The Blood on Our Hands

by M.M. Tixier

London, 1831. When Leopold receives his acceptance letter from a Surgical Academy far from home, he is ready to leave everything behind to follow his dreams. Within the echoey halls of the school, he meets three other students who will change his life forever.

One night, they sign a secret and dangerous pact—to be the best scholars the Academy has ever seen. And if that means making illegal transactions with gravediggers, using rusty knives to slice into rotten flesh, or losing their sanity in the process of uncovering all the mysteries of the human body, nothing will stop them.

In the shadows of operating theatres and dissecting rooms, where ambition breeds obsession and success demands a terrible price, only one thing is their downfall.

The Blood on Our Hands is a tale of passion, love, and loss, of heartbreak, hysteria, and numbness. It’s about finding a family in the most unconventional places, and the bonds made out of desperation—of not exactly knowing where the limits are, and yet pushing them once found.

Genres: Horror

Expected publication October 22, 2026

Reviews

[The Reading Frog]

July 17 2o26
I GOT IT!!! So happy to re-shelf this book as 'tbr-arcs'

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

July 11 2026
After being disappointed that I couldn't find this book on NetGalley, I was excited to see a request for ARC readers on IG today. I obviously applied immediately.

Fingers crossed!!!

[Solen · Rating 5 out of 5]

To the Leo girlies - I wish I could wrap you in a blanket and bake you an apple pie

To the Clarence girlies - I hope your edit of Daddy Issues by the Neighbourhood did rounds on tumblr

To the Ambrose girlies - we duel at dawn

To the Ezekiel girlies - you and I. One heart. One soul. Multiple religious crises. Blood sisters.

[S.E. Bristow · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The four of them spun around, not knowing who was who anymore, their souls tied and crumpled together for eternity."

Oh wow. I need about three to five business days to make myself coherent about this book. What an incredible, gory, disturbing, beautiful, tragic book.

M.M. Tixier paints the quintessential dark academia band of brothers in Leo, Clarence, Ambrose, and Zeke. They're all fucked up and hungry and lonely and desperate for each other, and you'll fall in love with one (if not all of them) immediately. Not a single character is likable, and that lends itself to the book's atmosphere and impact in incredible ways.

If you're a fan of body horror, exploration of queer identity, religious trauma, dark academia, blood pacts, and fucked up monstrous boys, read this book immediately. Although perhaps check content warnings before you do so :)

This message is brought to you courtesy of the Ambrose Green Fan Club President™️. I will live and die defending that precious boy who has never done anything wrong in his life. Clarence fans stay far away from me 🥲

And of course, thank you so incredibly much for the incredible M.M. Tixier herself for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, crashouts, and insane ramblings are my own.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I start, I have a question for the lovely author:
Are you okay?
A few chapters later, while handing out five very deserved stars, I realized I should probably be asking myself the same question.

I cried. I grinned. I was repulsed and disgusted (multiple times, if I’m being honest). And more than once, I was left completely speechless.

The atmosphere this book created was immaculate. From the very first page, there was this unsettling, grimy old-England feeling lingering over everything. Thanks to the amazing character art, I had absolutely no trouble picturing the characters walking through those streets and doing… well… what they were doing.

The writing was easy to get into, and I flew through the pages.

The first part was heavily atmosphere-driven and did a fantastic job establishing the world. The second part dug much deeper into the characters, and it didn’t take long for me to pick my favourite boy.
My poor, poor boy…
The third part made me feel a little sick. And by “a little,” I mean a lot.
The fourth part had me staring at the wall in complete silence. And the ending? The ending put me through such an emotional rollercoaster that, hours after finishing the book, I still feel slightly motion sick… and incredibly grateful that I got the chance to read this as an ARC!
I’m impressed.
I’m intrigued.
I feel like calling my therapist.

[Teabag.jpg ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟

First and foremost, thank you to @mmtixier for an eARC of this wonderful yet gruesome tale.

I really enjoyed this story of woe, of travesties and of heartache .. all whilst being thoroughly horrified yet amazed at the events that took place.

I went into reading this with a completely open mind and boy was that the right thing to do - the amount of twists and turns the story takes and the emotional rollercoaster the reader is taken on was such a delight to behold. I laughed, I cried, I audibly gasped … it really was something.

