I recieved an e-arc through NetGalley. This is my honest opinion and thankful for the opportunity to read the book ahead of time.

I was not the target audience for this book. I enjoy ya books as a mid 30 year old reading books. But this book although dark reads more juvenile than most I have read. Even though the characters are older 17-19 it has way to many modern specific references that turned me off from the atmosphere the author was trying to create. The writing is very direct and I think it's suppose to help with how precise and rigid the story is going to be but I was not a fan. I personally would give this book like a 2 but like I said it was not targeted for me so I'll rate it a 3. I hope it finds who it's suppose to be targeted!

This book was so cool! At first I was a bit confused by the three different characters we followed, but when I got to know them I loved them. I loved how different they all were, and they each had their own story to tell. The plot was very interesting. I'm not usually drawn towards witch stories, but I felt like this one was very different than any I have read before. I really enjoyed Krystal Sutherland's writing as well.

Murder, magic, and the macabre. I loved this one so so much! House of Hollow was one of my favorite reads, so I was super excited to see a new one for Krystal Sutherland and she did not disappoint. The Invocations was beautifully weird and gross. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC! I really enjoyed this book. It’s definitely a dark and gruesome one, so if you have a weak stomach this is NOT the book for you haha. The characters were wonderful, the storyline was very unique and spooky and just all around awesome. I’d definitely recommend this book!!!

A worthy book, though not one that'd make my favorites list. the cover is fantastic, and the plot is great. i just felt a bit disconnected from the pov chars. thanks for the arc

4.5 out of 5 stars

Rep: Lesbian MC with chronic pain, sapphic MC, sapphic South Asian side character, Black side character

Content warnings: Body horror (like, a lot), mentioned assault, stalking, home invasion, violence against women, serial murders of women, self harm for magical purposes, domestic violence, religious persecution, death, grief, underage drinking, vomit/blood/excrement, menstruation, fire, mentioned drug use, brief mentions of COVID, brief mentions of dead/injured birds and insects

What a ride! I wasn't completely sold at the beginning -- Zara came across as kind of a pick-me girl during her first chapter or two -- but it sucked me in very quickly. This was my first Krystal Sutherland book, but definitely won't be my last! I adore the way she builds atmosphere.

It's an extremely heavy novel thematically (PLEASE mind the trigger warnings), but so very necessary. And despite that, there's still quite a bit of humor and queer joy. Watching the couple that eventually gets together engage in some good ol' pining had me giggling and kicking my feet.

Also, I LOVE the dedication ("to all the angry girls"). While I no longer identify as a girl, I spent more than two decades of my life being told I couldn't be angry because that isn't what good Christian girls do. I'll likely always feel a connection to feminine rage and I thoroughly enjoy when authors lean into that theme.

All in all, this is an amazing work of horror that I will absolutely be promoting at my library.

**HUGE thank you to Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books for granting me an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!**

A beautiful and gripping story that I am thankful to have read. But the characters need more development. Thank you Netgalley for giving me this ARC

Five, blood-soaked, necrotic, hard-won stars.

Wow, all I can honestly say after finishing this book is that I LOVED it. It was simply stunning in all its black magic-necromancy- “good-for-her” glory. This novel is dark and unflinching. It was a lot more horrific than I thought it was going to be. And While I am sad to say that I have not read House of Hollow yet, it skyrocketed up the list of books I am going to be reading soon. Krystal Sutherland is going to be one of my auto-buy authors, I can feel it.

I think this novel was made for me, with the exceptionally dark elements, the strength of the female characters and the underlying message of the novel, it was a fast and enjoyable read. I think this novel is coming at a very interesting time as well, with the Barbie Movie making waves, and really speaking out to what it means to be a woman in a man’s world. The incredible thing about this novel, while the magic is black and gruesome. There are elements that are simply horrifying. All these women took on these curses to just protect themselves from the ministrations of men. Women harnessed all this power at their fingertips just to simply survive –and are painted as evil, vile horrible creatures. Creatures to be purified and corrected by men. When all they are seeking is to not be molested, to not be beaten, asking for power in exchange to help another person. And what happens as soon as men realize women are doing this – they murder them. They try to steal the women’s power to lord over others, to elevate self, while all the while screaming that the women, they killed were evil, it was justified. I thought there was an extremely powerful message in this novel, and I loved every second of it.

I adored Jude and Emer, (Zara had to grow on me if I’m honest), And while I figured early on who the killer was, there were plenty of other surprises ahead that I did not see coming. I’m going to be thinking about this book for a very long time.


>>>>>

"Abby Gallagher had been fifteen years old when she found Emer and asked her for an invocation that would allow her hands to melt through flesh. There had been an abusive uncle, parents who refused to believe her story, and a younger sister she wanted to protect. So, Abby had decided to take the matter into her own hands. Literally."

"Abby had sent a news article some weeks later about a man named Greg Gallagher whose genitals had melted off in horrific and mysterious circumstances. The journalists theorized about spontaneous human combustion. Little did they know."

