⭐️ARC REVIEW⭐️

2/4/2024

Victorian Psycho
Virginia Feito
@liverightbooks
@netgalley

SOON TO BE A FEATURE FILM STARRING MARGARET QUALLEY

“Simmering with rage, propulsive and laugh out loud funny, Victorian Psycho speaks profoundly of horror both within and without us.” ―Catriona Ward

Book in Emojis:
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My Mini Review:

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy of this wild book! I have seen several bookstagrammers talk about this book so I had to move it to the top of my list. People have said that it is gross. That it is insensitive and grotesque. It is creepy. The book is perverted. It truly is all of those things wrapped into a nice gothic mansion story.

The author uses such creepy imagery in her story, where the gore or blood is the not the disturbing part, but how it is described. The story forces the reader to experience the story through their senses. This might mean hearing the teeth crack as the character bites down or seeing limbs hanging from trees as outsiders come to investigate. This is not necessarily a Slasher book though. I think it is truly exploring evil in its Victorian Era where the question is, who is the most evil? Is it the person who hires children to do dangerous work in factories or abuses women in their home? Or is the evil person the one who stabs people, hides bodies and keeps victim heads in their closet? The governess is showing her side of the story and wants the reader to decide, who is truly the most evil? Regardless of our thoughts, she will laugh at the head of the mansion's table.

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This was an incredibly compelling, grotesque nod to American Psycho. It was a bit TOO gruesome for me, but you may enjoy that!

Absolutely love this cover! All these trending covers always get me. The story was riveting and will keep you questioning your sanity until the end :)

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was fun! I love the time period, and it reminded me of other classic horror like turn of the screw.

God forbid a woman have a hobby! Winifred Notty is more putrid than Sweeney Todd and would find herself welcome in the most lurid and ghastly penny dreadfuls of her age. A delightful short read that should not be attempted after eating. Or before, really.

This book was weird, disgusting, grotesque in some ways. Horrific in many others. Baffling in others yet.

And I really enjoyed it.

This take on American Psycho goes Victorian was about as charming as the book it references, which is to say, sometimes very but often not? There is almost nothing likable about the Winifred (except the blackness of her heart and humor) and I imagine she wouldn't care because she is insanely compelling.

While it nods at its American counterpart, this book establishes itself as something entirely of its own (I didn't even notice the connection until it was pointed out to me). I found it compulsively readable, even though I couldn't stop asking myself why.
Ewwww. God, why.

It enters a well-loved genre of stories about unhinged women doing terrible things, but does so with such wit and ingenuity, it stands firmly on its own.

I suppose, the thing keeping it from its final star is that its lack of a point became too much of the point. There wasn't really a story here, I felt. I didn't mind that, since the writing is great and the main character was interesting, but at least to some degree I felt something lacking.

Some of grossouts just seemed to be gross for...grossness sake. They added nothing except a mild suspicion the author was scraping for shock value.

I'll definitely be checking out more from the author, even though this one will likely stick around, etched into my brain.

This is not what I expected…. In a good way. Morbid and gross and a super quick read. I couldn’t put it down and also couldn’t decide if I should keep reading. Perfect book to end the spooky season.!

4.25 ⭐️ ??

Victorian PSYCHO is right!! I feel conflicted by this book. I enjoyed it, but I didn't want to enjoy it. LOL. It was SOOO weird and revolting. I am not sure if it is a book closer to a 5 star, or if I need a mental health check. Haha.

Winifred Notty is hired on by the wealthy Pounds family as the new governess for the children of the house, Drusilla and Andrew. From the beginning, Ms. Notty is strange (I was saying, "WTF" many times while reading). The staff of the manor do not like her and make that clear. Mrs. Pounds tolerates her (until she absolutely despises her) at first. The children don't favor her and are quite rude to her. Mr. Pounds is the most pleasant and takes an interest in her, which irritates his wife further. Ms. Notty begins to wreak havoc subtly and she thoroughly enjoys it. Then all the shit hits the fan at the end. All the shit.

Ms. Notty is batcrap crazy, that is all I have to say. She is extremely unstable and unpredictable. She snaps almost instantly (0-100 violence in a mere second). She lacks any concern for animals, children, or basically any damn thing but herself. She endured a very cold, violent, and sad childhood (it did bother me) which has resulted in her lack of empathy or understanding of emotions or love. She is a true psychopath and has to remind herself to keep even her facial expressions appropriate.

This book is dark. But it had a strange humor to it. Ms. Notty was funny at times. This book is a handful of insanity. That ending was UNHINGED. The word "anus" was used way too many times though. LOL.

Not a book for someone who will be bothered by child abuse, child murder, animal abuse, and descriptive child and animal death.

This is my first book by the author and I will be reading her other books!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for access to the ARC of this book! I truly appreciate the opportunity!

