This book is beyond grim and an absolute delight all at once. Victorian Psycho is a tale about a governess hired to teach morality and manners - unfortunately she possesses none of these qualities herself.

At 208 pages, I read this in one sitting and went through a WIDE range of emotions. This is one that I recommend going into fairly blind and just buckling up for the ride.

In lieu of a longer review here are a couple of my favorite quotes - these either made me laugh or cut right to my cold, dark core. *Quotes may not be verbatim in the finished copy, as these are taken from an ARC.*

“At eight thirty sharp breakfast is removed, as is my will to live.”

“Human expressions are like hides I’ve peeled throughout life, rolled into a ball, and slipped under my skin.”

Check this one out if you like horror, thrillers, dark humor, and shock factors!

**Thank you to Liveright Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this absolutely unhinged title!**

Victorian Psycho is, for a variety of reasons, a book I am finding particularly difficult to rate and review.

Winifred, our MC, has taken a job as a governess for the Pounds family. It's clear from page one that she's a deeply disturbed individual, constantly rambling about her interest in the violent and grotesque. The novel is written in first-person, with Winifred speaking directly to the reader, sharing stories about her troubled and misspent youth. As she goes about her governess duties, Winifred engages in multiple acts of violence against the Pounds family and their guests. At one point, she goads a horse into kicking Andrew, one of her charges, in the face. Later, she slits a baby's throat with a razor blade, then kidnaps another baby to replace the one she murdered. When she isn't outwardly wreaking havoc, she's internally monologuing about her fascination with death and gore and violence and sex. She makes regular references to her parents: a father she has never met and a mother who declared her evil.

It's later revealed that Mr. Pounds is actually her father, and Winifred has been taking governess positions as a means to locate him.. As Winifred continues to spiral and engage in heinous, violent acts, it becomes clear that she her endgame is the demise of the Pounds family. The story ends with Winifred brutally murdering Mr. and Mrs. Pounds, their son, and their many guests and employees with the help of Drusilla, the eldest Pounds child and Winifred's half-sister. Winifred is then executed for her crimes, a fate in which she takes great delight.

On the one hand, I appreciated how much of an unreliable narrator Winifred was. Although she's speaking directly to the reader, it's not always clear what is reality and what only exists in Winifred's mind. The type of horror I enjoy tends to veer more psychological, and this type of POV and narration lends itself well to that. I also found the satirical, snarky narrative voice quite funny. Winifred's voice is very matter-of-fact, and I liked the humorous, tongue-in-cheek edge that added.

On the other hand, I was a little disappointed by the story itself. Winifred had essentially no characterization outside of being a presumed psychopath. What are her motivations? What led her mother and the Reverend to be so sure she was of the devil, a belief that made them go so far as to attempt to murder her on more than one occasion? Why did she spare Drusilla, and what compelled Drusilla to willingly engage in such atrocities alongside Winifred?

This was, I suppose, more of a character study than anything else. Thinking about it as a novel, it felt underdeveloped. Thinking about it as a short story, it felt eerie and disturbing enough to be a mostly enjoyable quick read. If you're looking for something that will envelope you in the mind of the disturbed and deranged, this might be for you. If you're looking for something with more of a plot, with character arcs and an fully-formed story to tell, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

Thank you to NetGalley and Liveright for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅.”

This one is for my spooky ghouls, so check your content warnings.

October wouldn’t be complete without a chillingly gruesome book. Victorian Psycho is that book. The opening lines are “death everywhere.”

Well, now you have my attention. I couldn’t put this book down if I tried.

Miss Winifred Notty is a governess who finds employment with the Pounds. In her care are two children who are both peculiar and slightly bratty.

She begins her position with the plan of only tutoring the children, telling them bedtime stories, and joking about eating them (is it a joke?). But the secrets within Ensor House quickly allow her compulsions to take hold.

She has a darkness inside of her that she *tries* to keep contained. But it slithers beneath her skin providing us with flashbacks of her previous crimes, blending reality and delusion so seamlessly that I had to stop and ask myself if what was happening was actually real.

She has ulterior motives for choosing the Pounds. Her need for revenge fuelling her duties with the children.

This book will make you cringe and provides dark humour to offset the gore.

At one point in the story my mouth was agape for several minutes while I had to read and reread a scene. I was thoroughly in disbelief at the events that unfolded in the blink of an eye.

This book would also be perfect for spooky Christmas as there is a huge scene at the end that takes place over the holidays.

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito plunges readers into the twisted mind of Miss Winifred Notty, a Victorian governess with a dark streak and even darker ambitions. Charged with looking after the children of Mr. and Mrs. Pounds, Miss Notty’s journey quickly takes a turn from nanny duties to a sinister path of secrets and simmering revenge. Feito’s writing is both visceral and sharply humorous, filling each page with gruesome descriptions and pitch-black satire.