"There had been fighting in the Gallagher family. Abby had dropped out of school, could not hold down a job, drank in secret and then no longer bothered to hide it. The family was out of town for the week, visiting relatives. They left their eldest daughter at home alone because she refused to join them. They said her depression prevented her from leaving the house much. Emer is doubly sad for this. That the power she gave her was not enough to change what had already happened. That becoming the hero of your own story does not always mean you get a happy ending."

There is a visceral quality to Sutherland's words, in the way they pull you in and keep you hooked throughout the entirety of a story, unable to look away though other real life priorities may call to you. Jude, Emer, and Zara have very distinct personalities and it was fun to see how they played off of each other throughout the story.
I do feel like the girls were given pretty young ages given the way they acted and moved about in the world, but other times their adolescence was perfectly characterized. The concept of witches acquiring magic by tethering beings that eat their very souls was so interesting to me, I wish there had been more plot dedicated to explaining the history of how that came to be.
Overall, the dark tale of these 3 girls pulled me in and had me riveted until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a eARC of this book!

An amazing book by Krystal Sutherland. Many of my friends have also extremely enjoyed this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley

“You have never been alone” Bael
“I didn’t come this far to come this far.” Zara
“Look they have come for you. They always come for you.” Bael

I don’t believe I’ve ever loved a demon, ever, until Bael. This book is about three girls who have decided to find a serial killer in London.
A girl who’s took magic into her own hands (did not go so well), another whose sister is a victim of the killer, and a witch with vengeance.
The story had the perfect amount of suspense, action, and gore with just the right amount of humor. Sutherland can write a great young adult horror story.

The writing was not my cup of tea. It felt choppy and a little disjointed and it was honestly slower than anything I’ve read in a long time. I will not be picking it back up nor will I be reading anything else by this author.

A massive thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!! I really enjoyed this book; definitely something I will tell my friends about!

I was really anticipating this book and had high hopes. I tried to pick it up three different times and I just had a hard time getting through it. I think it had to do with the formatting of arc and the missing letters. The story was good, but the three different voices seemed to be blended together. Just be aware of the trigger warnings. It did not read like a YA book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc of this.
3/5 stars

After reading “house of hollow” by Sutherland I knew she would become an auto read/buy. I do have to say that “The invocation” did grab my interest a little fast than house of hollow. I couldn’t put this book down, and even when I had to (for sleep) I couldn’t stop thinking about it, I woke up ready to start reading again. If it wasn’t for work I would have finished it way faster.

I loved the story and message, I loved all the characters. My favorite was Jude wolf. She was funny and had a fiery personality. It’s told in 3 pov and I believe this was in third person omniscient (although I can be wrong)

The ending was something I was not expecting, when the truth is finally being found out I was in complete shock. It was a plot twister for sure. I feel like this would make a great doulogy, not becuase the ending was unfinished but becuase the world building and storyline can do with a sequel. I want some more of Jude, Emer and Zara. Without spoiling Emer story is just beginning and I would like to have a follow up.

3.5 stars

Totally gruesome vibes

Women dying left and right and who better to save them than 3 witches.

I did like the story i did feel that it dragged out a little to long for my liking. I found some parts to be really predictable but over all an enjoyable easy read

I recommend it to lovers of horror books

Obsessed! Love this raging feminist witchy book. It was very fast paced. Sometimes a bit predictable but didn’t mind.
“You’re a goddamn vegan influencer!” This line made me laugh. Loved the bit of humor throw in.

Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC

Serial killers. An original magic system and demons. Necromancy. This book has it all. The three main characters are all smart and powerful women in their own right. Jude comes in with the wit and sarcasm while Emer is strong and serious and Zara is thoughtful and intelligent. Their lives are woven together when they try to catch a killer and release a curse.

The pacing is good I never was bored and constantly was intrigued as the story unfolded. The magic system was new and captivated my attention. Couldn’t stop reading once I started

Did not finish.
Did not have a trigger warning for self harm. The book is impossible to read due to the formatting. Letters are missing from multiple words. I have no idea what it says. I thought I would like this book after House of Hollow, I did not.
There was no trigger warnings for animal death or abuse either.

To start, thank you to Netgalley for early access to this title! Moving along, The Invocations is Krystal Sutherland’s new novel that deals with all things occult. If you’re like me, you probably loved Sutherland’s previous title House of Hollow, which touches on similar topics. As someone who loved said book, I had high hopes for this book and I will say they weren’t entirely met. Sutherland’s book is more character driven than plot driven, which wouldn’t be an issue if the characters were slightly more developed. She gives us exciting and relatable characters, but their relationships and stories seem to lack a bit of depth. Emer, Jude, and Zara are interesting characters and I wish would’ve gotten a little more of them somehow. The witchcraft and sapphic parts of this book are the meat and potatoes, and I do think they keep the story afloat. Jude, her sexuality, and the way she presents herself to the word is reminiscent of Cassandra Clare’s Anna Lightwood. In simpler terms, Jude is a lot of fun. Emer and Zara each bring their own flavor to the story which is appreciated. Sutherland’s best work in this book is her descriptions of grief through the eyes of each character. The way she describes the all over heaviness of dealing with loss is very real and human. It is some of her best writing here. All in all, this book was entertaining and did satisfy its promised plot. However, I wish Sutherland gave us a bit more of from the characters and their relationships with themselves and each other.