3.25 stars. The topics covered in this book range from trauma, religion, and mommy issues, all entangled in a vampire tale. Noelle was not my favorite fmc, like girl please wash your hair. My favorite character was actually the bed and breakfast owner, who was an eclectic lady with traditional values housing a vampire and a poet.

Overall, this is a great debut novel and I can definitely see Genevieve Jagger entering the disturbing girly book sector with Ottessa Moshfegh, Mona Awad, and Melissa Broder.

Thank you, NetGalley and 404 Ink for an advanced copy of this novel,

This is for weird girls, and weird girls only!

I am absolutely mind boggled that this is a debut novel, like what? Jagger does something I so rarely see done, she’s managed to reinvent the vampire genre into something beyond lust and the desire for immortality, instead it’s used as a device to assess her life and reflect on what’s causing her pain so that she may live her own life. Not to mention Noelle is most definitely autistic and being ADHD myself those two often get lumped together because the symptoms are so similar. It was refreshing to read from the point of view of a character that was unlike anything I’d ever read in fiction, originally unique without giving too much focus on unnecessary details, this is very focused on the human psyche and evaluating caustic detail. I admired how easily she weaves our main characters trauma into the story effortlessly, no less part of the story than the random turn of events at hand. Her prose is unmatched I could only ever dream of describing feeling as she does. Religious trauma is very prevalent throughout the novel, providing context for our main character’s actions and internal struggle to no longer be leashed by something she no longer necessarily believes in. I think we all suffer at the hands of our parents in one form or another, however we all have a parent in mind that made our journey from adolescence into adulthood a little less than spectacular. I personally have a lot of issues with my mother and this spoke to that heavily, in Fragile Animals we see Noelle’s mother as vain and impassive to her child’s need, very consumed by her own conception of self that she neglects any identity her child might have. It’s all too real and paints an already vivid picture of the long term affects a child might bear in life, suffering the consequences of a selfish parent. I can’t give this enough praise, you’ll have to read it for yourself and highlight all of its passages. The ending paragraph left chills down my spine, and reminded me that it’s so powerful to unburden yourself from your own guilt of simply living your life.

Thank you NetGalley, Genevieve Jagger, and 404 Ink for this ARC in exchange for a review!

Thank you to NetGalley and 404Ink for this advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

oh my god. the way i have no words for this review because this book stunned me from the first page.

the ingenuity, the rawness, the heart, the confusion, the honesty. all of it had me in such a grip from the very first word. will definitely be buying a physical copy once this publishes. a total stunner. if i could give it 20 stars, i would.


Rating: 5/5 stars

Fragile Animals is a literary fiction novel with a dash of horror; the story of a young woman coming to terms with the religious, familial and sexual trauma of her past. Anyone expecting a vampire novel should know that this isn’t a supernatural love story but a gut-wrenching, animalistic but humane relationship based on confession and forgiveness. I felt so much sympathy and sorrow for Noelle’s condition.

Genevieve Jagger’s prose is stunning, I haven’t come across a debut novel that is this beautifully written in a while. The slow-burn style of storytelling that builds to a climax is very much up my street, but may not suit anyone looking for a little more ‘action’.

I look forward to reading what Jagger writes next!

For a longer review, check out April 2024’s episode of Fresh Blood on the Evolution of Horror podcast Patreon.

I loved this book. I was very drawn to the concept of it and it did not disappoint. I don't read a lot of vampire fiction, but what I have read of the genre is a very romanticised view of the vampire, but this book instead paints the vampire as a creature that is simultaneously decaying and seductive to our protagonist who herself is in a state of decay as she is struggling to come to terms with her sexuality as a woman who was raised catholic but who has a complicated relationship with her faith.

I liked the way the narrative of the book unfolded - hints at Noelle's past and the events that have brought her to the present are hinted at throughout the story, only to be revealed later in full. I thought that this style of storytelling was masterfully crafted, giving the reader just enough to keep them reading and trying to piece together Noelle's past and revealing the events that happened before it drags on too long.

I will definitely be recommending this book and I'd like to also say how much I love the cover art, it's beautiful!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this in advance.

It reminded me of MYORAR and all the music by The Last Dinner Party. Absolutely impossible to put down!

