This was such a strange and fun read! I think if you are a fan of a gothic novel and you don't shy away from a little bit of violence you might really enjoy this. It felt very fresh, though I don't read a ton in this genre (or not often enough anyway to make a strong enough comparison or declare any superlatives). This would be a great recommendation for a friend who has read everything - I hope this makes it on a lot of to be read lists!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I have many many thoughts - first of all, there definitely wasn't enough queer vampirism, but I still appreciate the beauty of what was there. Second of all, I was not expecting to spend the second half of the novel in tears.

The first half - talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique - I would recommend this book purely because everyone needs to experience what this woman does in a church and specifically to a priest (talk about acting on your religious trauma).

If the first half was wild and sexy and thrilling, dare I say dark fantasy, then the second half was a pure dose of a harrowing reality. Meeting Alma seemed boring at first in comparison to our vamp in Part 1, but as someone who is very close with their mother, this was incredibly hard to read. I felt nauseous with sadness, sick with vicarious grief, and very few books have made me feel so deeply. If you are close with your mother - approach with caution, or prepare her for an onslaught of "I love you" texts.

Many reviewers are saying they were bored going in to Part 2, which I can understand after the thrill ride of "Europe’s bloody bacchanals, of murder and feasting without end", but the juxtaposition and how the two women's paths join at the end elicited a bittersweet kind of melancholy. I only wish we would've gotten more time of them together.

Thirst is a short, but incredibly atmospheric story by Marina Yuszczuk, and translated by Heather Cleary. It follows two women, one a vampire who must adapt as cities rise and technology advances, the other a mother whose own parent is dying. Through the centuries, our vampire keeps doing what is needed to survive the violence and cruelty of "good men". She eventually makes a connection with a doctor who is exhausted by the work of caring for those affected by the plague that consumes the city. Meanwhile our single mom finds a link to a place that will change her life.

I enjoyed the beautiful translation and the dreamy prose.

I don't think I knew what to expect going into this, but it was beautiful and poignant in ways that I did not expect. I could have read at least another 100 pages if the author had written them. Heartbreaking and bittersweet, and gorgeous in the way that things die and decay and the circle of life is gorgeous.

I feel mixed on this book. The first half was deeply engrossing, and I loved getting the backstory of a female vampire - how she was created, and what her life was like. It was an interesting concept, and really showcased how she balanced her "monster" side with the parts of her that were still deeply human. The writing is gothic and dark and really evocative, I felt as though I could picture it easily.

The second half of this book dragged a bit for me. I did not enjoy switching to the present day, nor did I enjoy the new main character. It also felt as though there were unnecessary deviations from the story (I didn't need the dentist trip, unless it was to make certain later decisions more palatable haha). The present day story just didn't grip me in the way that the first half did. I did enjoy when some of the mystery was figured out, and characters came back into play.

I did enjoy this, but the back end sagged for me. However, it's a relatively short read, and I think it's worth reading as a solid horror entry.

- Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

- Overall Thoughts: This was a very solid book. Kudos to Heather Cleary for doing such a wonderful job translating the original to allow non-Spanish speakers the chance to read it! I quite enjoyed the first half of the book that focused on the vampire's story, and somewhat enjoyed parts of the second half that focused on the human protagonist. The story started off very compelling, but I will admit that there were elements to the second part that made me feel like I was dragging my feet waiting for something interesting to happen. It was borderline slice of life, with a splash of vampire. The story did have an impact, at times I found myself enthralled, at other times intrigued and disgusted. Definitely worth a read.

- Character(s): This is a dual perspective story split into two parts. The first part focuses on the vampire, the second part the human in present day. I found the vampire incredibly more fascinating to read about, and devoured the first half of the book. I was captivated and left wanting so much more of her story. I found myself feeling a lot of pity for the human, but over time found the day to day aspect of her story slow and daunting. It went from a fast paced, bloody and exotic story to a slice of life with a protagonist who is drowning in the sorrows of her mother's terminal illness. Not to sound apathetic, but the contrast was stark between the two parts and I found myself struggling with it at times. The motivations of the human were lost on me near the end, and I have a hard time feeling any sense of satisfaction towards the ending.

