Noelle, a woman from Edinburgh, travels to a remote Scottish island where she stays at a two-bedroom bed and breakfast hosted by the charming Miss Fraser. The only other guest is Moses, who intriguingly introduces himself as a vampire.

Despite this supernatural introduction, elements of the paranormal are peripheral to the main storyline. If the vampire aspect were removed, the narrative would remain largely unchanged.
Readers drawn to this book by the prospect of a vampire-themed plot will likely be disappointed. Additionally, those seeking a romance between a human and a vampire will not find it here.

The primary focus of the book is on the trauma stemming from Noelle’s past experiences with religion, romantic relationships, and childhood. The protagonist reflects on her disappointments through a religious lens imparted by her parents during her upbringing. She attempts to navigate her trauma and reconstruct her sense of self on this isolated Scottish island.

Central to Noelle's trauma is her relationship with her mother. The narrative delves deeply into her efforts to reconcile with her past and to define herself independently of religious prejudices. This book appeals to those who appreciate character development, as the plot itself is meandering and none of the characters are particularly endearing. It includes graphic depictions, so potential readers should take caution.

Overall, while it may not be a groundbreaking work, it offers relatable themes and is worth reading for those interested in character-driven stories.

I’m grateful with NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity of letting me read this before its publication.

Noelle's a twenty-something grappling with the talons that Catholicism and familial trauma have sunk into her being. In order to escape, and hopefully write her second book of prayer-like poems, she escapes to a small Scottish isle where she lodges in a homey accommodation with a vampire and a woman who enjoys crocheting. This island escape sets her on a path of continued self-destruction., sometimes aided by Moses, the grotesque vampire sleeping under the same roof.

Genevive Jagger's debut novel has a solid concept, one which seeks to deconstruct, exploit and begin to solve the masochistic tendencies of her main character. However, Fragile Animals fails to pick up speed until the last fourth of the novel and under utilizes the most interesting relationships Noelle has (Lorne, Loem)- relegating them to the second half, or even the last two chapters of the book.

Overall, the book was an interesting exploration of the forbidden, as viewed through a Catholic lens, that could have really flourished if pacing and relationships were further explored.

Thanks to Net Galley and 404ink for providing me an eArc.

YES YES YES!!! This was brilliant, very similar to a book which I loved called Dead Animals. Highly recommend!

'Fragile Animals' had me absolutely spellbound, but I was so convinced I had to read it in one sitting for it to feel right that I started and then stopped so many times until I could make that dedication. Genevieve Jagger's writing is stunning, incredible — I have so much highlighted. I loved the eeriness and isolation on Bute, and the way we were drawn into such an escape from the world.

About half of 'Fragile Animals' is Noelle on Bute, connecting with Moses and Miss Fraser, and working through identity and religious trauma. The other half is Noelle's life before Bute, growing up highly Catholic, in a home with a cold, distant mother, connecting with her semi-stepmom's brother, mourning the separation of a friend whose emotional pull is almost tangible, and steeped in so much religion and questioning of it.

The latter wasn't as strong as the former. It felt too jarring and normal against the backdrop of something much more interesting. There must have been a way to work it in better.

The religious questioning and trauma; betrayal by the church and by family; the inner hatred that comes with Catholic beliefs are absolutely central to the entirety of this story, and if that's something you want to explore I highly recommend.

I really hated the ~big realization at the end. It was hinted at, but not nearly developed enough to have such a huge come-to-Jesus moment of that level. It felt like it came out of nowhere and turned the book around in a way that didn't work.

I'm still working through how I feel about Moses and their connection, but it's something I'm going to think about for a long time.

I tried really hard to get into this one, but I just wasn't able to. I am still really thankful to the publisher, author, and netgalley for granting me advanced access to this digital collection before publication day.

