i saw the words "lesbian" and "vampire" describing this book and I wanted so badly to enjoy reading it but i just don't think it's for me... it took me at least two weeks just to read 25% and i find myself not wanting to pick this back up so i'm going to leave it at DNF :(

rating 2 stars because it isn't bad but i could never fully get into it

This is a translated sapphic literary vampire novel split in two parts. In the first half we follow a vampire, whose humble beginnings start in Europe, but escaped to Buenos Aires in the 1800s. Yellow fever has broken out and she has to figure out how to live in the city undetected.
The second half is set in modern day and follows a woman whose dying mother has passed on a key to an old crypt that she never knew existed. Creepy and atmospheric.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for this e-arc.*

Thirst tells the story of two women women living in Buenos Aires during two drastically different times. The first woman starts life as a young child sold by her mother to an eccentric nobleman who just happens to be a vampire. Held in captivity for years, she is eventually turned into a vampire and as the years go on she and her vampiric sisters escape and begin again in the wilds of Europe. The implication that she and the sisters are the brides of Dracula is fairly heavy. After the death of her sisters our main character flees Europe to Buenos Aires and spends decades wandering and feeding while merely existing in loneliness.
The second main character is a young woman living in modern day Buenos Aires, she is a single mother struggling with mortality on her own level as her mother is wasting away from an unsaid illness.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/Dutton for the opportunity to read and review this book. I am giving this book 3.5 stars.
While I thought this book was well written and a fast read, it was also very sad and haunting. I do feel that subverts the typical vampire stereotype by having a main character vampire who is almost essentially afraid of her own shadow. Not many other vampire books I have read would have the main character sideline herself in such a way out of fear like this one did. The struggles that the modern day character faces while dealing with her dying mother are particularly emotional when a reader asks what would I do in this situation, what would I do for my own mother,
In the end the two characters come together and make two decisions - one was not unexpected and was a welcome relief for even the reader when the time came. The second decision made by our modern day character and single mother was heartbreaking and not one I had imagined coming by the end of this book.
I will make sure to post a review of this book on my social media (TikTok and Youtube) closer to its release date in the beginning of March.
Video review link added 3/2/24

Thirst is a split narrative novel that follows a vampire in the first part and a modern woman who's just trying to keep it together in the second. While neither of our narrators are particularly likable, I felt that the author and translator were able to make the reader feel like they could understand their motivations, even if not condoning them. While I did like this book, I often felt disconnected from the story. Just when I would be getting into a scene it moved on to the next one. This helped the story move forward, but didn't allow me to sink my teeth in, if you'll excuse the pun. The ending felt a bit forced and it didn't feel like a choice either of our main characters would have made.

An interesting premise. I would have almost preferred to experience the vampire's POV throughout the whole book instead of dual POV. Once it got back to the other POV, I didn't care as much about her because it had been so long since her last chapter.

Incredible ambiance, immaculate vibes, endearing characters and a gothic story for the ages.

So glad I had the opportunity to read this translated tale. I will happily read more by this author. Thank you so much for the ARC!

I think I understand the average 4-star rating for Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk. It gets you to where the blurb promises, and it's definitely good enough, but somehow it leaves me hanging just short of what could make it a great read (your mileage may vary, of course). The vampire's chapters feel like case studies of how men and women differ. Unlike Lestat, Yuszczuk's vampire has a better grasp of being discreet. The chapters with the present-day woman are dark in a completely different way as she lives with chronic pain and the impending death of her mother. It's not exactly my idea of a book I want to reach for during the depths of winter, but perhaps this will be much more enjoyable if I read it during the summer.

I cannot express my love for this book enough. This is the first book by this author to be translated into English even though she has quite a backlist and I am *praying* that this does well enough to get more of her books translated because I would read every single one. On its face value, this is a vampire horror-adjacent, historical fiction adjacent novel, but it manages to cram so much more than that into its less than 200 pages.

Thirst is divided into two parts, both taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first half is told by the unnamed female vampire. It tells of her origins and her escape from Europe to Buenos Aires, where she sees it develop from its infancy through the late 1800s. She is lonely and seems to want companionship, but her overwhelming thirst is her only constant companion. The other half is set in the modern day and narrated by a woman named Alma. Her mother is slowly dying of a horrible and degenerative disease and her grief is overwhelming. Eventually their paths cross.

This novel, while ostensibly about a vampire, is really about the isolation of grief, especially when coupled with womanhood. There is also an lgbt bent with both the vampire and Alma, which is even more isolating. Even though it’s barely more than 150 pages, it packs such a punch. It’s deep and moving, the language and descriptions are stunning, and its exploration of grief is so amazing. I loved it so much I plan on getting myself a physical copy when it comes out in just a few days (3/4). If you’re a Carmilla girlie or vampire lover I would absolutely recommend this. I recommend it even if you aren’t those things.

Recommended if you enjoyed Monstrilio, Our Wives Under the Sea, or Woman, Eating. Thirst is a beautifully written work of translated literary fiction examining death, grief, desire, and female agency through the lens of the vampire story. The novel is written in two halves following two protagonists: the first half is the tale of our vampiric main character's origins, her journey to Buenos Aires, and her eventual entombment. The second half, set in contemporary Buenos Aires, follows a woman caring for her ailing mother through the end of a terrible terminal illness. In this contemporary story, the standard procedures of care and grief are disrupted by a supernatural encounter when the protagonist's mother, near death, entrusts her with the key to a mysterious and long-abandoned mausoleum.