- World Building: Marina Yuszczuk does a wonderful job of bringing Buenos Aires to life in its historical setting as well as it's present. Her attention to detail and descriptions were not overwhelming, and felt like it had it's place. With the two different parts and perspectives, it helped to really solidify the impact that time and change has on the world around us each day.

- Voice: The overall voice in this story, writing and prose were absolutely stunning. I devoured every word even when I found parts of the story itself a bit dull and redundant simply because of the way that Yuszczuk writes. Beautiful, and almost lyrical I was entranced.

- Pacing: Pacing in the first half seemed fast (in a good way) due to how exciting it was to read. You never really knew what the vampire was going to do next. I was constantly at the edge of my seat just waiting to see what she would decide to do next. The second half was much slower, and that may have been a creative choice due to the mindset and experiences of the main character. From an artistic point of view, it worked. From a reader point of view, the contrast was almost too much to handle sometimes.

- Story: I do find myself incredibly dissatisfied with the final parts of the second half of the novel. The relationship between the human and the vampire seemed rushed, and came rather out of left field for me. I did appreciate certain decisions that were made by the human protagonist, but other choices she made were very confusing and seemed to lack any clear motivations.

- TLDR:

Pros:

- Absolutely gorgeous prose!
- Killer vampire lady!
- LGBTQ representation

Cons:

- Dull human character
- Rushed relationship, no real bridge between the first part and second part of the book
- Lack of clear motivations for human protagonist

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This novel was beautifully written and for that alone it deserves 5 stars. I loved getting the two perspectives throughout this story and how deeply you could feel the vampire’s (María even though I don’t think we ever get her real name) loneliness as she tries to fill the void left by her sisters and everything else she has lost. Once we meet Alma, we learn that she too is experiencing her own loneliness through the gradual loss of her mother. The two women somehow perfectly fill the void within each other (sexually and metaphorically).

I loved the eventual connection between the two of them and how Mario could never bring himself to get rid of her photo, passing it down through his descendants with her keys.

I do wish we got a bit more background on María’s “Maker” and were able to discover other vampires- though I suppose her never meeting another only contributes to her isolation and loneliness. I kept wondering if Alma’s mother knew what the keys would unlock and if that was why she warned her daughter to not use them.

TLDR this is a dark historical fiction/queer/feminist/vampire story, and if you’re intrigued by any of these things, you should absolutely check out Marina Yuszczuk’s US publishing debut.

4.25

Setting: Argentina
Rep: two sapphic protagonists

This is definitely a Weird Girl book and one that I'm sure fans of A Dowry of Blood will enjoy. A sapphic vampire book set in Argentina (written by an Argentinian author and translated). The translation is excellent - I often find translated books can be clunky or awkward but this wasn't. It's atmospheric and weird and I enjoyed both timelines - the one from the 1870s and the present day - and I only wish we got to see more of the two women together!

Marina Yuszczuk has beautiful prose and a lyrical sense of grief and loneliness. I'll admit that I was expecting THIRST to be much longer and perhaps a bit more fantastical, based on the descriptions I had read of the book. But I realize that I glossed over the most important adjectives offered by the published: Latin American Feminist Gothic. It really does remind me of classic gothic literature, and it is emerging out of a specific strain of Latin American feminist writing!

THIRST is a more restrained vampire story than I was expecting, but it is clearly written by someone with a strong sense of Buenos Aires as a place across centuries. I found it to be a book focused on the specific grief and loneliness of two women who stand apart from the women (and men) around them, who are looking for someone to act as mirror, confidante, other half.

I enjoyed this book, but I will admit that I am not a frequent reader of classic gothic literature. I think someone more familiar with the genre would have a lot to chew on here. If you, like me, aren't a huge gothic lit reader, I would still recommend picking up this book—it's a quick read, and it's such a treat to find a Latin American woman writer in translation, as here.