‘Know that I tried to live my life with love, the way that Jesus wanted, but that it’s so fucking hard out here in a world made to be so mean’

Okay as a lover of lit fic and fantasy a gritty lit fic with a vampire character is a bit of me.

Noelle is in her early 20s and is grappling with internalised homophobia, religious trauma, and a harmful relationship with her mother. She travels to the Isle of Bute to inspire herself to write, and meets a vampire named Moses. Noelle and Moses develop a brief relationship in which they reveal intimate stories about their lives and relationships, leading Noelle on a path of self reflection.

The writing in this book was beautiful and raw and clever. I’m impressed that this is a debut novel! The exploration of religious, sexual, and familial trauma is so impactful. I felt so sad for Noelle and all that she has endured, but I was really rooting for her on this journey of self discovery and self acceptance. I feel like I will need to reread to pick up on all the nuances and symbolism in the writing and story!

Thank you to NetGalley and 404 Ink for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Firstly I loved the writing style. The only way I can describe it is ‘crisp’? I really felt like I was in the book, yet the writing wasn’t obnoxiously flowery or lyrical. You can tell the author put a lot of thought into framing the story and it really paid off for me.

I absolutely love books that explore themes of religious trauma, especially when you add elements like vampires into the mix!! The main (and perhaps only) criticism I have is that it felt a little slow, but I understand that this is the nature of gothic books and often part of their charm. So this is only a personal qualm mixed in with perhaps me reading this when I wasn’t in the mood for something slow.

Regardless of pace, I loved this and will definitely be buying a physical copy because this book is beautiful! I am excited to check out more by Jagger in the future.

Fragile Animals is a stunningly written, evocative novel about a young woman coming to terms with her past and own self destruction. This story is made up of so many elements: Catholic trauma, mommy issues, queer themes, and a vampire.

The first thing that stands out about this book is the hauntingly moving prose. The writing is superb and so beautiful. I found myself stopping, taking in the carefully chosen words that weave together this Gothic novel. I look forward to reading more novels by Genevieve Jagger in the future.

I loved the fleshed out characters that felt so real, and the protagonist's (Noelle) character development. She is a fascinating character, and I felt drawn to her, which I am happy about since it is a character-based story. I appreciated her flaws, vulnerability, and introspection.

Excellent novel. I highly recommend this one to people who like character-based novels with dark themes and Gothic elements.

Thank you NetGalley & 404 Ink for this ARC.

I had high hopes for this release but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. The pacing of the story was much too slow which tended to make the plot a bit hard to grasp onto and stay focused on. The idea of this book was so intriguing but the inner workings of it missed the mark for me.

'Fragile Animals' is an incisive and darkly funny admission of guilt and grief. Noelle has fled to a dreary Scottish island to cope with scandalous sex, bad writing, fallen angels, and an angry God. There she meets Moses who refracts her guilt into visions of what could have been and what could still be, a blasphemous covenant that feels like falling very slowly.

I love a repressed Catholic sapphic story, but make it weird girly literary horror with vampires and you’ve got yourself a winner.

This book had everything and I loved it. The writing was insanely beautiful and I found myself welling up on several occasions. Our main character, Noelle, struggles with some serious mummy issues as well as grappling with her sexuality. The depth that these issues were dealt with was next-level and it felt so painfully real.

Once I’d reached the 70ish page mark, I already regretted not tabbing and annotating. But equally I wanted to fly through the book as quickly as possible. I think I’ll definitely be re-reading this at some point and highlighting all my favourite quotes (of which there were so many).

This book also had one of the most grotesque graphic sex scenes ever. I mean I find graphic scenes a bit cringe anyway, but this was disgusting, and I don’t mean in a filthy smut sort of way. Like genuinely gross. But I was weirdly captivated by it. The way the author made this scene both gross and beautiful is pretty impressive, and goes to show the skill she has as a writer.

I will point out there are definitely some trigger warnings to be noted with this one, regarding self harm and mentions of suicide. Some of these scenes were quite graphic and would be upsetting to some readers.

