🥀 REVIEW 🥀

Title: A Cruel Thirst
Author: Angela Montoya
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We all know I would read Angie's shopping list, so I have to admit I'm a little biased. I don't even need to say I loved A Cruel Thirst because it's just a given that I did. I've decided this will be more of an appreciation post than a review since I don't even know if I could review it as I probably should.

Angie's the queen of ✨️ vibes ✨️ and this was no different. If Sinner's Isle was Pirates of the Caribbean, A Cruel Thirst was The Legend of Zorro. Reading this book was like watching a magical, nostalgic movie from your childhood. The characters? Human (pun intended). The worldbuilding? Encapsulating. The humour? Impeccable!

I'm so excited to see more people discovering Angie's writing and trust me when I say the world is not ready for this book!! We need a movie asap please and thankyou 🥹

Release date: 17th December 2024

The lore and culture of this book was new, refreshing, and fascinating. I enjoyed the relationship between the main characters. However, it was such a slow read, I found myself skimming a lot to get to the action. I will definitely recommend this book, but it wasn’t my favorite read personally.

This book is perfection. No notes. It’s so entertaining and witty with a cast of characters that I adore and a love story that I am obsessed with.

A Cruel Thirst is a biting, refreshing and a delicious read. The lore, the details, and the growth of Lalo and Carolina in the span of the novel was just so good.

When Lalo is turned into a vampire he searches for a cure to reverse his new monstrous state. He has an insatiable hunger but refuses to turn into a shell of himself. A scholar he’s been looking for a way to reverse his vampiric state and unexpectedly strikes an alliance with vampire hunter/slayer Carolina. The two work together to find the true cause of vampires, how to end a vampire’s line, and possibly reverse a vampire back to human.

Throw in a fake marriage situation, the stunning culture, and you have a winner. I need to give bonus points for the outstanding setup with the world’s lore.

A Cruel Thirst was fresh, and filled a void in the genre. I haven’t read a vampire book in years, and this was such a great way to be re-introduced. I wish this book was coming out in October (the vibes would’ve been insane!), but I can’t wait for everyone to devour this in December and close out the year with a strong read.

Thank you so much Penguin Canada for providing an ARC!

A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya is a gripping and atmospheric novel that immerses readers in a world of dark secrets and intense drama. Montoya’s evocative prose and well-crafted plot create a compelling narrative filled with suspense and intrigue. The book’s rich character development and unexpected twists ensure a captivating reading experience from start to finish.

DNF'd at 25%.

While I think the setting was interesting, the pacing, despite opening in the middle of the action, was a little too slow. I didn't care about the characters as much as I wanted to by the time I reached 1/4 of the way through the book. It wasn't bad—it was well written, the setting interesting, and the heritage inside gave a different spin on the regular vampire YA genre—I just didn't find myself wanting to pick it back up as soon as I put it down.

Carolina Fuentes wants nothing more than to take down all the bloodthirsty monsters that plague her pueblo. Too bad her family won't let her help. No matter she will take them on all on her own and prove what she is capable of.

Lalo Villalobos is a recently turned vampire. But he is not like the rest of them. He would rather die than hurt another human or let his sister come to harm. Fleeing the city to seek answers he instead finds a headstrong vampire hunter.

They must work together to take down the vampires and save everyone. Along the way they may just find something else.

This is the best story including vampires that I have read. I love how they are described, from their creation to what happens when they drink blood. It's unique and helps with understanding them. I would have liked even more interactions with them.

I like Carolina and Lalo. For a romantic male lead Lalo is quite different and not just because he's a vampire. They have many great scenes together. There is a lot of humor I wasn't expecting. I think they make a great couple and I believe in their love, but I didn't feel anything from the romance. That's probably just me and my pickiness. Perhaps if this had been a duology more time could have been spent on all the different things going on and I would feel differently.

The action is pretty much nonstop in the last 30 percent. There are some harrowing scenes where you're not sure what the outcome will be. I enjoyed the ending and think it is well done.

If you love vampire stories I definitely recommend this!

Thank you so much to the author for the digital ARC!

A Cruel Thirst, Montoya's second book, shows growth in its concise plot and well developed characters. It breaks stereotypes many have for vampires and brings something new to the table. What makes this book excel even more is the Latine twist to the romancing a vampire trope. I would certainly recommend this book to my high school students; however, I hesitate to do the same with my younger students as later in the story theres a suggestive moment between Lalo and the main character.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:
Lalo is on a mission to find the vampire who killed his parents, but his life takes an unexpected turn once he does. Carolina is determined to eliminate any vampire in her path until one shows her that they can be different.

