This book is insane and I loved it to death. There are so many quotable lines in this book. It is one of the most darkly funny stories I’ve come across in a very long time. Ms. Notts is a truly incomparable character and her thoughts are so gloriously inappropriate. And the ending to this one, wow. This will be talked about a ton when it comes out in February.

This is my first title by Virginia Feito and I was not prepared for the ride I was taken on.

Ms. Notty has for a while known she was not like others and must use her wit to navigate everyday life as a governess to pass to those around her.

Victorian Psycho is told from the perspective of our title's namesake. Despite the gruesome look into Ms. Winifred Notty's mind there is a lightness in the narrative that makes this feel lighthearted and humorous. The moment she meets up with her wards she is threatening to eat them (to the children's own delight.) Quite a few times I found myself laughing aloud to myself.

This was a delight to read. Thank you for the advanced reader's copy!

I'm obsessed with this book. It was truly horrific. I only wish I had more stars to give it. 10/10, would be forced into this bitch's mind for a million more pages if I could.

This was a delectably morbid story of a psychopath who just wants revenge. I thought it was interesting that the author saw nature as the cause of Winifred's actions, rather than nurture or a mix of both. It was so interesting to see into the mind of a serial killer, even if it was fictional. If you love true crime and horror, this is a book for you!

On the one hand, Victorian Psycho is just what it says on the tin. We get a first-person account of a psychopathic young woman in Victorian England who has been hired as a governess in a great house. If the title isn’t enough of a spoiler, the narrative takes no time to establish that Fred is and has long been completely unhinged. There are passing references to past murders, bloody fantasies, and a disturbing propensity to bite things, including the severed calf’s head in the kitchen.

But there’s also a great homage to the novel’s gothic forerunners, with familiar character types, a mystery regarding parentage, as well as romantic scandals, but the novel seems almost entirely uninterested in them because Fred is uninterested in them. The only thing Fred really cares about is unlocking her family secret and murder, and the two go effortlessly hand in hand.

I’d be remiss in discussing Victorian Psycho is I didn’t mention that it is hilarious. The humor may be pitch black (and kind of gross), but it drips from every page. Fred isn’t just a psychopath; she’s also supremely observant, poking fun at the ridiculousness of the upper and lower classes alike. If it weren’t for all of the dead babies, the novel would be a comedy.

As much gory fun as Victorian Psycho is, I was left with a nagging sense that something was missing. The plot goes the only place it can possibly go, and it does so propulsively, and as a character study it’s both fascinating and terrifying, but it doesn’t necessarily add up to much beyond vibes. That said, the vibes are exquisite, and as black comedy, the novel hits page after page, actually leaving me laughing out loud at several passages.

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

Winifred Notty, hired as governess for the snobbish Pounds family, arrives at Ensor House ready to play her part. By day, she "educates" the children (though French stays OFF the curriculum) and entertains the eccentric whims of the family patriarch. Yet, she continues to be distracted and compelled by a darkness dwelling inside of her, to which she finally gives in to on Christmas Eve to devilish results.

Nothing gets me in the holiday spirit quite like a murderous Victorian woman! Sure, Mariah Carey's nice, but have you ever read about a literal psycho biting a raw cow's head? Guaranteed to do the trick :)

At one point, Winifred and the Pounds family and their Christmas guests are dining on a swan, described as tough and acrid and hard to chew - and even harder to swallow. I'm sure for many, this will perfectly describe Victorian Psycho. Yes, there are plenty of descriptive scenes of murder, yes, there's gore, so if that's not your thing, I'd steer clear. But if the wicked and vile are up your street, I'd seek this one out. Clocking in at a snappy 200 pages, it's a quick read and a deliciously dark delight.

Amongst all of the violent scenes of murder and the unexpectedly revolting description of their Christmas feast, which actually might have been grosser than anything else in these pages, I was surprised at how hilarious the book is. I feel like the more we got to know Winifred, each scene got funnier, and I laughed out loud (and unfortunately, snorted) more than once while reading.

Feito's writing is beautiful and descriptive, effortlessly evoking a looming and mazelike gothic manor. I love how the book can be as deep or as shallow as you want it to. You can read into the takedown of the upper class society or the Victorian ideals of femininity, or you can just ignore that and be swept away by a hilarious psycho :)

Thank you to @w.w.norton and @netgalley for the ARC! Victorian Psycho is out February 4, 2025

An outstandingly graphic and gruesome tale! I was 100% there for it!

