Enjoyed the dual pov and scholarly journal entries to give me more information about the world in between the story taking shape. Lalo is sweet and Carolina’s ambition is heartwarming. Halfway through I was rooting for them to succeed, not necessarily fall for each other. I wasn’t really feeling any chemistry between them beyond friendship. It was a fun read. Love reading about vampires and learning what the rules of the world are within a new book.

A beautiful cover adorns this young adult novel that has a unique vampire folklore. Carolina is an aspiring vampire huntress from a family that defends their home regularly from sendiento (vampire) attacks. Lalo is reeling after witnessing the murder of his parents by a vampire and the result of his action afterwards.

The story is quick paced, especially so at the end. This novel definitely felt young adult in the relationship between Lina and Lalo - the immediacy of the depth of their feelings was a bit much and their conflict was immature. I liked the way Spanish terms were included and made understandable by context alone. Overall it is a solid story and I look forward to other books from this author.

Thank you Random House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

📖: A Cruel Thirst-a standalone

✍️ By: Angela Montoya-new to me author

📃 Page Count: 401 eBook

🗓️ Publication Date: 12-17-24 | Read 12-7-24

🌎Setting: Los Campos to Del Oro, CA

Genre: YA, Historical, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Tropes: vampires, Mexican lore, forbidden romance, enemies to lovers, fake relationship, LGBTQIA+rep

☝🏾POV: 3rd person, single

⚠️TW: death of parents, murder, a duel, virgin H/h

💭Summary: Lalo is looking for salvation from his vampiric life. He researched them to avenge his parents' death but was turned trying to kill one. Carolina' wants to hunt vampires with her family but her father doesn't want her near danger. He wants her married and moved away from all this, so she goes prowling alone. She meets Lalo and tries to kill him but sees he still has some humanity left. Together they fight the same enemy in hopes of finding a cure from this deadly curse.


🚺Heroine: Carolina "Lina" Fuentes - 18, from a sediento hunting family/ raising cattle, 7 brothers.

🚺Hero: Eduardo "Lalo" Villalobos/ Montez-19, turned vampire who refuses to feed on humans and get their memories. He feeds on animals but goes into bloodlust and attacks humans and other vampires.

🎭Side cast:

• Fernanda-17, Lalo's sister

• Maricela-vampire who turned Lalo

• Tecuani-god to the land of the dead

• Rafael-Carolina's intended per her father

• Nena-Carolina's cousin

•Abuelo/Don Jose Miguel-Carolina's grandfather, the only one who believed in her as a huntress

• Papa/Don Luis Fuentes-Carolina's father, the town mayor

• Alma Rosario Fuentes and her husband Vidal-1st vampires.

🤔My Thoughts: This followed vampiric and Mexican lore that made Carolina and Lalo interesting together as huntress and vampire. I liked the secondary love story and Lalo's sister Fernanda was hilarious bossing around Lalo along with Carolina. It was a bittersweet enemies- to- lovers story.


Range of emotions: 😬🤔🙄
🌶️: Spice 2/5 off page
😭: Emotion 4/5
❤️: Couple 5/5
⭐️: Rating 4.5/5

Carolina Fuentes would rather be a vampire hunter than married off and safely away from her village. Lalo Villalobos had been an ordinary man before a vampire turned him. When he travels to Del Oro to find a way to the curse, he bumps into a woman who wants to drive a dagger through his heart. They have a common enemy, however, and decide that working together to end the scourge would be better. And maybe they can even find love.

Vampires in this world were created when a human bargained with Tecuani, a guardian of the land of the dead. As a result, they get his strengths as well as weaknesses, such as the inability to withstand sunlight. Lalo was turned against his will by the very vampire who killed his parents and escaped. He and his sister travel to Del Oro, where Carolina lives with her family. She is determined to prove she's a worthy hunter, even though only her grandfather has been willing to train her. Of course the two challenge each other: Carolina is brash and Fierce, ready to kill him, and Lalo isn't a mindless creature. He listens to her and believes she can fight. He also has ideas to end the scourge of vampires once and for all.

I love the mix of romance tropes we have along with the very real love for family and the lengths characters go for the ones they love. Of course, the two have their "oh no, s/he's hot" moments, adding to the enemies-to-lovers trope, but they truly do understand each other and what matters most. Rafael is stereotyped as an unwanted suitor who has zero interest in Carolina as a person, and we're meant to dislike him. Carolina and Lalo dance around each other at first, then admit their feelings as they take the fight to the source of the vampire infestation and seek to eradicate it. They truly do complement each other, and earn their happiness together.

