There’s a certain level of expectations you set for authors once you’ve read one of their books, but I’m not sure if that’s ever possible with Johanna van Veen’s stories. She creates a certain level of grotesque imagery that I’ve never read before, certainly not with the vivid details she creates.

First, let’s start with the POV’s. There are three main characters you follow. Ursula, a papist (roman catholic) nun whose innocence is what seemingly gets her into the most trouble. Elsebeth, a peasant farm girl who has no family left. And Otto, a soldier whose horrible sins could fill a book.

Something I caught onto within the first few chapters is that only Elsebeth’s POV is in first person while the other two MCs are in third person. Even now I can’t figure out why this is so, but there must be a meaning behind it.

As crazy as this may sound, this is a love story. One where nothing, not even God, could stop it from happening.

I thought I would be able to prepare myself for the amount of detail I would read about rotting bodies, but of course I still found my jaw dropping while following their story. It takes a certain ability to be able to create a folk horror such as this and not leave out the sort of sickening details that were put into Bone of My Bone to the point where it’s disturbing. But oddly enough I like it?

Johanna van Veen has a way of creating a story that just leaves you with more questions, I think a specialty of hers. It’s quite obvious though that she does her research on history, something I respect when creating a story such as this.

Obviously, this is a work of fiction and many of the things that went on in this are not things that can truly happen. But, people in the 1600’s did believe they could.

I’m creeped out, have so many questions, and wish there was more because of the open ending. What I do know is that I also liked it, a lot.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC, a truly terrifying book indeed.