Bone of My Bone by Johanna Van Veen
Poisoned Pen Press (May 26, 2026)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin 
One saint. One sinner. One skull.
Horror readers, rejoice. Bram Stoker Award-nominee and USA Today bestseller Johanna Van Veen is back with another haunting, sapphic, and terrifically terrifying tale of wickedry in Bone of My Bone. For fans of Robert Eggers’ The Witch and Cassandra Khaw’s The Salt Grows Heavy, Bone of My Bone unveils the brutality of the Thirty Years’ War and the demented depravity of man. Sister Ursula, a young nun fleeing the ruins of her convent, and Elsebeth, a headstrong and scrappy farmhand, form an alliance and move through the Bavarian forest in hopes of appeasing the spirit of a saint contained within a fragile holy relic they carry—a skull. A dying man tells the women of its secret: reunite the skull with the saint’s body, and a wish will be granted.
Desperate for salvation, peace, and the return of their lost loved ones, Sister Ursula and Elsebeth embark on the journey. But they’re not the only ones after the skull. A necromancer and a soldier with an exceptionally sadistic past aren’t too far behind. With each violent and shocking encounter, including run-ins with cannibals and an Aufhocker, the skull feels less like a miracle and more like a curse, like a death wish.
Readers will be hooked from the first chapter, where Elsebeth sees three “witches” burned. There’s rising tension here, and an undeniable dread as one of the accused not only confesses to witchcraft right before her final breath but locks eyes with Elsebeth, seemingly communicating a declaration of the damned future that awaits her. It’s a palpitating, unsettling prophecy that conveys that the world is endlessly cruel, and whether it be by lying with the Devil or serving a necromancer, women should “grab any crumb of power” they can get their hands on.
There’s an excellent blend of religious, folk, and historical horror in Bone of My Bone that will thrill readers who enjoyed Viggy Parr Hampton’s The Rotting Room, Caitlin Starling’s The Starving Saints, and either of Veen’s previous releases, My Darling Dreadful Thing and Blood on Her Tongue. The use of German folklore is particularly interesting and disturbing. It keeps readers on their toes and, because this is a horror novel, suspends them in discomfort.
The struggle of faith is a key theme in Bone of My Bone and feels well-attuned to the ruins of the world around Elsebeth and Sister Ursula. This is true of faith in God and goodness, belief in the Devil and his servants, and belief in yourself. The author uses Elsebeth and Sister Ursula’s blossoming romance to explore this theme, and I love how the two challenge each other. Sister Ursula restores hope when all feels lost. Elsebeth builds Sister Ursula’s strength and helps her reject the inner dialogue that tells the nun she is nothing but a coward. They bring out the best in one another but through this love, they stand stronger on their own, too. This also deepens the fear, complicates it, and raises the stakes as the threat of losing one another becomes increasingly probable.
Veen is methodical in her execution of horror. She’s careful to show the real-world horror of war and its effects on everyday people, then flexes her wicked talent for creating images of pure nightmare fuel. The kills in Bone of My Bone are shocking and so well-paced. It’s like Veen grabs the back of readers’ heads as they try to look away and forces them (Bird Box-style) to look at the grotesquery that unfolds not just in a quick flash, but lengthy, gritty, and brilliant detail. It’s effective as hell.
Bone of My Bone is intelligent and all-consuming, leaving no emotion unexplored, no nightmare unrealized. A standout in the impressive list of 2026 horror book releases and a must-read for readers who enjoy historical horror with heart and plenty of fright.
