A Cruel Thirst

Gr 10 Up–An enemies-to-lovers historical paranormal romance. Carolina Fuentes is from a long line of vampire hunters, the best of which is her grandfather—her teacher. Her father does not accept this because of her gender. Lalo Villalobos, a bookish boy, is turned into a vampire when pursuing his parents’ killers. Lalo and his sister Fernanda go to Abundancia to find a way to undo his vampirism and rid the world of vampires. What follows is a simultaneously familiar and fresh romance. Romance fans will love the tension between opposites Carolina and Lalo. The pair are described as having brown skin and are of presumably Mexican heritage; the characters use Spanish words, and the lore is based on Nahuatl language. Moreover, the side characters Nena and Fernanda, and their sapphic romance, are as compelling as the main characters: a rare find in romance. Montoya knows how to write a vampire novel that follows some traditional lore but still makes it wholly unique with vampirism that arises from a deal with a god. There is a sex scene between the two leads, but it is not described explicitly.