It’s been a minute since I’ve read a book in one sitting. The characters inner monologue and all the craziness being described on the page compelling me to turn the pages one right after the other. With literary turns of phrase at once poetic and deeply gothic in nature - it pairs nicely with other more succinctly told story pieces. It’s dark, delicious, feral, harrowing, sensuous and disgusting in turn - and overall it spoke about so much more than just these characters or the story you read between the pages. With dark humor peppering commentary on our current day to day it’s definitely a story that will linger with you. Highly recommend.

Wowee! Victorian Psycho is an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind reading experience that stands out in the horror genre. Virginia Feito has crafted a macabre, witty, and deeply unsettling tale that will linger with you long after you’ve finished reading. As my first encounter with her work, this book immediately propelled her to the top of my must-read authors list.

The story dives into the eerie and twisted psyche of its protagonist Winifred Notty. Feito’s ability to weave humor into the horror amplifies the tension and the short chapters make it impossible to put down. If you’re a fan of dark, atmospheric stories Victorian Psycho is a must-read!

This is a wild ride and psycho ride for sure! Our main character is the quirky, odd, and unreliable so she makes the story rightfully so.
Some parts were insane, some were funny. We are left absolutely not knowing if certain bits were real or just imagined. Overall it’s an interesting read but I did find it a little hard to follow.

Oh this was thrilling. Quick gothic Christmas horror. I wish I could have read this faster but just didn’t have the time unfortunately. This is easily a one sitting read. At times this is funny while also being graphic and horrific.

Trigger warnings - murder, gore, child and animal abuse.

Dark and unfettered, this novel has no interest in even the pretense of your comfort.

The writing, and strong narrative voice, masked in layers of unreliability, is really great. We are able to get into the state of mind of the main character, and the writing shifts to become more frenzied and disordered as her relationship to reality strains. There are occasions where the first-person narration breaks the fourth wall, and directly addresses “dear reader,” and this felt unnecessary, it didn’t add anything and didn’t make sense given the context or narrative framing. However, it wasn’t frequent enough to detract (or distract) from how compelling and enjoyable and maddening the writing and voice is overall, a combination of biting sartorial wit and a whole lot of IDGAF attitude, with just a little bit of fever dream mixed in for good measure.

The main character felt dangerous and real. Everyone else felt like exaggerations/stereotypes, but that felt purposeful. Given the narrator’s perspective, the descriptions and experiences of all the other characters worked really well. We learned about the main character slowly, little reveals throughout the book, and they added up to a complicated and sympathetic character, even if she too was drawn a little broadly. These exaggerate character sketches also go a long way to building a very specific world, one of snobbery and inequality and very clear expectations. The world-building is minimal, done around the edges, but done expertly, creating a convincing portrait that felt genuine and lived in while also carrying a shade of exaggeration, the nod to hyperbole only emphasizing the other foot firmly grounded in a reality we can see paralleled in our modern world. The pacing worked with the somewhat frenetic and disquieting energy of the narration, moving along at a rapid pace that pulls you along, secreting bursts of excitement here and there along the way leading up to a monumental finale.

There is something a little cliché and expected about the whole story, to some extent. There are surprises and reveals that are effective but also not really surprising, and it isn’t exactly untouched ground being tilled, here. Still, the journey is fun. It is energetic and isn’t shy with its opinions. In fact, that is a major way it differs from the work its title is evoking, American Psycho. I appreciate the nod with the title, and it does a good job of setting the reader up for the experience, but in some ways it is misleading. Patrick Bateman was wealthy and privileged, skewering both yuppies and ideas of masculinity. Winifred, on the other hand, is very much a victim, right from the moment of her birth. She is written not as the epitome of what is wrong with society but as the victim of what is wrong with society, experience enough childhood trauma to break her mind and birth in her a Darkness that locates its feeling of self-righteousness not in vapid ideas about superiority like Bateman but instead in retribution, even if that journey is one that burns all semblance of humanity from her. Both novels are critiques of society, but they are critiquing it in different ways. None of Winifred’s actions are justified or excusable, and this is explicit from the very first victim we see her claim, but we can sympathize with her in ways that are not intended for Bateman.

