A review by cheye13
Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I would not pitch this as a vampire novel more so than a feminine addition to the South American magical realism tradition. This is not a spooky, sexy, fun sapphic vampire story; it's primarily about immense personal grief and generational trauma. Because of that heavy subject matter, the tone of the sexual scenes felt out of place. While both the main characters felt fully developed in their own sections, I didn't understand their interactions when their stories finally collided. 

generational trauma; grief; chronic illness; misogyny

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, Kidnapping

It is not described in detail, but early chapters explain that families would "give" their daughters to a cruel count in a castle to appease him where they were kept as ill-treated prisoners and later became his "lovers." There is also a violent slaughter of these women who survived to adulthood.