I think what really works for this title is a character who's a vampire trying to become human again, which isn't a perspective I see often if ever in vampire media! While the romance wasn't the biggest draw for me, Lalo's relationship with his sister endeared me to him, and I enjoyed how much of a (stubborn, headstrong) badass Carolina is.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc.

This book follows Lalo as he deals with the death of his parents. He finally finds his parents' killer. However, the killer is a predator that he did not expect. Lalo becomes a vampire and flees with his sister to protect her. He flees north to find a way to reverse his curse and protect his sister. There, he meets Carolina, a vampire hunter. Carolina is dealing with the death of her grandfather, and she wants to prove to her father that she can be a hunter. These characters work together to achieve their goals.

GUYSSSS, this was good. I wish I had this book when I was in high school. I would have been in love with it. I love seeing the development of Lalo and Carolina. These characters moved away from their thinking and were able to explore different parts of themselves. These characters were so sweet when they finally allowed themselves to develop feelings for each other. I really want to read the rest of this author's book.

Vampire × vampire hunter is an elite trope, and A Cruel Thirst delivers it with fire, humor, and heart. Carolina is fierce, stubborn, and impossible not to root for—and her reluctant partnership with a fledgling vampire? Total perfection.

The tension, the banter, the slow-burn chemistry—chef’s kiss. Add in rich worldbuilding and high stakes, and you’ve got a romantic fantasy that’s irresistible from page one.

Highly recommend for fans of sharp heroines, reluctant alliances, and enemies-to-lovers with bite.

dnf


This book felt more melodramatic than I'd have preferred, but if you enjoy that angle, this story would likely work for you. The atmosphere was fun and gothic, and I'd be willing to try another book from this author in the future. I liked that it's a different angle on the YA vampire tale than I've seen before, and I know teens would be intrigued by that.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Cruel Thirst. This was a super cute romantasy filled with adventure, hilarious banter and spooky setting. What more could you want? I really enjoyed and thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this title. Definitely need to read more from this author.

What lifts this from a typical friends-to-lovers romance is the dialogue. The =banter between the two is an off-the-charts riot. It's brilliant. That whole laugh-out-loud scenario. They are lovable. The story is wonderful. I recommend this highly. Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC. Enjoyed it.

I am a huge fan of Angela's previous book and this one topped it! I loved Lalo and Carolina as a couple and their banter was some of the best I've read in ages. I am so excited for Angela's third book! Pub. day cannot come soon enough!

This was a fun one! A Cruel Thirst delivers on the drama, danger, and forbidden vibes you’d expect from a vampire romantasy—but with a playful edge that made it stand out.

Carolina is fierce and determined to prove herself as a vampire slayer, while Lalo… well, Lalo is kind of a delight. He gave me big What We Do in the Shadows energy—awkward, unexpectedly charming, and just trying to figure out this whole vampire thing without completely falling apart (or falling in love).

The enemies-to-reluctant-allies setup was solid, and there’s some good worldbuilding with the pueblo, the ancient evil, and the vampire lore. That said, some plot points felt a little rushed or underdeveloped, and I didn’t fully click with the romance—but I was still invested enough to keep turning pages.

Overall: fun banter, spooky vibes, a touch of chaos, and a hero you’ll low-key want to hug. Definitely worth picking up if you like your vampire stories with heart and humor.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

I've been SCREAMING about vampires making a comeback in the literary landscape and A Cruel Thirst was EVERYTHING I wanted.

Montoya weaves an enthralling novel, rich in vampiro lore that is culturally derived from Mexican folktales. It is SO FUN with characters that are vividly portrayed, making a name for themselves. Our fmc, Carolina is feisty, witty, and caring. She yearns to be a vampiro hunter like her brothers, but is sheltered by her parents who wish to make a promising match. Then, there is our mmc Lalo who has been recently turned into a vampiro, the same creature he has sworn to hunt and kill. When Carolina and Lalo meet it is deadly because well, she has a knife to his throat. Through much pleading on Lalo's part, Carolina agrees to let him live with the promise of finding an end to the vampiros.

I LOVED this story. From the witty banter between Carolina x Lalo to their slow burn romance that is sweet and full of yearning. One of my favorite things about the story was the pacing. From the beginning I was engaged and fully hooked. Each chapter built upon the last with startling revelations and feelings that caused me to GASP or kick my feet while cackling (it's the good kind of hehehehehe). By the end, I was in tears at how beautifully this story was tied together as generations of love is at the core of this tale.

Truly a wonderful addition to vampire novels.

