This one surprised me. Much more visceral and disturbing than expected but incredibly well written. It’s difficult to discuss without getting into spoilers, but I’ll try..
Miss Notty is a nightmarish figure—intelligent, capable, un-repenting, and violent character. Told entirely through her point of view, readers are never quite sure what’s real and what’s hallucinations or daydreams (once even chastised by the narrator for believing a particularly gruesome moment possible). Breadcrumbs of the future are laid out explicitly—letting readers know the fates of those in the house fairly early on, and adding to an ever growing sense of tension and suspense.
It’s hard to call a read like this “good” or “enjoyable” but it’s extremely well-written and I’d definitely be curious to read more from this author.
Trigger warnings for: blood, body horror, violence against children, violence in general

I thought this book was very well done and I will certainly be reading more from Feito. This was a very eerie but delightful book, and it would've been more perfect to read in October to get a more fun spooky vibe but I loved this book so much.

Two of my favorite books are Jane Eyre and The Turn of the Screw - classic Victorian governess stories - and Victorian Psycho is a new classic for me. It’s much darker than either of those, and while neither of those lacks humor, Victorian Psycho had me literally laughing out loud. The narrator-governess, Winifred Notty, reads (in the Paris Is Burning, insult as art kind of reading) every person she meets, starting with the carriage driver to her new post.
Victorian Psycho is a perfect satire of the classic Victorian governess novels, Feito’s language at once faithful to the style but with a modern cynicism such as when the housekeeper tells Miss Notty that she has given her a small room in the back of the house as she was sure that Miss Notty would “disapprove of the unnecessary finery of the large front chambers.”
Miss Notty is an unreliable narrator, and there are times where we are not sure if what she sees is real or imagined, and she admits that to us sometimes, but Victorian Psycho isn’t about relaying the facts of the story, it’s about showing us through the lens of a disturbed mind the horrors that lie just beneath the facade of the height of polite Victorian society. And I’m here for it.

This is definitely not a story for everyone, but it was surely a story for me. It’s very dark & violent with children murders so please be aware of that going in.

I really enjoy books that focus on female characters that seem to be off their rocker so i loved this. The author did a great job at connecting everything together at the end & Winnifred, while insane, was such an interesting character.

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.

I’m so disheartened to say because I really wanted to start 2025 off with a great read but this one did not work for me. In the beginning I was intrigued by the darker version of a 1800’s governess gone wrong but the farther I read the more it became clear this wouldn’t be a recommended book from me. Don’t get me wrong I love a good vengeance filled female ragey book however the minuet the FMC took this said rage out on a young innocent child (an infant no less) I just couldn’t bring myself to care any longer about her motives or support her in anyway. The story as well as a whole just had too many plot holes and inconsistencies, making the gorey deaths and horror just there for the sake being shocking . I truly hope this book when published has content warnings applied to it.

Victorian Psycho comes out February 4th, 2025. Thank you NetGalley and Liveright for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was fun! The bleak moments interspersed with humor worked for me in this one. Despite her actions, Winifred still come off as a likable character that I was rooting for. Would recommend.

Boy, does this book live up to its title! Highly entertaining read. Dark and twisted af. Fred is such a fascinating character. She's so psychopathic, there's no equivocating about it. No excuses made. The Pound family and their dynamics with each other and with her were very interesting to see her navigate. Also, I love when a book gives me a great "I KNEW IT!!" moment and I had one with a twist that happens. It's so satisfying when that happens. Ending was great. Saw that this is also being made a into a movie and can't wait to watch it when it is.

I would say the formatting is a technical issue, but my guess is it is a standard file upload? I do not know the backend of Net Galley.

Please note: THIS RATING DOES NOT REFLECT THE BOOK, IT IS A REFLECTION OF THE INACCESSIBILITY OF THIS FILE. I still want to read the book but am very frustrated with the formatting, it was a big enough issue this time that I couldn't just be quiet about it.

The formatting was a problem for me (I have a Kindle Paperwhite, not an obscure ereader, so this should not have been an issue?) but there are also capital letters in words that should not have any capital letters. I want to blame this on a technical issue but it seems a bit deeper than that? I am unable to read this file at all. I've been able to troubleshoot formatting issues in the past by reducing the font size, but even when fully reduced, this wold not be readable if I had it on a Word doc in front of me. This is not an accessible ARC. I will likely not request ARCs from this publisher anymore to avoid this in the future, because this is extremely frustrating.

Still want to read this book once it's published but it's going far lower on the priority line because this was a bad experience.

This is going to be one of my favorite books I read in 2025. Everything about it is eerie and captivating. I can't wait to read more by Virginia Feito.

I included this in my wrap-up of top reads of the year on my blog, which is also publicized on social media, in my newsletter, and in my writing community of 500+ people.

This book delivered exactly what it set out to deliver — a quirky, witty, gruesome romp, American Psycho style. It was a wild read with a great atmospheric setting for the holidays, weird characters, and a scathing killer at the center.

I would have liked just a few more flashbacks to understand how our victorian psycho got that way — but, also enjoyed that it was a shorter, quicker romp. It didn’t necessarily NEED character development, given the context. Overall an intense, fast-paced read for fans of horror!

