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A review by karis321
A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya
2.0
~~Thank you to NetGalley and Black & White Publishing for the ARC!~~
I liked Montoya's debut Sinner's Isle well enough when I read its audiobook back in August, and I was quite pleased when I was granted an ARC for this one. I think that audiobook's narrators outperformed their work so well that the quality of Montoya's writing didn't really sink in for me, because I didn't really like A Cruel Thirst.
The one word I believe would describe this book the most is lacking. The worldbuilding, the characters, the story, everything is too one-dimensional and simple. Rather than focus on the potential interesting parts, like the vampire lore or the family history, the story mainly revolved around the awkward, clunky romance between Carolina and Lalo. I know the story is supposedly over 400 pages, but it felt a lot shorter than that in my ARC copy, and the "enemies" part was over very quick, because these two were getting sappy over each other too much too soon for my tastes.
Speaking of which, Carolina and Lalo are good ideas of characters, but not enough. Carolina's only motives to do what she does is to prove to the men in her life (i.e., her father) that she's a capable vampire hunter; her other traits directly relate to that. Her feminist 101 "I can make my own decisions without a man!" attitude got so old so quick. Plus, there were moments where Lalo held her down or got slightly assertive in convo, and it's highly implied she wanted to submit to him during those circumstances. It was very weird and uncomfortable, especially when the writing reads for younger YA rather than the character's actual ages (~18). Lalo was a strange one, because, I dunno if it's just me, but he felt so neurodivergent to me. The cleanliness, the social awkwardness, preferring books to people, the refusal to convert to the norms of being a vampire, it felt way too clear to me, but I highly doubt that what Montoya's intentions are, given that none of the adverts she has been putting out for this book on her social media hint at that possibility. I know people can just have those traits without being neurodivergent, but I really feel like the author missed out on a huge opportunity here. Alas, Lalo is not really a fully fleshed out being character beyond the constant reminders he's a stick in the mud.
The vampires act exactly how you expect they would in this book. Besides Lalo, they are generally characterized to be bloodsucking, irredeemable monsters, but we barely get to see any in action throughout the whole book. Their origin is explored by our leads, but so much of it is primarily pushed aside, only given in slight sprinkles from random manuscript excerpts at the end of the chapter, until the very end. There's all these things about gods, the land of the dead, how Carolina's ancestors are responsible for vampires, but it didn't really add up with me. It especially boggling when knowing the setting is in Alta California, as in Alternative California. So, does that mean this world exists in an alternative version of past USA, or is it a different country all together? It's obvious this takes place in the past, but when. I dunno, it's never really explained at all and trying to make it make sense is making my head hurt.
All in all, this wasn't for me. I'm sad, because I thought Montoya would improve from her first work. But if this the signifier of how her next works will go, then I'd prefer to stop here, unless I'm convinced, otherwise.
I liked Montoya's debut Sinner's Isle well enough when I read its audiobook back in August, and I was quite pleased when I was granted an ARC for this one. I think that audiobook's narrators outperformed their work so well that the quality of Montoya's writing didn't really sink in for me, because I didn't really like A Cruel Thirst.
The one word I believe would describe this book the most is lacking. The worldbuilding, the characters, the story, everything is too one-dimensional and simple. Rather than focus on the potential interesting parts, like the vampire lore or the family history, the story mainly revolved around the awkward, clunky romance between Carolina and Lalo. I know the story is supposedly over 400 pages, but it felt a lot shorter than that in my ARC copy, and the "enemies" part was over very quick, because these two were getting sappy over each other too much too soon for my tastes.
Speaking of which, Carolina and Lalo are good ideas of characters, but not enough. Carolina's only motives to do what she does is to prove to the men in her life (i.e., her father) that she's a capable vampire hunter; her other traits directly relate to that. Her feminist 101 "I can make my own decisions without a man!" attitude got so old so quick. Plus, there were moments where Lalo held her down or got slightly assertive in convo, and it's highly implied she wanted to submit to him during those circumstances. It was very weird and uncomfortable, especially when the writing reads for younger YA rather than the character's actual ages (~18). Lalo was a strange one, because, I dunno if it's just me, but he felt so neurodivergent to me. The cleanliness, the social awkwardness, preferring books to people, the refusal to convert to the norms of being a vampire, it felt way too clear to me, but I highly doubt that what Montoya's intentions are, given that none of the adverts she has been putting out for this book on her social media hint at that possibility. I know people can just have those traits without being neurodivergent, but I really feel like the author missed out on a huge opportunity here. Alas, Lalo is not really a fully fleshed out being character beyond the constant reminders he's a stick in the mud.
The vampires act exactly how you expect they would in this book. Besides Lalo, they are generally characterized to be bloodsucking, irredeemable monsters, but we barely get to see any in action throughout the whole book. Their origin is explored by our leads, but so much of it is primarily pushed aside, only given in slight sprinkles from random manuscript excerpts at the end of the chapter, until the very end. There's all these things about gods, the land of the dead, how Carolina's ancestors are responsible for vampires, but it didn't really add up with me. It especially boggling when knowing the setting is in Alta California, as in Alternative California. So, does that mean this world exists in an alternative version of past USA, or is it a different country all together? It's obvious this takes place in the past, but when. I dunno, it's never really explained at all and trying to make it make sense is making my head hurt.
All in all, this wasn't for me. I'm sad, because I thought Montoya would improve from her first work. But if this the signifier of how her next works will go, then I'd prefer to stop here, unless I'm convinced, otherwise.