Savage Instinct takes on a really interesting feminist perspective of the woman and events surrounding Mary Ann Cotton, a tried and convicted English serial killer from the mid-late 1800s. The story is told through the perspective of a fiction character, Clara, whose husband is really absolutely everything that any self-respecting woman would completely despise: he's misogynistic, abusive, manipulative, and self-seeking. His marriage to Clara is simply a means to an end; she is to be a doting, perfect wife and fulfill all her wifely duties with obedience and without complaint, and when her grandmother dies, he'll come into a large inheritance and his life will be perfect as he climbs the social ladder. Any actions on her part that are contrary to this vision, and she's accused of being mental unstable and threatened with the asylum.

At the start of the story, we discover that Clara has suffered through her own kind of trauma and reacted in a way that anyone would. As she arrives home from a few stints in a couple different asylums, her carriage is greeted by a crowd which, in turn, is welcoming the arrival of Mary Ann Cotton, a woman who supposedly killed many of her own children and husbands in an effort to claim insurance money and thus better her life. Clara's curiosity gets the better of her, and in the guise of being charitable, begins visiting with Cotton. Clara's husband's actions and manipulation come to light, and she begins to embark along a path that she won't be able to turn back from (with the guidance of Cotton).

What I didn't love:
- The first part of the story was a little bit bumpy, writing wise; it could've used an editor's hand in smoothing out some of the disconnect and disjointed descriptions. I continued to read though, and as the story moved along, it seemed the author had found their groove and the writing flowed a bit more naturally.
- Clara's character was also a bit bumpy at the start -- we see her as a very delicate and meek woman at the start, very traumatized by her experiences, but there are times throughout the story when her actions are contradictory to the character we were introduced to. She seems to go from meek to courageous in waves and I think her development could've been better written over the course of the story.
- There was a small blurb towards the end about Victorian England and Mary Ann Cotton but it was very brief and followed by a list of recommended reading, which is great, but I would've appreciated a bit more on what aspects of the story truly were historically accurate (including general historical information on the inequality of women, the role of asylums in society, etc.) and what things were written with a bit of liberty.

What I did love:
+ I did know some about Mary Ann Cotton before diving into the story and really enjoyed seeing this historical character from a different perspective.
+ I enjoyed how Mary Ann Cotton's character fed us information that led us to really doubt what was true, what had really happened, and what was just lies and manipulation.
+ I, for the most part, was able to envision this Victorian London decently well and, though I find myself fuming at the male characters and the things they said and did, this remained true to the time period. (I would never wish to ever travel back in time to this time period - I don't know how it could've been anything but miserable for the vast majority of women or anyone really who wasn't a wealthy white man).

Mixed feelings (Spoilers!)
~ I had some mixed feelings about the end of the story. I didn't love this cyclical nature of the ending ... finding ourself in the same place we were to begin with. Clara tried to do what she could to escape under an authoritative husband and live as a free woman in society, but instead, she ended up in the same position as she started: in need of a husband to provide for her. I was hopeful that Clara would be the one to get out, to truly be free. Her husband's death felt a bit like a cop-out. Part of me thought, "Well, that was sort of nice (?) of Mary to sort of 'help out her friend, Clara' even after she was gone, in her own way." But then I also thought that this was just an easy way to dispose of her husband so Clara could free herself, sort of, without having to also resort to murder ... but then we find ourselves at the end where she's basically set her mind to resorting to murder. I sort of liked that twist, but then at the same time just felt sad for her. Like I said, mixed feelings.

Overall, this was a fast-paced and I think an interesting read. I'd probably rate it anywhere between an arbitrary 3-4 stars.

Thank you to Inkshares and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Based on historical fact, Mary Ann Cotton—England’s first female serial killer—accused of poisoning nearly twenty people, including her husbands and children.

Good story. I liked how fictional character Clara Blackstone is woven into the history of Mary Ann Cotton.

3.75☆

4.5*
I just took a half* off for a lag in plot action in the beginning. Once it picked up, I couldn’t put it down. Not only was it an insightful reminder of the just how limited the rights of women were during the time period, but the story was compelling in itself even without this historical teaching moment. This was a really fabulous book!

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but i struggled to get it into and stopped reading half way.

The Savage Instinct is an exhilarating book about women, murderer in specific, during the Victorian era and how they deal with mental illness. Diving into this book, in my opinion, was terrifying. There was a lot I expected when I first read the description for this one and I was not disappointed.

