Striking and unsettling Victorian Psycho explores deeply disturbing themes following Winifred Notty's path of destruction as a governess who sets her eyes on the Pound family of Ensor Estate.

Winifred tries her best to suppress her urge of murderous ways, but as anything evil it starts to seep through her pours and becomes slightly manic from time to time leaving a trail of bodies behind. Her dark humor and breaking the fourth wall really shows just how unhinged she is as a person, yet it's so refreshing. She understands there is something wrong with her, but she completely accepts who she is and what she has done with no second guessing.

I very much enjoyed the writing style and storyline. It kept me wanting to read to see what happens next. The ending was so delightfully disgusting absolutely no one was off limits once Winifred let her dark twisted urges take over.

If you decide to read this PLEASE read the trigger warnings this isn't for the faint of heart!

Striking and unsettling Victorian Psycho explores deeply disturbing themes following Winifred Notty's path of destruction as a governess who sets her eyes on the Pound family of Ensor Estate.

Winifred tries her best to suppress her urge of murderous ways, but as anything evil it starts to seep through her pours and becomes slightly manic from time to time leaving a trail of bodies behind. Her dark humor and breaking the fourth wall really shows just how unhinged she is as a person, yet it's so refreshing. She understands there is something wrong with her, but she completely accepts who she is and what she has done with no second guessing.

I very much enjoyed the writing style and storyline. It kept me wanting to read to see what happens next. The ending was so delightfully disgusting absolutely no one was off limits once Winifred let her dark twisted urges take over.

If you decide to read this PLEASE read the trigger warnings this isn't for the faint of heart!

From the first page, Victorian Psycho envelops the reader in a decaying, ominous atmosphere. The setting is drenched in a sense of foreboding, with imagery that is beautifully grotesque. The author’s act of digression in the beginning chapters could have been tighter to keep the suspense going. It’s admirable to read upon the rare use of breaking the fourth wall, being both striking and unsettling, mirroring Winifred’s fractured psyche. Her conditioned mind prevails the stuck world she inhabits, creating a sense of intimacy to the inherent disintegration of her mind.

The novel explores deeply disturbing themes in a simplistic manner as the characters seem unmoved to the horrors unfolding around them. The readers' perceptions of morality is judged by the physical violence and heavy consumption taking over the narrative of this piece. The grotesque doesn’t just lie in the blood and gore, but in the insatiable hunger that seems to consume both the characters and the world they inhabit.

Gluttony is turned into something even more gory than violence itself, rendering a simple appetite grotesque in its own right. It’s almost paradoxical how this indulgence becomes not just a physical act, but an existential one. What is shocking is not merely the gore, but the indifference to it—a world where the horror is happening right in front of the characters, yet they remain blind to it by the glistening distraction of class importance.

Victorian Psycho forces readers to confront uncomfortable questions about mortality, morality, and its limits. The yummy yearning for the indulgence of violence maintains its spontaneity, making the obvious yet again passive to anyone that finds it transparent. The blend of mocking satire and its outcomes leaves the reader with a chill—one that lingers long after the final page is turned.

I…..I don’t know what I was expecting….


This…might be one of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read? Maybe? I don’t know. I have so many thoughts.

Let me just say, I didn’t hate this. If anything, I was confusingly intrigued and had to finish it in one sitting because….what the actual hell did I just read??

While this is a very American Psycho meets Silence of the Lambs…it’s also something else entirely. Even through the gore and the murder and the generally disgustingly vibrant details of both, I was chuckling at the wit and dry humor throughout.

What does that say about me as a person, though? 🤔🤔
Probably nothing great.

I can’t say I would recommend this to many, although the few that I would recommend it too would be equally as enthralled and horrified. (Because who willingly reads about infanticide or child death or cannibalism? Clearly only sick fucks like myself. Shame on me.)

And, despite the utter horror, violence, and gore of the last 2 chapters, they were my favorite. A retelling of the “12 Days of Christmas”, indeed.

Overall, this was a great time. I am still in a “what the fuck just happened” frame of mine, currently. But man. What a ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton and Company for allowing me to read this insanely unique and twisted tale! I can’t say I’ll be forgetting it anytime soon. (Or wanting to eat anything, for that matter.)

This is about Miss Winifred Notty who arrives at Ensor House to be the new governess for the Pounds family. Secretly bloodthirsty with a penchant for perverse and horrifying compulsions...as Christmas nears, Miss Notty is going to hand out some sinister gifts of her own.

I don't know where to begin...this is a gothic Victorian version of American Psycho. We're diving into Miss Nottys broken and traumatized psyche as she's humorously trying to suppress her murderous urges...and hide the evidence of those she can't. It's a pitch black comedy as even the most graphic violence is described with nonchalance and humor. It feels satirical in so many ways. Winifred Notty is, by far, one of the greatest anti-heros I've ever read. She's hilarious, she's out of her goddamn mind.

It starts a bit slow but it just builds and builds until the outright batshit insane finale. It's not a perfect book, there are a few issues with pacing and structure but it's mostly easy to overlook. The writing in itself is fantastic. I had a really great time with this. I laughed through the shock.