The only (very mild) qualm I have with the book was the narrative voice threw me a little with the changes of POV - it took me a little bit of time to get into each quarter when the voice changed, which brought me out of the story a little. Although, a positive of this was that I really understood the characters and their motives by hearing it from their point of view.. so swings and roundabouts.

Would I recommend this? Absolutely - many times over 🩸✋🏼

[Phantas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book doesn’t just break you; it dissects you!

A deliciously unhinged dark academia gothic horror about love, loss, passion and ambition without limits.

The Blood on Our Hands follows Leo, Zeke, Clarence and Ambrose as their obsession with becoming the best surgeons an academy has ever seen spirals into unhinged situations involving grace robbers, rotting flesh, intense body horror and self-destruction.

Through each of their POVs, you’re completely invested in their characters; they’re obsessed... with each other, their ambitions and their willingness to sacrifice anything (or anyone?).

Brilliantly gruesome and gory… like you can almost smell it levels of visceral horror … packed with decisions that make you think “wtf made you think that was the most logical next step?!”
There’s exploration of queer identity, daddy issues, religious trauma, found family and the ever-creeping sense of dread. The Blood on Our Hands is gruesome and heartbreaking…

...because that ending...

THAT ENDING?!

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read the premise of this book, I remember going “oh, this is going to be good.” I stand by that. IT WAS SO GOOD.

The blend of horror, gothic, and dark academia is so well balanced. The author sets a scene that seems inconspicuous at first, drawing us in the gloomy atmosphere of a surgical school. You’re not sure what to expect, although you very quickly root for the characters you read about. You want them to be friends, you want them to succeed. And you still want that throughout the book, although it gets SO unhinged.

Believe me some parts had my eyes bulging out of their sockets. I distinctly remember going “holy F-“ in the middle of a public place. But the tension is built so well you just cannot look away. And you understand, and you even AGREE? I thought to myself, how the HELL am I condoning this right now? It’s the magic of the author. Excuse me author, what have you done to me. I used to have principles. I used to have morals.

The twists are so well developed and unraveled, they take you by surprise but you end up going, OF COURSE. That’s narrative development for you. So much is going on, the air was slowly going out of my lungs, and you cannot stop reading.

I absolutely fell in love with the main protagonists (shout out to my boy Leo, I’ll love you forever). They are complicated people, but they feel authentic, and you root for them as much as they annoy you. It’s like you become a part of the family too, in a way. I think that’s beautiful.

The author writes superbly, the prose is poetic but fluid, never too dense. It’s beautiful and tragic, and it broke my heart SO much at the end. I also thought the depiction of queer identity and mental health struggles was very well done. But the thing I loved the most about this book was how it was constructed, through the four main points of view, which reveal a bit more about the plot and characters every time—so, SO well crafted.

The author does not shy away from the horror, which we need more of, and really respects the genre of the Gothic (which I am a bit feral about).

I feel like I could talk about this book for hours (WHEN are we having snacks to unpack everything), but I will stop there for now. Thank you SO much for allowing me to read this book before publication so I can tell everyone to go get it, and watch in excitement as they go “what the *fuck*” with terror and awe in their eyes. I cannot wait for everyone to get their hands on this :)

[abigail • gloomykitty_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘… 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥.’

Nothing makes me happier than when you can tell how much work an author has put into their craft. I first started following Mog on Instagram from her posts about the books she read for her research…. let me tell you, those books she posted, immediately intrigued. And reading through this book you could really tell she took her research quite seriously. The atmosphere of 1831 London was grim, disgusting, dark, and somehow familiar without even having to ever been apart of it. I felt like the walls of London were closing in on me as well near the end. And the level to time period, surgical detail, well it created such visceral reactions from me. The gore of it all was so realistic and descriptive… this is the beauty (and ugliness) that I crave from a dark academia gothic horror book.


‘𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐩𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.’

Being able to read from the POV of Leo, Zeke, Ambrose, and Clarence creates such an intimate feeling between us, the readers, and our main characters. I felt like I cut my palm and created a blood pact with all of them. You see how each one of these characters got to where we ended up. Each one of them desperate to prove that they’re meant for the life of surgeon, either to themselves and/or to someone else. It’s not hard to see how it could have been so easy for them to create this twisted, toxic found family. When you’re striving to be the absolute best and find others who want the same, well what’s a little murder to stop you from reaching your goal? Reading through each character’s chapters was such a clever way to really make the story feel complete. Mog writes these characters so hauntingly well, that even when you should hate them you end up loving them. Each character has moments where I’m like ‘why are you thinking like this?? WHATS WRONG WITH YOU’ but in the very next chapter I’m saying ‘aw sweet boy, no one understands what you’re going through🥺’ LOL. So hats off to you, Mog, because it takes some special writing to create such dimensional, complex characters that you just cannot decide on.