40/100 or 2.00 stars

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

I really wanted to like this. The description was promising, and the beginning chapter was captivating. Unfortunately, it got less interesting as I read, and I almost DNF'd this book a few times. It has a great opening chapter. The ending was predictable but well written. The rest was disappointing. This was not bad story, but it was boring.

half historical fiction, half rumination on anticipatory grief, thirst is a beautiful and new take on the vampire genre. there was a slight disconnect between the two sections which i wish would’ve been bridged a bit more, but overall a quick and enjoyable read

Thirst was so good 😫

This is a translated sapphic literary vampire novel split in two parts.

In the first half we follow a vampire (who has been around since practically the beginning of time) mostly in 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.

I LOVED the first half, I was eating it up!! The historical setting was moody and engaging. The MC is so animalistic which had me on my toes because I never knew what she’d do next.

I was less enthralled with the second half as it felt more ordinary, but by the end it was worth it to see the two parts connect.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

Vampires??? Queer vampires??? Sold. This book delivered everything it promised and I was positively surprised by the translation! I absolutely recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC! I really loved the first half of the book, told from the vampire’s perspective. The transition to present day was a little jarring and I didn’t enjoy the second half as much. The end was surprising and left you thinking.

Gothic sapphic vampires! need i say more?

thanks to netgalley and dutton for the arc!

the book is organized in two parts - the first is the story of a nineteenth century vampire who was created in europe and escapes to buenos aires as she tries to live in the shadows of society. and the second half is set in present day buenos aires of a woman who is dealing with her mother's terminal illness and the discovery of a mystery key which leads to a burial plot in a cemetery.

I really enjoyed this book, but I can't lie I wanted so much more. The way it was set up, it could have been a 500 page sweeping love story instead of a borderline novella. I thought both characters were so interesting and the way their paths cross was very swoony.

it was gothic look across buenos aires history which is not a typical setting for a vampire story (which are often very euro-centric) so I appreciated a fresh, new setting (to me).

Queer vampires IN A BOOK? I was hooked. A booktoker I follow recommended this book so I requested it and was not disappointed! Vampires are the in fantasy thing that will always have me hooked.

i wish i connected with this story! at times the prose was very beautiful, and i enjoyed the vampire's story. after the half way point the writing seemed to be rambling, and i thought it strayed from the plot for a bit, but i can't be sure if that's true because it might be the translation that altered the way i portrayed the story. i didn't understand how some storylines fit into the theme and the ending, and it might not be mine or the author's fault.

I had a weird time with this book. I enjoyed the first half of the book and could barely put it down. It didn’t feel like a translated novel to me which was interesting. It was very cool to see different historical events from the perspective of an unaffected party. Her portion was unexpectedly tragic and a searing expression of loneliness. The second half of the book was from the perspective of a human woman and her parts didn’t always work for me. She had moments of immense introspection and clarity but then much of her behavior didn’t line up with what I learned of her. The underlying themes of grief and loneliness from the human perspective was interesting and the parts related to her mother were raw and intense. But I found many parts of her day-to-day dragged on. Also her motivations toward the end of the book really confused me and I didn’t think they were well-explained. Overall I gave this book a 3.5 stars. Super cool concept and it’s interesting themes on who you can trust, grief, loss, and humanity but overall the execution felt wonky to me.

A vampire in sun drenched Buenas Aires? Intriguing from the get go. Sensual, lyrical and lush , this gothic vampire tale is definitely worth a read. A solid 3.5.

Recommended.

I had wanted to read this book for so long, but I never imagined I would love it this much. I'm not a big fan of vampire themes, but I found it to be an incredibly interesting story with a structure that keeps you hooked from start to finish. It's divided into two parts: my favorite was the first, where it narrates the perspective of a vampire who migrates and arrives in Buenos Aires in search of innocent victims to attack. What fascinated me the most was was connection and this sort of desperate longing to be fully one with another person. Highly recommend!