Content warning...it truly IS very graphic. And disgusting. Most of it's told with humor. Blood and gore abound. Including infanticide and child death. A lot of it. (She's only joking about eating children.) 🤭

The publisher was kind enough to send me an ARC but this will be released February 4th 2025. The movie, starring Margaret Qualley, is due to start production next year.

I'm giving it 4/5⭐

This book was weird, and wonderful.
I love the voice of the writing, it is so unique. And the plot kept me interested every step of the way.

Be aware there is some gore and violence that may not be for everyone.

This was a fantastic, twisted and hilarious read. Although the title evokes American Psycho but this isn’t a gothic transplant, where Bateman was narcissistic, Winifred Notty just delights in evil. Feito's dry humour is perfect for the tone and makes this a wonderfully entertaining read.

I loved this one. It takes a lot for someone to adore a psychotic murderous governess. But I loved Miss Notty. One of my favorite characters so far this year.

This book had a dark humor that had me chuckling and even a twist I wasn’t expecting. Being inside Miss Notty’s angry bee of a brain was so fun. She really was trying her best with what was given to her. Lots of blood and gore. Gratuitous descriptions of of the upper class eating meat in all of its disgusting glory. I imagine most people would be cheering the governess on. She may be the clinical psycho but the people around her were also completely unhinged.

Such a fun read! Definitely recommend! Bonus that it can be considered holiday/Christmas horror! Go in cold if you can.

Delightfully insane. Who knew something so dark could also be so funny? The mad governess who narrates this tale is both hilarious and disturbing. The author does a great job of taking a typical Gothic setting/narrative and completely turning it upside down, defying the reader’s expectations. The creativity is really remarkable, and the book is both haunting and fun.

Despite a very evocative cover, and an interesting blurb, I just could not find my way into this one. The writing style just did not work for me. I couldn't connect to the characters or storyline almost from the opening pages. It felt awkward and stilted, linguistically. This one was not a good fit for me.

I really wanted to like this book. It has everything I would love on paper, a Gothic antihero, a spooky manor house, and an interesting class analysis in Victorian England, but this narration fell flat. The tone was fast and silly at times in a way that made no sense for the genre and subject matter.

It was a struggle to get through and there was a lot of telling and not showing when it came to Fred's flavour of evil. I understand the book meant to show how well she can masquerade as meek and what that looks like internally, but I felt like there were no real stakes despite it being quite a bloodbath.

This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review, thanks to Netgalley and W.W. Norton.

Victoria Feito’s novel Victorian Psycho was delightfully disgusting—glorifying guts and gore in the most jaw-dropping fashion. Every new page was filled with scenes and dialogue somehow progressively more unhinged than the last.

I found myself rooting for the main character, Winifred Notty, from page one. My adoration for Winifred increased alongside her insanity. I’m not entirely surprised at myself for this, because I do in fact tend to happily devour a good unreliable narrator driven storyline. With that being said, the way that Feito expressed the tumultuous nature of Winifred’s grasp on reality through her actions and inner dialogue was so descriptive that I could not stop reading, even with the artfully illustrated carnage throughout the story. Yes, there are major content warnings for just general gore and violence, however, when I say that the gore absolutely is necessary and furthers the plot, I mean that I do not think it would have been nearly as fascinating of a read if there were even a sentence less.

As a life-long avid reader, it is typically very difficult for a novel to reveal a “big twist” in the plot that I didn’t already see coming from the first two chapters. Most novels, even novels that fall within the mystery and thriller genre, are full of tropes big and small that are easily identified if looked at close enough. With the plot twist in Victorian Psycho, however, I heard myself audibly saying “What? Huh? Excuse me?” so many times in a row that my husband turned and asked if I was doing alright. Obviously not because ???. That was insane. Immediately upon re-reading that sentence for the 16th time, mouth agape, I scrambled to mentally review all of the scenes and plot points leading up to that. I was able to piece a lot of clues together that pointed to this reveal. For a split second I was frustrated that, for once, I did not see this coming. But the further I read the more I understood that Feito crafted this narrative in such a brilliant way that it was impossible to focus on anything else besides trying to navigate what this Victorian psychopath will do next.

All in all, I intend on giving this novel a high recommendation to my non-squeamish friends and family when it is released to the public.

PS: If you were a big fan of the short story The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, you’ll love reading about the sweet, sweet revenge of a Victorian woman gone mad.

What a wild read! I want more! This is a satirical piece on vengence. Want to feel rage and laugh out loud while you do so? Did you think you would ever be asked that?

3.5!!! Let me first say I love a good psychological thriller - however they not only hard to write, but hard to write well. Virginia Feito wrote not only a good one but an eerie gothic one! What a feat! This was such a fun little read. Winifred Notty is batshit crazy, loved the character completely- especially seeing her come fully herself at the very end.

Excited to see where this goes with the adaptation that is coming out for this shortly after.

Thank you to Netgalley & Liveright for the ARC!