‘𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.’

Now if I had to pick, gun to my head, I’m a Clarence and Leo girly. MY SWEET BABY BOYS. So after reading this you can imagine how fucked up I was at the end of this. Again, these characters are so easy to hate and love, and I’m not sure how I ended up bawling my eyes out at the end of such a vile, murderous book…. but here we are. Just know, Clarence and Leo are living their best lives in my heart. This story is such a prime example of what a gothic horror can be. I was disgusted, I laughed, I cried and wondered why this is my favorite genre to read on many occasions and I loved every moment of it. I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Kat ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you MMTixier for an ARC of this book.

There was a Tumblr post I had seen talking about how people want more gothic literature but shun the topics it actually talks about because it makes them uncomfortable. This debut is the quintessential modern example of this idea. It's gritty and unafraid to show the worst of characters, all mixed with the classic grim atmosphere that readers expect.

When Leopold gets a scholarship to the Surgical Academy in London, he leaps at the chance. There, he befriends other ambitious students to become the best of the best, but all of them will discover the price they must pay to come out on top.

The world of 1800s London is heavily detailed, showing off MMTixer's research skills. Once the actual classes and 'extra practices' begin, it's easy to get lost in the gruesome descriptions of the body, muscles, and bones as the boys cut deep into skin. It was arguably my favorite part of the novel.

Most, if not all, gothic stories send their characters into a mental spiral. Because TBOOH juggles four characters, each perspective gives a hint about the background and mental state of each student. However, there's a lack of continuity throughout those perspectives because it's within the imaginations and assumptions of each character, making it difficult to truly grasp who these boys are. By the end, I was not really invested in how any of their lives turned out but rather the overall outcome of their decisions.

All four characters represent a different major theme that's present in gothic stories: Leo is the isolation, Clarence is the aristocracy and social inequity, Ambrose is the gender conformity and lack thereof, and Ezekiel is the religious guilt. However, Leo and Clarence were pushed as the prominent characters, bookending the story. Their themes are then more intensified than the others, which works for the topic yet also forces an imbalance of what the reader should take away from it.

Overall, this is a strong debut within the genre and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

TBoOH is a prime example of what the Gothic Horror genre can and should be. While London is a huge city, Tixier manages to make it feel so incredibly oppressive and along with the characters you too feel the walls closing in with every page. Through the book we follow 4 POVs, one for each of the main characters through the harrowing and horrifying events they bring on themselves. Through the eyes of Leopold, Ezekiel, Ambrose and Clarence you see the development of the most toxic found family you could imagine. It's horrible and beautiful and impossible to look away. Especially when in each of their minds, you see such intense self-loathing that is only rivaled by the way they look at the others and are convinced they put the stars in the sky.

As the story and the obsession with each other progresses, there is such a sinking weight that it could only ever end how it does. Especially when paired with the beautiful and macabre writing that evoke an almost visceral reaction at times (at least for me I needed to go take a walk *a lot*). I annotated this while reading and one of my personal notes says "I wish she left more to the imagination." That note was made mostly in jest and should also be accompanied with the asterisks that I have not read a lot of horror. So if you, like me saw "Queer Gothic Horror", and are unfamiliar with the language and themes just know that personally this was a daytime only book, not because it was scary in the traditional sense but because my imagination was way too willing to provide visuals to go along with the gruesome descriptions and man does she get descriptive

I very much.... I don't want to say *enjoyed* my time with the book (it feels a bit gauche to say that based on the content) but the story was unreal and I am thrilled to have another fantastic queer horror book under my belt.

[Sasha Haggerty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books where you're reading and all of a sudden there's no words. You're thrust into a visceral experience, your hands inside an abdominal cavity alongside Leo, Zeke, Cadence and Ambrose. Despite the morbidity of the tale its easy to find yourself caught up in the heat of the moment with this group. Dread clawing up your spine with every twist. (None of which were anticipated.) You think by reading the synopsis that you know where the story is going. I can assure you do not have any idea. This is exactly how you pen a compelling debut novel!