Set in England, 1873, Clara Blackstone has just gotten out of the asylum after her hysterics over her miscarriage. Her narration during her stay in the asylum was heartbreaking--how people with mental health issues were treated then. Being in her head, in totality, was unnerving. Clara is such a complex heroine that one would have mixed opinions on. Unconventionally, that was also the time of Mary Ann Cotton's imprisonment. These two women are the main attraction of the book, the bond they created throughout the book compelled me to continue on reading. I have to say I couldn't blame Clara for her actions towards her husband, Henry,
who kept on gaslighting her every chance he had. It was the downfall of their marriage.

The writing of this is impeccable, the scenes felt very real to me. The sequence of how things started and fell apart was remarkable. Other than this, it is clear how much research was done in writing this book. The accuracy of the events gripped me until the end. I had to pause every once in a while to research Mary Ann Cotton's background. I didn't want to miss a single thing. I have to give DeLuca my sincerest appreciation on writing this book with such objective views.

Recommending this to anyone who's into historical fiction and wants to read through the point of view of someone out the ordinary.

Thank you to Inkshare and Netgalley for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

believe I picked this up because it was billed as being similar to Alias Grace, but I should have known that Atwood is hard to beat. Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoyed this, but its only a 3.5 to Alias Grace's was a solid 5 (for me).

DeLuca did her research, I can't fault that, there was just something about the way that Alias Grace was written that had a greater feel of authenticity. Perhaps DeLucas was aiming for sparse and I'm just a sucker for detail.

Character wise I don't have any real issues, what I would really have appreciated is some insight into the protagonist's marriage before the events in the novel. A marriage of several years, with several miscarriages I feel would surely have marked the couple, and yet they still seem like strangers. I didn't need for them to love each other, just some sense that they had been marked by their time together.

I was a tad confused with the odd chapter being prefaced with a date, if trying to delineate two distinct periods I feel all chapters should have been dated for clarity. And as is often my complaint with all novels in general (amateurs and old hats all have this issue for me) is that the ending felt rushed and a tad Deus ex Machina for my liking.

Promising writing, just needing a bit of work in my opinion.

The Savage Instinct is based on the true story of convicted serial killer Mary Anne Cotton, hanged for her horrific crimes in Durham County in 1873. It is also a terrifying look into the world of mental illness in the Victorian era. There is no such thing as post-partum depression, or anxiety, you are simply branded insane and you are locked away. There is no place for hysteria in society.

It’s the late 1870’s and women’s roles are very simple. Obey your husband, keep a clean and orderly house, produce a brood of children and wile away your hours nattering with other women of the same social incline as yourself. All sounds easy enough……..hmmmm.

What happens though if you have a mind of your own, free will? What happens if you are unable to bare children, or lose a child at birth? Clara Blackstone is about to find out in the most horrifying of ways. Committed to an asylum by her supposed loving husband for being unable to cope with the grief of losing her baby, there she spends a year in the most unimaginable of conditions, subjected to the most degrading and barbaric treatments in order to “fix her”.

Now supposedly cured and on her way home with her husband Henry, they are startled by a mob of locals in the street yelling and screaming as prisoner, Mary Anne Cotton, is dragged into custody. Charged with murdering her stepson, and suspected of murdering husbands, lovers, and her own babies and children by arsenic poisoning, Mary Anne Cotton is one of the UK’s first ever serial killers.

Clara quickly becomes obsessed with Mary Anne, visiting her in prison as a volunteer and spending many hours talking with her in her prison cell. As it becomes painfully clear that Henry doesn’t have his wife’s interests at heart, but instead is merely after her sizeable fortune, and with the ever increasing threat of being re-committed to the asylum hanging over her head, an unlikely bond is formed. As Clara’s life starts to unravel it is Mary Anne she turns to for comfort.

It’s a truly heartbreaking and terrifying read of the injustices and brutality of this era and I honestly couldn’t put it down. As a lover of historical fiction and thrillers, with its Gothic undertones, this ticked all the boxes for me. Beautifully written, with strong characters and the perfect mix of twists and turns, The Savage Instinct is definitely a book I would highly recommend.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Inkshares for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

Hell yeah! Finally a precious gem hooked me from the beginning: unconventional relationship of two women : one of them is a serial killer of her ex husbands and the other one is obviously being gaslighted by her devious husband.

A prisoner and a charity worker find the solace at each other. As Clara still deals with her deep grief after losing her child, intentionally getting traumatized and stifled by her control freak husband who brought her home from asylum after she had a tremendous episode for losing her child, her path crosses with a dangerous criminal who is assumed murderer got convicted to kill all the men did her wrong.

