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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
A romantic historical fiction where a vampire and a vampire hunter are forced to work together to try to rid the world of vampires entirely. This book had a perfect blend of romance, tension, and danger where you wanted to keep reading to see if they could not only succeed in their mission - but if they could stay together to the end of it.
The historical worldbuilding in this book in regards to the vampires - their powers, their strengths, their weaknesses - I thought was a very interesting take on the vampire genre. This book combines well-known vampire lore with some new changes, and provides a realistic in-universe explanation for all of it. I liked following Lalo as he grappled with his newfound curse and tried to discover everything he could about it - and how when confronted with Carolina, he had to justify his discoveries.
The romance between Carolina and Lalo was fun and a blast to read through both of their perspectives. I loved how we’d get a chapter from the point of view from one of them, and then immediately the other point of view would tell us how much they actually liked the other. I did feel like a bit of the romance was done very quickly, with a big focus on how attractive they found each other, but I did like how nothing actually happened until their feelings caught up with everything else. I also loved how both Carolina and Lalo grew and changed as people due to the influence of the other, but that neither of them asked or expected the other to change - they simply grew as people together.
My only issue was that the ending seemed to be a bit rushed, and I felt that once their goal was completed every antagonist within the book was suddenly forgiven for their previous actions. However, I did have a blast reading this, and if you were wanting a book that felt like a softer version of Vampires of El Norte, I’d absolutely pick this up.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Children’s for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
(Also, this doesn’t matter in any way, but there is a scene where Carolina - who knows how to fight - is teaching Lalo how to punch, and she has him tuck his thumb under his fingers which is the opposite of what you’re supposed to do if you don’t want to break your thumb. I’m only adding this because it stood out to me and I was waiting the entire book to see if she had perhaps done this as a prank, because with him being a vampire it wouldn’t have been a permanent injury.)
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An enemies to lovers that's actually good?!? I can't tell you how many times I go into an enemies to lovers book and it's not done well. So, this one finally hit the spot!
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I hate to admit that I’d forgotten I had read this author in the past. To start off I LOVED this book. The vampires, the banter, the world building, THE BANTERRR. It was overall really well written. My only reason for not giving it 5/5 stars is because it took me a while to finish it, but at the same time there wasn’t this ultimate feeling of pure, PURE excitement reading it, if that makes any sense 😅
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF at 7%
I only got through the first chapter, but it’s reading a little younger than what I know I would enjoy.
I only got through the first chapter, but it’s reading a little younger than what I know I would enjoy.
YA Fantasy, enemies-to-lovers romance between a headstrong (want-to-be) vampire huntress and a bookish fledgling vampire, inspired by Mexican lore.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.
I love the cover art so much. It was really entertaining! I enjoyed the romance bits, oh the yearning in the writing.
Some of the Spanglish felt more forced, as if for the sake of being varied and nothing else. “Señor”, “el cielo”, “abuelo”, “pendejo”? Super valid! Some words carry a strength or feeling that cannot be translated. 100% get it! Some are a part of how we think in Spanish, mushing layers of semantics. It’s always curious to see how someone else’s brain processes Spanish/English. This one didn’t land that well with me, but I’m sure other readers might enjoy it, and even find themselves in these pages.
Overall, this was a lot of fun. I loved Lalo and Carolina: their inner dialogues, character quirks, and playful banter.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.
I love the cover art so much. It was really entertaining! I enjoyed the romance bits, oh the yearning in the writing.
Some of the Spanglish felt more forced, as if for the sake of being varied and nothing else. “Señor”, “el cielo”, “abuelo”, “pendejo”? Super valid! Some words carry a strength or feeling that cannot be translated. 100% get it! Some are a part of how we think in Spanish, mushing layers of semantics. It’s always curious to see how someone else’s brain processes Spanish/English. This one didn’t land that well with me, but I’m sure other readers might enjoy it, and even find themselves in these pages.
Overall, this was a lot of fun. I loved Lalo and Carolina: their inner dialogues, character quirks, and playful banter.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.
adventurous
medium-paced
Title: A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya
Genre: YA Romantasy
Pub Date: December 17, 2024
🩸 Vampire x Vampire Huntress
❤️🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🩸 Fake Engagement
❤️🔥 LGBTQ+ Rep
🩸 Forced Proximity
❤️🔥 Dual POV
🩸 Cinnamon Roll MMC
💭 A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya is a great blend of fantasy and romance. Lalo, our sweet cinnamon roll MMC vampire, and Carolina, our fierce and sassy heroine, are an adorable pair. The location is unique and the world-building is evocative and beautiful. The story is slow at times, but there are some fun twists and turns. Overall, a fun and quick romantasy!
**Rating: 3.5/5**
#ACruelThirst #AngelaMontoya #VampireRomance #FantasyRomance #Bookworm #Bookstagram #BookReview #BookRecommendation #NewAdultFantasy #DarkRomance #RomanceReader
Genre: YA Romantasy
Pub Date: December 17, 2024
🩸 Vampire x Vampire Huntress
❤️🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🩸 Fake Engagement
❤️🔥 LGBTQ+ Rep
🩸 Forced Proximity
❤️🔥 Dual POV
🩸 Cinnamon Roll MMC
💭 A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya is a great blend of fantasy and romance. Lalo, our sweet cinnamon roll MMC vampire, and Carolina, our fierce and sassy heroine, are an adorable pair. The location is unique and the world-building is evocative and beautiful. The story is slow at times, but there are some fun twists and turns. Overall, a fun and quick romantasy!
**Rating: 3.5/5**
#ACruelThirst #AngelaMontoya #VampireRomance #FantasyRomance #Bookworm #Bookstagram #BookReview #BookRecommendation #NewAdultFantasy #DarkRomance #RomanceReader