The story hits its strongest moments through moments of beautiful prose and contemplation, but it's written with a certain distance that made it difficult for me to get through it in spite of the short length. Both protagonists' feelings are largely a mystery, and they behave irrationally, which is of course an intentional parallel as they are similarly numb to the world due to different circumstances; while I can appreciate that from a technical standpoint, I did end up feeling largely apathetic about what they were doing as a result. This novel also contains very little dialogue, and has a tendency to skim over all the details of any scenes where characters actually interact and simply offer a brief summary of what they did or discussed. Once again, I understand that this was a decision made for craft reasons, but I wanted more from many scenes.

What a wonderfully strange book. I have to sit with it more but my first impression is just awe. The vampirism is so well written, the concept of dealing with death and the grief that comes with it is impactful and the queerness was perfect and fits in so well with vampirism. It has been a while since I have read a Gothic book and this just reminded me how much I enjoy it. A really well done story.

The writing in this is really atmospheric and beautiful. The story is told in two parts, first through that of a vampire who journeys to Buenos Aires to escape those pursuing her and must learn to survive in a new land as it undergoes change and upheaval. I especially enjoyed the first half as “Maria” is a really intriguing character and the background of the changes happening around her and the atmosphere of an illness consuming the city is dark and moody.

In the present day we meet Alma who is helpless to watch as her mother is consumed by illness and at the same time dealing with divorce and motherhood. As she comes into the possession of a mysterious key to a crypt two worlds of these women come together. Themes of grief, death, fear, the power of our choices, and what it means to be human are explored through their experiences.

This is a story for those who looking for the feeling of exploring a cemetery on an overcast day and who are looking for a haunting and poignant vampire read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

“Every horror has a moment when it glistens; after that, it's just sad.”

*Thirst* is structured in two parts, the first a chaptered account of a girl turned vampire against her will, her persecution starting in Europe, and her flight to Buenos Aires. These chapters are compelling, gory, and full of lust, as she tries to balance her overwhelming desire with survival.

The second part of the story is formatted as diary entries from a woman, Alma, in the process of accepting her mother’s illness and explaining it to her young son. Surprisingly, I felt more drawn into this part of the book. Yuszczuk’s descriptions of grief were poignant and heartbreaking. I felt so connected to this heroine and her struggles with loneliness and fear.

The two women’s paths converge in present-day Buenos Aires, seemingly very late in the book, and they find themselves drawn to one another. This is where I feel I disconnected with the story. The tone felt more melancholy than tense or thrilling, and rather than getting a ‘Killing Eve’ vibe between these women, I felt more mournful for Alma’s story.

All said, this book is beautifully written and has interesting reflections on mortality, motherhood, and desire. If the premise interests you, I recommend checking it out.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc!

Ultimately, this one wasn't for me. It was beautifully written, and I know I can recommend it to patrons who love paranormal books as well as fans of historical fiction. The translation was gorgeous.

Divided into two segments, Thirst is a book that explores the many facets of womanhood. In the first part, we follow a vampire as she struggles with her immortality. In the second, we watch as a human woman grapples with issues of mortality. I thought both were interesting, and with the second in particular, there were profound moments. And, though it's nearly 300 pages, I breezed through it.
But in both parts, at times, I felt a little detached. I think this can happen with translated pieces! The very first intention is read within the original language, and everything else is an interpretation. I can tell that the translation received a lot of love and care (presumably because they themselves really connected to the story).
All of this is to say that I found the book beautiful, in the way of visiting a museum. It was art! But occasionally I skimmed through some bits.

A stunning and gripping new take on the gothic novel. What’s not love about a sapphic vampire thriller told through two separate timelines steeped in the rich history of Buenos Aires.

Thirst follows two women in two separate times as they cross paths.
I will say I GREATLY enjoyed the first part, part 2 lost me a bit as it was more journal entry style and it slowed quite a bit but overall gorgeous writing and yes, sapphic. if you read An Education in Malice and we’re disappointed I think you’d like this a bit better.

thank you to netgalley and penguin for the ARC for my honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy. I found this quite captivating. The writing was beautiful and I enjoyed the split between time periods. There were a few moments that seemed really out of place, but overall thought this was a great read.

3.5-4 stars!! This was engaging to read and super fun. Always down for sapphic vampires. This was written beautifully and translated beautifully, I really have nothing bad to say other than I think the ending was a bit rushed.
I thought it explored relationships and motherhood (and daughterhood) really well and overall I really enjoyed this and would probably recommend it to people on TikTok!

I've never been to Buenos Aires, but I feel like I went through a journey in space, time and sexuality. I had no idea what to expect from this quick read about a vampire who somehow ended up in Argentina in the 19th century, but it's about something we can all relate to -- dealing with loneliness, survival and grief. There are a few steamy scenes. How could there not be given the title? The scenes set in the current day in the cemetery feel like a bit of a throwback when people had picnics in cemeteries, a place to visit to contemplate. Overall, I would recommend it and would be open to reading it in Spanish too.

Full disclosure: I read an advance copy of this book through #NetGalley

I had high hopes for this but sadly, it was a miss for me. Let's face it- the prospect of a queer vampire moving through time and a woman who meets her in a graveyard in modern Buenos Aires sounds really great. The two unnamed women are intriguing but their characters didn't gel for me. There are some wonderful phrases but on balance, it was less than it could have been. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.