So weird and fun! I loved the interesting take on the governess and the gothic in this. I'm very excited to see the film version with Margaret Qualley as well.

I knew that this book was a gothic horror. But the level of horror was far too extreme for me, as in let's see how much we can get Julie's jaw to drop. I couldn't with it. I get that the main character Winifred was suppose to be a psycho and vile, did awful things, but there were no redeemable qualities to her. I mean, she did say some pretty funny things to the kids that she governed occasionally.

Also, there was a lot of animal abuse, death, children abuse, death, cannibalism. If this is your thing, go right ahead and read it, but it wasn't my thing I guess.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me an ecopy for an honest review

Thank you, NetGalley and Liveright, for sending me an e-ARC of this book.

Full disclosure: I DNFed this work around 30%. This review solely is my opinions based on how far into the story I got. An attempt at combining The Turn of the Screw with American Psycho without the blurred lines between supernatural and the psychological or the satire on masculine fragility. It is a satire, though. I just didn't get it: Unless it was to mock me as a reader. Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House with good intentions, but her nefarious nature prevents her from following through with her good intentions. I mean, her last name is the literal phonetic spelling of "naughty." Feito has a tongue-in-cheek approach to painting grotesque scenes masterminded by Winifred so she can avoid facing her truth. I couldn't connect with the setting, characters, or message with this work. However, I think this could be many other people's cup of tea, so don't take my review to heart.

💛💀Unhinged & deranged💀💛


Pub date: 2/4/25

Pages: 208

Genre: Horror, thriller, humor 

Trigger warnings: abuse, child abuse, mild gore


Winfred “Fred” Notty, our MC is quick to let us know she is not very demure, not very mindful and, in fact, quite the opposite. She's very unhinged,  very deranged, very delusional, and oh so very much psychotic. And I'm here for all of it. 


Quick synopsis from Goodreads:


“Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect Victorian governess-she'll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But the longer Winifred spends within the estate's dreary confines, and the more she learns of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family, the more trouble she has sticking to her plan. Whether creeping across the moonlit lawns in her undergarments or gently tormenting the house staff, Winifred struggles at every turn to stifle the horrid compulsions of her past. When her chillingly dark imagination breaches the feeble boundary of reality on Christmas morning, Winifred is finally ready to deliver on her generous gifts.”


Between the poetic style of writing mixed in with intrusive thoughts, is the unhinged mind of a monster with a petticoat and a dress, that somehow lands a job being the governess to the Pounds children and a stay at the Ensor House where her mind starts to slip and can't distinguish between her gruesome fantasies and the reality at hand. And down the line, they both start to merge. 


What goes on in these pages is deranged, unhinged, hilarious, and an addictive read.The author, Virginia Feito, does an outstanding job at captivating and keeping your attention. It was an extremely fun read, one which I did not want  to end. 


I would like to thank NetGalley. W.W. Norton & Company, as well as Liveright, for the opportunity to read this e-book ARC

Victorian gothic horror with a governess you won't soon forget. Winifred Notty has just arrived for a governess position at Ensor Hall. There is no slow build up here: we know from the beginning that Winifred (or Fred as she likes to be called) is obsessed with murder gore, dead animals and people and all things disgusting. She is entrusted with two children: eight year old Andrew and thirteen year old Drusilla. Her employers are Mr. and Mrs. Pounds and while Mrs. Pounds is stern and clearly doesn't like her, Mr. Pounds finds Fred amusing and takes her on walks.

I found the writing clever and at the same time much of Fred's rambling thoughts were disgusting. I also hate storylines where babies or children are hurt. Something about this one though kept me going as I had to find out what was going to happen and where Fred's visions would take her. I believe it was the author's intent to show the disdain the Victorians felt for children born out of wedlock, for servants and even for children who were often worked to death in factories or mines. As we see glimpses of Fred's upbringing we understand her need for some stability and love something she never experienced. The novel comes to it's main objective when Christmas time arrives and a number of guest come to Ensor house. In the descriptions of the guests we can see the foolish preoccupations of these people with clothing, manners and appearing wealthier and smarter than they really were. This novel works only as a very short novella sized piece; any more and the gore overload would be too much. The author also chooses the main character to have thoughts and speech which seem way too modern for the time and there may be a purpose there which escapes me. I am rating it four stars because it kept my interest and was very original and fresh. A great deal of violence and gore, often towards children. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC for review.

Hard pass on this one, y'all.

Winifred Notty is hired as a governess for an insipid wealthy couple and their equally insipid children. Through the novel, both as it takes place and in Winifred's past, we learn how odd she is and her bloody trail through her life, which culminates in a mass murder at the wealthy couple's house during Christmas, after which Winifred is arrested and hanged for murder.

I'm just not sure what the author's point was here. Was she trying to have a Victorian, female retelling of American Psycho? Was she just trying to shock? I didn't get it. And though the book is fast-paced (I read it in a few days), I can't say I enjoyed it. I love horror, but well-done horror. Not this bloody drivel masquerading as horror.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy for review.