Tosin Ebunola

In the 21st century, far outpacing the traditional talk show or newspaper review, social media has proven to be the medium through which authors reach new and existing audiences. BookTok, in particular, has emerged as an algorithm-driven rush that can push a debut to the top of the New York Times Best Sellers list if it catches the right attention at the right time.

The gothic genre is centuries old, but Johanna van Veen gives it new wings with her recent novel, Blood on Her Tongue. A brooding romp into the vampire genre, the novel focuses on two sisters, Lucy and Sarah, and how their lives are altered by the latter’s descent into the monstrous. Bearing all the isolation, darkness, and taboo of the genre, Veen explores fascinating questions about our willingness to bear the other when it wears a loved one’s face.

Vampires have appeared in some form in folklore all over the world and influenced stories for centuries. The vampire who is the genesis for modern interpretations and explorations of vampires is the enigmatic Count Dracula himself, first conceived by Bram Stoker in 1897. From Dracula the love and obsession with vampires sprung, allowing for books and series like Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and True Blood to dominate the popular consciousness.