The way Noelle craved touch and affection due to her childhood made me weep and seeing the small ways in which characters show kindness in this was almost too much for me to bear and yet I was absolutely blazing through this. The symbolism in this was amazing - I loved the way the idea of confession in the Catholic faith was portrayed through her conversations with Moses. The last chapter made me bawl and the whole thing was just stunning. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This is about a young writer who goes to the Island of Bute in Scotland by herself to try and find some time to write her poetry. She ends up staying at a really weird boarding house with a strange older man who is a lot darker and more dangerous than he at first seems. The book deals a lot with Catholic guilt as the protagonist is an ex-Catholic and she reckons with how religion and the breakdown of her family life has always been linked. She consistently flashes back to the times in her life when the church was the reason for her own moral failings and emotional breakdowns. Whilst I loved both the flashbacks and the relationship between her and the guy, I struggled slightly to mesh the two in my head even though they both worked well thematically in the book. But sometimes it felt like a book of two halves. The pacing was also quite slow and so I wasn’t as addicted to this as I wanted to be. But it’s certainly an interesting and modern take on the supernatural and I’m glad there was a real religious examination in here too.

‘It is all the pain I’ve ever wanted, and it hurts.’ Noelle is a 23 year old Scottish woman recently sacked from her position as a hotel cleaner. A heavy drinker with a lacklustre future she decides to take a trip to the Isle of Bute to clear her head. There she meets and discusses her previous relationships, her poetry, and reflects on the choices and actions of herself and others which led her to the present day. I’m inclined to note that Fragile Animals is much more than the vampire romance novels we see currently. Jagger’s ability to question morality, Catholicism, queerness, and sacrilege is done so poignantly through the interiority of Noelle that her internal monologues and flashbacks to her past come to exquisite and devastating climax. The complexity of what we give and take from other people, continually renewing or sucking from those around us is the perfect contrast to the material vampire of the text.

I love books that deal with religion in an interesting way, or that offer commentary beyond the theological, and more about the emotional impact that conservative religion leaves on a person. In the case of Catholicism, the focus is on guilt, and of God being the one true spiritual and moral “father figure” one follows. The comparison the character of Noelle draws to her own mother here was something I found especially profound.

With lots of dry humour and great observations about relationships of all kinds, not just romantic, this was a really surprising read. It can be a little bit dense but in the very best way, full of interesting prose and imagery.

The flashbacks were well-paced and done well, and the evolution of Noelle forms the backbone of this story - her coming to terms with who she is, and what she wants. I absolutely enjoyed this one, and would easily recommend!

This novel was so haunting and beautifully written, definitely the definition of sad girl literary fiction. Noelle was complex, despite the shortness of the book. The exploration of her relationship with her mom, Moses, Lomie, and catholicism were so well-paced and written. Moses, representing everything she was taught to fear, and their carnal, animalistic relationship was compelling; I definitely wanted more of them. I enjoyed the way her mom's pronouns were capitalized to show how she revered her and how their complicated, toxic relationship was described. The relationships with Lomie and Lorne are used to talk about queerness and religious trauma, which was also well-done and believeable. Overall, an amazing read!

dnf—I appreciate the arc approval but this isn’t what I was expecting. Maybe I’ll pick it up at a later time.

This is Genevieve Jagger's debut novel about a woman in her early 20s coming to terms with her tumultuous childhood and adolescence growing up in a devout Catholic family in Scotland. After abandoning her life in Edinburgh for a week-long trip to the Isle of Bute under the guise of working on her second novel, she begins to slowly unravel all of the turmoil that's been building inside her for years. This of course is catalysed by her encounters with the vampire who happens to be staying in the same b&b.

Tonaly, Jagger's writing style reminded me a lot of Ottessa Moshfegh. It's got a similar dry wit and sardonic edge which worked really well with the gothic visuals. It reminded me a lot of Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh in this regard, with more blood and less laxatives.

One of the things I like about this is that Noelle is messy. She's a complicated human being with a mean streak and an extreme talent for self destruction. There are a couple of particularly malicious deeds she carried out in her childhood and early teens which haunt her into adulthood which Jagger makes no excuses for, however make perfect sense in the context of her childhood experiences. A small note - Noelle may be mean and vindictive at times, but she's also a girls girl. I loved her "good for her" (that's a direct quote) attitude which was very refreshing to read.

I also really liked how the theme of religion was handled here. Noelle has always had a complex relationship with God and the Catholic faith as a whole, and that was before she discovered her mother was having an affair with the parish Priest. (Priests are always at the scene of the crime I fear.) A lot of the guilt and turmoil that she grapples with is actually less about God and more about her Mother, whereby the role of silent judge and paternal carer are often interchangeable.

The idea that there is some sort of external forcejudging you and upholding you actions against a standard which you can never quite understand is incredibly relatable. For Noelle, a crucial part of her character growth is learning that the only person who's judgement she must answer to is her own.

I think the "vampire" element of her relationship she forges with Moses (guy staying with her) is meant to be representative of the parasocial relationships that Noelle has been victim to her entire life.

