Syndrie
Both compelling and blasphemous, “Bone of My Bone” is an ambitious mix of historical, religious, and folk horror steeped with gothic charm and impossible to put down. With her third novel, Johanna Van Veen has once again managed to give readers a unique story about a love between two women that is able to grow in the most unlikely of situations.
I really liked how this was both a story about fighting—basically literal—demons as well as one about fighting yourself and your own beliefs. This wasn’t a story about two women immediately casting away their faith at the smallest sign of hardship; it was a story about two women who went through hell while having to make some very difficult decisions that made them grapple with their ideas of right versus wrong. There’s a lot of push and pull between the girls as they clash over differences in personality as well as their differences in faith—one being a Catholic nun and the other being a Calvinist—which provides a nice balance of more relatable conflict in-between the supernatural elements going on in the story. And though the plot itself is filled with conflict, darkness, and despair, there remains a small light of hope that’s able to shine throughout the story.
As usual, Johanna’s writing flows beautifully and makes for a very easy read. Her descriptions are detailed enough to paint a clear picture without overstaying their welcome, and the language is easy to comprehend without being simplistic. My only real complaint with the story would be that the relationship between Ursula and Elsebeth developed a little too quickly for my tastes—although one could argue that they were living in a heightened state of emotion being surrounded by danger all the time, leading them to behave differently than usual.
If you’re already a fan of Johanna Van Veen, or just a fan of gothic or folk horror in general, then I think you’ll really enjoy this one! Just be aware that there are some rather graphic descriptions of gore among quite a few other trigger warnings, so readers with known triggers may want to take some caution and look up the warning list first. For me, I think I’m going to have to officially put Johanna Van Veen into my list of favorite authors after this novel because she’s three for three now.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
Both compelling and blasphemous, “Bone of My Bone” is an ambitious mix of historical, religious, and folk horror steeped with gothic charm and impossible to put down. With her third novel, Johanna Van Veen has once again managed to give readers a unique story about a love between two women that is able to grow in the most unlikely of situations.
I really liked how this was both a story about fighting—basically literal—demons as well as one about fighting yourself and your own beliefs. This wasn’t a story about two women immediately casting away their faith at the smallest sign of hardship; it was a story about two women who went through hell while having to make some very difficult decisions that made them grapple with their ideas of right versus wrong. There’s a lot of push and pull between the girls as they clash over differences in personality as well as their differences in faith—one being a Catholic nun and the other being a Calvinist—which provides a nice balance of more relatable conflict in-between the supernatural elements going on in the story. And though the plot itself is filled with conflict, darkness, and despair, there remains a small light of hope that’s able to shine throughout the story.
As usual, Johanna’s writing flows beautifully and makes for a very easy read. Her descriptions are detailed enough to paint a clear picture without overstaying their welcome, and the language is easy to comprehend without being simplistic. My only real complaint with the story would be that the relationship between Ursula and Elsebeth developed a little too quickly for my tastes—although one could argue that they were living in a heightened state of emotion being surrounded by danger all the time, leading them to behave differently than usual.
If you’re already a fan of Johanna Van Veen, or just a fan of gothic or folk horror in general, then I think you’ll really enjoy this one! Just be aware that there are some rather graphic descriptions of gore among quite a few other trigger warnings, so readers with known triggers may want to take some caution and look up the warning list first. For me, I think I’m going to have to officially put Johanna Van Veen into my list of favorite authors after this novel because she’s three for three now.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)