OK, now THIS is a fun read. Insane and propulsive, violent and gross (complimentary), I read the whole thing in three days. I laughed out loud reading this line from another reviewer: " For a book about murdering people, this book was a breath of fresh air," because I wholeheartedly agree. It's a mix of Jane Eyre and American Psycho. What a ride!

What a solid read. This made me so incredibly uncomfortable at times and I had such a conflicted relationship with our main character here - I both loved and loathed her. I didn't see the twist coming from a mile away and was left with my jaw on the floor about the grotesquerie of it all.

Stunning.

I was really disappointed to DNF this book (@ 30%), but it just wasn’t for me. I was initially drawn to it for a few reasons: the cover, the American Psycho comparison, the promise of an unhinged female protagonist, and the upcoming movie adaptation with Margaret Qualley (?) and Abigail Breslin.

But despite all that, the book never really hooked me. I kept putting it down and never felt motivated to pick it back up. For me, it lacked a clear sense of purpose—I wasn’t sure where the story was going (or if it was going anywhere at all), and I didn’t feel any curiosity about how it would end or what would happen to the Pounds or Winifred.

The writing style is definitely eccentric, as advertised, and I usually enjoy that. The characters feel more like caricatures, the dialogue is awkward, and Winifred’s cold, detached narration does successfully put you inside the mind of a psychopath. But even with all that, it just wasn’t enough to keep me engaged.

That said, I actually think this story might work better as a movie, since film naturally has a more detached quality than literature. So, I’ll still be checking out the adaptation.

Bookstagram: @narrativasinfinitas

This book was insane and weird but so good. I really enjoyed it. It was creative and funny but also dark. I love an unhinged main character.

This is a brilliant, dark, twisty novel that any horror fan should love.

Reminiscent of other classic horror stories, VICTORIAN PSYCHO well earns its place int he world of classic horror.

The book is quite violent, so that could make a few squeamish people put down the book at time, however, it does feel pulpy every once in a while.

The plot and story are very fast, making the book one that you never want to put down.

Victorian Psycho is a dark and unsettling historical horror by Virginia Feito. The story follows Ms. Winifred Notty, a governess with a twisted past, who arrives at Ensor House to tutor the Pounds children. What begins as a seemingly mundane job soon spirals into the perversions and dysfunctions of the Ms. Notty and the family.
Feito's writing style reminds me a lot of Moshfegh's in Lapvona, in that this book leans unsettling and gross. The author uses such distinctly disgusting imaginary to depict the despicable caricatures of high society. This book is absolutely extreme and not for the faint of heart! Would have a hard time recommended it for the average reader, but love some weird girl fiction.
Rating this a tentative 3.5 stars, but rounding up.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Victorian Psycho was like a mix of a penny dreadful and American Psycho. It stood on its own, though. Basically, this book was a bloody good time.

Feito managed to take an unlikable character and write her in such a way that the reader will find it hard to put the book down.

The violence in this got so over the top that it became ridiculous. (Obviously this was the author's intention). I found myself laughing at one scene in particular that involved shipping something. I was often taken by surprise by what Ms Notty said and did.

For a book about murdering people, this book was a breath of fresh air.

I absolutely loved this and will definitely be reading more from this author. I already have my eyes on the author's first book, Mrs. March.

I'd recommend this if you're into American Psycho, penny dreadfuls like Sweeney Todd, and stories about psychotic women.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

This novel follows Winifred Notty, a governess at Ensor House, who faces the unsettling behavior of the Pounds family. As she endures their perversions & her own violent urges, she plans to deliver “special gifts” to the family at Christmas, suggesting a dark & twisted conclusion.
***
This was a fun & wild ride. Quick read with short chapters, it'll keep you flipping the pages to see what absurd (and sometimes grotesque) thing Miss Notty does next. There were a couple WTF moments, ones that had me reread the page to make sure I was properly understanding what I had just read. This is a psychological horror that is perfect for readers who enjoy darkly funny thrillers with creepy, offbeat characters & a twisted Victorian setting.

If any of the following content is triggering for you, I'd recommend against reading this book - child death, murder, violence, animal cruelty/death, body shaming, miscarriage, adult/minor relationship, and fire/injury by fire.

Thank you to NetGalley for EPUB arc in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 ⭐️
I love a weird girl horror, but this needed a lot more work. The protagonist felt hugely underdeveloped to me and whilst I can appreciate that the shortness of the book makes for a fast paced punchy story, it also made it feel like there was significantly more to be explored

This was great

It’s about Winifred, a deranged woman that arrives at Ensor House to tutor the owners children, and about all the hell she raises during her stay. It’s like a mix between Maeve Fly and American Psycho, and is just as darkly comedic and depraved as both.

This was gross, with lots of disgusting descriptions of eating old timey food, lots of bodily fluids, and plenty of scenes of bodily dismemberment/injury details. EVERYTHING is fair game in this weird little story- animals, women, children, babies (actual infants), yeah this was *a lot*

The tone overall is comedic and irreverent, which is a bit jarring when you’re reading some of these horrendous things.

Yeah, just be warned!!

