"It is much more pleasant to not see the horrors that live alongside humans."

There's a haunting familiarity to The Invocations, but Sutherland delivers something unique and unforgettable. This is a perfectly executed story about rearing against the fear and powerlessness of being a woman. A true 'f*** the patriarchy' narrative brimming with female rage and badass witchy vibes.

I was instantly intrigued by our main characters and how their differing motivations and backgrounds drew them together to fight a common enemy. Zara, Emer and Jude are all so likeable and painfully relatable throughout; I'm obsessed with their dynamics.

The storytelling was dark and deliciously atmospheric, and the horror?? The vividness of the gore had me physically shivering and I couldn't pull myself away. I was genuinely so immersed in the stakes of this demonic world that I read with all the lights on.

Sutherland has woven an intricate tapestry of common themes but has reimagined them in such a magically creepy way. She even managed a balance of truly heart wrenching moments, unbelievably scary shit and laugh-out-loud humor.

My only complaint is that the ending felt rushed considering the overall pacing, but my captivation with these characters and their world probably makes me biased. I didn't want their story to end.

A huge 4.25⭐ coming from a reader who usually avoids this genre!

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland was an interesting and compelling YA novel.
This book was absolutely phenomenal! I was hooked right from the start.
The imagery in The Invocations was phenomenal, and it was suspenseful and well-paced, with an intriguing mystery.
The multiple PoVs really set the tone for the characters.
The plot is fast-paced with elements of witchy gothic vibes and horror.
The characters are mysterious and engaging.
This book has demons, witches, magic and murder. It was absolutely phenomenal.
Krystal Sutherland takes you on an epic adventure with these characters and it was one I didn’t want to leave.

Thank You NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers; Nancy Paulsen Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This book was really good! I enjoyed the witchy vibes and inclusion of the LGBTQ community. I think Krystal Sutherland is just getting better and better

This book. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. The Invocations is for the girls who are unapologetically 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺. It's for the girls who have been wronged and hurt and blamed for it. It's for the girls who have fought back in the only way they know how. It's for the girls who want to survive in a world that doesn't want them to.

I adored every single one of our main characters, but especially adored Emer and wish I had gotten more of her. I could honestly read an entire book about Emer. I loved how dark and gritty and witchy The Invocations was. That paired up with female rage and unapologetic queerness made for a perfect book. It genuinely feels like this book was written for me and a lot of parts hit extremely close to home. Especially Abby Ghallager's story. I'm so happy this books exists.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the opportunity to read an online arc of The Invocations.

The Invocations was the first book I have read by Krystal Sutherland but certainly will not be the last. I was intrigued after reading a sneak peek and learning a bit about the plot online. I am not typically a YA reader and in my opinion the story reads more adult than I originally expected. (I was surprised when the content was far darker and gorier than I would expect in a YA book, heed all trigger warnings.) That said, I enjoyed the depth of the story and getting to know the three main characters, past and present. Each survives in the wake of a tragedy: poor little rich girl Jude, who carries on after bringing a curse on herself, book smart Zara, who cannot move forward after her sister’s tragic death and budding witch Emer, who lives on the fringes of the Oxford community trying to aid powerless women in memory of her lost family. Each girl has their own demons (literally and figuratively) and a great deal of trust issues. But they quickly form an alliance toward mutual goals. I found this bond to be believable, which gives the book its heart. I also thoroughly enjoyed the way “magic” is introduced and used throughout the story. It was realistic to believe that it exists in present day London.

I am loathe to provide any further details here least spoiling the way the story unfolds. I will just say that the story sucks you in from the initial chapter, which provides a good entry point into the world of invocations, to a satisfying ending. I have my hopes that we will not leave these characters behind…sequel please! 5/5 read

