Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen | Gothic Horror Fiction

Hello! I hope you're all doing well out there. It's been a bit since I've blogged and blogger went and fiddled with every one of my review photos and the whole thing looks wonky and it's going to have to stay that way because I CANNOT BE BOTHERED. I'm sticking with the bare bones and sticking the synopsis at the end because if I start fixing things I know I'll never blog again.

So here I am back with a mini review of a good book I read last week. Have you read it?

My 2 Cents for Free!

Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

Released March 25, 2025

Source: Bought with my own $

Get it at your local library or see more @ Goodreads

I thought this was a very good gothic story about how women had to tread carefully or fear being locked away by the men who claimed to love them but really only wanted to own them. Why can’t we lock up hysterical men? There’s a lot of them out there walking around and being a-holes who could do with a padded room and a daily dose of laudanum to keep them docile and quiet. No one would miss ‘em.

Anyhow, I really enjoyed this. It has some pitch-black humor and an imperfect POV and several women who said eff it all and lived life on their terms after a bog woman changes their world and much bloodletting occurs. Such a satisfying ending with the snaggle toothed bastard. I have no complaints and would give it a 4.5 ⭐️

Dark and just a little gory and loads of fun if you like this kind of thing like I do.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

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Publisher Plot Synopsis (if you need one, be warned because sometimes they can spoil it all!)

"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.