Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: 4 Stars

This was a book I'd been SO excited to get to and I'm so glad I made the time to do just that! Krystal Sutherland has absolutely won me over and I will be reading more from this author. A witchy twisty story with amazing plot and characters, this is one of my favorites so far of 2024. So fun, so attention grabbing. Well done!

The Invocations was a dark witchy thriller about three teenaged outcast that are looking to find their way. This was a new author to me and I can not wait to read more books by this author. The book had an amazing plot with great characters and I was turning pages till the very end. Overall I highly enjoyed The Invocations and would recommend this book to any reader who loves fantasy or horror. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC read in exchange of my honest review of The Invocations.

Three young women are connected by the thinnest of threads, but can they help each other overcome their demons? Emer is a witch on the run. Trying to keep her traditions alive, while running away from witch hunters, she becomes involved with Jude and Zara because there is someone out there killing the witches that Emer has helped in the past. Zara’s sister was one of those people, and Zara will do anything in her power to unearth the secrets of witch craft, so she can see her sister one more time. On the other hand Jude is a lovable idiot who went and cursed herself wrong, and has been hunting for a real witch for years in order for her to help her.

Out of all the characters Jude was definitely my favorite. A spoiled princess who just wants her old life back, Jude is flippant and a flirt. She is also honest about her wants/needs, and quite brave. Zara is a type A, she had her whole life planned ahead of her until her sister met an untimely demise. Now she has switched her laser focus to finding a way to bring her sister back. Emer is like a wild animal who is just barely civilized enough to not bite at the table. She is extremely traumatized by events in her past, and has been on the run ever since. Her relationship with her demons is not gonna lie the sweetest (which is kind of weird, but not really after you read it). Together they are an unlikely pair, but they form a sisterhood.

My favorite part of The Invocations is definitely the magic system! It is quite unlike any other I have ever read before in which there are special kinds of witches called curse writers who will tether demons to the women who request the power. They are tethered by way of tattoo, but a special magical tattoo that requires a ton of thought and consideration (even ancient languages). Once the demon is tethered, it doesn’t just wait until the human is dead to take their prize, instead the demon basically “drains” the human little by little depending on the power level this human requested. Pretty nifty! I also liked just how Krystal Sutherland describes the demons and their relationship to Emer (our MC witch). It is a darkly special bond, that kind of makes you think… is Emer even doing the right thing by tethering these demons to the women, or is the “right” thing just relative? The women look for power where they can, usually to escape terrible situations, but who is Emer to dictate what is a good or wrong reason? What if she gives the women the power, and then they go on a killing rampage? So much left unexplored!

But what was explored was done quite well. I did appreciate the mystery behind the witch serial killer, the way they are confronted/found out, and the ending slapped so hard. It had multiple threats to be addressed, and it does it in very gory style. Overall, a very good read!

The Invocations is the perfect amount of rotting, fetid horror for any queer horror girly. Zara is a girl who is seeking a magical solution to her sister's grizzly death. Jude is rotting from the inside out thanks to a demonic deal gone wrong. Emer just might be the solution to both of their problems; a girl raised by witches and demons with a dark past of her own. Each of the character's POVs feels distinct in voice and tone, and each story is quite compelling, if often also incredibly frustrating to read. The frustration in this book, however, is very much intentional. Of course this is a paranormal horror novel that is deeply descriptive and atmospheric, but more than that, it is an ode to feminine rage, and powerlessness, and reclaiming of power tied deeply to femininity in a world where every single institution seems made to keep them down. I can see how some readers may see this as a bit too "on-the-nose" but I think that it's the perfect amount of horror meets feminism. The plot is cool and terrifying and the magic system is really interesting and complicated while making absolute sense. The characters are all incredibly frustrating and flawed, but I love it. But, where this book truly shines, though, is in its descriptiveness and the way in which the rotting, putrid, decrepit, and downright terrifying horror elements saturate the prose. It's borderline gratuitous, but it works so well to create the atmosphere of this one. I know that this probably isn't for everyone, but it is very, very much for me.

I think the pacing of this was just a little too slow for me which made it hard for me to get into it.

This book easily became one of my favorites quite quickly. I am not a huge fan of magic and wizards and witches in books normally. However, this book may have changed that for me. The characters were chef's kiss, the plot and storyline were perfectly paced in my opinion, and there are not many things I can find to criticize. This would be a 4.5 rounded up to a 5 star for me!

Krystal Sutherland is a master of creepy girl books now. House of Hollow was a favorite of mine and I had very high expectations going into this book and it definitely didn't let me down.