Interestingly the charity work in the prison Clara accepted provides her more freedom than her time she spends at her own house because Henry-the devil’s incarnated form as a husband does anything to prove her improperness as a wife to send her back to the asylum.

From the beginning we start to form a strong bond with Clara. We cross our fingers for her to get rid of her scumbag husband who definitely needs to be punched a million times. Even though her obsession about Mary Ann Cotton looks unhealthy and questionable, I can easily empathize her loneliness, her traumatized feelings because of being trapped in an undesirable marriage with a madman, her grief for her child, her shaken feelings and broken heart.

On the other hand,Mary Ann Cotton was terrifying character but as you read more about her back story, you start to realize she is not the villain of the story. In this book the author preferred to leave the questions about her innocence open ended. ( in real life it seems like she committed all those crimes but the author objectively reflected her motives and the reasons behind those crimes) So the way of fictionalizing the real life story is a little bit different from the events that occurred.

But the story’s wrapping up and satisfying conclusion were perfectly crafted.

The strange women relationship, intense atmosphere, increasing tension, psychological analysis of traumatic woman who lost her child and a convicted husband killer’s portraits were well depicted.

Overall: it was thrilling page turner made me sit on the edge of my couch, bite my nails and suffer from nightmares all night long.

I’m giving four gaslighting, serial killer, historical thriller stars!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Inkshares for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This is an excellent novel a la The Yellow Wallpaper, told in the first person by a woman whose husband
had her forcibly admitted to an insane asylum after she suffered a traumatic miscarriage. Leaving the asylum to return to her husband. she finds him much changed, and begins to understand that he has been after her inheritance the whole time. Relying on advice from women many others find mad or evil, she plots her escape. Author De Luca uses the real-life figure of Mary Ann Cotton, convicted of poisoning members of her own family, as one of the narrator's mentors, and the very ending is a fabulous twist. Readers who enjoy the Gothic will like this book, as will anyone with an interest in the rights and treatment of women in the 19th century.

I 100% loved this book!

Historical fiction centered about women attract me so much, and this one lived up to my expectations. Clara, a young woman who finally get out of the asylum, after having been sent there by her husband when she suffered a miscarriage a few months ago. Clara needs to build herself back, and figure out how to fit in the middle/upper class society again. Except she isn't sure she wants to. So when her life crosses the one of accused murderer Mary Ann Cotton, Clara find a strange fascination with that woman. Did she really kill her husbands and kids ? Why would she do that ? Between her husband's expectations and her visit to Mary Ann in prison, Clara tries to understand who she is and what she truly wants.

The atmosphere set in the book enchanted me. I really felt I was inside Clara's head, tortured, confused and trapped in a life that she has no control over. It's truly maddening to see how everyone around Clara treats her like she has a problem, as if she's sick and needs to be set apart until her ideas are better. The helplessness and sense of injustice is infuriating, and this is what makes the plot so gripping. The unraveling of the plot is so satisfying and liberating though. I just love novels highligting the empowerement of women. I even think this could qualify as a feminist book, even though in a certain way only, as it is a historical fiction, and we are far from the conditions the women in the 1800 had to live in!

Second, I loved the author's take on trauma. It explains very well how loss can affect people in ways that some can't understand, and that everyone tries to rebuild themselves in different ways. This is why Clara and Mary Ann's interactions are so interesting. They both suffered, and they both are/were desperate. It's almost a mentor/mentee relationship, and I liked seeing various visions of a same event.

The author has a great talent to make a story flow. The narration was flawless and captivated me until the very end. I would absolutely recommend "The Savage Instinct" to everyone who enjoys atmospheric historical fiction featuring strong women. This has just such a fascinating vibe!

** spoiler alert ** Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for giving me access to this book.

I consider Savage Instinct to be a slow burn. At first, I wasn't sure if I would be able to finish it, because it truly was slow to start, but by the end it was nearly impossible to put down. Initially I started with a great deal of concern for Clara and whether she would be a reliable enough narrator. There were a few moments when my concerns were realized, but the author quickly led us back to the truth of it.

This was a story of the fight for sanity as well as womanhood. My favorite quote, in which I immediately highlighted was "I would never understand the terrible brutality that those in authority inflict on women." Though this book was set in the Victorian era, this line still rings true today and i'm sure many of us can see the truth of it.

The ending leaves you wanting answers. What will Clara now do with that brown little bottle? Was Mary Ann innocent or was she the greatest murderess of her time?

I think those who truly love this era of writing, the fight of women, and a little bit of mystery will eat this up.