Feito's writing is so smart and elegant, even while getting disturbingly graphic with the thoughts and actions of the protagonist. I was enthralled with this story, hardly being able to put it down. I found myself eagerly awaiting what was to come in the next chapter, and to see just how this story came to a close.

I often experience disappointment with victorian era tales because they always seem to feel more modern, but that was not the case with this one. Feito does extremely well at providing language and settings that seem true to the victorian era. It served the story well, and added a sense of submersion for me, the reader.

For fans of horror with gore, I would highly recommend!

OMG! Very dark and campy, eat the rich, kill everyone, blood and guts and more blood, and the ending! I loved it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for providing me with an eARC of Victorian Psycho in exchange for my honest review!

I'd already received an eARC of this on NetGalley when I heard about how it's getting a movie adaptation starring Margaret Qualley, which is when I decided to bump this book up my TBR pile. I'm so damn glad to have made that choice, since it's turned out to be an unnerving and grimly humorous tale that's strengthened by the sociopathic complexity of its antiheroic protagonist. Virginia Feito guides me down the psychological twists and turns of Winifred's interior world, making me feel like I'm really getting to know her character—maybe getting know a bit too much of her murderous soul. That being said, she does become a fairly endearing individual for us to connect with, particularly while we learn about her past, and it's interesting to compare her with the people around her—people who leave you walking away from them with the bitter aftertaste of disdain clinging to your throat.

Overall, I'm officially rating Victorian Psycho 4.25 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to 4 stars. Now I'm keen to read another book by Feito, Mrs. March.

I absolutely just devoured this book, read it in one sitting, and the first thing I said when I read the final sentence was “Well that was fucking crazy” which pretty much sums up the experience of reading this.

It’s gothic and unsettling and you’re really taken on this journey of discovering just how mad the head of the person you, as the reader, are residing in is. The writing is extremely visceral and the acts violent, making the title apt. One thing in particular that I found and really enjoyed was that some of the descriptions of the food and eating were more disgusting than the violence.

Oh yeah! This book is set during Christmas!? I didn’t know that going in but it makes now the perfect time to read it! I did really enjoy this and I think if you like horror books with batshit crazy MCs who have murderous intentions all wrapped up in a Victorian gothic atmosphere then this is the book for you!

What a wonderfully grotesque story!
Winnifred is a very well written and confusing narrator. Confusing in the way that you want to hate her, but she’s hilarious and witty. The way she speaks is so eloquent and almost endearing? I almost forgot she was an actual psychopath.
I look forward to reading more from author! Thank you so much for this ARC.

This book was really intense from start to finish and there were some plot twists I didn’t really see coming. I can’t recall any of the main characters being very likeable and that really worked for the book. The writing was very vivid and engaging. I consistently wanted to find out what was going to happen next and there wasn’t a chapter where I was bored or wanting to skip through. With that being said, there are a lot of trigger warnings I’d like to point out because there are a lot of very gory and possibly upsetting scenes for anyone sensitive to animal death, child death, violent/graphic and sexually explicit scenes. Overall, this is a fantastic book for anyone who likes the horror genre. Or if you have a bad relationship with your parents.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Feb. 4, 2025
Winifred Notty is hired on as the governess for Drusilla and Andrew Pound, the spoiled and pretentious charges of Ensor House. Determined to raise them to be proper members of Victorian Society, Winifred struggles daily to hide the secrets of her past, and who she really is. But her captivity at the secluded Ensor House brings out the Darkness, the Darkness that Winifred has long since kept hidden. But Winifred is not just a reluctant governess to unruly children; she had a plan to insert herself into the Pound household and, now that it’s successful, she can finally put more of her dangerous plans in action.
“Mrs. March” author, Virginia Feito, has written a novel that is delightfully creepy, gory and downright disturbing- and I loved it.
Winifred narrates the novel through posthumous journal entries, slowly unraveling the story of how she came to Ensor House and what plans she enacted there. Through these entries, we also learn a little bit about Winifred herself and her particularly dysfunctional childhood, which no doubt contributed to the decisions Winifred made upon her arrival.
The story is creatively written, told from the perspective of a very unexpected, very eccentric woman during the Victorian era. With a brazen and terrifying main character such as Winifred, I expected next-level horror and boy, did Feito surpass expectations. The giant Ensor House definitely checks all the boxes for a haunted house and, even without the paranormal component, Winifred’s delusions are enough to turn the House into a goosebump-inducing locale.
I loved the Victorian setting and Winifred as a protagonist (and antagonist, to be honest). “Psycho” takes the Victorian era and turns it on its head, leaving blood and destruction in its wake. I always love when I accidentally stumble upon smart, original Victorian horrors and Feito delivered this is in spades. “Victorian Psycho” is an unexpected delight.