Virginia Feito’s Victorian Psycho is a darkly delightful dive into the mind of a woman untethered from morality, drenched in the oppressive atmosphere of Victorian England. Written in an authentic Victorian style, complete with woodcut illustrations, this novel immerses readers in the era while unraveling the chilling story of Winifred, a governess whose psychopathy knows no bounds.

The Story
Winifred Notty is hired to care for two children at Ensor House, a sprawling estate brimming with secrets. On the surface, she seems like an unassuming caretaker, but as the story progresses, the depths of her disturbing nature become impossible to ignore. Winifred’s intrusive thoughts escalate to horrifying acts that send shockwaves through the household, culminating in a Christmas Day bloodbath no one could have predicted.

What makes Winifred so compelling—and chilling—is the slow unraveling of her past. Through carefully placed flashbacks, we learn about her troubled childhood, marked by rejection and a sinister darkness that set her apart from others. Her memories reveal an unnerving pattern of deviant behavior, like the time she poisoned her classmates with bits of a decomposing crow, leaving you both horrified and grimly amused. There’s a quiet determination behind her every action, an unsettling sense that her time at Ensor House is part of a larger plan.

Atmosphere and Themes
Feito masterfully evokes the Victorian era, offering readers a visceral glimpse into the customs and hierarchies of the time. The masters overindulging at a Christmas party while the servants gather around the hearth to tell ghost stories in the next room underscores the rigid class divides that defined the period. This contrast not only adds depth to the narrative but also sets the stage for the story’s exploration of oppression and power dynamics.

But Victorian Psycho isn’t just a story of oppression. It’s also a twisted revenge tale, one where trauma, familial neglect, and societal expectations combine to create a truly unhinged protagonist. Winifred’s actions—while appalling—are rooted in a need for validation and control in a world that has denied her both.

Feito’s writing is razor-sharp, capturing the chilling atmosphere of Ensor House with a precision that pulls you deeper into Winifred’s unraveling psyche. The Victorian authenticity isn’t just a stylistic choice—it’s a tool that amplifies the tension and immerses you fully in the story’s dark, twisted world.

The Experience
Let me warn you now: this book is dark. Seriously, check those trigger warnings because Feito does not pull punches. What makes it work, though, is the humor. It’s dark, it’s sharp, and somehow it keeps you hooked even when the violence makes you want to look away. From the eerie, almost supernatural way Winifred sneaks around the house to the chilling humor of a doll box hiding a terrible secret, this book knows exactly how to toe the line between horrifying and absurd.

I started reading this intending to check out a chapter or two, and before I knew it, I’d finished the whole thing in one sitting. It’s compelling, unnerving, and impossible to put down.

Conclusion
For fans of gothic horror and those who enjoy exploring the darker recesses of the human psyche, Victorian Psycho is a must-read. It’s a hauntingly sharp critique of societal structures, wrapped in an engrossing tale of madness and mayhem. I was horrified, delighted, and completely hooked from the first page to the last.

I don't read too many Gothic Horrors but this book seemed interesting. It felt very atmospheric and the writing was witty. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to everybody but it was a good time.

It is a very smooth and fast read - I read this in 1 day! The writing style is uncomplicated, and the author does not waver with lofty setting details or believe in hand-holding the reader to unravel the story. The subject matter is dark but done humorously, which is not easy.

I really enjoyed this one. A fun, wild romp that doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s wacky and unhinged, and while I was worried it would feel forced or too winky wink, but Virginia Feito nailed the tone.

I'm giving this an average 3, it caught my attention from the description and I was hopeful but the formatting for both of my kindles was so bad I literally could not read it. I'm sure its a technical issue so I will not be leaving feedback on other platforms. I do look forward to picking this up when it is released to give it another go.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am normally not a fan of books with Victorian age governesses but Victorian Psycho was a good exception for me! The fourth wall breaking and the eerie vibes throughout the book made me wanna read it all in one sitting.

It was a good book, but it was unreadable in pdf format. I had to read it on my phone which was a pain.. It was also a tad bit confusing at times with some time jumps.

Sharp, dark, and funny; Victorian Psycho was everything I hoped it to be. I’ve been seeing a lot of early buzz for this one and when I saw it got a movie deal, immediately requested it. Winifred Notty is a worthy addition to the roster of unhinged females in the horror genre. This one isn’t for the weak though, incredibly macabre and at times, pretty disgusting.

Overall, recommend to horror fans with a tough stomach and a love for the movie Pearl, Maeve Fly by CJ Leede, and the classic, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.

You can never be too careful about who you let watch your kids. Winifred appears to be the perfect governess when she arrives at Ensor House to care for the Pounds family’s children, but she has secrets…dark ones. And this Victorian estate is about to turn into a bloodbath. Putting a spin on the gothic genre, this story features a governess as the villain…or at least, as one of them.

This macabre dark comedy was deliciously fun to read. Winifred isn’t a particularly likeable main character but it was a hell of a lot of fun being inside her head. The story is tightly paced with an excellent ending. I wouldn’t recommend this one if you’re squeamish or sensitive to violence. Otherwise, you should definitely read this book!

This is a book that I had high hopes for, the summary sounds so intriguing but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. The formatting of the kindle book was weird so that made it had to get into the story, and I just really didn’t like the writing style.