Short and Sweet Review
The Invocations, centers around three girls, Zara, Jude, and Emer. After the death of her sister Savannah, Zara feels as if she has no choice but to believe in magic because she plans on bringing her sister back from the dead. Jude is looking for a witch to undo the damage she did to herself when she unsuccessfully tried a spell to attach her soul to a demon. Emer is a witch and she’s helped plenty of women by giving them invocations, but the women she’s helped are ending up murdered. The three girls end up connecting over their need to believe in something bigger than them and also to stop a killer.
This book is jam packed with action and we have three strong female characters that are at the forefront. Jude is somehow friends with an officer that lets Jude come in and look at some of the crime scenes and consult. Zara ends up finding Jude and together they find Emer who seems to be connected to all of the women being murdered. The three try to piece everything together and end up finding that the person behind this isn’t going to stop and he has it out for witches. I liked how dark this book was tone wise. Jude is dealing with some nasty stuff and because of that she’s been isolated from her family, this is why Jude is seeking out Emer, she needs a curse writer to get ride of the chronic pain she’s in by being tethered to demons. Zara believes that everything will be better if she just has her sister back which is why she also needs Emer. Emer is a talented curse writer and because of that her clients have become targets. Each girl brings something special to the book and they have a different personality. We get to read from all three POVs. This feels like one of those books where the characters start off with rocky family situations but end up finding family with the people who are now surrounding them. It was interesting to see how magic and demons worked in this book, it was also cool that only women were able to do magic.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and the dark tone of it. The demons, magic, and characters really brought everything to life.

If you are looking for a Sapphic Witch story look no further. The Invocations is a beautiful story about the occult, friends, and magic.

I just love Krystal Sutherland’s writing style so much. It’s so unique and beautiful. I absolutely loved the characters in this book. They were each uniquely different and interesting. I also really loved the magic system and witch lore.
I’m really hoping this might become a series or duet! Please I need a book two with Ember and Jude!
4/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an Arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

Well, I'm sad. The Invocations really wasn't the book for me. I was looking forward to reading about witches and demons and curses, but Sutherland decided to take this in a direction that was simply not for me.

I didn't like the world-building regarding the magic/demons/witches. It was needlessly complicated in the beginning and some of the major twists involving this element could have been better developed. I also wasn't a fan that the big conflict here relied so much on a trope we've seen over and over again. It did seem like the author was trying something new with the magic, but then forgot to try something new with who the bad guys were in the story.

There were 3 distinct perspectives, which were well written, but I didn't connect to any of them. I outright couldn't stand Jude. Emer was a non-entity throughout most of the book. Zara did have an interesting character arc, to a point, but it was predictable. The romance also didn't work for me.

The plot was pretty straight-forward, overall. There weren't that many characters around so it became preeeetty obvious who was behind everything and what had happened. There was no sense of discovery or surprise, personally. It was only a matter of time of me reading to reach the end. Disappointing.

WHOA. Where do I even begin?! This book is a masterpiece that had me hooked from start to finish and I devoured it in less than 24 hours (I COULDN’T STOP READING!!). I am still mind blown with all of it!

So let’s break it down a bit… the novel follows Emer, Zara and Jude, three teens which are brought together by destiny (in this case specifically, by invocations). They each have their motives, and they quickly find out that they need each other to solve the gruesome murders that are connected not only to women but their invocations. The story was such a wild rollercoaster that never let down. Plus, the twists at the end has me in utter shock!! It was so incredible, stressful, and gory at the same time.

This novel is so unapologetically feminist, empowering, full of sisterhood and female rage that it was such a delight to experience. With so many underlying themes under the invocations and their power, I wish I could have more of this world and of Emer, Jude and Zara. One of the best thriller/horror books I’ve read in a while! Can’t wait to read more by this author. Will be recommending it to EVERYONE!!!

This book was dark, gory, and mysterious with a very compelling storyline and great world building. Going into the book, I thought the read was going to be five stars. The beginning certainly was. However, as the story progressed, it became weaker and weaker. By a certain point, maybe 65% into the story, the whodunit aspect became very predictable because there just were not many characters introduced in the story. Another con was that I do not think the characters grew or if they did, it felt artificial.

4.5 Stars
Tropes: Witch Hunters, Found Family, Who Done It, Forced Proximity, Serial Killers

Thank you Netgalley for a eARC of this book.

This book was a whirlwind of a story and I may have stayed up late to make sure that I found out how everything ended up. I don't remember the last time I felt compelled to do that.

This story follows three teenage (17ish) girls that live in London. A killer is on the lose and they are cutting out squares of skin then murdering the women.

Jude is the daughter of a very wealthy man in London, but she accidentally cursed herself. Now everything she owns has fallen into ruin, and her leg is rotting...

Zara's sister has recently died. She is obsessed with the occult and will do anything to talk to Savannah just one more time

Emer writes Invocations. She is an extremely talented witch that lives day to day.

When the girls paths become intertwined, everything will change.

Quotes:
"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,"
"I have to die... I need one of you to kill me."

