A governess with strange predelictions takes a position at Ensor House, and thus begins a morbid, funny, Victorian slasher! This book embodies everything good horror is. There is a satisfying blend of gallows humor, mystery, and action. If you want Jane Eyre mixed with American Psycho, here you go.

Set in Victorian era, Winifred Notty has been appointed the position as Governess at the Pounds' household. She will be responsible for teaching and training young Andrew (8) and Druscilla (13) to be ready for society. Fighting to hide her eccentricites, Winifred slowly unravels the secrets of the Pounds family while struggling to hide her own. Dark thoughts and erratic behaviors creep forward in Winifred, slowly turning the family and staff against her. However, she is determined to finish her plan at whatever cost necessary.

This is a slow burn book. You watch as the secrets of both the Pounds family and Winifred unravel. We know right away that something is off about Winifred, but we don't know the full extent until the very end. The atrocities she commits are very blunt and to the point. There's one scene in particular that was really hard for me as a mother to read, but it happened so fast it didn't hit me until I read it a second time, so definitely check trigger warnings if you have issues reading about things happening to children. Despite that, I really enjoyed reading this book and thought this was a unique take on psychopathy during Victorian times.

Jane Eyre meets Quentin Tarantino. This book is trying to be utterly disgusting, and it succeeds. This is a well-written takedown of the modern urge to romanticize Victorian England. Victorian Psycho is a surreal and compelling revenge fantasy and very, very violent. Did I like it? I am not sure. I appreciate that the author is trying something new.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC of Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito. I want to start by saying that I really enjoyed Feito’s first book, Mrs. March. I didn’t love or even particularly like Victorian Psycho. The story was hard to get in to and it just kind of drudged on . I’d still be interested in reading more books by her, but I don’t think I’d recommend this one.

Ok first of all I loved this book so much. An oddball governess with a thing for biting animal flesh and serving unnerving toothy grins…love. And I know she’s a psychopath with extremely sadistic tendencies but honestly… she’s just really misunderstood…and is just a little silly goose at heart…and I could fix her. I loved the way the author was able to write these intensely grotesque scenes while also being humorous, this book is perfect for anyone who believes in supporting women’s wrongs <3 thanks so much to netgalley for the eARC!!

Well, that was a fucked up little delight of a book - and seasonal, too? I loved it, give me 14 more! Margaret Qualley is going to kill this role. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! 5 whole starsssss

I adored Mrs. March by Feito, and was excited by the premise of this novel.
Honestly, though, I felt like this book tipped a bit too far into absurdity for my taste. I can enjoy a dark book and an unlikeable character, but the gore and violence would've been more effective if it had been pulled back a little bit. The over-the-topness removed any sense of tension or creepiness--which I had been expecting.
This is definitely a matter of taste, however, so your mileage may vary.

Thanks to W. W. Norton & Company and Virginia Feito for the chance to read ‘Victorian Psycho’! It’s difficult to say what I think of this book. I think I loved it???? Or did I not? I don’t even know. It’s a bit of a ‘good for her’ but also what the fu…?

Virginia Feito’s Victorian Psycho is a darkly humorous and utterly captivating novel that blends gothic horror with biting satire. The story follows Winifred Notty, a governess with a penchant for the macabre, as she arrives at the enigmatic Ensor House.

Feito’s writing is both witty and chilling, effortlessly blending dark humor with gothic horror. Winifred, the novel’s narrator, is a delightfully unreliable character whose sardonic observations and macabre fantasies keep the reader engaged. The author skillfully constructs a world of gothic dread, where the line between reality and fantasy blurs.

The novel’s exploration of themes like societal expectations, the nature of evil, and the power of imagination is thought-provoking. Feito’s sharp social commentary is cleverly woven into the narrative, offering a satirical take on Victorian England’s rigid social norms.

Victorian Psycho is a must-read for fans of gothic horror, dark comedy, and literary fiction. It’s a twisted tale that will leave you both entertained and disturbed, a perfect read for the Halloween season and beyond.

Christmas hath arrived with governess Winifred Notty coming for your brooches!
really on the nose with what you’d expect from the title and description…but also very funny.
if you’re a fan of historical fiction with the macabre and an amoral, perverse protagonist slithering your way..,this one’s for you!
Thank you W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for the arc!

Woah. That was one of the most punk rock endings I've ever read; it reminds me of a certain Quentin Tarantino scene that involved Leo DiCaprio wielding a flamethrower. It was chaotic, mad, an Emeril "BAM!" if I may say.

