I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. I guess I don't super love modern day vampires? The second part didn't really resonate with me as much but overall this is an enjoyable gothic novel.

A perfect setting for a wonderful story. Thirst from the beginning makes you realize how one craves the reality of time, yet can set aside time to survive. Magical feelings of living. Thank you for advanced reading copy #netgalley #Thirst

I loved the first half of this book, I was less engaged with the second half set in modern times, I didn't feel that the two storylines connected in a satisfying way.

I loved so much about this, but I hesitate to say it would be for most readers. Extremely slow moving, which I think works for a vampire story, but you truly have to be willing to just lose yourself in the writing for this to work. It was a great one for me!

Marina Yuszczuk’s “Thirst” is a decadent novel that I will be thinking about for days to come. Strong character development throughout adds new layers to the two FMCs consistently until they feel like fully fleshed out people (monsters?) by the end.

That being said, this book will not be for everyone. Check for content warnings ahead of time if that applies to you. But if you’re looking for an atmospheric, gothic, sapphic, vampiric horror (love?) story that spans centuries and with unapologetic female leads that also takes place in South America, this could be the book for you.

hank you NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Although the story's beginning felt a little slow, I enjoyed the atmospheric and gothic setting. The vibes were enough for me to see the book through.

I thoroughly enjoyed part one. I loved the historical setting and the seductive and selfish main character.

The novel lost me briefly when it shifted gears in part two, and the story began to follow the second main character in modern-day Buenos Aires. The change-up felt abrupt, and I had a difficult time understanding the author's choice to drop off from the plot of part one.

As I got deeper into part two, the main character grew on me, and I felt more emotionally invested in her story. The handling of grief in this section of the story was probably my favorite part. Yuszczuk's prose captures the complexities of losing a loved one in an accurate and relatable way.
By the end of the story, I understood the value of separating the novel into two parts and really enjoyed its conclusion.

The writing quality was very high, and it seems like the translator, Heather Cleary, did an excellent job maintaining the poetic nature of this novel. Every sentence flowed like poetry, and in general, the novel was an enjoyable read.

I rated this book 4 out of 5. My only complaint was the detachment between parts one and two. That being said, I did find some resolution to this complaint at the end of the novel when the two stories came together.

The novel had poetic prose, and the atmosphere was exactly what I look for in a gothic novel. The story was exciting and, at times, heartbreaking. I'd definitely recommend this piece.

https://hotgirlscribe.com/review-of-thirst-by-marina-yuszczuk/

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the advance copy of this book in exchanged for an honest review.

Quote: “Only the flesh knows horror; bones, once clean might as well be fossils, pieces of wood, curiosities. It’s the flesh that has been keeping me up at night”

In the past a vampire arrives from Europe to Buenos Aires. There she watches the city transform and we spend time with her in the mist of yellow fever that swept throughout the city. In the present we follow another woman as she deals with her own personal losses and struggles. Eventually these two will cross paths

Thirst is a gothic vampire story that also seemed to be a love letter to the cemeteries of Buenos Aires. I loved Yuszczuk’s take on the vampire and enjoyed reading the viewpoint of the vampire and how they see the world. I also like the exploration of grief and loss and how we are seeing it through the present day as well as reading the differences and similarities of these two women. While the writing is beautiful there were unfortunately parts I struggled to push through. It took me a while to get into the story but once I did I was transfixed.

If you are a fan of Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson, especially the writing then I would definitely recommend this book for you

This was a highly enjoyable and fun read for me. The story is told in two parts and follows two characters. The first part follows a female vampire from her childhood when she was turned, over centuries and through her various misadventures as she travelled from place to place avoiding persecution and draining hundreds of people of their blood, until she lands and settles in Buenos Aires. The second part follows a modern-day Argentinian woman in modern-day Buenos Aires as she struggles with her mother’s declining health and unknowingly comes into contact with the vampire. I wasn’t expecting the ending and I was very pleasantly surprised. I do wish it was a little longer, because I think some of the heavier themes could have been fleshed out more and could have added more depth to the story. But overall, I would recommend it. Probably my new favorite vampire book after Dracula.

Some interesting ideas here.
In Buenos Aires, two alienated women from different time periods both yearn for more. In the first half of the book we meet a vampire in a historical fiction setting, heavy on beautiful prose (props to the translator), violence, eroticism, and full of impulseive needs.

Part one is pretty thrilling, while part two is more moving, with a modern woman caring for her dying mother, who leaves her a key to a mysterious crypt.

The two women meet late in the story, and the ending feels a little abrupt. I would have liked to have seen some of the scenes extended, or even a part three to let things breathe.

This is a sapphic story that's more about grief and isolation than bloodsucking vampires. I didn't quite connect, but I found the book enjoyable with some heavy themes. I think readers will tend to prefer one half to the other.

If you enjoyed Monstrilio or Carmilla, this might be a good choice for you.

Thank you to @duttonbooks and @netgalley for the advance copy.

With eloquent prose that enthralls the reader, Thirst is a horror novel that focuses upon the lives of two women in different time periods and the ways in which lonliness, yearning and death impact their lives.

In the nineteenth century, an unnamed vampire travels to Buenos Aires and contends with her immortality in the face of widespread death within the city due to yellow fever. In contemporary Buenos Aires, a single mother named Alma grapples with the deteriorating medical condition of her mother and its inevitable conclusion.

A key long-hidden by Alma’s mother eventually brings both women together when Alma enters the vampire’s resting place and her life is invariably changed.

Thirst is a beautifully written and incredibly captivating story. The translation was excellent at conveying not only the almost-incapaciting feelings of helplessness of Alma as her mother is claimed by her illness, but also the vampire’s utter despair at the loss of her sisters and her rage when a lover destroys the small existence she has created in an effort to save his own life.

The isolation and the yearning for a connection that both women seek is painfully portrayed. The vampire’s efforts at connecting often lead her to further pain, while Alma has her friend, ex-husband and child and yet can’t seem to help pushing them away.

Aspects pertaining to the nature of being women and being mothers are also explored: even after becoming a vampire, her life is controlled by her male Maker until his demise and is later threatened by male servants of the same Church that had concealed his crimes and sought children from poor families to feed him.

Alma’s mother emotionally separates herself from her daughter-wounding her with her refusal to fully involve her in the steady decline of her life. Alma also views her relationship with her son as one where she worries for his safety while he pulls away from her, something that contributes to her decisions at the novel’s conclusion.

Thirst is not a typical vampire novel and its gothic atmosphere and somber examinations of illness and death left me feeling more than slightly contemplative.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton and Marina Yuszczuk for providing access to this ebook. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Thirst has a great concept, and I love that it comes from the perspective of an author from Argentina, as I don’t intentionally seek out much translated fiction. The first part of the book was interesting, if disorienting, and really drew me in. But I was less interested in the second half, written in diaristic style. The book tries to combine two vaguely connected concepts, but it results in a much more compelling start, and the story overall doesn’t stick the landing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I have always been a big fan of vampire stories - there's just something so intriguing about monsters walking around in plain sight. I also love sapphic romances, so a book featuring both of those elements sounded right up my alley. Thirst did not disappoint! The story has two parts. The first half follows an unnamed vampire in the nineteenth century who leaves Europe to hide in Buenos Aires. The vampire has watched all of her sisters (who were turned into vampires by the same master) be killed and is grappling with loss, loneliness, and the fear of discovery. We follow her as she deals with her constant thirst and animalistic desires, while the yellow fever wreaks havoc amongst the village population. The second half of the novel follows a human woman (also unnamed for most of the story) in modern day Buenos Aires who is trying to raise a child while slowly losing her mother to a degenerative illness. One day, her mother gives her a key to a family tomb that has been passed down through generations. Everything changes the moment she goes to open the tomb.

