I DNFed 'Fragile Animals' after about 50 pages. Twice.

I picked this up because of the promise of vampires and horror, but I really struggled to connect to Noelle and the writing. I decided to wait and try the audiobook so I grabbed it from my library as soon as it was available, and while it was easier to consume in that form, I still really struggled to establish a connection to the story in any way. The beginnings of the mundane, domestic horror erred more on the gross side and was something that felt like it was thrown in for effect rather than to help paint characters, set the scene or build an atmosphere.

This is definitely one that I can imagine a lot of people really, really loving, but it sadly wasn't for me.

Thanks to 404Ink and NetGalley for the review copy.

Thanks to Netgalley and 404 Ink for an ARC.

I feel conflicted about this one. My gut instinct is that the main character's internal monologue was too self-indulgently pretentious in her misery for me to enjoy it properly; I prefer my misery affectless. But that's just a preference. In terms of what the book was actually about, I appreciated the back and forth of Noelle's trains of thought; the stretching out and springing back of time; the pivotal moments that can haunt an ill brain so persistently that they become a kind of infection in themselves. All that was very good. The problem was that the author also included the idea of a vampire in the book in such a way that it felt like a gimmick to attract attention; the book doesn't need it. It feels like the vampire was supposed to be the hook for this novel that then became something else, and the vampire idea itself is just hanging around, not really sure what it's doing. I mean the guy clearly isn't actually a vampire and is as mentally ill as Noelle herself, but if you're going to introduce the idea of vampirism to your shoegaze novel then I feel like you should actually do something with it, you know?

I wish I'd read it sooner, I would be careful with who I recommended this too as it is dark and dense but for those interested in dark I would say this is a must.
The characters are so full and well written they have stayed with me well beyond the end of the book.

I genuinely am unsure how to rate and review this book.

It flitted between chapters written so oddly, bordering on depressive, and then on to wonderful character building story that I was desperate to see the relationship blossom between the two characters.

I ultimately couldn't finish this book, as the odd chapters (which were every other one) made it unenjoyable to read and put me into a slump. I have struggled to get into another book since.

That said, if you enjoy repressed Sapphics with religious guilt and mummy issues, this is the book for you. I personally couldn't abide the writing style of the odd fanciful chapters but otherwise it is fantastically well written, the character are deep and intriguing and I it still haunts my thoughts.

This was such a fun vampire book . Its like if Fleabag had vampires in it lol
Thank you for the eArc .

Dark and twisted in all the very best ways. I really enjoyed how this brought in the occult and how much it gave me the creeps

As someone whose twin obsessions are Catholic iconography and the occult, this book was always going to work for me. Grotesque and gorgeous in all the best ways, Fragile Animals is a blood-soaked, breathless rampage through seduction, sin and sexuality with frank explorations of religious guilt and trauma.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an eARC to review.

Fragile Animals is well-written and atmospheric. The coldly clinical aura of the book is unique and weaved throughout all the tiny descriptions, throwaway details, and drudgery of this week in which the story is set.

I think it feels a little disjointed in terms of connecting religious trauma to each of these significant events and people in Noelle’s life. Some parts I felt were extremely rushed (Lomie, even Alistair) whereas others were dealt with well (her relationship with her mother and the impact of her mother’s affair with the priest). I think we could have dug deeper into her religious beliefs and what resonates and what doesn’t, instead of painting things more black and white, and allowing her to find more honest truth within herself.

I wished that her meeting Moses would have triggered a lot more thoughts about religion and sin and hell, rather than him being a counsellor for her to recount the past to. I felt she was still relying on others for direction at the end than able to stand on her own feet, even if she didn’t know where they would take her.

However, I do appreciate the themes of the book and what it attempts to explore. There are few books that have attempted a story similar to this, and this one has shown a very well-thought out perspective of it, especially when it comes to picking the significant events in Noelle’s life expertly in order to explore these themes, I just wish we had deeper philosophical/spiritual exploration in order to truly fulfil its potential.