I enjoyed this book despite of the over-sexualization of the children. I think some of that content could have been left out. Winifred herself sometimes comes off as a bit of a perv. The book tells the story of Winifred Notty, who becomes the Governess at Ensor House. She is to teach and train Mr. and Mrs. Pounds kids, Drusilla and Andrew. Winifred swears she will be the perfect Victorian Governess, but the longer she is in the house and exposed to the many people who live and visit the house, her emotions and rage become uncontrollable.

The sexual tension between Winifred and her father is quite disturbing. That is, if you are to believe Winifred to be a reliable narrator. The scene with her arguing with an infant, I had to question whether the infant is talking or is it all in Winifred's mind. Winifred is definitely disturbed and perhaps a psychopath. I also couldn't believe that a mother, one of the characters, would not recognize her baby. Well at least she keeps a baby, because the truth would be too much to bear. I totally didn't see that one coming; it came out of left field.

I found this to be an interesting read that kept my interest. I did find some of the characters rather drab, but the main characters: Mr. and Mrs. Pounds, Drusilla, Andrew and Winifred held my interest. The story didn't feel exactly like the Victorian era, because many of the characters dialogue and behavior, especially Winifred seemed more contemporary. That being said I did enjoy this read and it held my interest. I wanted to see the outcome, and What an Outcome!

I didn't expect what happened to happen in that manor, but I was there for it. The Drusilla twist took me by surprise although there were hints given earlier on. There are so many scenes here that I could highlight or talk about, because many are vivid in my mind. I felt shocked, at times disturbed, and found humor in many things. I found myself laughing at many scenes while reading this book. I loved the way she referred to the first baby as original baby, it made me chuckle. I think the ending was good. For me, if the ending is not right it can definitely tank a book, but the ending was the right one. I love that there were images in the book, especially the ending one. If one likes horror with a bit of satire, they will definitely gravitate towards this one.

This book is so much fun. Bloody, wacky and dark. We need more blood soaked gothic stories. I will read anything by this author.

Pointless...

I feel like the author thought this was going to be some deep commentary that would just blow his readers minds. Instead, it's 180 pages of poorly written Creepypasta. Ever notice how "satire" is the new way of saying "It's not stupid you're just too ignorant and unrefined to understand it. Peasant."

The FMC, Winnefred, is boring and was a misfire of a personality. The synopsis suggests she's going to try and restrain her urge to kill. Thats not true. When the book opens it's clear she's just on the next step of her plan. We never come to understand that plan
We just get lots of violence, that I think was supposed to shock the reader, hallucinations and boredom. This book did not have a discernable purpose and neither did the MC.

The characters were about as interesting as blank paper. I didn't like any of them... Well, except for the butler. That one scene where Winnefred is telling them a ghost story and he says "We don't care for you very much." Hands down the best part of the book.

The violence was either gross or stupid, usually both. In one scene she kills a baby because she hallucinated it was talking to her. Within two paragraphs she's stolen another baby and replaced it. And no one notices? Like you scrape a mole off a baby and the bleeding doesn't raise an eyebrow? The replacement baby is younger, and malnourished, but no one notices? There's blood stains on the babies clothes but they'll be mistaken for feeding stains??? Just stupid. All the violence was dumb. It wasn't even scary.

The sexual stuff... why?
From the beginning there were references to sex, though not very graphic. I don't believe the author indicated any childhood sexual abuse, just that Wennefred had urges and used sex as a tool. Okay, so when her employer shows her the pornagraphic books and she decides to participate in those acts with him... explain to me how that helped her control him, or what her "plan" was. At that point in the book, I'd already figured out he was her biological father. For some reason, she wanted to be recognized by him... how does engaging in incestuous activity with him do that? A few chapters later, she reveals who she is and, without explanation, he rejects her... why? I get she wasn't legitimate, but who cares?Plenty of people had illegitimate children without begging their mothers to murder thier offspring. What prompted that, why did her mother believe her infant was evil? Nothing makes sense, just a thrown together story.

Druscilla... just goes nuts, helps Wennefred slaughter everyone, plays with the bodies for almost two weeks, and then blames it all on Wennefred..... really? This this has to be some sort of commentary. I just don't care what it's about. I deeply regret wasting several hours on this travesty. I recieved a free ARC and I can honestly say it still cost me too much.

Dear Author,

What did I just read?! Was I supposed to laugh, as much as I did? I think so. Such horror, such wit. This book is one of my favorite horror stories I've read this year. I couldn't stop reading and it was a bloody read.

Sincerely Yours,

J. D. McCoughtry

Thank you, NetGalley and W. W. Norton and Company/Liveright, for allowing me to read this e-arc.

I was SO thrilled to be approved for an ARC of Victorian Psycho last night, and it was everything I had hoped for and more. I ended up reading the entire thing in less than 24 hours. I havent had a book that made me want to stay up reading until my eyes could barely open in a long time, but this did.
Fantastical, surreal, and dark, this is weird girl horror at it’s best. Feito’s writing is fantastic, and the prose is perfectly crafted to confuse and give pause at just the right times. I cant wait to buy a copy when it releases in February.
I was surprised to see that casting for a film adaptation has already been announced, but thrilled to see that they’ve chosen Margret Qualley, who I think is the perfect person to bring Winifred Notty to life.