(Also I hope the Buckley's end up in the poor house.)

Clara is released from the mental asylum after an episode following a tragic child loss. As she tried to cope with new life, she becomes stifled by her controlling husband. She finds some comfort in prison charity work where she creates a bond with the first female serial killer, Mary Ann Cotton.

Wow, what a story. I stayed up late reading this one and had a difficult time sleeping after because the events kept swirling in my head. I’ll be thinking of this one for a while. The author sure knows how to build the excitement. It was driving me crazy! Every time the main character became safe, something would happen and she’d be imprisoned again. Her escape was a long process of back and forth, which really build the anticipation. This story made me glad to be a woman born in today’s world. It was very hard to read about the lack of rights women had and the terrible conditions they were exposed to, often times just because their husband wanted rid of them. I loved reading of Mary Ann Cotton, and of course had to go to a wiki bend afterwards. This was such an exciting and important read.

“If freedom means rebelling against all constraints, I felt the first stirrings of it when I met Mary Ann Cotton.”

“Never show your fear, for you know in all the fairy tales the fierce wolves always sniff out the gentle ladies”

The Savage Instinct comes out 3/16.

Thank you NetGalley, Inkshares, and Marjorie DeLuca for the opportunity to review this book!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In this story, we follow Clara Blackstone whose loss of her pregnancies and her ensuing grief resulted in her being committed to Hoxton mental institution. There she was tortured under the false pretenses of curing her hysteria until her husband “granted” her freedom. When Clara arrives home, she soon realizes she is one act of perceived hysteria away from being locked away again forever by her controlling husband and his entourage from the university where he works.

To keep herself busy, she soon finds herself visiting the women’s prison to keep the convicted company. Clara is drawn to Mary Ann Cotton, a woman accused of committing up to 20 murders of her husbands and children. They soon share the graphic details of their respective lives and a bond quickly forms between them.

This book was a strong 3.5 stars. As I majored in psychology, I was already familiar with some of the treatments of patients in mental institutions but reading it in first person made it so visceral. The distance that people were willing to go to get people committed simply to dispose of them was quite disturbing. This gave me strong Margaret Atwood and Sarah Waters vibes. If you are a fan of historical fiction, especially set in Victorian times with a defiant female lead, you will definitely enjoy this book. I finished it in two days - it was that good.

In 1872 Clara was sent to an asylum by her husband Henry, then as a result of a doctor's approval, even when Henry disagreed, she is allowed to go back to her home in a new city, where she doesn't know anybody. That includes her husband, who seems more like a stranger lately. Clara needs to discover his true intentions, but she is alone and the only person that she can finally trust is Mary Ann Cotton, the first female serial killer, what kind of advice a woman in prison could give?

This book was a whole experience, at the beginning it was a little bit slow but once I was introduced to the characters, and the situation, it was interesting. I have to say it is a uncomfortable reading, is hard to go through those pages, not because is a bad book, is because the writer did an excellent job getting us inside Clara's mind, I started feeling suffocated, afraid and trapped, it was so real!

This kind of stories are the ones I consider necessary, it creates awareness of the fight women stood for, so we can have the rights and freedom that we enjoy nowdays. It was hurtful reading the way they live back then, the author gave us details so we can create the whole picture.

I loved when we were getting to know about Mary Ann life, the murders and everything. While reading I just got this ambiguos feeling, she being a murderer but at the same being a friend and a woman receiving an unfair treatment by the justice system. I liked seeing the impact of this case in the society.

I had no idea about Mary Ann Cotton before this reading, it was good way to getting to know her, in the book we have different perspectives. Even in those times serial killers caused fascination and horror. But more than a serial killer what I kept from this book is the feminist tone, the subtle messages mixed with the dark atmosphere of a cell and the historical facts.
Thank you so much for the ARC

Clara Blackstone is like many wives of 1870's England. She is under the complete control of the whims of her husband. Especially, after complications of pregnancy and delivery. She finds herself being released from an asylum and not being able to fit back into normal society. This, and the fact that she is an heiress has her under threat from her husband of going back to the asylum.
Meanwhile Mary Ann Cotton is being held in the local prison. Mary Ann is a real woman from history that was accused of poisoning as many as 20 people with arsenic, including her children and husbands. Marjorie DeLuca weaves both fact and fiction together for an enchanting story. There are passages of different timelines and dreams that sometimes don't flow smoothly. Honestly, I could have done without the dream passages but that's my own personal issue. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest opinion on #TheSavageInstinct.

wow, i really didn't know about this book but when i saw the title and the book cover i was so entranced! and somehow the content didn't fail me, i enjoyed it, and maybe i found things that were rather slow for my liking, but it was a solid read and i had fun and highly recommend!

