The blurb and cover had me thinking this was going to be Serious and Dark but I was delighted to be wrong. There is some seriousness going on in A Cruel Thirst but it's also really funny and just what I needed to break out of a run of blah reads. The world-building is top-notch, the take on vampires is fresh, and Lalo and Lina are some of my favorite protagonists I've read in quite awhile. Fantastic read.

This book took me a while to get into, but once I was in I couldn’t put it down! Once the characters started bantering I was hooked. The relationship and comedic moments between Carolina and Lalo had me obsessed and they really helped this story shine. I also loved all of the Latin culture in the book and how deep rooted it is in the story. My only critique is how rushed the ending felt. I wish it had been expanded a bit more, but I still really enjoyed this book!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up!

A latine vampy book? Yes please!

I loved this book so much. It was different than I expected it to be for a paranormal romance (baby vamp) x vampire hunter in a good way!

Carolina is a strong-willed and feisty FMC. We see her struggle with her family's machismo and trying to assert herself. She is witty and tough. I really liked her character.

Lalo is just baby vamp trying to protect his sister and fix the mess he is in. When he finds a beautiful huntress trying to kill him, he can't help but admire her. I love it when they admire their partner's ferocity 🤭

The side characters were.also enjoyable and so funny!

The plot got a little sleepy for me in the middle, and the ending wrapped up really fast. I wish it would've been a bit more balanced, but I still loved and recommend this!!

This story is about a vampire and a vampire hunter who team up together to take down the original vampire in their village. I found Carolina to be very funny and relatable. She was a girl that just wanted to be her own person and make her own decisions about her future.

This was a YA, so the one “love/smut” scene was a fade to black. The Latin culture representation was also beautiful in this story. I love the way this family came across on the page. I did cry during the death scene at the start of the chapter - I had a feeling it was coming but it still got me! The lore of the vampire in this story was something I’d never read before and that was a large part of the enjoyability for me. Nena and Fernanda were the perfect comedic relief duo. The ending did feel a little bit rushed to me, but overall it was a really enjoyable read.

A Cruel Thirst is an absolutely DELICIOUS read! Montoya has delivered a wonderfully unique take on the standard vampire romance; it will be impossible for any reader not to fall in love with Carolina and Lalo.

A Cruel Thirst is one of the best enemies to lovers books I've read in a long time! The stakes are high, the plot twisty, and it will keep you hooked until the last drip of blood.

4.5 ⭐️

first off, thank you to random house children publishing for providing me with an eARC of this book!

oh i absolutely ADORED this! i wasn’t sure at first but i was quick to latch onto the humor or carolina and lalo. now, this isn’t your “typical” vampire romance and i think that has added to its charm for me. it was hilarious how clumsy and unconventional they are when it comes to being a vampire & a hunter. the banter between them and scenarios they found themselves in had me audibly laughing out loud at times.

love carolina and her spirit to fight back no matter what. the end made my heart warm.

also, I LOVE NENA AND FERNANDA! please please give us book 2 with them?

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW!!! What a great book!! This one had me hooked from page 1! This was a first for me from this author and I will not be my last! This one was a win for me!

If you liked Sinner's Isle -- You will love this even more.
If you didn't read Sinner's Isle, please do so. And then read this one. Or read A Cruel Thirst first. Either way. Read both.
Lalo is everything I love in a leading man -- soft, tormented, attracted to strong women.
Carolina is who we all pretended to be while playing in our backyards. Don't try to pretend it isn't true. ^_^
I devoured this book. Loved it. Had so much fun with it. A vampire story for those of us who missed them terribly, but don't want to read the same thing over and over again.
Until you reread this one.
Brava.

I devoured this just as quickly as Montoya's debut! Lalo and Carolina's sizzling romance is one that'll be sure to please!

This book was fantastic! Entertaining, witty, swoony & action packed. Angela is effortlessly comedic with her characters & story. The way she used Mesoamérican lore for her vampire origins & the originality in naming them sedientos & sanguijuelos is noteworthy. This is how you take a tale as old as time and make it your own. Carolina is fierce & strong, no damsel in distress here. As for Lalo, he is the worst vampire in the world but with a heart of gold. I adore Lalo he is what I’m coining a “Pan Dulce MMC”, sweet, tender, loving and caring. 100% a LOVER not a FIGHTER. I highly recommend!

I have a confession to make... I judged the book by its cover. The cover is pretty dang cool.

The book was very enjoyable! I loved the dynamic of a vampire and a vampire hunter. Carolina and Lalo were delightful characters!!