It's obvious that M.M. Tixier did their research. This is an incredibly realistic display of London in 1831. No glamour to mask the dirt, but you will find herbs to mask the scent of decay and sawdust to soak up blood or other mysterious liquids that vacay a corpse.

Do you wish to attend surgical school? Maybe sketch the intricate details of human anatomy allowing colors to bloom across the page? Are you searching for a life with more to offer? Perhaps you just want to prove to your father that you have what it takes? Or to yourself? God? Maybe you want to improve the skills you've already begun to foster. No matter which way you lean there's a character of the group for you to identify with. They all have their faults but most importantly I found them all so fascinating and likable by the end.

If you want a story that will leave you staring at a wall after its finish. Questioning human existence on a higher level then you normally do this is the book for you. Where does the line between ambition, dedication and horror blur exactly? I'm not sure. But, I do know that no matter what you're leaving with blood on your hands.

[Jake Vanguard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blood on Our Hands is an incredible novel. I couldn't even pinpoint what I love most about it: The prose? The characters? The unhinged madness? All of it?

The prose alone is a masterpiece, immediately dragging the reader right into the setting of a prestigious academy where young men are to learn how to be doctors - and its rigid rules. Rules, that obviously get broken repeatedly by our protagonists. With every sentence, I got drawn deeper and deeper into the eerie atmosphere, blood and viscera and madness almost palpable.

Speaking of madness - there's a lot of that. Mutual obsession, friendship and loyalty mixed with high ambitions and four young men wanting to prove themselves for all the different reasons lead to a downward spiral of stretching ethics and morals more and more until there's barely a shred of it left.

Every one of the four main characters gets his own part of the book, exploring more of their backstory and reasoning, the differences in how they deal with what they've done - and how far they're willing to go to become the best. How obsessed and bound they are to each other, even when friendships grows into love turned into hate.

Especially their "practice sessions" were amazingly written, following the high of doing something turning into more euphoria, how close to each other pride and carnal lust can be.

I most certainly will devour anything and everything MM Tixier will bring to us next, and I encourage everyone looking for darkness, madness, love and friendship deeper than any morals, to pick up The Blood on Our Hands.

[JFederleWrites · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey, so this book *did things to me.*

I know I ask for these things to be done to me regularly. I love horror and twisted Gothic tales and bloody Victorian-era romances. But I still feel I was unprepared.

The Blood on Our Hands is a gut punch. Gutting, gut-wrenching. All the guts, basically. It’s as aching and disturbingly romantic as it is absolutely depraved.

London presses in around you. Smoggy and cold. The unfriendly walls of the academy close in. You think you know the story you’re about to get: four young men forming an unlikely bond, each obsessed with proving themselves. A solid but traditional dark academia, right?

You are wrong. Everything is about to go so far off the rails. Prepare to whisper “what the fuck” as you try to fall asleep like four hours later than planned because stopping at that last gory cliffhanger was impossible.

Madness steps in like a good friend, so subtle and natural you can’t tell if it’s new, or if it was always there all along.

Hats off to the author with the use of perspective. Yes, there was amazing character depth, development, and arcs. But on top of that, I was so impressed by the intentionality behind the structure: first one perspective, then the next, then (oh god) the next . . . It makes for amazing pacing that really feels like a descending spiral.

It starts slow and patient, but by the end, you’re scrambling along with the characters at the loss of control, all your expectations slipping down the drain.

I am eagerly awaiting character-themed plushies.

[kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But right then, all of them were clueless. All of them realised that the world was bigger than them. That their ambitions would one day eat them whole.”

OH MY GOD????

okay, I need to compose myself.

The book is divided into four parts (a decision I ultimately really liked), each dedicated to one of four characters: Leopold, Ezekiel, Ambrose, and Clarence. And if you think you can pick a favorite, you're WRONG. Because each of them is scary as hell and they are all equally terrible. They're so completely twisted that at some point you start to ACTUALLY worry

The Blood on Our Hands made me feel like I was in a cult, but the joke is on me I guess because I couldn't put the book down; it was truly magnificent

I'd describe it as Bunny meets The Secret History , but even more insane and set in the 1800s in a surgical academy

The prose is easy to read, but that doesn't mean it lacks gothic flair or uniqueness because the writing style is absolutely delightful!

