immersive. Johanna van Veen is an incredibly strong world builder, each setting, from the manor house to the bog itself, was so vividly drawn that they felt like characters in their own right. This book is dark, gruesome, disturbing at times in the best way, explicit in moments but never overly so.
Lucy was a highly engaging protagonist. She isn't the innocent maiden, and she isn't the manipulative siren, she's a complicated character with flaws, but underneath it all is a loving sister and a woman navigating how to survive in the 19th century with all the oppression that entails. We will never know how we would deal with something so unfathomable, but Lucy reads like one of the most realistic examples.
I recommend this to anyone who likes horror, Gothic or dark stories, but the main draw for me was the exploration of sisterly bonds, feminine rage, and finding humanity in every being.
Thank you to NetGalley and Source Books/Poisoned pen Press for the advanced copy!
The writing style was really immersive. Johanna van Veen is an incredibly strong world builder, each setting, from the manor house to the bog itself, was so vividly drawn that they felt like characters in their own right. This book is dark, gruesome, disturbing at times in the best way, explicit in moments but never overly so.
Lucy was a highly engaging protagonist. She isn't the innocent maiden, and she isn't the manipulative siren, she's a complicated character with flaws, but underneath it all is a loving sister and a woman navigating how to survive in the 19th century with all the oppression that entails. We will never know how we would deal with something so unfathomable, but Lucy reads like one of the most realistic examples.
I recommend this to anyone who likes horror, Gothic or dark stories, but the main draw for me was the exploration of sisterly bonds, feminine rage, and finding humanity in every being.
Thank you to NetGalley and Source Books/Poisoned pen Press for the advanced copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore