Fragile Animals is a coming-of-age tale about a woman who barely knows herself. After being raised strictly Catholic, Noelle has distorted ideas of guilt and sin that have dictated and destroyed her past relationships. Said post-Catholic confusion is also deeply wrapped up in her mother's abandonment of Noelle as a young teen. Unlike most vampire stories, the vampiric subplot in Fragile Animals is portrayed as merely an intriguing, catalytic dalliance. At its core, this novel is less horror and more firmly in league with other "sad girl" coming-of-age stories for New Adults.

Fragile Animals was Jagger's debut and she has indeed proved her talent. This story was deeply atmospheric, which I really loved. However, the plot suffered from pacing issues that kept me from fully loving it. I look forward to Jagger's next book, which will hopefully be even more polished!