This little novella is delightfully deranged, grotesque and darkly humorous. The atrocities within delivered with a curtsy and a middle finger. 😱

Miss Winifred Notty is hired by the Pound’s family as a nanny to 7 year old Andrew and his elder sister, Drusilla. However, Miss Notty is not Jane Eyre, she is a villainess, a psychopath created by her own traumatic past.

I both loved and hated being in Ms. Notty’s head. Her thoughts were both shockingly funny at times, and disturbing. Her acute discernment of the flaws and monstrosities in others were on point.

As the story unravels over the last few days before Christmas and the 12 days after, things become more and more unhinged. While I wanted to cover my eyes, I couldn’t look away.

This book is entertaining but very disturbing. It is a horror novel, so check trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collin’s Publishers for a free ebook copy in exchange for a review.

This was a real weird one! I can’t remember where I read the recommendation for it, but I requested it and then I read it and now I’m slightly horrified! It is…not for the faint of heart. And also probably not for me. Too much baby killing and biting of other human’s flesh I guess?

This book was one hell of wild ride!! And I enjoyed every single minute of it!!

Our FMC, Winifred Notty, is definitely psycho! I found myself shocked one minute and chuckling the next! I highly recommend this one, book peeps!!

Thank you to NetGalley, W.W. Norton, Liveright, and Virginia Feito for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️ I will definitely be checking out more from Virginia!

This book was creative in its brutality. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with a weirder main character that made me think “wtf did they do?!” as often as I did while reading Victorian Psycho.

That said, the pacing and plot were a bit of a miss for me. It was kind of ambiguous in plot progression and meaning and I don’t really think the author did a good job of creating a full story arc. It felt more like short stories broken into chapters.

This book is a dark, gothic, and grotesque experience that gripped me from the start. The eerie Victorian setting and unsettling events at Ensor House are so real but also deeply unserious. Virginia Feito crafts a chilling atmosphere filled with humor, dread, and blood, making it an addictive and imaginative read.
The knowledge of Winifred’s childhood and psyche deepens the story’s dark tone, highlighting her depravity and wicked thoughts. The book is absolutely diabolical, with graphic, visceral imagery that can be tough to stomach—definitely not for the faint of heart. While it’s hard to recommend to everyone due to its disturbing nature, the story is captivating enough to keep turning the pages. Feito doesn’t hold back, delivering a wild ride that will stick with readers long after they've finished.

This novella is unsettling yet brilliantly crafted, making it a memorable and disturbing read.

1⭐️s

Look, I’m all for gratuitous fictional violence. I seek it out, I inhale its gore, I relish in its cravenness. But, I also love the art of storytelling. I appreciate getting to know a character, watching them struggle and grow, empathizing with their journey. I love seeing unexpected events play out over the course of time, as characters navigate through an otherworldly and nuanced circumstance.

Unfortunately, this book had all of the former with none of the latter, and it suffered greatly from it.

Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Co. for the advanced copy and the opportunity to write an honest review.

Themes…
Violence for the sake of violence.

Character Work…
It was awful being inside Fred’s head. I disliked every moment I spent there.

Prose…
Not my style, but I can tell the author has chops.

Pace…
For a 200 page book, this was a slow read. It felt like a slog for me.

Am I all0wed to put this in the "good for her" category?

Victorian Psycho is a delightful burst of wanton violence against a backdrop of classic literary tropes. A governess from a poor background moves in with an upper crust family, all of whom are terrible people. She proceeds to systematically rain down terror and bloodshed upon these unlucky employers... and I was cheering her on the whole time.

The thing that really makes Victorian Psycho work is the narration - we are given total, unfettered access to the protagonist's gorgeously twisted mind. Patrick Bateman can eat his shiny corporate heart out because Winifred Notty has him beat. And she states all of her wonderfully gory thoughts to the reader in colorful, gleeful detail. I'm enamored with Winifred because, unlike many of her type in fiction, none of her cruelty or deviousness is played for seductive purposes. She is obsessive and seems to take pleasure (perhaps sexual, perhaps not) in her own misdeeds, but she's never regarded as sexily manipulative or alluringly mysterious, even by the other characters in the story. She is instead allowed to be a completely stone-cold psycho killer in all of her hockey-mask-deserving glory. If I'm totally honest, I would pay hard-earned dollars and sorely-missed limbs to see her brought to life on screen, wielding inventive weapons like her slasher forefathers and cackling as she skips through rainfalls of gore like an Austenite Harley Quinn.

If you're at all interested in feminine rage, satire and subversion, and women just being completely bonkers with no caveats, READ. THIS. BOOK.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am posting a review of my own will.