I have to start by saying, I think this is the best book I have read in 2024 thus far. It surpassed all my expectations, and I have already added it to my list of books I recommend people. There was an unctuousness to the novel that drew me in, even when I felt compelled to put it down. I think all the characters felt very real, very flawed, and sometimes unlikeable, but never in a way that repelled me. Instead they drew me in (Moses with his long face, dirty nails, stained teeth) and our narrator, Noelle, with her ex-Catholic guilt and longings and awkward and sometimes hostile silences. As a recovering Catholic myself, so much of Noelle's struggles resonated with me, those memories of the church, everything instilled in you at such a young age and then as adult, trying to come to terms with adulthood and the grip the Catholic teaching has on you. I thought the prose was beautiful, but not overbearing. The moments when Noelle describes hovering over the mirror of the lake, the dead swan, hiding under the table to sleep - were so perfect, so contained, but also so vivid.
I very much enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more from Genevieve Jagger in the future.

Fragile Animals was very much not what I expected from the description that had been presented but I am not upset about it. I expected a sexy take on vampirism and her relationship with Moses, but instead meeting Moses was simply the catalyst of what the book truly was. This one was a gut wrenching retrospective of our main character's past with her family and with her relationship with Catholicism. I wanted to cry for Noelle so many times, both at times when she was sharing stories with Moses on the island and when we were thrown into the past. Despite the various changes in time, the pacing was well executed and the ending was devastating and perfectly timed.

I highly recommend Fragile Animals for anyone who loves a character study but not for someone looking for a hot, sexy vampire story (as that is not what you will find here).

Thank you to NetGalley and 404 Ink for providing me with ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was going to be a bit heavier in the dark vampire romance department, so that's the only reason it didn't get a higher rating from me. But I really did enjoy it for what it was, after I was able to leave my expectations at the door! I love a good story that tackles religious guilt, childhood trauma, mommy/daddy issues, and queer guilt/sexual uncertainty... and if the author is going to throw in a vampire in there too, I am just not going to not love it.

Fragile Animals - Genevieve Jagger 🦢

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Definitely a weird and wonderful book.

This was on my must read list as soon as I read the blurb and was so excited to have received the arc.

There's mommy/daddy drama, queer issues, religious issues and a vampire, the lot in this book, at so many points I was left confused/intrigued and dying to know more.

Highly recommend this to be added to your TBR pile asap!!

Thank you to NetGalley & 404 Ink for sending me this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own*

#netgalley #fragileanimals

This book sadly wasn't my cup of tea at all. I'm not sure what I expected - I mainly requested this book as I liked the cover and dark themes!
'Fragile Animals' has very little plot, and is more a character study of the main character, Noelle - a former Catholic struggling with religious trauma from her upbringing, and internalised homophobia. Noelle is a poet, who travels to Scotland to get away and write - where she meets a mysterious man who claims to be a vampire. Together they bond and form a weird relationship where they divulge their darkest secrets and tell stories of past lovers. The story is very slow paced, with the prose style being overstated and melodramatic. The atmosphere is very dreary and depressing, matching Noelle's state of mind. This vampiric relationships seems to act as a catalyst for change and introspection in Noelle's life, unfortunately I just wasn't invested in Noelle's journey, and couldn't connect with any of the symbolism at play.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced digital review copy.

I was disappointed in this novel. I should have loved it! Vampires, religious trauma, deep-character studies.... Unfortunately, it is not so terrible as it is very amateur. To begin nicely, I think the sex scenes and general eroticism were well done. I appreciated the playing with plot form in the flashbacks and the decision to make the love interest an older man. The setting was intriguing and the premise fruitful.

So. The novel is vaguely in the horror genre while firmly in the literary fiction camp. Unfortunately, it does not have the literary skill to fully make it with the big leagues it's trying to. Jagger has forgone a traditional plot in pursuit of a character study, which while illuminating at times, is dressed by a prose style that is overstated and, at times, melodramatic. Much of the potential symbolism is underdeveloped and the characters do not act to life—there is an undeniable juvenile quality to everything underlying the actions, dialogue, and characterization that render the book easily forgettable. There's also a base inauthenticity in many of the situations as well, mainly around money and the points of dialogue that push the story forward. I did enjoy parts of it — don't get me wrong — but it felt like a first novel you write as a teen and keep quietly on your desktop. I honestly just might be too old this (24)—It felt like the romp of a 19-year-old who's still starry-eyed about the world and their place in it.

As I noted in another review, I have a lot in common with the main character—I grew up incredibly religious and had (up until last year) a terrible, chaotic relationship with my mother who left when I was 8. I haven't seen her in... 8 years? I don't remember. I grew up with my father, who ended up a much better parent. We later stopped going to church. I am also bisexual (he is too, who'd've thought). This did not explore the deep, complicated mess inside those of us with similar backgrounds as much as it lightly recalled and cringed at it. The effects of a bad mother, religiosity, and lack of self-love are cancerous and sinewy, and I see this most in the faces of former foster kids and those I've met in psychiatric hospital wards. While the novel attempted to illustrate the proper shades and gravitas of these life experiences, the prose's mushiness rendered much of it void. Words matter, and you can't just go throwing them on a page and expect the best to stick.

