Elizabeth Sanders's Reviews > Blood on Her Tongue

Content Warnings: Gore (Eye Gouging, Cutting with blades), Cannibalism, Vampirism, Obsessive & Unhealthy Relationships, Misogyny, Child Abuse (off screen), Death of Child, Corpses, Medical Institutionalization (Mental Illness), Sexual Abuse (off screen), Existentialism/Body Horror (Parasite)
Note: The ARC (and I assume final book) has a dedicated section with great details on content warnings. The above content warnings are my personal ones, not the ones from the book.

van Veen delivers another gripping, Gothic tale, this time starring twin sisters in a tale that blends shades of Dracula, Victorian era natural sciences, and questioning of self. The book largely follows Lucy in a third person limited view, with occasional inclusions of journal entries and letters from her sister, Sarah. Lucy and Sarah are both great characters, fully fleshed out with strengths, weaknesses, and secrets. I also dug the vibe of Sarah's household with all its interpersonal tensions.

For me, this book was slightly less successful than My Darling Dreadful Thing for two reasons. First, I found the elements related to the parasite overly explained and presented too early. There was little time to wonder if Sarah was gone or not or space to imagine anything about the parasite infecting her. Both fit the specific tone and focus of this book, but just didn't hit the sweet, spooky spot of horror I prefer. Second, I found the structure a little weird. The first third of the book, great; second third, kicking off with the parasite reveal, okay; last third leading to the conclusion a little rushed, with an ending I didn't really find satisfying.

Despite the above, I would still recommend this work to anyone looking for a solid horror story, and I'll be on the lookout for the next van Veen book. The strengths definitely outweighed any weaknesses I found in the book.