The writing in this book was incredible. The way Feito described everything in the story gave it this hugely sinister feeling that really set the scene. However, I had a hard time connecting to the book otherwise. I think I would have appreciated a bit more depth of character from the protagonist and a bit more reflection/self-awareness even if it wasn't actual self awareness, but something the protagonist thought of as being self-awareness. I did really like the ending though.

I was looking forward to Victorian Psycho but there were moments of this book that just felt totally disjointed and took me out of the story.

I feel like this is a book that will appeal to some people, it just wasn't for me. It didn't really feel like there was enough of a story, it was almost like the author was just listing all the crazy things she could get Winifred to do and there wasn't enough depth to Winifred or enough story connecting them.

The book was funny, but it almost felt out of place. When I first started reading it I had to check several times to see if it was a man who had written it, as it had strong "women written by men vibes." Honestly, no matter how many times I checked and confirmed it was written by a woman I still found myself questioning it.

Overall it mostly came down to the writing style for me. It want bad, just not my flavour.

If you have a very twisted sense of humor and a stomach for gore, this one is for you. I found myself cackling several times at governess Winnifred as she settles into her new role working for—and resisting maiming and killing—the Pounds family. The tension builds and ultimately erupts in a satisfyingly cacophonous finale. My only criticism is that I wish there was a bit more depth to the story, as far as larger themes to engage with; it was mostly a thrill ride.

Loved this one it is short read and the author made every word count. I will be recommending this often and bought a copy for my home library. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Horror fans are eating good this year with new releases, and Victorian Psycho is no exception. This fun, weird, gruesome little book delighted me entirely and gave me something new and exciting to talk about when people ask for book recommendations at work.

Winnifred Notty has been hired as a Governess (read: nanny) in the Pound household and is tasked with the general upbringing of the two children in the house. The family has gone through several Governesses previously, so Miss Notty definitely has her work cut out for her with the two ill-mannered Pound children. But the children are really the least of the house's concerns, with Miss Notty on staff.

(I'm sorry, I know this isn't my best summary, but I feel like every single thing about this book could be a spoiler.)

The writing style of this book was so fun and charming, and the amount of times that our narrator breaks the Fourth Wall to chatter at us had me huffing out little laughs more than once. The mixing of reality and psychosis was done really well and I found myself not really caring if what was happening was true or not. What did it matter to me? If my girl wants to tell me about it, I will listen to every blessed word of insanity that comes out of her mouth.

The pacing of this book is super steady and keeps you turning the pages to see what new, absurd horror we're going to be treated to next. With it's short page count, Victorian Psycho can be easily enjoyed in one day. And you will want to. Oh boy, will you want to.

If it wasn't obvious from the above, I recommend this book 100% to my horror-loving friends out there. This is a special one.

Pure satire, brutal and hilarious.

I truly wasn't expecting this to be so *funny*. Even just from the names of the characters, this whole book hugely pokes fun at so many literary tropes and Victorian ideals. Our main character, Ms. Notty, is an absolute riot. Early on, she's established as a character so unhinged that I'd believe anything she did and it's a great setup for such a short and wild book.

This is BRUTAL, though. Gory, and holds nothing back (TW: actual baby murder) Had me maniacally giggling at parts though, especially towards the end when things just go full throttle.

So weird and weirdly delightful. A quick and unusual read for sure. Definitely keeping Virgina Feito on my radar from now on.

Thank you WW Norton & Company and NetGalley for an e-arc

This is a short read that is a twist on the Victorian gothic tales. It's unique to have the perspective of the "villain," but it was enjoyable. I think this upending of gothic stories on the moors by making such a twisted character is what makes this an interesting read.

I had a hard time trying to figure out what to rate this. I'm gonna go with 3, though I think I'm hovering between that and a 2.5

The first half of this felt very try-hard in terms of being edgy. Like when a teenager watches a bunch of splatter films and is like "wow, i'm so dark and psycho welcome to my twisted mind." At the halfway point, it takes a nose dive into satire, particularly regarding class and manners of the Victorian elite. These elements were much more successful and I found myself enjoying the satirical portions with the holiday guests. The rich baby with a tiny signet ring in particular knocked me OUT. But then it goes back into jared leto as the joker. Like, I didn't DISLIKE it but I also felt like it was a little cringe???

I'm curious to see how the film adaptation plays out.

Final Rating: 2/5 stars
I was initially intrigued by the concept of this book alongside it's title and then very surprised by the writing style when I started reading it. The state of mind that the reader is immersed in, is at times disturbing, comedic, astonishingly haunting and even disgusting. However, I believe that was the intention of the author for this specific consciousness. Some moments I've truly found beautiful and profound, while others I thought were not really necessary (but that might also be because I am not the target audience for this work). Overall, I found the story to be fast paced, the chapters short and the story overall alright. The reason for the rating is partially due to not connecting to it as another reader might have, not necessarily being satisfied with the ending, but still having multiple moments that I really appreciated. For example:
"To this day I can't help wondering what it is like, fear. Coursing through your blood like poison, eating away at your hopes, your ambitions, your self. I think it has to be the worst thing in the world" (pg. 51).
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel.