Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was the perfect spooky season read and I loved the magic or invocations in this book. I loved the three women and their different stories and how they came together to solve the murders of other women. I really enjoyed this whole book and how multi layered this book was and all of the reveals within the book. I really want to learn more about the magic in this world as it was fascinating.
This book is everything you could ever want out of a sapphic witchy book! Krystal Sutherland continues to impress me with her writing! I am a life long fan of hers and I can’t wait to reread this one!
This is the kind of witchy, atmospheric book that makes my insides tingle. If you thought House of Hollow was good, then strap in because The Invocations is BETTER. It tackles themes of misogyny, intersectional feminism, and toxic masculinity without being too preachy AND it’s creepy as hell.
4 solid stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!
Krystal Sutherland does it again! I loved her book House of Hollows. So of course, I had to give this one a shot. And again, it was magic. She’s great at weaving magic and reality together.
I was so excited to read this book after loving House of Hollow but unfortunately I really didn't enjoy this one. The magic system itself was great, it was very complex and unique but also not too confusing to where I could understand it. The characters were great and well fleshed out, Jude was my personal favorite of course. There was just something about this book I didn't care for. I don't know if it felt too long to me or if it was the fact that towards the middle I was getting pretty bored. The atmosphere and setting were fantastic, I loved the autumnal feel and all of the creepy, gothic estates. I think just by me comparing my enjoyment when reading House of Hollow compared to reading this, it doesn't hold up. I loved the female friendships, the very unique magic and it even had a couple of really big, shocking twists. Maybe this book could have just been a little shorter and I would have enjoyed it more.
Many thanks Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group | Nancy Paulsen Books for the gifted copy for my honest review!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.
I absolutely love how Krystal Sutherland writes creepy books! It's the perfect read for the spooky season and I find myself thinking about the Invocations and her other book, House of Hollow, the closer it gets to Halloween. The powerful women in this book really drive the story and make it memorable. This book has witchy spells, demons and grotesque descriptions that just really stick with you long after you've read it (in a good way). I highly recommend this book as well as anything else she has written or will write. She's become an auto buy for me!
Love books about female rage and this one was oozing with it out of every decaying crevice. I adored the story, the mystery, the writing and the characters. This was an incredible, FRESH ride the entire way through and though House of Hollow remains my favorite, this offering is still high on my list of recs.
This book was so gripping and did a great job of making me want to find out what was going on. The overall message is also very important, and I saw a lot of parallels between the witch hunters who were trying to kill women to “save them” and conservatives who try to dictate what people can’t read or can’t do just because they personally think it’s bad, when it’s none of their business.
This was a very interesting tale of three young women and the demons, magic and murders that bind them together. My first read by the author so I’m looking forward to checking out what else she has written.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for allowing me to read an ARC of The Invocations.
Three girls. Three girls full of anger, horror, determination, spite, desire, passion and deep sadness come together to work with each other, and the unique magic they each bring to get what they deserve.
I absolutely loved Krystal Sutherlands House of Hollow, so I was so excited to get this ARC. The ARC itself was weirdly formatted on my Kindle, so it took a bit of time for me to adjust, and was the only thing that initially kept me away from devouring this book. Once I got used to it though, devour I did. If you are in the mood for a raw, graphic, burn the patriarchy the f*** DOWN, then this is the book for you. If you are new to Krystal Sutherland, there is a huge component of raw and graphic body related horror.
Absolutely recommend.
This book is absolutely outstanding! Grim and honestly just beautifully written. I will definitely be looking out for Krystal Sutherland in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
I loved this book! House of Hollow is one of my favorite YA horror books, so I was so excited for this one. Witches, demons, sapphic romance, horror, and a murder mystery!! I love the woman forward story. Women can only bargain with demons. This was such a ride.
Thank you NetGalley
Krystal Sutherland's *The Invocations* is a mesmerizing blend of dark fantasy and psychological intrigue that captivates with its unique premise and atmospheric prose. Sutherland’s richly developed world and complex characters create an immersive reading experience full of twists and emotional depth. The novel's compelling narrative and haunting themes make it a standout in contemporary fantasy.
Big fan of this one with the three girls, Jude, Zara, and Emer teaming up to fight against someone/something that is targeting the people that Emer is making spells for, as a witch, she can track all of the spells, often to help women keep safe against abusive men, and all of the women end up dead. Each one has a vested interest in helping. Jude's body is decomposing as the demons she's connected to eat away at her body (the descriptions are EPIC), and Zara wants justice for a family member.
Their collection of powers and sheer will to survive make this a strong female forward story that is take no prisoners in nature, with magic and witches, demons and vengefulness. It's the best kind of fantasy. The atmosphere Sutherland creates is next level.
A wonderful, magical romp of a book, perfect for taking you away from the tortures of reality in our world today. Highly recommend this book.
This book gives off the most perfect magical dark academia vibes that I needed. There's a little bit of something for everyone with the mix of YA, horror, fantasy, witchy vibes and a bit of romance. We get to follow 3 young women who have all tangled with magic and demons but each with their own agenda as they hunt for a witch killer. There are 3 MC's and the chapters alternate between each one's perspective - which I loved.
This is a very dark tale and it was more gory than I expected for a YA novel but it wasn't too much. I loved the magical system and how only women could wield powers. Sutherland gave us a heavy dose of feminism along with this tale. Normally I would say this detracts from the story - but the way she tied it in was perfect.
Jude was definitely my favorite character. I loved her attitude and how she was always hitting on Chopra. Her little quips were always so funny and gave a relaxed element to a book that is filled with dark elements and magic. Zara was the character I didn't personally understand. I get her reasoning for wanting to know more about what her sister was up to but at the same time I felt it was a little ridiculous that she thought raising her sister from the dead would be a good idea. But maybe that's just her own grief talking?? Emer gave us woodland witch vibes and I felt for her after her entire family was slaughtered. I was glad to see that the stories all tied together in way at the end (won't say more due to spoilers).
I did guess the ending in a way but it didn't detract from how chaotic this book got. There was so much going on in the last 50-100 pages that you won't want to set this one down. I will also say I wished we had gotten more of the romance side of things but that's just me always rooting for a good love story in the midst of demon attacks. The ending was wrapped up well but I wish we had gotten to see a better character arc for one person in particular that turned out to be slightly good? IYKYK.
I would highly recommend this book for fans of Ninth House and for those who love a good demon-filled witchy tale. This one earned a 4-star rating for me. The magic system was a little complicated and took some getting used to but it is a relatively straight forward fantasy/horror novel that will have you hooked.
I was sad I didn’t love this because I loved House of Hollow! But the premise of this one just didn’t work for me; I think it’s more of a personal preference thing than anything being wrong with the book. So I know a lot of readers will love this and I’ll definitely recommend it to people!
This book had some intriguing plot points and it was a good fantasy magic book. The romance was not my favorite but the book overall kept me entertained.