I have never read anything by this author before, but you best believe she is a favourite author now. I love Jane Eyre and when you find someone who can write a re imagining that is almost better than the original, you never let them go.
The book is atmospheric and so beautifully written I would highly recommend

Fragile Wicked Things is an emotionally intense, elegantly seductive, and atmospheric gothic romance fantasy.

Jane needs an escape from the precarious citation she is currently in. She finds a job at a mansion with a very mysterious character, Mr. Rochester. This is a Jane Eyre reimagining, and I enjoyed it. There is suspense, tension, dark secrets, and a slow but well curated romance.
Thank you, Netgalley and Open Road Entertainment ( ARC provided by Victory Editing Netgalley Co-OP).
All opinions are entirely my own.

This was such an entertaining story that I finished in a few hours.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
They are realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

After a slow start, I finally got into the book and then I could not put it down. Endure the first 50 pages and you will be greatly rewarded!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Fragile Wicked Things is a beautifully written gothic fantasy that grips from the first page. The story follows Jane, an orphan seeking escape from a harsh institution, who finds herself drawn into the mysterious world of a secluded mansion and its enigmatic inhabitant. The plot is a slow-burn mix of suspense, romance, and dark secrets, with each revelation carefully layered to keep the reader intrigued.

Anna Newallo’s writing is precise, atmospheric, and hauntingly vivid. She paints the mansion, its shadowed halls, and the surrounding landscape with such clarity that the setting becomes almost a character itself. The romance is subtle but compelling, grounded in tension and emotional stakes rather than instant attraction.

While some plot threads could be explored further, the story’s pacing and tension make it a satisfying read for anyone who enjoys gothic suspense, mysterious characters, and elegant, immersive prose.

I know "Jane Eyre" as a pop culture reference and am roughly familiar with the source material but I have to admit I don't believe I've actually ever read it. If you're a fan of Jane Eyre, this strays from the source material, with the fantasy element, but based on what I know, if that's something you're open to, I found this to be quite a fun read.

The first 10-15% of this book took a bit to get into but from there, I actually couldn't put it down. The ending is wrapped up neatly and there are tragic elements throughout. Be warned, there is some gore!

I knew going in that this Jane Eyre adaptation would likely lean more into the structure and plot beats of the original rather than what we traditionally think of as a romance, but it was hard to connect to Jane and Rochester, or root for their relationship. This book does follow-through on its Gothic promise, but because the emotional stakes weren't there for me, it felt pretty bloodless, which is ironic considering the anti-hero and villains of this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Anna Newallo for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Fragile Wicked Things coming out September 16, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I was really interested in the gothic romance set in New Orleans. I enjoyed it. I think there were some confusing things about the secrets. It felt a little like Jane Eyre to me. I’d check out other books by this author.

okayyyy! This is a darkly enchanting, utterly unique read, and just proves why I’m a BIG fan of Newallo and her writing!

It's a story that lingers, exploring the delicate balance between beauty and decay, innocence and corruption, with a lyrical and haunting quality.

The atmosphere is palpable, and the characters are complex and fascinating.

She is a truly original voice that delivers a captivating and thought-provoking experience. WITH EVERY READ!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Open Road Entertainment for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This isn’t my usual type of book as I generally go for thrillers or horror but I do enjoy anything that is a gothic setting, so decided to give it a go. It was an ‘easy read’ and came to a satisfying conclusion, I enjoyed the setting but it wasn’t really for me to be honest.

I feel like you’re swinging a big stick when you compare this book to one of the best classic books of all time. It definitely is reminiscent of Jane Eyre but not in a way that makes it feel like anything other than a copycat. The cover and title are fantastic but I’m not sure the title quite matches the story.

Thank you Open Road, Anna Newallo and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 Stars. this is an openly admiytted reteling of Jane Eyre. And while I nejoyed all the little nods to the original and other greats, this was not for me. I hept comparing it to Jane Eyre and that was it's downfall for that is one of my top 10 all time fav books. Please do check out the trigger warnings and I know this is going to find it's audience.

I wish that the publisher or editor had not likened story to Jane Eyre. That is a terrible yardstick to expect any author to be measured against. I understand the reasoning, a young woman is taken with her older, mysterious employer, and there are certainly Gothic elements at play. This is a good story, but the characters could have used a little more fleshing out, and I really think the Brontë reference should be removed.

This was a nice fun laid back type of read it was set in a time way back when I enjoyed this page turner it was definitely different from my regular thriller reads but a good one

this was a Gothic style romance for me or dark style. i wasnt sure how i was going to come to this book but have really liked other re-telling. it was a different premise and i was intrigued enough to want to keep reading and learning more. i wouldn't say i was hooked. and maybe it ok to just love the genres you love and stick to them. like DNA we are all different and its ok to be so. including the books that fit us.
but it did make me keep reading and i did get really interested in the story as it was playing out. just no my favourite. perhaps i need to keep reading the type to get into the style of them.
the snag i think for me is that it swerve to a supernatural esq vibe and that is deff not for me.

definitely less of a horror than I was hoping, and not even really a horrormance so much as a dark romance. still, the ending is satisfying, the plotting is interesting, and the characters are logical if a bit boring. 3.25 stars. tysm for the arc.

I really wanted to enjoy this reimagining of Jane Eyre, but I just couldn’t get into it. The premise had promise Jane escaping a cruel institution to take a job at a mysterious Louisiana mansion, where her enigmatic employer hides a dark, otherworldly secret. But despite the gothic atmosphere and supernatural twist, the story never quite pulled me in.

The characters felt distant, and the pacing dragged in places where it should have built suspense. While the book tries to breathe new life into the classic with a paranormal edge, I found it hard to connect with the plot or care about Jane’s relationship with Mr. Rochester. His secret, once revealed, was more bizarre than compelling, and the emotional stakes didn’t hit as hard as they should have.

In the end, this one just wasn’t for me.

The beginning of this book was hard to get into, but about 15% in I started to get invested in the story- as it went on, I found the plot and idea interesting, but the story itself just didn’t resonate with me. It reminded me of a gothic retelling of Twilight, with a red-headed female villain, and many of the tropes you see laced throughout those types of stories. I was quite satisfied with the ending and that Jane made the decision she did. I think it just wasn’t my type of book- and I went in thinking it would be horror only to find it to be a dark romance book instead.

Thank you NetGalley and Open Road publishing for allowing me the privilege to reading this book for an honest review