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ClareR (6134 KP) rated Victorian Psycho in Books

Feb 28, 2026

Victorian Psycho

Virginia Feito | 2025 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Humor & Comedy, Thriller

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Unhinged. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of Victorian Psycho. I mean she is. A psycho, that is.

Is it nature or nurture? Macabre, blood thirsty thoughts go through her mind, and to begin with I wasn’t sure if she was “thinking” or “doing”. Comedy horror, except dark, dark comedy, this book made me laugh as well as cringe. Victorian repression let loose with homicidal mania. To be perfectly honest, these people deserve it. Uptight snobs who treat servants terribly, and the servants let them because they need the job. Not the Nanny. She’s taking none of their nonsense.

The question running through my mind as I was reading wasn’t: “Will she murder someone horrifically?”. It was more: When and how will she murder someone, and who will she start with? It’s going to be horrific!” And it’s not who you’d think.

A dark, dark read with a touch of Dickensian social commentary. The Nanny is an antihero who I ended up backing, of course. Please don’t judge me - I don’t condone murder of the rich though! 🫢

Great writing and well worth a read. Just close your eyes during the most blood-thirsty parts *nods sagely*.

Kudos

Bird (1704 KP) rated Taboo - Season 1 in TV

Apr 27, 2017

Pre-Victorian London has never looked so beautifully squalid! (4 more)

Tom Hardy unsurprisingly excels in the powerful lead role of a violent low-lifer

Genuinely fascinating insight into the broad history of the time

Strong performances all-round

An almost monochrome visual that transforms you to a dark place you're glad you can leave at the end of each episode!

A bit of a slow burner - you don't mind leaving the room for a few minutes knowing you probably wont miss that much (1 more)

A few (undeliberate?) loose ends, but maybe saved for Season 2?

Gloomy And Brutal With A Dash Of Sweeney Todd

Kudos

graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated A Spy in the House (The Agency, #1) in Books

Feb 15, 2019

In the words of Y. S. Lee:
<blockquote>"Women's choices were grim in those days, even for the clever. If a top secret women's detective agency existed in Victorian England, it left no evidence--just as well, since that would cast serious doubt on its competence. The Agency is a totally unrealistic, completely fictitious antidote to the fate that would otherwise swallow a girl like Mary Quinn."</blockquote>

An easy and interesting read, with an intriguing protagonist in Mary Quinn. The plot and characters easily kept my attention and I look forward to the others in the series.