Dark academia with sapphic witches - sign me up. The Invocations had a lot to like! Unique magic, interesting characters and of course, murder. The setting was very atmospheric and spooky. I liked how Jude, Emer and Zara all worked together. Their interactions were sometimes laugh out loud funny but other times very vulnerable as you get to know what each girl is dealing with. I did feel like the story stalled out a little in the middle, but overall this scratched my itch to read something truly witchy. Another winner from Krystal Sutherland and if you liked her first, House of Hollow, you'll definitely enjoy this one! TW for a lot of cutting and blood.

Krystal Sutherland does it again. House of Hollow is one of my favorite books - top of the list - and The Invocations is right there with it. Her writing balances horror and beauty in such a delicate way! The characters are gritty and full of such rage that you have to keep turning the pages to see what's going to happen next. Some of the plot twists were a little predictable but the way they unfolded was so incredibly well written.

Sutherland will continue to by an auto-buy author for me!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/Nancy Paulsen Books for providing me with a digital review copy of this fantastic book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Invocations was a very intriguing read full of magic, curses, witches, demons and a murder mystery. It very much has the England gothic vibe and all three characters come from different backstories but yet have a lot in common that brings them together. It has a sapphic romance, loss of a loved one, and family issues. I really enjoyed the Witchy/demon interaction. Definitely would pick up the next book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of this book for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this! I’m catching up some already released titles so I switched back and forth between that copy and an audiobook copy from my library.

This was creepy, witchy, and very feminist feeling. Overall, I liked the premise, but it took me a while to keep the three POVs straight at the beginning, before they interacted with each other. I think this would be a great fall read.

From the first chapter this book was spooky and totally gripping. There are three main characters, but all of them sound very similar. so that made it very difficult to differentiate each one from the other. However, this has all of the elements I adore which are witchy, paranormal, dark academia, and scary, This was a stunning story full of feminine rage and had ample representation, and of course the cover is also absolutely gorgeous. Even though I couldn't connect with this story, it was raw and hauntingly beautiful.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/Nancy Paulsen Books for providing me with a digital review copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Dark, dark, dark. What an excellent foray into this magical, messed up world. This had heavy The Craft vibes and I was completely here for it. There is a good amount of gore so if that's a trigger for you, here is your warning. If you can get around that, this is well worth the read.

5 Wickedly Grotesque Stars!
So this story revolves around three girls.

Zara-Wants to resurrect her murdered sister.
Jude-A bratty billionaire who accidentally cursed herself and her very soul is decaying.
Emer-A witch selling spells.

Zara and Jude team up to find Emer to help them, but things take a turn when they realize that Emer’s customers are turning up dead. Now the three must work together to find and stop the killer, before they end up his next victims.

The characters were perfectly imperfect and worked so well together as a group and individually.
The sapphic romance was romancing.
The overall dread and gothic atmosphere was excellent.
The themes of womanhood, misogyny, and feminism were really felt and handled beautifully.
The magical system set-up was unique and different from anything I have read thus far. Very well done.

This was disgusting, dark, hilarious, an absolute blast all around! I don’t know how the author managed to have me laughing and gagging at the same time, but here we are.

Check it out Now!
A big thanks to the Publisher & NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Great witchy mystery. I enjoyed the plot and the story unfolded at a nice pace which kept me interested. I didn't read House of Hollow (also by Krystal Sutherland) but I'll be circling back to it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital arc.

I love Krystal Sutherland's writing. It's masterful. Her characters (and the way they see the world around them) always feels so unique and personal, and The Invocations is just as dark and intriguing as I thought it would be. I loved the witchy, paranormal, and mysterious vibes of this one!

The Invocations is everything I didn't know I was looking for. If you like all things witchy, sapphic, and feminist, you will love The Invocations. If you grew up watching Totally Spies and W.I.T.C.H., you will DEVOUR this book like the demons that (no spoiler here) devour pieces of witches' souls in exchange for deadly magic.

Okay, now that I've hooked you in (hopefully), here's an actual summary:

The Invocations centers around three teens trying to catch a magical serial killer.

Emer Byrne is a woman on the run, a cursewriter whose skill is binding demons to women so that they may never live in fear of men. She comes from a long line of cursewriters, all of whom died at the hands of four witchhunters when Emer was a girl. When we meet Emer, she's hiding in the hallways of Oxford, kept company by her companion demon, Bael, and eeking out a living helping her clients.

Jude Wolf is a formerly badass lesbian and heiress to the Wolf family fortune, but when we meet her, she's living in a decrepit mansion and falling apart--literally. Jude attempted her own invocation years ago and has paid the price since, with a festering wound on her thigh and a burning desire to fix this curse. Desperate for any leads, she goes to lengths both nonsensical and illegal to figure out how to cure herself. She misses her life desperately, but, above all, she misses her half-brother Elijah, the other black sheep in their wealthy family.

