Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen

Synopsis

“I’m in your blood, and you are in mine…”

The Netherlands, 1887. Lucy’s twin sister Sarah is unwell. She refuses to eat, mumbles nonsensically, and is increasingly obsessed with a centuries-old corpse recently discovered on her husband’s grand estate. The doctor has diagnosed her with temporary insanity caused by a fever of the brain. To protect her twin from a terrible fate in a lunatic asylum, Lucy must unravel the mystery surrounding her sister’s condition, but it’s clear her twin is hiding something. Then again, Lucy is harboring secrets of her own, too.

Then, the worst happens. Sarah’s behavior takes a turn for the strange. She becomes angry… and hungry.

Lucy soon comes to suspect that something is trying to possess her beloved sister. Or is it madness? As Sarah changes before her very eyes, Lucy must reckon with the dark, monstrous truth, or risk losing her forever.

Overall Rating

5/5

Spooky Rating

4/5

Gore Rating

4/5

Content Warnings Summary

Courtesy of StoryGraph – view full content warnings here.

Graphic

Gore, Blood, Body horror

Moderate

Child death, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization

Minor

Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Child abuse

QUICK TAKE

“Blood on Her Tongue” by Johanna Van Veen presents a new take on gothic horror that was impossible to put down. The atmospheric language, passionate characters, sisterly love, and feminist themes were impeccable. While gothic horror has been an essential part of the genre for eons, “Blood on Her Tongue” brought something new, queer, and brutal to this sector of horror. I can not express enough how much this novel impacted me. Van Veen’s unique perspective on vampiric themes blew the rest of the vampire subgenre out of the park.

TELL ME MORE

I have not been able to read many books this year due to so many factors, but the few that I have read have been phenomenal. “Blood on Her Tongue” was easily a five-star read, and one that will stay with me.

The book focuses on Lucy, whose twin, Sarah, has been declared “unwell” and “mad.” She ends up losing her; however, Sarah comes back to life… but something about her is off.

Johanna Van Veen is a master of atmospheric horror. She excelled in using that skill to create a gothic horror novel that stands apart from the rest. “Blood on Her Tongue” is set in the 1800s, when women were largely marginalized and declared “mad” for so many reasons. As a survivor of multiple severe mental illnesses and being in the field, I loved how Van Veen highlighted mental health and the institutionalization of women in this period. The book is bloody and features visceral body horror primarily with eyes, which is why I gave it a higher gore rating. However, this form of gore was empowering and highlighted unhinged female characters-which always wins me over. Van Veen didn’t throw extreme descriptions of gore at the reader for a shock factor. She laced her descriptions with sweetness, allowing the descriptions to go down easily before settling in as poison. She also incorporated queer themes in a time when queer folx did not receive the visibility or treatment that they deserved.

Twin relationships are highlighted in the novel, especially how Lucy is the “submissive” twin. She is emotionally attached to Sarah and uses the concept of trying to save Sarah as a way to save herself. The novel expresses how often women are not believed, and Lucy fights throughout the novel to be heard. When Sarah comes back to life, Lucy does everything she can to keep Sarah with her – even going to unspeakable lengths. It is hard to discuss this more without spoiling the novel, but I will say that while Sarah “comes back to life,” that is when Van Veen’s new take on vampire lore appears.

The ending to this novel was so satisfying, while the entirety of the story was spooky, gory, and emotional. If you like gothic horror, then “Blood on Her Tongue” must be added to the top of your TBR.