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: March 16, 2021
It is 1873, in London, England and Clara Blackstone has just been released from a mental asylum, placed there after an aggressive outburst brought on by the tragic death of her infant. Now that she is free, Clara is eager to begin her life again, and returns to the care of her husband, Henry. Clara quickly becomes obsessed with a local woman, Mary Ann Cotton (England’s first female serial killer), who is in jail on charges of killing all of her previous husbands, as well as all of her children. Clara begins to visit Mary Ann in jail, despite the protestations of her husband and society friends, and soon the two have formed a unique friendship. As Mary Ann’s execution date grows closer, Clara begins to see her husband’s true nature and she, too, starts to see herself as trapped in a prison of her own making.
“The Savage Instinct” is one of Marjorie Deluca (or M.M Deluca)’s first historical fiction novels, having mostly focused her writing attentions on young adult science fiction novels. I can honestly say after reading “Savage”, she has some definite writing chops in this new genre!
Right from the beginning, Clara generates sympathy from the reader. After being institutionalized merely for not grieving properly over the death of her infant, and having to start over again with a husband who wishes to rob her of her wealth and commit her once again for acts “unbecoming of a proper wife”, she is someone I immediately rooted for. Her husband, Henry, is an evil and heartless monster of a man, and the only joy I found in his character was when he received his comeuppance! Constantly demoralized at every turn, the only hope and brevity Clara finds is in the company of an assumed murderess.
Mary Ann Cotton is based on a real person, so of course, my interest is piqued, and I want to continue to research her. Not only does this novel do her justice (in leaving it open ended as to whether or not Cotton actually committed the crimes she was charged with), it paints a grim picture of “insanity” in that era, and the role of a woman in both marriage, and society.
Although some parts of the ending in this novel were a bit wide open, leaving some unanswered questions, the proper justice was served. I thoroughly enjoyed Clara’s rise to independence, and even felt a little bit of sympathy for Mary Ann.
“The Savage Instinct” is a realistic and emotional portrayal of mental illness in Victorian England, and the struggles of being a woman. To quote Clara; “I would never understand the terrible brutality that those in authority inflict on women”.

The Savage Instinct is a fascinating glimpse into the treatment of women in Victorian England and how the relatively new psychiatric world was often used to harm and silence women rather than help them.

Clara, our MC, is certainly a fascinating character. I loved watching her progression throughout the book and her struggle to maintain herself despite her abusive/manipulative husband’s attempts to silence her.

This book takes place in the historical context of the notorious serial murderer Mary Ann Cotton which parallels (to a degree) Clara’s story. While we know Clara’s state of mind and actions, we examine the ambiguity and uncertainty of Mary Ann’s guilt throughout the book.

From a mental health perspective, this book was particularly hard, but important to read. Psychology and psychiatry were built on a foundation of pain and oppression for anyone who was not a white, upper class male and the science was not as certain nor objective as the doctors pretended it was. Knowing the history of my field is sobering, but important and it’s good to view the history of its impact through the lens of the people affected by it.

For the most part I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The only thing that detracted from it in my opinion was literally the last two chapters. The build until then was so well done but I did not feel as if the ending was deserved based on how the rest of the book had been built. While the actual ending was hinted at throughout, I still wish it had been as heavily established or at least part of the main character’s choice that had been so deeply explored. In comparison to the rest of the book, it just did not feel nearly as thoughtful or well-executed.

However, despite the fact that I did not like the ending, I would still recommend this book and say it is a good, thoughtful, intense, and fast paced historical read. However, there is a caveat for extreme triggers for domestic abuse/violence, medical malpractice/trauma, sexual assault, and attempted gaslighting throughout the book.

It seems to be the year of the female-driven historical thriller!! This book was fun, twisted, and all over a fascinating read. I definitely would recommend it to anyone looking for a strong female lead and a whole lot of crime.

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

4 stars

After a traumatic stillbirth and a short asylum stay due to ‘hysteria’, Clara Blackstone is sequestered to her new home in Durham by her overbearing husband. Bored with her new domestic life, Clara starts volunteering at the local women’s prison. While there she meets Mary Ann Cotton, a local woman who is rumored to have poisoned countless husbands and lovers, and the two form an instant and inseparable bond. The Savage Instinct is a wonderful work of historical fiction that gives us an accurate portrayal of the treatment of women and views on their mental health in the 1800s.