Zara Jones is a straight-A, type-A, uptight girl, but inside, she's burdened by guilt and grieving. A year ago, her sister Savannah died at the hands of the London Ripper, Zara is CERTAIN...but the cases have never been linked. Either way, Zara will do anything to bring her sister back. When we meet her, she's experimenting with necromancy and contacting a PI who's always first on the scene to the murders.

When Zara and Jude cross paths at the most recent crime scene, they immediately realize they've both come for the same thing: the occult. In a hidden bookshop, they find Emer, and then, the race against time to catch the killer begins.

All three girls are beautifully rounded characters and their arcs unfold wonderfully. I love the hints of romance between Emer and Jude, and I love Sutherland's deliciously dark writing. I also love that magic has consequences -- shortened lifespans, mysterious illnesses, and the attention of powerful men. It felt very contemporary and timely, and surprisingly mature for YA! The twists are executed well, but my only complaint is that the actual killer feels like it comes out of left field. Mild spoiler -- this character has previously had no hints in this direction and I felt that maybe a line or two could have helped to develop his motivations better. Maybe it is in there, but I just devoured this book so quickly that I missed it, but I didn't love the ending like I should have. I wanted to live in the beginning and middle of this book, though.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nancy Paulsen Books, and Krystal Sutherland for granting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I immensely enjoyed Sutherland's writing style and can't wait to see what she releases next!

Not me being forever obsessed with the cover of THE INVOCATIONS. 😍

THE INVOCATIONS follows three characters who come together to stop a supernatural killer before he kills them. Each one has their own reason to be involved: one is trying to figure out what happened to her sister, another has made a deal with the devil & the third is a witch who’s clients are dying one by one.

First off, the writing? Beautiful, exquisite, we love to see it. Second, the plot? The story? Kept me wondering what the heck was actually happening & who’s behind what’s going on. But my favorite part of the story is the character work. I loved the obvious differences between the main girls & I loved how they all three came together to form a friendship. Jude 100% had my heart, while I really REALLY wanted to hug Zara. & we can’t forget the powerful Emer, a badass.

Other perks? LGBTQ+ rep with a ship I’d go down with. & for my horror babes, the body horror was pretty dope.

I absolutely vibed with this one & can’t wait to read Krystal’s previous novel HOUSE OF HOLLOW.

Delightfully creepy!

17yo Emer is a curse writer that gives spells to women that are afraid and want protection. 17yo Jude has a demon following her and she’s suffering physically from the toll it’s taking on her. 17yo Zara wants to reanimate the sister she lost a year ago when she was murdered. The three young women end up working together to solve the murder mystery of a serial killer the police are calling the London Ripper. They get themselves in deeper than they bargained for and hopefully they won’t be the next victims.

Likes/dislikes: I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the twists. I was spooked a few times by the creepy descriptions. I like the strength and perseverance of the three main characters, Emer, Jude and Zara. Jude adds humor to the story.
Mature Content: PG-13 for mention of drug use.
Language: R for 162 swears and 27 f-words.
Violence: R for repeated bloodshed and deaths.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is mostly white with some Black, brown and olive skin tones included.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Nancy Paulsen Books for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Zara Jones is grieving her sister and she believes in magic, refusing to accept her sister is truly gone. She's willing to do anything to get her back, even dabbling with occult.
On the other side, Jude Wolf is the daughter of a billionarie and after a deal with a demon gone wrong, now she's cursed, her soul becoming necrotic and her existence filled with pain and things haunting her in the night. Now that she's cursed she only wants to find a way to undo it. Emer Byrne is a witch with a deadly power and the solution of both Zara's and Jude's problems. Indeed, she is the one who give desperate women her invocations, to those who are willing to exchange pieces of their souls, of course. Zara and Jude want to do that, but first they have to find the witch. When Emer's clients end up dead, they soon understand there's a killer targeting them, a supernatural one and so Emer makes a deal with Zara and Jude in order to find the killer. Even though Emer can't give them what the want most.

The invocations, by the incredible Krystal Sutherland, is a supernatural, witchy thriller, filled with magic and feminism, supernatural killer, loss and grief and stubborn girls. I absolutely loved being immersed in this book, because the writing style and worldbuilding are seductive and intriguing and you can't not love Emer, Zara and Jude. Each woman is complex, stubborn and brave and each of them are facing a struggle, grief, loss, power and desire and I truly was impressed by their characterization and relationships they build with each other in the book. Their journey is incredible and I loved how it was intertwined with the magic and they hunting the supernatural killer and how magic was mixed with their lives.
I loved everything!