I really enjoyed this, but I think it's important to be upfront about the subject matter of this novel. While the story does focus a lot on the vampire main character, it is less a story about vampires and more a story about grief, fear, and isolation featuring a vampire and a sapphic romance. So, if you're looking for a love story or a fast-paced vampire thriller, you may be disappointed. The story is haunting, gorgeous, and macabre. However, it's not quite the typical vampire book you might be expecting. Nonetheless, I was so drawn into this novel.

The biggest standout of this book for me is the writing. The prose is stunning. This is a translation, so I commend the translator for doing a fantastic job capturing the beauty of the original version. There were only a couple of moments where I was confused by a sentence or thought that there was something lost in translation. Most of the time, I couldn't even tell that the novel wasn't originally written in English. Yuszczuk describes Buenos Aires and the cemetery in such an atmospheric, poignant way. I also thought she portrayed both main characters' emotions so unflinchingly. Everything was written extraordinarily well.

The characters are also interesting. The novel is only focused on the two women. There are other characters that come and go, but the story is mostly just an exploration of the two main characters' thoughts and actions as they move through difficult situations. They were both developed well. The vampire is wild and comes off almost feral, but she's also deeply afraid. It's fascinating to be in her mind and see how she interprets everything around her. The human main character is more likable. Her struggles with her mother's illness are authentic and sometimes tough to read. I was rooting for her, even if I didn't always like her choices.

I have a couple of minor issues with the story, though. Had the writing not been so gorgeous, these issues may have bothered me more. As it stands, this book was just so captivating to me that the issues weren't that big of a deal. I still want to point them out, though, because they may deter some readers.

First, part one of the book is probably going to appeal to most readers significantly more than part two. The vampire's chapters are gritty and thrilling. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would unfold next. The chapters in part two that follow the human are moving, but they're not as exciting as part one. Part one is written in a more typical first person perspective, but part two is written in first person through journal entries. I almost felt like the journal entries gave too much detail about the human character's daily life at points (there's a whole chapter, for example, about taking her kid to the dentist that didn't seem to matter to the overall plot). After reading such a compelling first half, the second half was not as engrossing. However, I assume that this is how the author intentionally chose to tell her story - it seems clear that she wanted to explore grief and loss through these two contrasting perspectives. This format does work and I think properly conveys the themes she was going for, but it might not satisfy everyone.

Additionally, the ending is very abrupt. The two main characters do not even start conversing with one another until late into the plot. From there, everything wraps up quickly, so it's not as rewarding as it could have been had their relationship been expanded more. It may have been more effective to have part one be the modern day story up until the human opens the tomb, then make the vampire story part 2, and finally to expand the ending and have everything that follows the tomb opening be a third part. I wouldn't say I was let down by the ending, but there was a missed opportunity to develop it more.

I still really enjoyed this story. Even though novels featuring vampires are extremely common, Thirst felt like a breath of fresh air because it was written in such a visceral way. The feminine and queer themes were cherries on top. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes dark, unsettling stories about death and loss. I would say that Thirst is more of a gothic literary fiction book with horror and historical fiction elements thrown in. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, then I highly suggest you pick it up! It is an intense read, though, so I wouldn't go into it lightly expecting a fun vampire tale.

4 out of 5 stars. I'm heartbroken to discover that Marina Yuszczuk has written other novels that aren't yet translated into English. I would happily read anything that she publishes, because her writing is simply that good.

2.75 / 5 stars

I read this book as two separate stories and I think it should have stayed as two separate stories. The first part was…..interesting. I thought the vampire’s background was written SO well, and then we started to get further into her story it moved at a weird pace and the actions started to feel uncomfortable because I didn’t know WHY she was doing certain things. The second part was much better until the vampire showed up. When she popped up again I was completely lost. Pacing was nonexistent which contributed to me being confused on what ANYONE WAS DOING. WHY WHY WHY?!?

