Verdict: A gorgeously written, genuinely unsettling sapphic folk-horror — more atmospheric dread and slow-burning devotion than swoony romance. A standout 2026 read if you like your love stories dark, literary, and a little cursed.
Best for: Fans of literary horror, historical settings, and morally complex heroines who want feeling over a guaranteed happy ending.
Heat: 🌶🌶 (charged and intimate, but atmosphere-first)
Rating: ★ 3.79 average on Goodreads (2,000+ ratings)
Tropes: Historical folk horror · survival bond · forbidden devotion · road/quest journey · morally gray heroines
Bone of My Bone by Johanna van Veen — a Bram Stoker Award nominee and USA Today bestselling author — is one of 2026’s most distinctive entries in the darker corner of the sapphic bookshelf. Pitched for fans of The VVitch and The Salt Grows Heavy, it is a folk-horror tour de force where the romance is inseparable from the dread. Here is what it is about, what works, and who it is really for.
What Is Bone of My Bone About?
The year is 1635, and war is scorching the land. Sister Ursula, a young nun fleeing the ruins of her convent, and Elsebeth, a sharp-witted peasant, escape a band of marauding soldiers and vanish together into the Bavarian forest. In a world where no one survives alone, the two women are bound together by necessity — and something more.
Amid the devastation they find a relic: the gilded skull of a saint. Legend says that reuniting the skull with its body will grant a wish, and both women are desperate enough — and secretive enough — to follow a ragged map across a blighted countryside in search of salvation.
But darkness trails them. A necromancer drawn to the relic’s power. The saint herself, whispering in the night. And as the line between blessing and curse blurs, Ursula and Elsebeth must reckon with what they truly want and what they are willing to become to get it. It is a story about devotion, hunger, and the terrible things love will justify.
What Makes This Sapphic Folk Horror Work
- ✓ The prose is the draw. Van Veen’s writing is lush and controlled, earning comparisons to the best literary horror — readers repeatedly call it “deliciously disturbing.”
- ✓ Devotion that doubles as dread. The bond between Ursula and Elsebeth is tender and desperate at once, so the romance carries genuine weight and unease.
- ✓ Immersive historical setting. The 1635 war-torn Bavarian forest is vivid, grim, and atmospheric from the first page.
- ✓ Morally gray, fully human leads. Both women carry secret desires, which keeps you guessing about what each will do when salvation is on the line.
- ✓ Folk-horror stakes that actually bite. The saint’s skull, the whispering relic, and the pursuing necromancer give the quest real menace.
Tropes & Themes at a Glance
| Element | In This Book |
|---|---|
| Subgenre | Sapphic folk horror / historical fantasy |
| Central pairing | Ursula (nun) x Elsebeth (peasant) |
| Setting | Bavaria, 1635, war-torn forest |
| Core themes | Devotion, hunger, blessing vs. curse |
| Structure | Quest / journey across the countryside |
| Heat level | 🌶🌶 atmosphere-forward |
| Tone | Dark, literary, unsettling |
How Spicy Is Bone of My Bone?
Heat level: 🌶🌶. The intimacy between Ursula and Elsebeth is charged and emotionally intense, but this is atmosphere-first fiction — the horror, dread, and devotion drive the book more than explicit spice. If you are coming for a steamy romance above all, calibrate expectations; if you want a haunting love story with teeth, this delivers.
Content note: This is genuine horror. Expect war violence, gore, body horror, religious/occult themes, death, and disturbing imagery throughout. It is unsettling by design. If you are sensitive to graphic content or need a purely comforting read, this may not be the right pick — please check full content warnings on Goodreads before starting.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll love it if you want:
- ✓ Literary, beautifully written sapphic horror
- ✓ A dark historical setting with folk-horror atmosphere
- ✓ Morally complex heroines and a devotion-as-dread love story
- ✓ Feeling and dread over a guaranteed tidy ending
Maybe skip it if:
- ✗ You want a light, low-angst, feel-good romance
- ✗ Gore, body horror, or religious horror are hard nos
- ✗ A clear, comforting happy-ever-after is essential for you
If atmospheric darkness is your thing, see our reviews of A Dowry of Blood and The Book of Blood and Roses, plus our full dark sapphic romance guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bone of My Bone a romance or a horror novel?
Both, but horror leads. It is a folk-horror novel with a central sapphic relationship woven through it — the love story matters, but it is inseparable from the dread and darkness. Think haunting love story rather than swoony romance.
Is there a happy ending?
We won’t spoil the ending, but this is not a genre that promises a neat HEA. Go in for the atmosphere, the devotion, and the reckoning rather than a guaranteed comforting resolution.
How scary or graphic is it?
Quite. It contains war violence, gore, body horror, and religious/occult dread. It is unsettling on purpose — excellent for horror fans, potentially too much if you are sensitive to graphic content.
Is the sapphic relationship central?
Yes — the bond between Ursula and Elsebeth is the emotional heart of the book and unmistakably WLW.
Do I need to read Van Veen’s other books first?
No. It stands on its own. If you enjoy it, her earlier gothic horror (including Blood on Her Tongue) is a natural next step.
If You Loved Bone of My Bone, Read These Next
- A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson — lush, dark, and devotional sapphic gothic.
- The Book of Blood and Roses by Annie Summerlee — gothic sapphic vampire romantasy.
- Best Sapphic Romances of 2026 (So Far) — our verified mid-year masterlist.
- Dark Sapphic Romance: 25 Books Reviewed — for more of the genre’s shadowy side.
- MATELDA: In Silence We Forgive — tense, atmospheric, guarded-hearts devotion.
The Bottom Line
Bone of My Bone is a beautifully written, deeply unsettling sapphic folk horror — one of 2026’s best for readers who want their love stories dark, literary, and haunted. It asks what devotion costs when the world is ending and salvation has a price. Come for the prose and the dread; stay for two morally complex women you won’t forget. Just know it is horror first, and go in with the content notes in mind.
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