I loved the writing style. The author uses words I would never think to incorporate and they help elicit the creepy atmosphere of this book so well. The narrator, our MC, has a fun dark and sarcastic tone through the book that is both jarring and humorous. I loved the twists, the characters, and the intensity throughout. Also, loved the ending!! I greatly enjoyed this gory and dark read.

Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for the ARC.

Wickedly gory and delicious.

The minute I saw my favorite reviewer on IG (averynicebook) review this I knew I had to read it.

Definitely my favorite horror I read this year. Victorian Psycho is American Psycho if Patrick Bateman was a voracious and evil governess.

Winifred Notty is QUITE the villain. She’s vile yet funny. Terrifying yet sympathetic believe it or not. She’s an incredible narrator of her story unreliable or not. Overall, she’s a demon wrapped in layers of modest Victorian dress. I could not believe some of the descriptions in this book. The last few chapters are something to behold. The book leaves you breathless covered in coagulated dread.

Be very aware it’s violent and gross. Every TW you could imagine to be quite honest, but it’s surprisingly readable and un-put-downable.

Loved it!

Five rotting stars for this one!

Thank you NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for the digital advanced readers copy.

Holy Christmas Cards - what did I just read??

Winnifred Notty arrives at a beautiful Yorkshire estate to be a governess to two tweens, and while her resume makes her appear reputable and responsible, the Darkness in her lurks and is growing more and more difficult to suppress.

This is a Christmas regency slasher, it starts slowly enough but devolves into a nineteenth century splatterpunk. Absolutely not for the faint of heart (content warning: murder, maggots, vomit, blood, entrails, gross food descriptions, child abuse, animal abuse, lots of chamber pot talk) but encouraged for the gore seeking rotted out readers looking for a seasonal slaying.

There were a few loose ends I would have liked to have seen tied up before the end, and I hate the title but overall it was an enjoyable (???) short read!

Haven't been this disturbed since Sayaka Murata's Earthlings. A must read for those who love all things dark, gothic, and grotesque!!

“Victorian Psycho” is giving Lizzie Borden to the absolute extreme vibes.

It’s supposed to be quirky and there were a couple of one liners that made me chuckle but the tone of the book is perculiar and unusual and it just didn’t land for me.

There isn’t much plot to the book other than the main character being an Absolute terror. There is a vague revenge plot but it seems more of a convenient placeholder and the real goal is to be as gory and shocking as possible.

If you are a fan of graphic gore and body horror with satire undercurrents this book may definitely work for you.

Thank you to Liveright and Virginia Feito for the EARC!

Publish date: February 4th 2025

This book has been on my radar since Mother Horror (Sadie Hartmann) brought it to everyone’s attention on her Instagram recently. So I was quick to request an ARC through NetGalley, and was pleasantly surprised when I was accepted! Thank you to NetGalley, Virginia Feito, and Liveright Publications for this review copy.

Winifred Notty has arrived to serve as governess at Ensor House for the Pounds family. Little does anyone know that “Fred” has brought with her both secrets and violence. Was she born evil, or was it the laudanum?

This gory, hilarious, dark and blood filled novella gives insight into the lives of Victorian women and children, the hardships endured, and little tidbits of every day life (what DID they wear as underwear?). Victorian Psycho was a blast from start to finish, told from the first person present, leaving the reader unsure as to where the story went from page to page.

There are so many unanswered questions, as often happens with a novella, but it leaves the reader with much to ponder over the following days. My only regret is that the ending was wrapped up too fast for my liking. I feel like our author made some great choices, but also a few that were surprising, simply because it seemed there was no reason for the action (or maybe there was and I missed it!).

Overall I would recommend giving this one a read! It’s a quick 208 pages and is easy to get through in one sitting. If you like gothic, bloody horror and mystery, you’ll like this one!

P.S. This book has already been optioned for a movie!!