I absolutely adored this book and recommend to all the queer horror fans out there. This is not one to be missed.

I’ve always been interested in Vampires but Fragile Animals shows you them in a new light. This was less of a fantasy/paranormal focussed novel and instead a story on coming to terms with who you are in the dark, dim, Scottish coast.

Despite not being what I expected I did enjoy this one, I found the storyline difficult to follow at first but once I was drawn in I found it difficult to pull myself away from the tantalising plot.

I wouldn’t have advertised this one with vampires as it seems to add less than anticipated to the plot.

I think I would've given this a low four stars if it didn't take me so long to read. That's not the books fault, life just got in the way.
I think this is a great debut, it is so well written. That pulled me in instantly. I also thought it was a very fresh take on the tried and true vampire story. I am not a religious person, but it was so fascinating watching Noelle struggle with her faith, and I feel like many a person will relate to that struggle. I will definitely recommend this to others and will be waiting for more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and 404 Ink for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Noelle just needs to get away so that she can write her second book. She books an Airbnb in the Island of Bute, Scotland where she meets Moses; a vampire. Their relationship is mostly about confession. Noelle, being an ex-Catholic with many regrets, feels this is a cathartic way of revealing her deepest, darkest secrets whilst falling in love with Moses. She struggles with her sexual identity as well as past childhood trauma that is due to the Catholic Church and her mother that leads her down a road of self destruction in her early adult life.

I really loved the writing style of this book. The chapters go back and forth between the past and present and give you a full background of each character who means something to Noelle. Her struggles with her sexuality, religion, and her mother were very well fleshed out and written in such a way that made sense or written in a believable manner. Basically, it reads as if the author themselves had experienced this very same situation, even though they assure the reader that they hadn’t. It was beautifully done. The only thing that confused me was the relationship between Noelle and Moses. The synopsis makes you think this is about a love story between Noelle and a vampire, but to me that was a very small part of the book, almost a side story and not the actual plot. Either way, that relationship was a slow build, as was the book itself, which I love a slow burn, and cannot wait to see what the author comes out with next.

It was a bit too boring for me. The story lacked passion, depravity, and depth. It took me a while to get into the story. Very slow paced. It took even longer to get the romance portion. The book blurb made it seem like it was going to be a weird smutty book about an ex Catholic girl and a vampire. This book was not that. Or it was, but a very slow and watered down version. Not sure if my expectations were just off, or if the book was marketed incorrectly.

On the face of it, this book felt as though it would be exactly my kind of book as I adore books about vampires and particularly enjoy books that look at deconstructing religion. Unfortunately, this book just did not quite work for me. I don't think that this is an inherently bad book and I have seen it work for a lot of people but the meandering literary fiction style created a pace that made it a struggle for me to continue to reach for this book. On a very much personal preference note, I was quite turned-off by the repeated descriptions of the way in which our main character described evacuating her bowels.

ARC Review: FRAGILE ANIMALS by Genevieve Jagger, published by 404 Ink

What a gorgeous, ethereal book this is. The premise really piqued my attention (as did the beautiful cover!) so I wanted to give it a go. I was not expecting to like it as much as I do. The plot is unconventional (for me), with a non-linear narrative; it took me a while to get used to, but it actually made me pay a lot of attention. The characters are plenty endearing; Genevieve Jagger really spent a lot of time fleshing them out. There is plenty of dialogue regarding the characters' past relationship struggles, and an equal amount of introspection about religion and spirituality. This is contemporary gothic horror meets "Cruel Intentions" with a dash of vampire romance. 10/10, will read again!

Once again, thank you to NetGalley for my free ARC to read and review!