The overall premise for A Cruel Thirst is an enjoyable one! I mean, he’s the vampire and she’s the vampire hunter? Uh, yes please. It was a solid YA romance fantasy read, if you’re looking for a story with these tropes!

It wasn’t super serious, which is what I expected of the genre. I did feel like the pacing was off, but there were many parts where I was hooked!


Tropes: forced proximity, , fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, vampires, YA

Book: 3.65
Spice: 1

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC! I always appreciate it!! My review is honest and not contingent on receiving the ARC.

While trying to avenge his family, he is unexpectedly turned into a vampiro against his will. Carolina Fuentes wants to be a vampiro hunter like the men in her family. Then she meets Lalo, who is completely opposite from everything she knows about vampiro. She knows her father would rather she leave town with a husband to protect her, so she hatches a plan with Lalo to fake their engagement.

I read Sinner's Isle and absolutely adored it, now after this one, Angela Montoya is quickly moving her way up on my favourite authors list. I loved the reluctant allies, fake fiance storyline, and was so invested right from the first chapter. I loved both Lalo and Carolina as main characters. Carolina is not a damsel in distress, she is fierce and independent. Lalo was such a sweet boy, and so interesting to me because he is so different from the other vampires in the story. He refuses to drink blood from any human, which causes him to become very weak. The chemistry that they have together was so well done, the banter was immaculate and I was obsessed from their very first meeting. The secondary characters also shine in this. Lelo's sister Fernanda, was such a great addition to the story and I hope we get a spin off of her story one day.

"A fledgling vampire and a headstrong vampire huntress must work together—against their better judgment—to rid the world of monsters in this irresistible young adult romantasy."

This was everything I want in a YA vampire romantasy. Excellent world-building, great banter, lovely story.

I loved this YA title, especially the promised plot and characters. I loved the concepts more than the execution which I felt could be a little tighter, but overall, this is a great young YA romantasy. I would recommend this to ages 13/14+ as it is fairly non-descript in the romance category with one fade-to-black scene that you honestly can blink and then it's gone. The author did a great job of integrating vampires with Mexican lore & folktales to create an interesting world in which our vampires and vampire-hunters must navigate. I love the romance between very soft Lalo (our vampire who hates when dirt gets on his pants, let alone blood) and our strong, scares-Lalo half-to-death-to-even-look at-her heroine, Carolina. There were small pacing issues with the romance, especially as this quickly went from enemies to lovers to faking dating really quickly. I cannot wait for more from this author.

This was everything I hoped it would be. I loved both MCs equally and I enjoyed hearing both their stories! The worldbuilding and history behind vampires was incredibly interesting, and the story kept me engaged. This was my first book by Angela Montoya and it won't be my last! Also I want this cover hung up on my wall- it's so pretty!

4.5 stars - I LOVED THIS. So much fun and also incredibly hilarious?? I genuinely laughed out loud multiple times.

Vampire x vampire hunter but the vampire was turned against his will so they pair up to take down vampires??? And also pretend to be engaged???? The MMC was so adorable and wholesome and aloof and the FMC was sharp and determined and also funny. This was just such a delight.

thank you Penguin Teen Canada for the eARC!

I love vampires and all the varying folklores authors come up with to explain their existence. I think the best vampire stories have a religious component, and this story does a perfect job of introducing Mesoamerican mythology to vampire folklore. The idea that love makes you monstrous is another favorite theme of mine for vampire stories, and I think this book did that idea justice. I will be picking up Angela Montoya's other books!

This was SO fun and I really, really loved Carolina as our main character - she was so spirited and entertaining to read about! I'm a huge fan of vampire books and will absolutely be adding this to my recommended vampy reading lists.

I just wanna start this review by saying I am a sucker for vampire books no pun intended. When I first saw this cover, I had suspicions that this was not a Ya book. 😂

But I devoured this book. The characters. The Romance. The story. I loved it.

4/5 stars

A Cruel Thirst is such a fun little read. I am a sucker for enemies to lovers trope and A Cruel Thirst delivered it so well. It was funny and cute and kind of adorable at moments. I enjoyed the banter between the main characters. It was, honestly, just fun.

4.5
This was actually kind of good! I started reading this a couple of months ago and didn't love it, but I came back to it, and it was quite entertaining. I managed to finish it in under a day.
Carolina is such a good protagonist! I love how she is not scared of a challenge she has to face. She was willing to go past her family and fall in love with a man they would definitely not approve. Also, Lalo is such a vibe, I love him!
Overall, the story was great, and I loved the setting.