Look we all reading the favorite trope of vampire/vampire hunter following In love.
Our FMC is a vampire hunter and comes from a whole line of hunters.
Our MMC is the most non stereotypical vampire ; it’s slightly comical.
I enjoyed the banter and honestly loved that we received a completed plot in just one book.

It was a cute YA vampire novel.

Thanks Net gallery for the eARC.

*Actual rating is 4.75 stars*

A Cruel Thirst is a YA historical fantasy set in a fictional 1800’s Mexican town. It centers around the vampire hunter Carolina and the recently turned vampire Lalo. I had no idea what to expect from this book, but it turned out to be one of the most fun and engaging vampire books I have ever read. It was like a romcom with fantasy elements.

I seriously adore the two main characters, both individually and as a couple. They just complement so brilliantly. There’s the stubborn and fierce Carolina determined to prove her worth as a hunter, and the nerdy, clumsy, cinnamon roll Lalo. Their banter is really fun, and their journey from enemies to reluctant partners to something more as they work for a common goal was done so well. Everything just made sense with the characters, and they were able to have character growth without losing what makes them themselves.

This is my first Angela Montoya book, and now I want to read more of her books since I ended A Cruel Thirst with a smile on my face.

This YA fantasy is a perfect medley of historical romance, romcom, and vampire fantasy.

Right from the get-go, I loved Lalo and his good intentions/terrible plan. He is a quintessential scholarly introvert who is ill equipped to vampirism, and his struggles are as commendable as they are relatable. He and stubborn Carolina constantly butt heads, but their aligned goals help them see the heart of each other. Their relationship growth felt natural and sincere.

My favorite part of vampire books is the lore. A Cruel Thirst's lore is clear and makes perfect sense; every quirk of vampirism has a reason, all the way down to the plot resolution.

{𝔸 ℂ𝕣𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥}
by Angela Montoya
|| BOOK TOUR ||
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Length: 432p
Source: ARC - TBR & Beyond, NetGalley, RHC, Joy Revolution
Release Date: December 17, 2024
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I am in LOVE with this book.
The lore.
The history.
The vibrant use of language.
The heavy reliance on family.
A fledgling vampire and a stubborn vampire huntress makes for a fantastic plot.

From start to finish I was immersed in the deeply colorful world of Latin culture. A unique experience in sedientos, or vampires for most of the world. A tale of Gods and love and betrayal and family secrets.

The relationship development between Lalo and Carolina was superb. Lalo is seeking a cure for the death curse to protect his sister and Carolina is seeking the truth of her family’s past. These two butt heads and fall in love over the course of the story and it was so much fun to tag along.

The twists and turns were a bit obvious but exciting nonetheless. I giggled at many parts and swooned at others. The love story is *chefs kiss.*

And that ending was AMAZING. I loved how the story wrapped up and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

{I received a complimentary copy of this book. All reviews are my own.}
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This was truly an incredible and emotional book! From start to finish I was lost in the pages and fell in love with this cast of characters from their very first words. This is a very unique (to me, at least) take on vampires and I really enjoyed this experience! I was almost sad to finish it, but this emotional rollercoaster deserves all the hype! Such an amazing second novel from this author and I now plan to go back and read their first work!

A cruel thirst is a perfect YA fantasy, paranormal read, if your looking for humor, vampires, and mind blowing romance. Angela Montoya can truly write anything and I would eat it like it’s my last meal.

When I say this book is amazing I mean we literally have a vampire and a vampire hunter and that should really be enough to convince you to be completely honest. That being said our fmc (Carolina) and mmc (lalo), have to work together despite their differences to rid of the true monsters lurking in their world.

I was giggling and kicking my feet the entire time I was reading. An absolutely hilarious and beautiful story filled with a badass fmc, Mexican folklore, and swoon worthy romance. DEFINITELY recommending to everyone.

I was in the middle of reading this book when it expired in my Netgalley app. What I read was great and I was enjoying the book.

Vampires mixed with Mexican lore?!? Yes, please! This was so GOOD! The MC's were fantasic and had amazing chemistry. I couldn't put it down! If you want a standalone fantasy, pick this up immediately!

