Blood on Her Tongue

A Novel

By: Johanna Van Veen

Narrated by: Emily Tucker

"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.

©2025 Johanna Van Veen (P)2025 Tantor Media

Loved It!

Loved the story and the Narrator. I listened to the audio as I read along with my physical book.Listened to the preview of it and liked the way Emily Tucker was narrating and had to purchase it. So glad I did, she was great. I started this book and could not stop. Read it to mid Chapter 24 in one setting before I was forced to stop only because it was way past bedtime.

4.5 Rounded Down

Blood on Her Tongue is a gothic novel with sapphic overtones and obsessive twin sisters that border on a very weird line. Grief and what it means to be unable to process said grief at the central points, with hints to sexual assault and a CNC sort of dream sequence as well.

I loved the prose and the way that main character, Lucy, was handled. She's an imperfect female lead that will test many people's tolerance for their leads. She is, in some ways, a product of her time and environment, and in other ways she's entirely her own. Her twin sister, Sarah, is by far my favorite and the most interesting character, though we get to see the other characters are far more than they first appear as well.

An interesting take on vampires and what it means to 'love someone to death'.

perfect

Perfectly disgustingly Gothic creation. The odd is writing is always so full of texture and flavor.

very entertaining and enthralling plot

It's not your usual horror story and the plot pulled me in right from the beginning. There was never a dull moment.

Unusual and Interesting Story

I love that this is a bit of a twist on an old story, but also the power of the bond of sisters. I appreciate that this story is also messy and redeeming. It doesn't take the easy way out, which is also nice.