Review: A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya

*I received a digital advance reading copy of this book from Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

A Cruel Thirst

by Angela Montoya

December 17, 2024

Goodreads Summary:

A fledgling vampire and a headstrong vampire huntress must work together--against their better judgment—to rid the world of monsters in this irresistible romantic fantasy.

Carolina Fuentes has always wanted to join her family in hunting down the bloodthirsty monsters that plague her pueblo. But these days, her father wants her out of town with a husband of his choosing. That’s not happening. Carolina plans to show everyone that she’d make a better vampire slayer than wife. But when she runs into a sediento that is not only handsome but kind, she questions everything.

Lalo Villalobos doesn’t act on impulses. As the eldest of two, his duties were to carry on the family business, marry, and have children. But then he is turned into a sediento and must flee the city, taking lives as he goes north, where he believes the first vampire was made. Surely, the pueblo there will have the answers to reverse this curse or end sedientos altogether. Another unexpected turn? Lalo runs right into a beautiful young woman who’d gladly stake him.

Fortunately, mostly for him, they share a common enemy. They can stop these evil beasts. Together. And if along the way, Lalo and Fernanda discover what it is to truly live and love, then they’ll have won anyway.

Review

I must confess that reading the first few pages of A Cruel Thirst gave me doubts. The voice of the characters felt younger than I liked. However, as I kept reading, I found the story exciting and enjoyable.

The dramatic plot kept A Cruel Thirst going at a steady pace. Each chapter, we learned a little more about the world and the people inhabiting it. The snippets of documents in between each chapter were particularly insightful with information on the sedientos. Carolina and Lalo’s ability to discover pertinent information and connect the dots was exceptional. However unwilling, they made a great team. Their antics entertained me endlessly~

I normally roll my eyes when characters ogle over one another (especially if they’re repetitive about it) but in Carolina and Lalo’s case, I found their mutual attraction endearing. Both were very aware of their progressing feelings. Despite some fighting, every time Carolina and Lalo were together, it felt right. He was the perfect gentleman and she was his skilled lady.

The story came full circle with a most satisfying ending. It’s been ages since I really enjoyed a YA novel so thank you A Cruel Thirst!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the copy I received.