A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya

e-Audio, 11:14:54
Narrated by: Diana Bustelo & Gary Tiedemann
Release Date: December 17, 2024
Published by: Random House Children’s Books (Joy Revolution)
Read from: December 5-7, 2024
Stand-alone
Source: PRH Audio App (I received a copy of this e-ALC from the publisher and their app in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Animal Death, Death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Gun Violence
For Readers Interested In: fantasy, supernatural, Sparkly covers, Racial/Ethnic Diversity (Latinx-Mexican), Vampires, YA 

      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.

*MY THOUGHTS*

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it twice… I’m not usually a vampire person, so I was a little wary of this one. But Idk why I was. I fell for Angela Montoya’s writing last year when I read her debut. And this one was even better.

Ok so one thing I really liked in this one was the lore. And the way he was only feeding off animals and stuff from the butcher. It wasn’t the sparkly vampire kind tho. It was more along the lines of he was a bad ass because he was trying SO HARD not to take the lives of anyone. It felt a little unhinged because how did he have the will power? And how did he make sure that he had enough and wasn’t killing his own self. It was a lot and I wish that we got a little deeper into it, but then again, it was already over 400 pages, so i was like eh ok lol

The romance was also really good too. I know the trope of vampire and vampire hunter is very much over done, but I still think it was done well. She did try to off him at some point and she did not make it easy on him when she finally did decide to be with him. The fake dating took me by surprise tho lol Because I had no idea how she was going to essentially stomach him for that long lol But I also remembered that Lalo was such a sweet person, he just had a really damned soul. But the fact that he was doing everything he could to reverse this even when he had no idea how it was going to effect him was so crazy. I loved it so much.

I think I wanted more of a background from Carolina and her family tho. I think it would be cool to get a pre-quel because the tea that is dropped in this one had me like sitting up in the dark like OMG! I just wish we got more info on that side because that’s the side that’s coolest to me. And I hated that she lost her abuelo like this without telling her the full scope of everything. And yes I know this might be spoiler filled, so my only hope is that one day it will be like an added scene or something lol

This was so much more than I thought it was going to be. I’m not a fan of vampires (thanks Twilight) but these are not your average ones. I hope there’s more to come!

Overall, I give this