WOWZA, what did I just read?????? Winifred Notty puts the psycho in Victorian Psycho! Seriously, this book is off the hook and brimming with deviousness, gore, and blood! Not for the faint of heart, this book delivers on humor, gore, bleakness, snarky thoughts, cruel actions, and clever dialogue.

Winifred Notty has been hired to a governess to Drusilla and Andrew, the children of the Pounds family. She is a peculiar woman who has certain impulses and engages in questionable behavior. Humor is not lost on her nor is sarcasm. She has dark thoughts and a secret she has been harboring.

I loved the Victorian setting and the eerie happenings in Ensor House. This book was dripping with atmosphere, humor, creepiness, dread, and blood! Readers know from the very beginning that they are in for a dark, gothic, grotesque ride. I enjoyed how the author gave us glimpses into Winifred's childhood and life. It adds to the dark tone and mood of the book. It shows the level of depravity and wicked thoughts she has.

This was a wild ride and enjoyed every second of it. What an addictive, imaginative, well written, and well thought out novella! This was my first book by Virginia Feito, and I can't wait to get my hands and eyes on what else she has written!

Whew! What a bloody good book!

If Maeve Fly and The Turn of the Screw could have a baby, it would be this book.

However, there was too much lacking in the world building, plot structure, and character developments for me to list this as a higher star rating or to recommend this book more freely to friends/followers.

-world building.
If you are going to put "Victorian" in the title, you need to build a Victorian ambience. Descriptions of the estate, more focus on the historical aspects in this story, and more effort into generally creating a high class "Victorian" atmosphere would have been beneficial.
-plot structure.
What was the plot though? The writing is more contemporary, but the plot is very female rage lit fic. If you are going to withhold connecting internal thought processes or experiences, you gotta give the reader more than just vague storylines with an unreliable narrator and a contemporary writing style.
-character development.
The fmc was a violent psychopath, perhaps her half sister was too, and the rest of the cast were pretty unremarkable except for being pompous asses. If you wanted more character development in this book than sorry, there doesn't seem to be any.

_Victorian Psycho_ by Virginia Feito is a disturbing gothic horror book with twisted characters and a somewhat unreliable narrator. Winifred Notty is the new governess to the two children of Ensor house tasked with teaching them of the world and their places in it, but she also hides a secret past. Her accounts of the family members, staff, and guests are witty and comedic, while her thoughts become increasingly deranged, leading up to a Christmas celebration the reader will not forget. A gruesome and quick read for fans of gothic horror.

Gruesome, creepy and darkly hilarious Victorian Psycho was an absolutely wild ride.
A novella about a governess arriving at a new home filled to meet her new charges. Miss Notty is unhinged and unmoored and while the subject matter is disturbing I had a lot of reading it.
For more indepth thoughts, check out my spoiler free youtube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qc9u0Fyq4w

Victorian Psycho is a short novella so I will keep my review short too by saying WHEW. What a ride. I went in to this story without much research in to what it was actually about and, therefore, very little expectation and I think that may be the way to go. I loved Feito's writing, the Victorian feeling that is captured, and the gruesome, satirical passages. A really fun, short read.

Thank you W. W. Norton & Company for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available Feb. 04 2025

This was a very unfortunate read. Right from the beginning I found there to be very unnecessary comments and descriptions, particularly involving female characters. This book reads like it was written by a man who’s describing a woman via what he’s seen in porn. This is doubly disappointing because the author is, well, female. A pretty disappointing read overall.

An easy read that I wish could have been a bit longer. A very gruesome and gory story. The ending felt rushed and somewhat predictable. The writing was very good though.

Overall: The author's unique, bold, extremely dark but sarcastic tone makes your reading experience so special. The drawings inside the book, the heart-throbbing conclusion, the unexpected twist, the vicious sociopathic but interestingly engaging antiheroine, and the eerie cover of the book made me clap harder for the entire execution! If you're open to reading something original, unexpected, and gripping, and historical gothic themes are your genre, this book will suit all your needs.

Many thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company / Liveright for sharing this unique historical book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book is a unique creature. You are introduced to Miss Notty, a peculiar young lady who is hired to be a governess at a mansion, working for an odd family, with spoiled, churlish kids. Enjoying the Victorian era setting was a refreshing start to the book, little by little, horrific scenes start to appear and before I knew it, blood and guts were everywhere! I knew it ours be somewhat horrific, but I was not pleased nor prepared for such vivid descriptions of gore. That is probably my fault. I did enjoy the book, so I gave it four stars. Be prepared for blood and carnage. Thank you to NetGalley and Live Right Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.