Like so many unloved children, Noelle is desperately attached to the one who loves her least: her mother. A strictly Catholic mother, who brings her up in a retrograde and restrictive environment, filling her with complexes about sexuality and then disappears from her life by running away, no less, with the parish priest. Noelle's journey to free herself from the looming maternal figure is harsh and painful, masterfully rendered by the author through the girl's encounter with a vampire who, metaphorically, after inducing her to open up, sucking her blood extracts from her all the cobwebs and constraints of the past, allowing her to truly become herself.
A very enjoyable read indeed, although there are a few too many elements.

oh, this was delightful. 5/5 stars.

this book follows Noelle, a poet who takes a trip to an isle in Scotland to focus on writing her next poetry book. while there, she meets a man named Moses who claims to be a vampire. the two end up exchanging memories and stories as Noelle does some soul-searching.

the atmosphere:
this was AMAZING. the rainy, foggy, kind of generally spooky nature of the isle came through so well. every time Noelle took a walk somewhere in the town, it felt so… desolate? i’m not sure exactly the word to describe it, but it was incredibly atmospheric. this combined with the descriptions of Noelle being in the church in her past came together for some fascinating vibes.

the writing:
i LOVED this writing. it was flowery, but not overly so, and the author has a really lovely way of speaking that drew me in. she was able to convey the characters emotions in such a real and raw way. if you like writing that leans more towards poetry at times, this book is for you.

the characters:
noelle: what an interesting woman. her struggles with her catholic upbringing, her relationship with her parents, her self-destructive sexual habits; it all came through so clearly. this is a woman that has done some pretty shitty things but has also been through some pretty shitty things, and there was never a moment where i wasn’t able to at least empathize with her. the intense catholic guilt she feels pervades the entire book in a fascinating way.

moses: what a weird little guy. reading the synopsis, i expected him to be a typical sexy vampire. instead, what we got was a pretty dirty, ugly, and kinda just generally gross guy who may or may not be a vampire. i also expected him to be more prominent in the story, when in reality he is just kind of a vessel for Noelle to do something self-exploring. i would NOT call this a romance, and i was happy about how it all played out.

the plot:
technically, not a lot happens here. noelle goes to this isle, talks to some people, attempts to write, walks around, and thinks about her past. this is very character driven rather than plot driven. however, the events of her past are so interesting that i did not mind the lack of plot at all. i was so engaged with everything happening with her the whole time. seeing the events of her past unfold and come together, especially with some later reveals, was incredibly satisfying.

i LOVED that she referred to her mother as “She” or “Her,” never “mother.” the uppercase used on the words really helped with the "growing up catholic" themes here and also helped show how distant Noelle was from her mother, seeing her as some sort of otherworldly being.

there were quite a few typos/errors in this edition, which i am hoping will be cleaned up by the time of publication. they were not bad enough to take me out of the story, thankfully.

overall, this book was unlike any i’ve other read before. it has been several days since i finished it and i honestly cannot stop thinking about it. the authors writing style and ability to show these characters emotions has made me positive that i will read anything she puts out in the future.

thanks to netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Noelle retreats from the big city of Edinburgh, where she cleans hotel rooms, to a small island village bed & breakfast run by an odd woman with a penchant for all things pink. Noelle is hoping for inspiration - she's stalled in writing her second collection of poetry.

Fragile Animals starts slowly, building a mood. Jagger conjures the remoteness of the island, the harsh weather, the creaky house. Her prose is rich, and the dark passages visceral.

As Noelle befriends Moses, the other lodger, a taxidermist and supposed vampire, the pace accelerates. Moses and Noelle take long walks and talk about their pasts. We get to know Noelle and what precipitated her escape to the island. Her backstory of being raised in a strict catholic household while her mother was carrying on a blatant affair... was just devastating, and a nail-biter, hysterical and profane.

It's hard to wrap this one up. It was very dark, there's a lot of body talk, the characters don't act in (what we'd perceive to be) their best interests. The weirdness won't work for everybody but I was hooked.

My thanks to NetGalley and 404 Ink for the ARC. Fragile Animals was published in April.