Sadly, young adult is becoming very unpredictable for me. The older young-adult is still amazing, but the younger young-adult is just not hitting like it used to. I'm getting old I fear. Petition to make them two separate genres, because the range is CRAZY, but whatev. This book slightly fell into the younger part of young-adult. For that reason it didn't completely hit its mark for me, BUT I think it's a magical and interesting book for a younger young-adult reader or any readers who enjoy that age range!

Came for the cover, stayed for the beating heart of this story. Carolina and Lalo are the perfect subversion of the vampire hunter x vampire pairing, and I loved the Latinx lore embedded in the world building. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to teens and young adults alike. And thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

Holy moly lore galore! There is nothing I appreciate more in fantasy/paranormal stories than complete world-building and extensive lore/mythos. A Cruel Thirst incorporates both Catholic/Western and Aztec belief systems to form a rich setting and magic system.
I especially appreciated the use of Nahuatl in flashbacks on the origin of vampires juxtaposed to the use of Spanish in Lalo and Carolina's timeline.
The romance in this book will have your stomach doing somersaults because the steam and swoon factors are
HIGH in this book. Lalo and Carolina's chemistry is electric and they have TOP class banter. I loved how Carolina finds an ally in Lalo in fighting patriarchal norms and how they both find solace in each other for their grief, despite being enemies.
Angela Montoya has truly raised the bar for my definition of YA historical romance and her talent for fantasy and adventure is incredible!
1 highly, HIGHLY recommend A Cruel Thirst to fans of vampire romance and to those who enjoy equal portions of romance, history, and adventure.

Lalo a recently turned vampire looking to avenge his family and Carolina a vampire hunter who has been brought up to detest vampires. Both must work together and put their differences aside to get rid of their common enemy. My favorite part of this book has to be Lalo the book loving vampire who stayed true to himself no matter how difficult the situation was. I also loved how the characters were latinos! It feels so great to read about characters with similar names to you. It made me feel seen. The only thing I wished was that the characters had more depth. Also this book is geared towards a younger audience so keep that in mind as you read. Overall, I enjoyed it. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

4.75 stars
Oh boy I loved every second of this book and flew through it so quickly. I think this is the first arc that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all the way through.

This was definitely more character driven than plot driven and that’s totally okay. But I’ve always been one to like a little more plot with my romance so I think if we had been given a little more on the vampire lore and history of the Fuentes family it would’ve been a five star read for me.

Carolina and Lalo have my heart. Their banter was so fun to read and I’m a complete sucker for a vampire x vampire hunter pairing so this was a treat to read.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

First off books about vampires!!! Yes I’m there for it!!! And a Latinx vampire story. WOW a combo I didn’t know I needed to read. Just those points make me love this book. The action and the romance was great. A typical story of a Latin dad trying to protect his daughter. The daughter who wants to be seen by her dad and family. May she accomplish her goal and not let romance get in the way, or will the romance help reach her goal.

A Cruel Thirst Review 5 stars/ 5 stars

Release date: 12/17/24

Wow Angela Montoya. This book was phenomenal!!!

I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved everything about this story from the Vampiros to the enemies to lovers romance. This was such an interesting,unputdownable, and unique story! I’ve wanted a vampire hunter x vampire story for the longest time and this was perfect. I never wanted the book to end but when it did I was so happy with how satisfying the ending felt.

Carolina and Lalo hold a special place in my heart ❤️ I loved how strong and persistent Carolina was and how she believed in herself so much. I also loved Lalo and seeing him grow as a character and the love he Carries. The banter between the two characters is also top tier

This story has:
✨banter
✨enemies to lovers and knife to throat trope
✨only one ✨horse✨ trope
✨secrets
✨fake engagement

I can’t recommend this enough! I loved it ❤️ thank you so much netgalley and randomhousekids for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I had high hopes for this book but I felt a bit let down. I was excited because the cover made the book look interesting. The summary had me so interested and the fact the author was Latina, amazing. The book started off strong but 40% in I felt like the story wasn't advancing. The characters lacked depth and I didn't care for them. I will admit that the banter was good but that was the only positive thing I can say. I skimmed the last 20% because I wanted it to be over and I lost interest.

3.75⭐️
What a FUN book!! Vampire/Vampire Hunter books always get me and this was done so well! The characters were well written and developed, the enemies to lovers ATE, and the adventure was there. I really enjoyed the way Lalo and Carolina were thrown together in their mission and the banter back and forth that they had. You could feel the yearning between these two on almost every page and it was so entertaining!! The action scenes were perfectly balanced with the character driven scenes, which I appreciated. The cover art for this is absolutely stunning and I can’t wait to get a physical copy to display on my shelves!! If you love vampires, adventures, yearning, and romance then this is a book for you!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!