-Vampire x Vampire Huntress
-Buffy meets Pride & Prejudice
-Enemies to lovers
-Fake engagement
-Curse

Thank you Angela for this delightful book!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed Angela Montoya’s debut last year, so I was excited for what she would write next. And when I heard about A Cruel Thirst, I was especially excited about the concept and how it subverted the vampire archetype, along with a fantastical reimagining of Mexico in the 1800s.
One of my favorite parts of the book were the little interstitial bits, from quotations to articles, which help to flesh out the world and its lore beyond what is conveyed in the text. From the setting of Del Oro to the lore with the Fuentes family and the vampiros, it helps to flesh out the narrative in a beautiful way.
Lalo and Carolina are both intriguing characters. Lalo is a newly created vampire, and he’s dealing with his teen anxieties and awkwardness along with the dread about his new state of existence. Carolina, meanwhile, is from a vampire-hunter family, and is determined to avenge the family members she lost at the hands of vampires, and prove herself worthy of her family’s legacy, as well as dodge her father’s machinations to marry her off.
The romance was super-sweet, full of witty banter and a connection that developed over their shared care for those they love, not to mention a greater mutual enemy.
I enjoyed this book overall, and would recommend it to readers looking for a culturally rich romantic fantasy with vampires.

Loved this hillarious vampire story! It's a little less bloodthirsty than I'm used to with vampires but I think it builds on a well established YA vampire Canon and will bring in new readers.

ARC Review!!!!
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!!!

This was such a fun read, got hooked on right from the beginning. I love the concept of Vampire Hunter x Vampire!!! UGHHH give me more!!! Lalo and Carolina are everything, they were literally made for each other. The banter from the beginning and throughout the whole story is everything! I love how they realized they were liking each other but didn't want to do anything due to them being who they were. Very literal enemies x lovers. The whole book flowed nicely and it was such a quick read.

4 Stars!!!!

This was such an enjoyable read! I had a smile on my face multiple times from all of the cute banter between the two main characters. What is better than a vampire hunter & vampire romance?

I went into this pretty blind because the cover drew me in. We follow Carolina, whose family hunts vampires, and Lalo, who is desperately searching for a way to cure himself after being turned into one. Carolina is tough and independent, trying to prove to her father that she is strong enough to join the guard. Lalo is not your typical vampire. He's obsessed with books, clumsy, and somewhat awkward, which made me love him right away.

The writing was fun and witty. I thought the pacing was great. The plot was pretty predictable, but I read a lot of fantasy, and I still had a great time! This was a well done YA romantasy!

Thank you NetGalley and Joy Revolution for an early copy in exchange for this honest review.

A Cruel Thirst is a delightful take on vampires inspired by Mexican mythology. The quiet, bookish, newly turned man is on a mission to find a cure and protect his sister from the vampira who turned him after killing their parents. He meets his match in a firey vampire hunter, and together they discover the origins of the vampiros and set out to stop them once and for all. I loved the true enemies to lovers development, and their banter was top tier.

You can expect -
Vampire x Huntress
Mexican Mythology
Ancient Curses
Enemies to Lovers
Fake Engagement
Banter
Only One Horse
Stabby FMC
Cinnamon Roll MMC
Late-teens MCs

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing an eARC for my honest opinion.

The book cover and title really caught my eye. The overall story is good. My main complaint was that the middle of the story it seemed to drag a little bit while the ending moved too fast during the climax of the story. Otherwise, i’d recommend it for anyone who enjoys romance stories with vampires.

➸ 5 stars

“Hope is a strange thing, don’t you think? It can pull you out of your darkest thoughts, but also leave you destroyed if that hope turns into nothing greater.
That’s when we must lean on the people who care for us the most. They hold us steady and do the hoping for us when we no longer can.”

𓍢⊹ ࣪ thank you to netgalley for the advanced readers copy!

🥀 vampire x vampire huntress
🩸 enemies to reluctant allies to lovers
🗡️ dagger to throat
🥀 fake engagement
🩸 latinx fantasy
🗡️ unique mythology based off mexican lore
🥀 forbidden love
🩸 cinnamon roll mmc x strong/feisty fmc
🗡️ addicting banter

“That was the thing when one lived in a great rancho with their family and their family’s family—even in the silence, there was noise.”

words cannot explain how much i love this book. reading a book where i feel represented was truly such a wonderful experience, my culture and my language written in these pages made me utterly beam with joy!!! to me, it felt like i was a part of this family. everything about the family relationships, family trauma, the humor, siblings/cousins, the culture, the setting, the food, the fiestas, just felt so real.

full in-depth review will be available on my goodreads soon!

I really enjoyed A Cruel Thirst. I loved both of the main characters and their relationship was adorable. I liked how it was about a vampire and a vampire hunter, but the way the plot unfolded was different than I expected in the best way. I highly recommend this book.