This book is so deeply, perfectly dark. To sum up Winifred Notty, governess for the Pound children, I found the perfect quote from the book:

“It fascinates me, the fact that humans have the capacity to mortally wound one another at will, but, for the most part, choose not to.”

This book is possibly the goriest book I’ve ever read. Deliciously bloody and gory. And hilarious - I laughed out loud at the sharp, biting wit of Winifred and the monster that lives inside her.

Now I must read Virginia Feito’s first book.

Maeve Fly X Downtown Abbey is the vibe that this book gives off to me. 'Victorian Psycho' is blackest of comedies and genuinely hilarious. It is also gruesome, bloody, and, at times, downright shocking. Let me tell you I have a good poker face, but my jaw dropped during the whole "baby swapping" scene. I really loved this book! I only wish that it was a novel instead of a novella, so there could be a bit more meat to it. Anyway, I enjoyed being in Winifred's mind and they way things ended up playing out.

One criticism I've seen a few times of this book is how there is no way Winifred would have been able to get away with a lot of what she did within the house particularly in the beginning half of the book. These characters are clearly suppose to be selfish, and them not noticing servants missing or even that their own baby looks different is kind of the point.

I also found out that it has been announced that A24 studios is adapting this into a movie! What a dream.

Thank you to Netgalley & W. W. Norton & Company for providing me with this ARC for an honest review.

I love stories featuring unhinged women, and I love the Victorian era—a match made in heaven?

We are following Winnifred Notty, the new governess for the Pounds family. She gets involved in the family's affairs, and chaos ensues.

This book has some great moments, and some really excellent lines that I highlighted in my book, but overall, it was missing something. It moves very quickly, and the pacing works very well. I loved the character of Winnifred; she's wholly unpredictable, and there are some WTF scenes. A few made me laugh out loud, despite the horror of what is actually happening.

It was gross and not for sensitive readers, but I had a good time! The real rating is 3.75 stars.

Darkly funny, I thought this was very original. I am a fan of the author, and was not disappointed. A bit gruesome, though

Winifred Notty might be my favorite character ever. She has the outward appearance of a dutiful, Victorian governess. On the inside, she is something much darker.

This story is quick and nasty. The dark humor had me laughing as I followed Winifred through her days. There is a surprising amount of backstory and twists packed in 208 pages. Feito drew me in with her beautiful prose and then horrified me over and over.

Greatly enjoyed/highly recommend!


A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

Brimming with darkly delectable humor and seemingly unprecedented nonchalant violence, Virginia Feito’s Victorian Psycho is setting the standard for remarkable horror this year. Winifred Notty is not a typical Victorian governess; no, she is a peculiar woman with some rather unusual habits, remarks, and, as we learn, motivations. The beginning of her work for the Pounds family, looking after their two children Drusilla and Andrew, seems innocuous enough until the pieces begin to fall into place. Miss Notty is a character that gives Patrick Bateman a run for his money as reflected by the “gifts” she bestows upon the Pounds family on Christmas morning, confirming Victorian Psycho as one of the most remarkable, astounding, and bloody reads of this year.

Virginia Feito crafts this deranged fall into madness with such assured ease and confidence that feels so notable, especially in her characterization of Miss Notty. Perhaps it is the distinct nonchalance in which we come to realize the wretched predilections this character possesses or maybe it is the downward spiral in which the inevitable is no longer avoidable, the benefit of the doubt erased. In either case, Feito’s writing is exquisite as it possesses that “blink and you’ll miss it” quality of detail. Victorian Psycho absolutely demands all of your attention as startling revelations and darkly comedic lines are dropped with the turn of a phrase. In some ways, it has never felt so perfectly right to giggle at sentences depicting some of the most depraved, bleak senses of humor. This forms one of the most memorable reading experiences as truly anything is possible within the next few lines.

Of course, there is plenty for fans of body horror and psychopathy to love here. While it becomes clear that Miss Notty operates from an unusual mental state, there is much to be uncovered about the Pounds family. Feito creates remarkable drama and exquisite suspense through the things not said, the revelations to be discovered, outside of the titular character. Victorian Psycho feels wholly unique while still drawing upon tropes and themes we have come to know and love from a range of genres, from domestic thrillers to blood-soaked psychotic horrors.

While short in page count, nothing about Victorian Psycho can be classified as lacking. From remarkable character work to unhinged spirals of the most vile behavior, Virginia Feito delivers on every front. A wild romp of violent, blood-soaked actions, this is a memorable story, one that garners conversation and buzz on every front as it is entertaining, captivating, and unforgettable. With such an assured voice in Miss Notty, Virginia Feito secures her spot as a must-read author of bleak fiction with Victorian Psycho.

