Short. Sadistic. Scrumptious.

This book delivered exactly what I went into it expecting! Take it at face value and just enjoy the gruesome ride. Winifred Notty is unequivocally deranged and I love her all the more for it. I went into this already knowing that Margaret Qualley is to play Winifred in the upcoming adaptation and it definitely enhanced my experience! I can see the vision and I think she fits this character perfectly.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This was such a wild, funny, gory ride from start to finish. I absolutely loved the writing- especially the dry and sarcastic humor. The title says it all!

Enjoyed this one a lot, not for the faint of heart as it is often very gory but a well written historical horror novel.

This book is hard to rate was this an enjoyable read not really, but did it leave me unsettled it sure did. This book follows Miss Notty a governess who has got some issues and how she interacts with this rich family she just started working for. This book is gruesome and brutal and tough to read at times, there were some witty bits in here to relieve some tension but it is unsettling to say the least. This book also gave great atmospheric vibes and the writing was entertaining this is my first book by this author but hope to read more in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest opinion.

With what can only be described as gleeful depravity, Winifred Notty assumes her duties at Ensor House as its new governess. She's been employed by Mr. and Mrs. Pounds, her charges are preteen Drusilla and young Andrew, who has hopes of attending boarding school. The Pounds are awful, all four of them. Don't worry, Winifred is awful too.

With chapter headings like "In Which I Meet My Employers And Am Not Terribly Impressed" and "In Which I Meet My Charges And Am Not Terribly Impressed", we get an idea of tone. Winifred also tells us, in practically the first sentence, "In three months everyone in this house will be dead".

Besides telling us what's going to happen, she also alludes to events from the past: "It consists of more dark oak and heavy drapes and appears overall harder to set on fire than my previous lodgings". Victorian Psycho is full of Winifred's pithy observations, memories, musings. "At eight thirty sharp breakfast is removed, as is my will to live".

An over-the-top Christmas party dinner from hell (during which each dish is both lavishly and grotesquely described) might be the most disturbing dinner scene I've ever read. A very creepy house with hidden corridors and old portraits (of course the eyes have been cut out). Secrets. Twists. I devoured this book and will be seeking more from author Virginia Feito. What a wild ride.

My thanks to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the digital ARC. (Pub date 02/04/25)

Fan-flipping-tastic. Absolutely everything I hoped it would be and more. Give me fifty million books just like this and I’ll be the happiest bookworm that ever existed. Absolutely no notes.

Have you ever had one of your most-anticipated novels of the year not only live up to every expectation you had but surpass them? Yeah, that’s Victorian Psycho for me. This book is every gleefully macabre, disturbing, violent, and bloody fever dream I’ve ever had shaking hands with sardonic narrative, razor-sharp wit and tight, smart writing.

Virginia Feito has made a grisly and hilarious masquerade of Winifred Notty, our protagonist, ostensibly a governess by trade but really just a criminally insane serial killer. Behind her staid grey dress and white wool stockings, Miss Notty not only knows she’s full of darkness that will one day lead her to the gallows, she relishes the idea. She revels in violence, darkness, death, and gore. She’s quite simply one of the most memorable main characters I’ve read in years and I love her all the more dearly for lacking anything one would consider humanity.

This book is more than evocative or atmospheric; it’s immersive. No sense is spared, for good or for ill. Your sensitivities will not be considered and I’m the type of reader who loves the blunt force trauma of experiencing every event in all of its glory with the darkest main characters literature has to offer. So this Victorian horror comedy was good to the last chop (sorry, couldn’t resist).

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Body Horror/Dark Comedy/Historical Horror/Horror/Horror Comedy/Serial Killer

Gory, gristly, odd, and unhinged. What did I just read?

Okay, let’s just start with this line:

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

With that, I knew I was in for something twisted but I didn’t expect anything like this. I’m still trying to figure out how I felt about it. I think this review is where I’ll untangle my feelings, but one thing is certain: this book was a lot.

Mrs. March Losing Her Mind—Winifred Lost All Restraint

I loved Virginia Feito Mrs. March. It was all about paranoia, repression, and a woman unraveling under the weight of her own insecurities.

But in Victorian Psycho, Feito has forgotten slow-burn psychological horror and hurled us headfirst into pure, grotesque excess.

Winifred and Mrs. March couldn’t be more different. Where Mrs. March is anxious, fragile, and suffocated by societal expectations, Winifred is bold, wickedly sharp, and utterly untethered. This isn’t the fun, messy kind of unhinged. Winifred is cruel, broken by the world, and rather than crumbling, she’s decided to set it all on fire.

Monster or Feminist Force

Winifred isn’t your typical governess–meek and at the mercy of her employers. She’s rebellious, sharp, and maybe even a feminist force forging her own twisted cruel path. Her perception is grotesque as if she chooses to filter the world through the lens of brutality. But why? Is she evil? The product trauma? A woman reclaiming power in the only way she knows

And yet… her razor-edged humor is entertaining. Her snide remarks and biting observations were darkly entertaining.