I honestly don’t know what to think about this book. It’s better than Mrs. March as the uncertainty with that one really left me kind of angry. This was just more of a “huh “ type of vibe. But the imagery created was fantastic

Full Review for Patreon on Monday (Oct. 7th). In the meantime, here are some early expectations with zero spoilers.
You're going to want to read this book if you:
-enjoy historical fiction
-are not squeamish
-read & enjoyed The Laws of Skies by Grégoire Courtois (very similar vibes, storytelling style)
-read and enjoyed Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
-can endure disturbing accounts of gruesome violent acts against people of all ages and animals
-are fascinated by stories centered on people who are casually cruel with zero provocation
-"bad seeds"
-A woman takes a nanny position for a wealthy family to look after their peculiar children and get caught up in family affairs (trope)
-unlikable main characters that are unpredictable
-love to feel bad for laughing at awful things *sheepish grin*

In other words, you need it.
*Be mindful, this is NOT for sensitive readers

This modern-day penny dreadful packs quite a punch for such a relatively short book! Gory, macabre, and darkly funny, it is one of the more unique books I've read this year.

Winifred Notty is the new governess at Ensor House; but she is not your typical sweet Victorian lady. She is, in fact, a murderous psychopath. But things will be different at this house...right?

If you like the title & description of this book, you will probably love the story. Be aware there are events/ topics in the story that could potentially be triggering to some readers; but if you're going into this expecting, well, a Victorian Psycho, you will probably not be surprised by that.

I really enjoyed this book, and couldn't put it down once I started it; I need to go read any other books from this author now! If you're looking for a read with a totally unique story & tone, you need to check out this book.

Rating: Maybe 1.5 stars?/Review contains spoilers
***Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ebook.

This really didn't feel like a novel of any kind, more like a deranged short story? Our FMC is a governess who accepts a job to take care of two children of a wealthy family, The Pounds. But it is GRAPHICALLY clear that some thing is not write with her. Her narration, slow spiral, oof--definitely horrifying. Also tidbits about her past definitely explain some of things wrong with her, her mother's attempts to kill her, reverend step father abuse (more implied with the bible being thrown in her face).

The plot twist is that's she been looking for her father, John Pounds and that is who she succeeds in working for. The language really didn't seem right for the era that the author was in, and the build up leading up to the twist was very lacking. It just felt like something was missing from our character (I mean, besides the obvious) in terms of more back story. The violence is abrupt (she slits a babies throat and kidnaps another to replace the baby), and the Christmas Dinner scene where she and her half sister join forces to kill everyone and prop them for dinner...it just kind of reminded me of Pearl from A24.

If you want violence, a deranged governess, graphic detail, etc. This is the one for you, but I really didn't get anything from this except my eye brows rising to a new point on my forehead.

I should probably have my head examined for enjoying this book so much, but I lol’d multiple times in nearly every chapter and devoured it over three nights. Our MC is Miss Notty, and she’s as deadpan funny as she is deadly.

I liked being dropped right into the action, and getting Miss Notty’s back story in real time, but would have loved another 100 or so pages for our Victorian Psycho to run amok amongst the townspeople.

There are a few bummers, like Feito has clearly never met a simile she doesn’t want to use, but thankfully they start to drop off the further we get into the story.

There’s lots of mayhem, vulgarity and murder, this book is definitely not for the pearl clutchers. Victorian Psycho would be the perfect read for that time between the holidays and the new year, but for some reason is coming out in time for Valentine’s Day, which after reading, is also kind of hilarious.

A big thanks to Norton and NetGalley for an early look.

I am not the correct reader for this type of novel. The writing style is very romantic and gothic, which does not work for me. It just distracts me from the story.

Victorian Psycho is like American Psycho, in a broad sense. The female narrator is sharp, witty, and macabre in her murders and I really enjoyed being inside her head. Also enjoyed the author’s first novel Mrs. March

Winifred, the newly appointed governess at the Ensor house for the Pounds family, is a woman haunted by a disturbing past that begins to bleed into her present. Her increasingly macabre actions suggest the mind of a true psychopath, one whose twisted thoughts unfurl like a dark, creeping shadow across the narrative.

The eerie, dark humor of Winifred—both unsettling and deranged—immediately captivated me. Each chapter left me itching to discover what grotesque and outlandish action she might take next. Her instability is palpable, like the fragile seeds of a dandelion drifting away on the wind, her mental state slipped further with every page. Winifred's character bears a striking resemblance to the deranged figure in "100% Match," as if they are kindred spirits lost in a labyrinth of madness.

The author masterfully conjures an eerie Victorian atmosphere, where the cold seems to seep into your very bones. The setting becomes more than just a backdrop; it feels like a character in itself, mirroring Winifred's unraveling psyche.

Though disturbing, I found myself unable to put the story down, unable to look away from the chaos Winifred left in her wake. It’s impossible not to wish for more, as I was quickly entrapped by the dark allure of her twisted, unstable mind.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I eagerly look forward to more works from this author.