I will say the best part of this book was the daughter and mother relationship. This absolutely nailed what it’s like to see your loved one wither away. The ending she gave the mother was actually nice (did not need the vampire again why the vampire) and I appreciated it.

Thirst is an incredibly lush and atmospheric sapphic vampire novel. It explores themes like grief and desire and what drives a person to become the way they are. Highly recommend.

Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk (translation by Heather Cleary) 5/5✨out in the US on March 5, 2024. Sorry UK pals, this doesn’t release until October!

Thirst is by far my favorite book of 2024 and I will be thinking about it for a while. This book was described to me as a sapphic vampire novel, and while it was that, I feel that that description doesn’t give it the justice it deserves and who knows if I will be able to do that either!

The writing was gorgeous, the imagery was haunting, and agency of the characters were a key focus for Thirst. Some of my favorite components were how well Yuszczuk navigated the complicated feelings of desire, death (in multiple ways), and grief. I think I’ve realized feminist gothic fiction might be my favorite genre?!

This is the first novel by Yuszczuk to be translated into English, and I sincerely hope more follow. I will be buying a physical copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House, for providing an ARC in exchange for a review.

Absolutely fascinating - from the book’s layout, the accurate historical elements, and the constant creep of terror(!), I greatly enjoyed my time with this book. Getting to know each character separately made them coming together all the more satisfying.

The language was beautiful, lovely translation.

when we first were given access to this ARC I thought, “Oh yeah, vampire novel” but then I read it and now I’m like, “Oh yeah! Vampire novel!” the writing was LUSH and beautiful and gritty at the same time.

thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

I love reading translated fiction whenever I can, and queer vampire horror seemed like a really fun place to start this year. I really, really liked the first 50% of this book. I found the atmosphere and characters to be compelling, and I wanted to know more about our protagonist. It felt like a vampire placed into a historical fiction novel. I enjoyed the setting in Buenos Aires as a place I hadn't read a lot of in fiction and I was ready to give this book four or so stars.

And then we get to halfway-ish through the novella, where the time and point of view change drastically and the book becomes much more of a literary drama. Unfortunately, I couldn't really bring myself to care about a new set of characters and their problems when I had been so interested in the other ones. I understand how everything ties together, but it just wasn't my favorite.

Thirst is a lovely vampire (though the term is never used) origin story, following one woman from old Europe (the text is open to interpretation, but the timing and the general narration suggests vampires originated from Vlad Dracul) to the newly opened port at Buenos Aires in the late 18th century where she spends near a century contemplating her never-ending thirst, the pain but necessity of loneliness, her monstrous existence, and the heavy knowledge of her immortality as she chooses to live eternally, locked inside of a lovely mausoleum inside of the labyrinthine La Recoleta Cemetery.

The first 50% of the book is this lovely, sweeping historical fiction that I just described to you. The prose is heavy, gothic, violent, and full of anger aimed both internally and externally.

Then the book switches gears and protagonists for the second half and the story is being told by a human woman with a five year-old child, a mother dying from a disease that is briskly paralyzing every part of her body, and living with the knowledge that disease will come for her someday too. Everyday is another crisis and it’s all blending together until her mother gives her an envelope with the ownership papers and keys to a crypt in the La Recoleta Cemetery. Her mother can’t talk anymore or write more than short words, but there’s something about this crypt that just speaks to her.

Both of these women were just trapped: One by thirst and loneliness, one by family obligation and fear of her own impending demise. This book turns the historical (and still relevant) lack of female agency and the fragility of human life into a sapphic romance about escaping the trappings of men and embracing the arms of monsters.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: LGBTQ Fiction/Literary Fiction/Sapphic Romance/Vampire Fiction

Quite a sexy vampire story that was just a bit too much for me. It had quite a bit of steam but lacked the substance, definitely one I won’t forget anytime soon