Gory, Grisly, and Completely Unhinged

There are unhinged characters, and then there are unhinged plots—and this one takes the cake. At first, the horror creeps with little crumbs of gore, unsettling enough to make me pause, tilt my head, and wonder, Did that really just happen? And then thrown headfirst into unrelenting, gore that my mind started filtering out.

Reading or Listening?

Honestly, I think you need to do both. I had both an eGalley and audiobook—and I had to constantly switch between them just to give myself a moment to breathe. I enjoyed the narrator and listening to but it did require me to stay focused and I times I was not sure I wanted to.

This isn’t quiet horror. This isn’t a slow unraveling. This is full-throttle chaos

Great writing and equally stellar narration! A fun addition to Christmas time horror. Straight forward "from the mind of a killer" stories are hit and miss for me but I thought this was a fun one. I appreciated that no one was really safe and the kills went there! Winifred is darkly humorous and absolutely unhinged, which made her very entertaining to read from. Also, the victorian setting suited the story and vibe perfectly! Overall it was a quick and entertaining read that I think many horror fans will enjoy. If you are into slashers and enjoy stories told from the perspective of the killer, and like a historical moment, this is definitely worth picking up.

Thanks to Netgalley, Recorded Books, and Liveright for the advance reading copies!

Oh this book is not going to be for everyone. Nope. Not at all.

This is a book that centers on Winifred Notty, a governess, who has some very interesting inner monologues and expresses herself in very *peculiar* ways around others. This is a deranged unhinged woman at its peak. There were so many moments while reading that I could have been convinced I had picked up an extreme horror off of kindle unlimited instead of the book that I had in my hands.

Winifred is a woman who will cause destruction wherever she goes and leave nothing but pure carnage in her wake. The kills in this were graphic and grotesque and the things that Winifred would be saying on these pages had me alternating between hysterical laughter and gasps of horror. Such a bizarre experience, honestly.

Ultimately, this was a really fun time if you are a big horror fan and you love a blood soaked ending to a story. However, this is one of those few times where I felt like a book could have and should have been a little longer. I particularly wanted some more time for the ending as it felt a little rushed and I would have loved to see the massacre play out a little more as well as gotten a deeper dive into the twelve days that followed those events. The little snippets the author gave us of those twelve days were one of the most captivating parts of the story and I wanted more.

If you are into some really weird girl unhinged content, live for an unlikable character, add this one to your tbr. You can’t tell by the cover that it’s set during Christmas but what you can tell is that it’s a horror novel. Ya know because of the whole creepy doll. We follow Winifred who is the governess to this family but winfired has some demons. Don't we all? She’s not the most stable mentally. The book reads like a slice of life kind of story. We’re just following her day to day life as her family gets ready for the holidays and the guests who are staying with them but nothing is as it seems since winifred is a literal psycho. It’s sick and twisted and doesn’t stop short from there.

One of the most darkly hilarious horror satires that I have read in a long time.

Victorian Psycho is the tale of Winifred Notty who takes on a governess position at a lavish estate in 1800's England, putting on the facade of a sweet and innocent caretaker for the family children. All the while, the reader is aware of her disturbing, yet off-the-wall intrusive thoughts and hints at her prior wickedness.

While the book delivers on blood and depravity - the characters are so self-absorbed with no social awareness, the dialogue so witty yet out of left field, and the violence so casual that all you can do is laugh at the bleakness and horror.

A scathing satire with an excellent and breezy writing style that keeps you absorbed in the bizarre narrator until the chaotic finale.

It's a shame to see this one is a 3.8 on Goodreads, because that tells me that the inspiration for the book may have gone over some heads. Victorian Psycho is written in the style of a Victorian penny dreadful or a grand guignol play. Gorey, sensational, gothic, lurid, and disturbing with an abrupt moral ending that leaves the reader (or audience) feeling shocked yet satisfied. If readers keep that in mind, they'll find that Virginia Feito nailed it. As a bonus, there's Victorian horror literary references throughout! If you know how to spot them!

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Fred stabs at the family portraits, keeps evidence of her crimes in the attic, and becomes instantly disgusted with a maid who does not meet her fantasy.

The Ballad of Sweeney Todd: The unwavering quest for revenge; the quest for familial acceptance and plenty of throat cutting!

The Turn of the Screw: a "haunted" house, an unstable governess and two equally disturbed children.

While not Victorian, one obvious nod is towards Ellis' American Psycho. Fred's violent mental spiraling combined with loss of time; a contempt for others; a polite smile with no feeling behind it; impulsivity coupled with a constant inner monologue.

Victorian Psycho is a homage to a lost literary style. Like a 19th c. theatre-goer, you know what's going to happen but you can't look away. There's pleasure and entertainment to be found in the violence, or simply a morbid curiosity. And that's ok, that's what penny dreadfuls were for! Knowing this makes it a delightfully wicked and wild ride!