I very much appreciate being able to receive an advanced reader copy of this book. While I had high hopes for this book, it just didn't work for me. It does have creepiness throughout, but ended up being somewhat flat to me. The ending in particular was disappointing.

Well, that was profoundly messed up, and I enjoyed every second.

What do you get when you mix a deranged governess with a thirst for vengeance with a houeshold full of rich blowhards who do not give the lower-class much more than a passing glance, and who are so quick and eager to label women as "hysterical" and hide them firmly away that they wouldn't know true evil, even if it looked them directly in the eye? And who is truly evil in this instance, if not for the callous and frivolous Victorian ruling-class, who scoff at the misfortune of others, and cruelly beat their daughters into quick, restrained submission?

Well - I imagine you'd get this tale, of course.

She was kind of fun! Definitely nothing life changing, but sometimes you need a fun mindless read. The middle did drag a little, but the main character was a funny enough narrator that I was still able to stay engaged. I'd say 3.5 is a good rating.

This is a creepy, crazy look at Victorian England as Miss Notty. the new governess arrives at Ensor House to take care of 13-year-old Drucilla and e-year-old Andrew. Of course the parents aren't aware of the Darkness that resides in Winifred as it slithers around inside her, preventing her from feeling fear or crying. But when the Pounds discover paw prints from the family dog on Andrew's bed, she's reduced to sleeping in the dog house and the Darkness swells! Earlier in life, she'd been through an exorcism but it didn't take and now her thoughts run rampant as she must punish all those in her wake. It's bloody and gruesome but at the same time so much fun! Read at your own risk but enjoy!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Victorian Psycho brings us Winifred Notty, a governess who, despite her best efforts, can’t seem to suppress her darker impulses. Ensor House may seem like your standard Victorian mansion, but between the twisted family dynamics and Winifred’s own inner chaos, it becomes the perfect setting for her unhinged character arc. There’s a creeping unease that builds throughout, paired with sharp, sardonic humor that keeps the story from feeling too heavy. Winifred gives major “pick me” girl energy, but it fits so well with the tone of the novella—it’s more fun than toxic girlboss.

One of the hooks of Victorian Psycho is that we’re told early on no one is making it through the winter alive. Yet, there’s something about a setup like that that makes you search for a loophole, holding out hope against the inevitable. Yes—people die, and it gets increasingly more messed up (and fun) with each body stacked in the attic. Winifred’s almost clinical approach to her wrongdoings adds a strange whimsy to the tone, making the dark humor even more enjoyable. Even though we get inside Winifred’s head (iykyk), there’s this distance that aligns with her psychopathy but also keeps me from fully connecting. I love a character I can feel, and Winifred doesn’t quite hit that for me. We're more witnesses than passengers.

The design of this book is a standout. The gothic atmosphere is dialed up with beautiful chapter headers, haunting illustrations, and a striking Roman-esque typeface (what can I say, I'm a sucker for a good font). It’s a visual treat that adds to the overall experience, making it even more perfect for a cozy, stormy-night read. The eerie atmosphere and the slow, creeping tension are top-notch, especially once the second half kicks off.

I knew what I was in for from the moment I read that gorgeously macabre preface, and I savoured every minute! Dark, twisted, and wicked, this novel grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go. The characters are vivid, the atmosphere oozes gothic charm, and the pacing is perfect. Winifred Notty is a kooky governess like no other—she teaches, tells off-putting bedtime stories, and has a dark sense of humour that might just involve cannibalism. As she navigates the strange and perverse Pounds family, her own macabre urges bubble to the surface.

Sometimes, a book is so good you wish it went on just a little bit longer—this is one of them. It’s the kind of book you finish too fast because it’s just that good. It’s short, sharp, and oh so satisfying!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Liveright for the opportunity to read and review Victorian Psycho prior to publication.

Oh, what a delightfully fun and dark….yep, psycho!

Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House on a blustery day to take up her position as the new nanny to Drusilla and Andrew. We learn that within three months, everyone in the house will be dead. It’s quite an opener.

Winifred is irreverent, a bit bawdy and everything is “gorgeously macabre.” The tale is told in a standard Victorian style complete with old-time illustrations and chapter headings like “Chapter II. In Which I Meet My Employers and Am Not Terribly Impressed.” Delicious!

The short tale where everyone is wicked is bloody fun. Too bad it’s not out for Halloween or Christmas but it will do equally well when all the world is snowed in.

Victorian Psycho is about a governess who is a psychopath/serial killer. While the premise definitely piqued my interest, this book didn't deliver as a horror novel. There is a lot of body gore but zero plot. The characters were one-dimensional, and I really had to squint to see any motivations behind their behavior. Unfortunately, violence doesn't make a horror book. Cool idea, unimagined execution.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.