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.

This was better than the author's previous book. If I had realized it was the same author, I wouldn't have requested it, but I did end up enjoying it. It took me quite a while to get into it, but eventually it picked up.

I liked the premise a lot. Vampire hunter teams up with reluctant vampire to break the curse? yes please. The execution was so-so, but not enough to completely ruin the story for me. There were an awful lot of coincidences and lucky escapes, and the characters' plans narrowly worked out (when they really shouldn't have) one too many times, but it did keep up the momentum for the entire second half and the ending was satisfying. Most of the characters were pretty one-dimensional, but I did enjoy Carolina and Lalo most of the time.

I did speed up the audiobook quite a bit and I think that helped it from losing my attention. I'm not sure I would have kept reading if I were reading it on kindle vs audio.

*Thanks to Random House Children's and Joy Revolution for providing an early copy for review.

Historical Romance and Fantasy with vampires?! What more could you possibly want in a book. Combining two of my favorite genres and you get a fantastic book and an immediate read. My review is late but I absolutely devoured this book and loved how the author blended it all. It gave twilight when they were with the voulturi vibes! The characters were well written and unique while also being easy to imagine. It was easy for me to jump into this world and get lost in the pages. Thank you so much for the ARC

I’d rate this a 3.5 but rounded up to 4.

I really enjoyed this, it was a fun take on vampires and even if I’m in my 30s, I still love a YA.

The thing that got me though, was a little over halfway through the pacing just really slowed down. It made it a bit of a struggle for me to finish it but I’m glad I did.

I would read more by this author.

another fang-tastic take on Vampire x Vampire Hunter (or should I say Huntress)!! The banter was incredible and fun and the story was easy to follow and understand, and don't get me started on the enemies to lovers romance, it was *chefs kiss*! honestly, the banter alone was good enough for a solid 4 stars, there didn't even need to be progress in the romance, their connection was just there and it was all beautiful. it also had a fake engagement trope, but done so well! I've read one before and the story was sub-par, so I'm so glad this book was a total hit for me.

I liked this book. It was an interesting twist on vampires in a western setting and I enjoyed the dual POVs. It probably wasn't the most memorable vampire book I've ever read but it was a solid standalone story by an author that I'd definitely read more of.

I don't think I'd reread this one or at least not any time soon but it's a good book to keep in your pocket for a vampire reading challenge prompt or something to read during spooky season if you aren't super into spooky books. This one had creepy vibes for sure at times but it also had a nice romance as well.

This was a fast paced read that I was able to finish all in one sitting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4 star review - it was a wonderful read. Read well and it kept me engaged. Thank you for the author and team, for the chance of an arc.

I initially read the description of the book and didn't realize it was YA, however, some of my favorite fantasies are YA even as I've aged as a reader. Normally vampires are an immediate yes for me as well but it just felt hard to get into this one for me.

Plot had some holes, characters had good and annoying traits. DNF'd around 55% mark.


Thanks to NetGalley and JoyRevolution for the ARC opportunity!

I loved this book so much I truly don’t think I’ll recover. The star crossed lovers was done in such a fresh way.

This book had me hooked for the first half. However, after 50%, I lost interest in this book and I did not feel the urge to pick it back up. I would recommend this book to others though because the plot and tropes might interest them even if I dnf-ed it.

I really wanted to love this book; but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. It might have been because I hyped it up in my mind before reading it though.

Vampires are definitely back! After reading some fun additions to the genre like Vampires of El Norte and A Vile Season, I was excited to pick up A Cruel Thirst. Following Lalo, a reluctant new vampire searching for a cure, and Carolina, a vampire huntress who just wants to be taken seriously by her family, our story takes off when their paths cross and they decide to work together to uncover the original vampire that plagues their land.

❤️ What I loved: Great setting, fun tropes like enemies-to-lovers (for real) and fake-dating wrapped up in one, with excellent banter between our lead characters.
💔 What I didn’t love: Around 50-75% the story dragged a bit—I’m not sure why, as looking back I liked all of the different plot lines, but while reading it felt somewhat slow.

Lovers of vampire fiction and romance will find this to be a unique addition to the genre, and I think it will make a great addition to any school library shelf.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4-4.5)

Acknowledgments & Disclaimers
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Angela Montoya, and Random House Children’s/Joy Revolution, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book. ✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. ✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

I love a good vampire book! The epic tension with "The Cruel Thirst" if you will. This vampire and huntress dynamic was phenomenal!

This book had all the romance and adventure that I’ve come to expect from Angela Montoya. I just fell in love with Carolina and Lalo and this was an absolute delight. Do yourself a favor and add this one to your tbr immediately!

Thank you so much to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.