Fragile Animals is a novel about a young woman named Noelle who struggles with her Catholic upbringing and her own identity. She goes to the Isle of Bute, where she meets Moses, a man who claims to be a vampire. The writing is descriptive and emotional, and whilst the story felt a bit slow at times, it was a captivating read that kept me interested. I look forward to this debut authors next offering!

Fragile Animals is a deliciously strange tale of a young woman falling in love with a vampire, and in the process discovering her own dark secrets. I particularly loved the wonderfully vivid and flawed characters, and the slightly creepy, slow burn seduction of Noelle by Moses. False memories, mysterious moments, and a sense of the macabre. Brilliant stuff!

Moses tells Noelle that he's a vampire and she's like bet, let's go for a long walk. My Stranger Danger alarms were blaring but I have to admire it.

Fragile Animals is stunningly written, and it's incredible that it's a debut. The author deftly moves between past and present to unpack Noelle's Catholic upbringing, how it's affected her sexuality and fears, and explores the vampire myth in a new and refreshing way. The setting was so atmospheric, and I loved the flashbacks. My only challenge was that, because it's so evocative and poetic, I sometimes found the pace slowed down, so I'd avoid it if you're a reader who prioritises plot over writing style. But at the end of the day, if it's Gothic, vampiric, and Catholic, I'm going to read it. Simple as that.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to devour this eARC.

Fragile Animals is -surprisingly- a debut from author Genevieve Jagger. I was in awe with this book, Genevieve’s writing style and pace was incredible. Fragile Animals is an intriguing story which is beautifully written, mostly in an introspect format, following the personal story and trauma of our protagonist Noelle. I was quickly grasped within the first few pages, needing to unfurl the personal journey of Noelle’s spiralling depression and chaotic life events that has lead us to the point where the book begins.

There is some amusing lines as-well as gritty and dark. When I read that this book was about an ex catholic and her relationship with a vampire I knew I had to read it. Its gothically dark undertones - and especially it’s ending - was just so hauntingly beautiful. I eagerly anticipate the authors future work. - K.

‘Suffering is written in the DNA helix. It is fused to the most incentive core of all beings, too deep to reach with a scalpel, and so it cannot be scraped off.’

5/5 ⭐️

I absolutely loved Genevieve Jagger's debut novel—it's a masterpiece. I couldn't tear myself away from it and ended up finishing it in just one day because the writing was so captivating.

Fragile animals follows Noelle as she navigates her queer identity amidst her strict Catholic upbringing. The story seamlessly shifts between Noelle's childhood, teenage years, and her present in her twenties, showcasing how her past traumas continue to shape her.

This book reminded me of Olivie Blake's writing style in ‘Alone with You in the Ether’, but with a grittier edge. Imagine if ‘Alone with You in the Ether’ was set on a moody Scottish island with a taxidermist vampire.

If you're into morally complex female protagonists and crave a haunting, sexy read that lingers with you long after you finish it, then I highly recommend ‘Fragile Animals’. Just a heads up, though—make sure to check for trigger warnings, as the book delves into some dark subject matter.

Thankyou to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review ✨

Maybe it's being also ex-Catholic and permanently knee deep in vampire romanticisation, but whenever I wasn't reading this I was thinking about when I could next be reading it. It's been attached to me wherever I've been for the last week. Definitely think it’s going to be one of my top reads for the year ❤️

Thank you NetGalley so much for allowing me a copy of this!

This is a very intense read as we follow Noelle on her analytical journey of reflection. She slowly allows us inside of her head as we come to understand why she is the way that she is. It is a truly heartbreaking novel with poetic, yet direct writing. I found myself wanting to highlight and annotate so many quotes in order to hold on to them.

The more you read, the more desperation you feel to find out what has made Noelle's thoughts this dark and dense. I felt like this was such a well-paced novel as I was never bored and the ending felt as though it had the perfect amount of grip.
I feel like, as anyone who reads the blurb, you expect for her relationship with Moses to be more of a focus on the book, but i thoroughly enjoyed how it was used as a shield for Noelle to share her raw story. Though still, Moses' character felt nuanced without trying too hard.

I confess I have not read many books that deal with religious trauma, but this was insanely gripping and interesting for me to read.

Fragile Animals is an amazing debut, gothic novel--not for the faint hearted.

Overall, this was a fine read. The writing is really interesting, raw and introspective but I wanted a bit more from the story. I came for the vampires but I wanted more of the vampire elements. It is not the main driving force of the novel like I expected. I did enjoy the look into the main characters relationship to her mother and how that and the aftermath of her mother's affair affects her relationship to religion.