I can’t even tell you have many times this book made me laugh due to *insanity*. This book was absolutely insane. But in the best way. It was dark yet cheerful, which was the *perfect* juxtaposition. I absolutely loved the main character. She was so delightfully unhinged. There were so many things that happened that I truly did not see coming. At times I was a little confused, questioning if what was happening was reality or a delusion - but all in all, I enjoyed this book!

Victorian Psycho
Virginia Feito 

4.25 / 5

There are grotesqueries galore in this gloriously wicked, gothic chiller that's equally horrifying and hilarious ... If you like your comedies dark black, with no sweetener whatsoever, give Victorian Psycho a read.

I will warn you, this novel is not for readers with sensitivities. 

(I saw another review mention this book as well ... it's a good comparison) If you're someone who struggled through the novel 'The Laws of the Skies', I'd skip this one. If you're super sensitive to animal deaths, this probably won't be for you either. 
Check your triggers on this one. 

The novel was another really pleasant surprise! 
I was excited by the premise, so I went in with pretty high expectations ... And, for the most part, it didn't disappoint me. 

Were there things I would have changed ...? Were there detours I didn't care to take ...? Well, yes! 

But isn't that almost every book? Oh, no?? Ok, maybe it's just the overly critical writer within me.

Regardless, the book really shook me ... both with its terrifyingly shocking content ... and with several belly laughs.  

Bottom line - this book is killer. 
4.25 / 5
Take a stab at it ... IF you think you can stomach it.

In Victorian Psycho Virginia Feito delivers a deliciously dark macabre tale that delves deep into the psyche of a Victorian murderess named Winifred who has many dark thoughts and impulses that she suppresses.

This is a tale not for the faint of heart or those who get a bit grossed out easily by body horror. Much of this is gruesome and very visceral. The scariness lies in the unpredictability of Winifred. As a character she is quite frankly a female psychopath and a very disturbed human.

What makes this story even more interesting is the fact that dark humour is laced throughout the chilling events that take place. The witty tone of the book made it feel even creepier.

If you enjoy historical horror, dark humour and gothic literature that is more macabre in nature then you’ll likely enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher LiveRight for my eARC.

Fine for what it is: something like American Psycho, but with a female main character and set in Victorian England. It's been more than 30 years since I read Brett Easton Ellis' book, so I'm not sure how similar they are. But that's the gist.

Miss Notty has been hired as a governess for two wealthy children in a country house. We learn early on that she is not your run of the mill governess. She's constantly imagining horrible things she will do or reminiscing about things she's already done. As the book goes on, we learn the particulars of her transgressions. None of this makes her likeable, but she's not there to be liked by us.

The family is detached from one another and dysfunction runs rampant. It just wouldn't be a book about a psycho if there wasn't a whole lot of murder before the whole thing is done. All of this wrapped up in the style and language reminiscent of a Victorian novel.

I was a little disappointed in the abruptness of the last quarter of the book. After humming along at a leisurely pace (with some fits and starts) for the first 150 pages or so (it's just over 200 pages long), there's a feeling that the author had to wrap it up quickly and just kind of threw everything at the reader.

I'm giving this book 3 stars, but it is full of squelching ickiness; so, if you like that, pick up this book!

My thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton and Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Victorian Psycho is the horror comedy that I did not know I needed. Virginia Feito has delivered a unique book that had me creeped out in spots and laughing in others. The main character, Winifred Notty, is an unforgettable character. Being inside her mind and seeing the Ensor House and all of its weirdness through her eyes was quite an adventure.

I was a big fan of this book and will recommend it to others.

I love when authors can take a genre like horror and make it into something new and fresh that will hopefully attract new readers to one of my favorite genres.

HOLY &*$% - this is the Ottessa Moshfegh/Downton Abbey/Mary Poppins/American Psycho mashup that I didn't know I had been waiting for all my life.

Winnifred Notty is the recently appointed Governess of the Pounds estate, tutoring Andrew and Drusilla. It rapidly becomes apparent that the household is bleak, but it is far from a match for Fred (the name her demons prefer.)

This brilliantly written, unhinged MFC does not hold back any punches. The lyrical Victorian/gothic prose juxtaposed with graphic violence and gross behavior was nothing short of delightful.

The book even has chapter header line illustrations to set the appropriate theme and tone.

I loved this so much! I can't wait to own a physical copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Liveright for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was quite the ride! The imagery in this book is like no other. From the start, the narrator tells you that everyone will be dead in the house in 3 months. I was immediately hooked. This was a super quick read and I loved it. I plan on reading more from this author since this was the first book I have read.