This novel is bloody and fun, and it ends in the exact way it promises to end right from the beginning. While the fourth-wall breaks didn’t feel additive, the writing is still strong and immersive, setting a great tone throughout the novel. It is a fast little novel, maybe closer to a novella, and it uses that length to great effect, getting in and out and never staying in any place long enough to strain your suspension of disbelief. Beneath the psychopathy and bloodshed there is a strong story about inequality and misogyny, a warning about how far and wide these poisons can spread.

(Rounded up from 3.5)

I want to thank the author, the publisher W. W. Norton & Company | Liveright, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Virginia Feito’s “Victorian Psycho” is one wild, messed-up ride. The story follows Winifred Notty, a governess with a seriously dark past, who’s hired to look after Andrew and Drusilla Pounds in their creepy medieval home. Let’s just say, calling her a “psycho” is putting it lightly. While Winifred is crazy as hell and you have no idea what she’s going to do next, you also realize the rest of the cast of characters aren’t without fault either.

The short chapters made this super easy to binge, though I could’ve done without the little chapter descriptions because they didn’t add much. The body and visceral horror? Absolutely insane. Feito’s writing is so vivid it felt like watching a movie, with every disturbing scene playing out in graphic detail. I could perfectly imagine Winifred’s horrifying acts as the story got darker and darker. Plot twist: IT WILL SOON BE A FEATURE FILM!

Toward the end, though, it started dragging a bit, as if the plot was getting stuck, then you’re hit with a wild plot twist that’ll have you wanting to throw your kindle (or book) across your lovely room. And the ending? WILD. It was pure insanity.

If you’re into gory, psychological horror with a twisted female character who’ll leave you both fascinated and horrified, this is one to pick up. It’s dark, twisted, and perfect for a binge read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Liveright for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book so much! I haven’t shut up about it since finishing it. A wild ride of a book that was perfect and disturbing.

This book is unapologetically blood-soaked and unhinged! I devoured it. Although the story is quite sad and gruesome, the prose is beautiful and it makes for a quick read. Not for the faint of heart!

An unhinged governess with morbid intrusive thoughts? Sold! This is definitely not Jane Eyre.

I was locked in at the beginning. It was giving me all of the gothic vibes that I love.

Winifred was an interesting blend of Wednesday Addams and Patrick Bateman.

I liked the sarcastic tone and the descriptions were dark and unsettling.

But there wasn’t any character development. The story became more and more illogical and confused. It’s disappointing because I really thought this was going to be at least a four or five star read.

It had some good elements, but they just never came together in any satisfying or cohesive way.

**Thanks to W. W. Norton & Company / Liveright & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

YES. I will be thinking of this brilliant horror novel for years to come. What a weird, but beautifully written story. If you pick up one horror book this year please let it be this one.

Feito captures the period with stunning prose and verbiage that immerses readers in this Gothic yuletide tale. It's descriptive and lively, making for a brisk read that's engaging. There's an efficiency the the storytelling that never sacrifices the violence or scares, made all the more intriguing by Winnifred Notty's matter-of-fact demeanor. Winnifred makes for a great anti-heroine on paper, for her lack of shame over her impolite behavior or her violent ambitions, further making this a page turner.

But it all unravels once the Christmas-set climax arrives. Feito paints a gory picture of the holiday, with enough humor and carnage to satisfy. Yet, it also flattens Winnifred's arc into a shallow, uninteresting line. A quick epilogue wraps things up a bit too tidily, robbing Winnifred's story of depth or impact. It's a breezy holiday horror story that never really grapples with some of the headier topics it introduces, instead reveling in superficial, salacious details over subtext. This is a story that wears its AMERICAN PSYCHO influences on its sleeves, but Winnifred is more of an empty vessel than a fully realized sociopath. Feito's latest only briefly ponders if killers are made or born in an oppressive Victorian society, but mostly they're just hollow and straightfoward. It makes for an entertaining enough read, but one that doesn't leave a mark.

Thank you Netgalley and Liveright Publishing for my ARC!

A bloody tale of Yuletide murder, dark comedy and an unserious governess. I thought the book was fast, easy to read and honestly pretty brutal. The kills were intense and the inner monologue of the main character truly made me laugh a few times. A good deranged read.

It sounded interesting. But the book lost me pretty quickly. There are a lot of instances that just don't feel like they fit or took me out of the story completely. How did a mother not notice the baby she had wasn't the one that was hers? There's moments when the logic just doesn't make any sense at all and it brought my enjoyment down hard.

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