This was quite a doozy of a read and one I can’t recommend enough to those who love dark comedy and don’t mind the grotesque. Because this one does not hold back as it examines Winifred Notty, a governess to children who certainly shouldn’t be anywhere near children, and her psychopathic tendencies that devolve throughout this rather short book.

Winifred is one of those characters that despite how mad she may be, you can’t help but laugh at some of her antics. Before the violence really takes off, she just seems like an odd duck that can’t fit into normal society. But as the novel progresses, you really begin to question yourself as you see the extreme nature of her personality and where things are heading. This was one of the best written antiheroines that I have read in some time (and I feel like I have read a lot in the past year). As we get glimpses into Winifred’s past, we see that this is a psycho that was born out of terrible circumstances that led her on a dark path.

The gothic tones of this one were also spot-on with the descriptions of the Ensor House adding to the dread of the story as you await the climax and aren’t quite sure what is going to happen. There are some really interesting twists throughout that make this a very unique and imaginative tale of historical gothic horror. The writing style is definitely chaotic at times and may be jarring for some readers, but I think it really added to the uneasy nature of the story for me.

If you are in the market for gothic vibes, great dialogue, unabashed Victorianism, sarcasm galore, and lots of blood, this book will be the perfect addition to your 2025 TBR!

A grotesque, darkly funny, fever-dream of a book. The tropes of the Victorian gothic are twisted into a slasher novel where you know what's coming the entire time - but that never blunts the gory effect of the inevitable. I hated being in the main character's head, which is to say that I loved it. I devoured this book and will definitely be anticipating more of this author's work.

Thank you to NetGalley and to W. W. Norton for the advance review copy.

If you can suspend your disbelief, this is such a fun ride. You have to be down for more vibes than plot, but let me tell you the vibes are immaculate. I felt we got just enough of a story and background for things to make sense, but so much was left open that you got to let your imagine take you away. I loved the perfectly timed breaks of the 4th wall and the witty quips from our protagonist. If you like body horror and dark humor this is a must read. Be prepared to step into a strange, violent, gruesome story that will transport you to another time and keep you wanting to flip the page.

Special thank you to #NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company via Liveright for this eARC.

Incredible. Wild. One of those wake-you-up, WTF am I reading onslaughts. Victorian Psycho is an angry, terrifying book that will stick with you for days. Virginia Feito is officially on the list of authors you clear your schedule for as this small book is a tour de force of unfathomable anger. A couple of chapters into Winifred’s head and, jeezus, wow. Just wow.

A governess is hired by the Pounds family. The more you read from Winifred’s Notty’s POV, the worse off you suspect the Pounds’ fate will be…

Singlehandedly, this is early 2025, and we have one of the most talked about horror books of the year right here. I’ve resisted the urge to use sardonic to describe Virginia’s writing, but it’s there. The writing is sardonic, condescending and terrifying. And just when you think you might have a grip on the dread and incalculable outcomes, Winifred reminds you who’s telling the story. Arresting and completely scary, Victorian Psycho will grab you from the opening line to the gobsmacking final paragraph.

This is my first book by Virginia Feito and she delivered. This book is dark and twisted and all sorts of fun. Winifred is a governess who couldn't care less about children, or frankly most anyone else. She is charged with raising Andrew and Drusilla, neither of whom are good, easy children. During her time with the family, she fights the Darkness within her, recounting her past 'incidents' and reacting to current impulses. The main characters, Winifred and the Pounds family, are well developed in such a short time. The story goes exactly how you expect it to go (I wouldn't say there's a twist), but it's not predictable. Selfishly, I wish there was more, but I also think the story did what it set out to do and didn't need anything more.
Feito's writing style is engaging, add that to the short length of the book and you'll find yourself finishing it in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to reading more by this author! (4 stars only because the second sentence about her breasts jiggling really made me do a double take).

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

This book was dark, disturbing, and rather graphic. And in more ways than just bloody. I saw somewhere that this was described as “Sweeney Todd meets American Psycho,” and while I have seen neither, it feels like an accurate description based on what I’ve heard.

This is not my type of book at all, but if it’s your type of book then you’ll enjoy it very much. It’s captivating and well written. It’s also a very quick read.

I did enjoy Drusilla’s fate, without giving anything away.

I am torn rating this between the fact that I didn’t enjoy it for personal reasons, but it was also, objectively, a good book. 4 stars, I suppose.

Thank you to Netgalley and LiveRight Publishing company for allowing me to read an arc of Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito. This is my first book by this author, the cover and title intrigued me and I wanted to read it. This book was recommended on a list of the top books to come out in 2025. I was happy to read the arc and believe that if you like dark books you will like it. This book deserves a trigger warning if you like books that pertain to blood, murder, and horror then put this book on your list.