Highlights:

Dual POV
Enemies to lovers
Fake relationship
Vampires
Hispanic representation
This novel had an intriguing premise, but I found the execution difficult to follow. While I was tempted to stop reading, I pushed through because it was an ARC. Despite this, there were aspects I appreciated. Lalo's strong moral compass stood out, as he refused to succumb to evil. The elements of a fake relationship and enemies to lovers were well done. The ending, which provided closure to generations of curses, was particularly satisfying. I believe this story would appeal to teenage readers looking for more after Twilight.

Rating: 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 0.5 🌶️

Where to start with such a masterpiece?? How does one capture such beauty?? How did Montoya deliver such perfection? From action to mystery and intrigue to romance and family and everything in between, this book truly has it all in perfect balance.

Angela Montoya sure knows how to tell a story. This was the romantic fantasy adventure I've been looking for. I devoured SINNER'S ISLE. The story was so artfully crafted and did not feel like a debut. The plot had a great arc, and the characters were compelling. A CRUEL THIRST was no different. Another fantastic romantic fantasy adventure from Montoya. The fake engagement and enemies-to-lovers tropes were so well executed, and this was such an interesting, original take on vampires--especially after an oversaturated market rendered anything vampire-related overdone. Additionally, both characters had depth and dimension. Just wonderfully done. I cannot wait to get my hands on whatever story Montoya decides to tell next. She has a fan for life.

I can't believe how much I loved this book! I'm crying internally that it doesn't seem like it's gonna be a series. I love a slow-burn romance and this delivered. As well as I loved the aspect of the mmc being softer and the fmc having a harder edge. I applaud Angela for exploring those gender stereotypes. The mythology in the book was interesting and the ending was perfect, I just can't believe I'm begging for another book about Carolina and Lalo. Thank you for the ARC!!

This was a fresh take on enemies forced to work together for a common goal. Lalo and Carolina were great characters who I adored. I liked the role reversal of the male and female stereotypes. Overall it was something different that I will recommend to my students when it’s available.

This book has it all! Action, Adventure, Romance, Comedy! Not to mention vampires and vampire hunters. I loved this book so much! The writing and the characters were amazing! I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it! Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review.

Lalo is a thoughtful, shy, bookish guy who loves his family, fashion, and his moustache. Then tragedy strikes as he witnesses his parents devoured by a vampire. When he tries to rid the city of this scourge, Lalo is turned too and takes off with his younger sister to what he believes to be the birthplace of vampirism with the hopes of finding a cure and making the world safe for those he loves. Almost as soon as he arrives, he meets Carolina, a kick butt vampire hunter whose family is more concerned with marrying her off than letting her protect the valley they've called home for generations. They are enemies to the core but are also immediately drawn to each other—Lalo to her bravery and verve, and Carolina to his caring and thoughtfulness. And when Lalo shares his goal of taking down the original vampire, they team up…and pretend to be engaged. It is an absolute romp with gorgeous writing, top-tier banter that put me in mind of The Mummy, laugh-out-loud moments, and a slow-burn tender journey to first love. One of my favorite things about this book is how the world-building and lore is woven into the story and makes the vampirism all the more emotional. And the banter is truly hilarious, driven by who these characters are as well as their greatest fears. A beautiful exploration of love, grief, hope, and how a couple can elevate each other. One of my favorite books of the year so far. Highly recommend.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I found it a very fast read and think it will be a good recommendation for teens who are looking for vampire books. I also appreciated this latine perspective on vampire lore and I think that was probably my favorite aspect of the book.

I think the characters and the romance could have been more developed as I didn't feel a huge connection to them despite them being pretty much the entire focus of the book. This though is just a personal preference of mine, readers who like to focus on plot over characters will likely find more enjoyment out of this book.

There's generally no way to disappoint me when it comes to paranormal vampire romances, but this blew my expectations completely out of the water. Carolina and Lalo made me swoon, the setting was novel and rich and totally captured my attention, and the book balanced humor with angst in a skilled way. Definitely recommend!

-- vampire historical fantasy
-- turned into vampire against his will and needs to revert into human MMC x aspiring vampire hunter FMC who get fake engaged to find the original vampire and reverse everything
-- wonderfully chaotic and wholesome family members
-- book lover / panics about crumpled and dirty clothes MMC x ferocious sword wielding FMC (it's a very Jurdan vibe okay 😭)

The angst was very VERY real with this one. I will never get tired of vampires.

As always with any new author I read, Montoya brings forth a new light to Vampires and completely makes them her own.

The characters are memorable and the story entertaining.

Very much on the reread scale. Love love love!!!

***Crossing my fingers for a cover rework*** I was given the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publishing by netgalley. I'm not usually a "vampire" girl. To campy of a read, too predictable, "he bites her, she turns, they un-live happily ever after." But... this book has a twist. A good twist. And while this is definitely a romance, it's not a "spicy" romance, but rather sweet. I highly recommend this book. Even if you have a few doubts, you should definitely read it. And if they don't update the cover, this recommendation is covered by the old adage, "don't judge a book by its cover".