WOW.
This book took me entirely by surprise as I, once again, did not read the synopsis. This sadistic and sardonic read had me in a chokehold as I listened to it in 2 sittings. Winifred is very much the 'women can do anything that men do' kind of gal which had me frothing at the mouth. Her deliciously dark inner monologue was such a delight to be apart of.
I don't want to express too much more about this book, because I truly think this is one you have to go into knowing it will be dark, gruesome, and such a vibe. But I will say, if you love Maeve Fly, pick this up immediately! This book deserves all of the hype and then some!

It is impressive when a book under 200 pages grabs your full attention on page 1 and leaves you fully satisfied by the end. Seriously, this book is perfect from its style and wit to its storytelling and suspense. Lovers of dark, morally gray characters will eat this up.

Thank you Netgalley and WW Norton & Company/Liveright for the review copy!

I know I just read a horror novel but it was so explicit. I don’t think this is really a book for me . I prefer my horror on the lighter side. This was a case of me not the book. It’s eerily reminiscent of American Psycho but instead of a New York business man it’s an English governess.
The writing was good and the atmosphere was on point. I felt like I was in the mind of Miss Notty.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a honest review. 3⭐️

Feito writes a bizarre, blood-thirsty narrator with a freaky mind. The first half of this novel falls flat for me, but the climax and twist at the end makes up for it a little. The story was not as engaging and I don’t think every reader could be this kind of story up. However, for those who enjoy wacky, questionable, and bloody narratives about feminine rage where nothing goes as you’d expect, then this is definitely for you!

I am unsure how to write this review because this was such a unique reading experience. I would give this book a 3.75/5 but rounded up because it was just unhinged and was such a quick read.

This story follows Winifred Notty, a legitimately unhinged, mentally unwell, psychotic governess and the children and family she is responsible for. As I said before, this story moves fast. You quickly learn that something isn't right with Winifred. We get her inner thoughts about the family and the violence that is constantly on her mind. We also get flashbacks to previous times in her life and things that happened. She lost her mother, but even when her mother was alive, she accused Winifred of having an inner darkness. This darkness continues to grow as she goes through life and we see it on display in this novel.

This story is very graphic. The prose does an excellent job of helping you feel as if you're in the room watching the madness occur. You have to pay attention though, because sometimes you think something has happened but then find it out that maybe it did, but in the past, or maybe it was just a thought, a hallucination? There is much violence on the page and again, Winifred has a darkness within her, and that is clear in the story.

I don't know who to recommend this to. It is very much a horror novel. There is a loose plot, although it takes a while to figure out what that is, but that's also a positive, once you know what's going on. The story is wild, murderous, gory, and fast-paced. Very unique, but again, I still have such mixed feelings. But I enjoyed (?) my reading for the most part, so for now I'll stick with my rating.

thank you so much to w.w. Norton and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review 💚

This novella is possibly the best Christmas read I've ever encountered.
Gothic, eerie, dark, disturbing, gory, bloody and darkly funny this story is just so well crafted.

if you enjoy these adjectives and are not afraid of the TW, this if definitely worth the read 💚

Victorian Psycho (February 2025) Book Review
👻👻👻👻👻/5

What a tasty little nugget Victorian Psycho is! It had me hooked from the first page and as it hurtled to its outrageous, ghastly climax.

If letting the intrusive thoughts win was a person, it’d be the titular character Ms. Winifred Notty! Winifred is tasked to be governess to the insufferable Pounds family and things aren’t what they seem, unraveling from there. I loved this glimpse into Winifred’s world and psychopathic mind.

With its deliciously dark humor, I found myself laughing out loud many times (and wondering what that says about me haha).

Virginia Feito gives us wickedly gorgeous prose and the Victorian vibes are immaculate. Set against the backdrops of patriarchy and propriety, this story delves into themes of revenge and the darkness within us all.

Consider your warnings as there are some gruesome acts depicted.

If you like your books sardonically witty with dark humor and unhinged female protagonists pushed too far, Victorian Psycho is one you can’t miss. I can’t recommend it enough and I just know it’ll be in my top favorites of the year!

Thanks to @netgalley #virginiafeito and @liveright for the advance copy.

#horrorlit #victorianpsycho #virginiafeito #netgalley #livebright #horror #darkhumor

This was a gothic novel to its very core: dark, atmospheric, and dripping with eerie Victorian-era horror. It was bloody, gruesome, and weird in a way that should have been right up my alley. And in some ways, it was.

Miss Notty (Winifred) was what childhood trauma looks like when it fully manifests into a person. She was brutal, unrelenting, and terrifying in a way that made her the perfect gothic horror figure. A true psychopath in every sense of the word, she carried the novel with her erratic and gruesome behavior.

But here’s the thing… while she was an unforgettable character, the actual plot didn’t hold up as well. I tend to like books that others might call “weird,” but this one didn’t land the way I expected. The story felt watered down, almost lost in its own chaos. While I can appreciate a strong character study, I also need a solid, engaging plot to fully enjoy a book. Unfortunately, “Victorian Psycho” leaned more into shock value and unsettling moments than a cohesive narrative, leaving me wanting more in the end.

Thank you, #NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company, for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.