The Blood on Our Hands is a strong, extremely atmospheric debut and I look forward to her other books. She had me in the chokehold with this one so im very excited to whatever she writes next!

TW: gore, cannibalism, violence, death, psychological distress

Thanks to M. M. Tixier for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Lorrie Ness · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm issuing a WTF alert on this one! Trust me, you'll be shouting this loudly & frequently (in the best way possible!)

Application to read this book.

1. Do you like your settings:

A. Darkly atmospheric & layered
B. So well-rendered you think you've been teleported back in time
C. Vivid enough that the smell lingers while you eat dinner that night
D. All of the Above

2. Do you like your body horror:

A. So revolting you won't be eating spaghetti any time soon?
B. But also so oddly hot that you want to suddenly roll in a kiddy pool full of spaghetti?
C. To come for anyone, living or dead...no viscera are safe
D. All of the Above

If you answered All of the Above and you are looking for a book that builds up the characters sooooo well and slowly brings the story up to a boil that is truly unhinged, unpredictable and darkly fun, give this one a go. If you liked the atmosphere of The Resurrectionist, the dark sexuality of Ghosts of Halloween and the violence of Brother, then this book is for you. It's a wild good time.

It's 1831...a medical school in London has admitted the usual class of naive, doe-eyed students eager to learn the intricacies of human anatomy. Lurking beyond the gated grounds, shadowy figures wait to clean blood from their clothes and bootleg corpses into their hands. When four students make a blood pact to be the best the school has ever seen, things go a little off the rails. How far will they go to hone their craft?

[Jessica Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s taken me some time to pull together this review. Not because the story needed time to be judged, but because of how absolutely proud I am of the author and the story she’s put together. I’ve been lucky enough to read early copies of The Blood on Our Hands, and it has had me in its grip since the moment I read the opening chapters.

As the story progressed, and I met each of our protagonists, I found that the author threaded together a narrative so intricate and intoxicating that I could barely put it down (though I could slap her for making me waIT FOR MORE on those initial months).

M.M. Tixier has put together a novel that encompasses obsessive and toxic ambition and the consequences of when that ambition inevitably consumes everything in its path. For anyone who enjoys gothic horror and dark academia, this is absolutely the book for you. It left me laughing, crying, and straight up wtf-ing all the way through; the holy grail of the reading experience, if I do say so myself.

5/5 stars overall
1/5 for making me UGLY CRY (I’ll never forgive you)
5/5 for dubbing me president of the Clarence Valley Fanclub

[Erin Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨Gothic + Dark Academia✨

It took me a little bit to get into this story and get invested. At first I was a bit unsure if the writing style was to my taste, but once Ezekiel’s part started I got very intrigued !!! For me, that’s when the story really takes off and then just gets better and better from there.

I love how much work you can tell the author put into research and this book. I loved the story and the characters . I enjoyed that we get to see all 4 POVs !

The gothic vibes of this book are incredible and each pov brings a different piece of that to the story. This book will definitely make you say WTF a few times.

Thank you to the author for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. I applied to receive an ARC via Instagram. This book is expected to be released October 22, 2026.

[Jenni Killin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blood On Our Hands is a queer dark academia with some hauntingly gothic elements. We follow a group of young men who attend an elite university to become surgeons, but their ambition pushes them to cross lines that if uncovered, would destroy them. This was incredible. I fell in love with every single character for different reasons, they are all so distinguishable from one another, you're really able to connect with them. The plot was wild, and the story was so captivating you become desperate to keep reading. The gothic elements of this were so beautifully done, we get morally questionable acts, found family, lots of secrets and twists - and it's gay! OH AND THE BODY HORROR! I need more, immediately. I really recommend this one, and I'll definitely be continuing on with Tixier's work in future.

[Jordy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do, Do I get an exorcism?! Cause wtf was that?!
Hello? I was like oh yes nice, I love these little murder boys, they’re just in silly goofy *killing moods* but when they get to their double?! Hello?! Wtaf?!? I was NOT expecting that •chapter• IYKYK.. I had to put the book down to figure out if I read that in ENGLISH or if I was possessed by a higher entity.
I thoroughly enjoyed the multi POV, the gore, the mayhem, the mess, the *excuse me’s* that audibly slipped out.. while I might not be a proud lil guy to say I enjoyed this but ugh fine Tixier, you get my approval, EVEN after that •chapter•
Maybe we should all get some matching >Grippy Socks<