Thank you to 404 Ink and NetGalley for providing me with the eARC. All opinions are honest and my own.

An interesting read from a debut author that explores identity, desire, religion, and lots of repressed catholic guilt.

Noelle is a sinner, or so she says. Directionless and stuck in a rut, she travels to the secluded Isle of Bute to find inspiration. And surprisingly, she does! Lots of inspiration in the form of unearthing past family traumas and repressed queer desire. Oh and there’s a vampire.

I enjoyed the introspective prose and slow dissection of Noelle’s past and psyche through the pages. This is definitely a book for the literary fiction readers, especially those who enjoy falling down rabbit holes of traumatic pasts to come out the other side (potentially?) better but definitely changed.

While I personally did not mind the disorganized threads and loose ends, I would have preferred a more focused storyline. Maybe I’m missing something, but it felt like the vampire aspect served no significant purpose, which is a shame considering the themes associated with Moses’ character are heavily marketed. But I did find him to be an interesting character, so that’s something.

Regardless, this is more a book about Noelle and her past than it is about her relationship with Moses, despite him being the catalyst for Noelle’s self-reflection and self-discovery. And taken from that front, the story reads heavy, yet refreshing and satisfying.

As with any contemplation, commentary, or scrutiny of religion, read at your own risk. I don’t have any repressed catholic trauma.

Whew, this wasn't for me. It was a real slow burn with lots of backstory, and nothing really happened until very late in the book when there's like 5 pages 'action'. The characters were both not likeable and the plot basically follows them talking about their exes and ruminating about past trauma. Not as much sexy vampire stuff as I expected.

Noelle is a published poet, one that’s full of self torture, mummy issues and a little loathing. She’s run away to the island of Brute, Scotland, where she stays in a weird guest house….one with an interesting older guest. Noelle is raised by religion and on some strict believes; as she gets older, those beliefs start to waiver and in turn she questions religion and her mother.

Fragile Animals takes on two timelines - the past, as it delves into Noelle’s Catholic upbringing and her family issues, then the present day, as she she tries to write her new poetry but is somewhat distracted by the older man at the guest house.

The book is a melancholy rollercoaster - with a dysfunctional family dynamic, self discovery, sexuality, and all the weird things in between that life delivers us.

If you’re a fan of ‘sad girl’ literature, you’ll enjoy this. I was a big fan of Noelle.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced reading copy. Fragile Animals is published on 25th April.

*Thank you NetGalley, 404 Ink Publishing and Genevieve Jagger for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review*

Noelle, burdened by her Catholic upbringing, seeks solace on the windswept Isle of Bute. There, she encounters the enigmatic Moses, a man claiming to be a vampire. Their connection deepens through intimate confessions, each harboring dark secrets. As the island chills and their conversations explore forbidden territory, Noelle grapples with desires that stir forgotten memories. The scandal of her mother's affair with a priest resurfaces, entwining with Noelle's present turmoil.
The book shines in its lyrical prose. The author paints vivid imagery, transporting the reader to the stormy Isle of Bute. The concept, a collision of Catholic guilt and vampiric allure, is original and thought-provoking. The first-person narrative captures Noelle's numbness and internal chaos. We experience her fragmented past woven into the present, revealing a journey of self-discovery and healing from childhood trauma. However, this back and forth structure disrupts the flow, and the past sections feel less impactful compared to the present. I found myself skimming through them quite a lot.
While the core story is interesting, some streamlining could enhance the story, tightening the narrative and trimming less essential parts would elevate the overall reading experience. The clash between faith and the unholy figure of the vampire offers a unique path for Noelle's growth. Despite its flaws and a protagonist who could benefit from further development (she’s quite dull and tries so hard to be interesting), the potential for this debut novel is undeniable. I eagerly await the author's future works to see how this promising voice evolves.

Fragile Animals by Genevieve Jagger is trying hard to outdo ottessa moshfegh in terms of bodily fluids and abject bodies but it failed to offer anything really subversive.

vampire and Christianity? this book is soo good, really enjoyed the reading.
The vibes were immaculate, more books like this.