Thoughts:
This book while very gory at times, was such a thrill to read. I loved House of Hollow so when I saw that Krystal Sutherland had a new book coming out I knew that I wanted to read it.
I loved all the three girls all had very different reasons for being involved with the occult. They were all working together originally out of selfish reasons, but their relationship evolved into so much more.
Emer's life was such a mess and I loved seeing her character get a support system, and people that she could count on after what happened was fantastic.
The underlying story of Emer's revenge to kill the people who took her family- the freaking plot twist- holy crap. It was fantastic. I somewhat saw it but the killer... I did not predict that at all.
I loved that there is a HEA with such a dark book. I really enjoy mystery/horror books that get super messy but then everything ends up good.
The relationship between Jude and her father was very interesting.

This is my first book by Krystal Sutherland and, if this book is anything to go by, atmosphere is an important aspect to her writing. At a basic level, it's a race against time to stop a serial killer targeting witches. I don't know that I'd call it a fantasy but instead a thriller with a supernatural angle. It's dark and gritty, uncertainty sits heavily over every moment. While it's written for a YA audience, I'd definitely say it skews older as at least two of the three main characters, Emer and Jude, feel much older than their ages.

All three MC were well drawn out fully fleshed characters. While Zara felt like the youngest, I identified with her dealing with the loss of a family member, things said in anger prior to that loss and wanting to reverse time to fix it. Emer's background felt like dipping into history during the Salem witch trials which was what grabbed my attention and allowed me to understand her feelings of isolation and disconnect from the world around her. Jude, well Jude was just a fun character; hiding her longing for family connection through quips and humor.

While the action really kicks in at the last 100 pages, this never felt like it dragged. There was enough character development and their actions kept the story moving along nicely. Again, my favorite aspect was the the spooky, sense of dread feeling throughout that made me feel like I should be reading this under the covers with a flashlight - think Seven, The Exorcist, etc. where characters are doing regular, everyday things but you just know something's coming.

Thank you to so, so much to Netgalley for providing me with my first digital review copy of this fantastic book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was my first novel by Krystal Sutherland so I didn't have any expectations going in. Horror is not my usual genre to read, but the overall messaging in this story is very much something that tugs at my heartstrings. This story shows just how difficult it can to be a women finding their way into life and what they will do in order to gain power and survival over the men that try to bring them down.

The Invocations follows three young girls that are all connected to the occult in different ways.

Zara is studying the occult to avenge her sister and also figure out a way to bring her back from the dead. She needs a witch to help her perform this spell.

Jude is the daughter of a billionaire and has been exiled after she struck a deal with the devil and attached herself to a demon in order to gain power. She needs a witch to reverse this spell.

Emer is the witch that brings these girls together. After watching her family be murdered by a group of witch hunters, her life is flipped upside down and will do anything to survive. Including befriending a few demons.

Invocations are the spells women can use to gain power but must invite demons to inhabit their body in order to use the power. Emer creates these invocations for women in need until her clients begin to show up dead around the city of London. The girls band together to figure out who this serial killer is and also find a way to gain what they are each after.

This is the perfect book for spooky season but is also a great reminder that women have the power to overcome any situation they find themselves in and there will always be other women around to help.


Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Teen for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

“The Invocations” by Krystal Sutherland…ooh this book was so deliciously dark, it was a lot darker than I was expecting for YA.

This was my first book by Krystal Sutherland and I will be making time immediately to ready “House of Hollow’ because I had such a good time reading “The Invocations”

This book was dark and gruesome and gory, I am not a natural horror reader and some of the body horror made me wince but it was all done so well, this felt like a really fresh take on witches and I thoroughly enjoyed the concept.

The Invocations follows three women Jude who is living with the results of a botched deal with a demon, Zara who is living with the trauma after the death of her sister and Emer who connects them all in a way- they find themselves needing to work together to catch a serial killer who is killing women and any of them may be next.

I really enjoyed the characters and Jude made me laugh a bunch of times- there is a point near the end that shouldn’t have been a funny moment but had me howling- this was twisty and turns and there were a number of surprises that I didn’t see coming at all. I think that Krystal Sutherland did a great job at giving the main characters incredibly strong and unique voices throughout.

I did take a little time to settle in to this book and for it to find it’s pace which is the only reason that I didn’t rate this higher.

I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a dark sapphic feminist read that will make you want to unleash your feminine rage - packed with witches, demons and the undead this was a wild ride!

I gave this one 4.25 stars

While I enjoyed this one, I think the classification of YA may he a bit generous. This book was very dark, very gruesome, and very violent. The concept of using curses to attach your soul to a demon in exchange for power was interesting, as was the way it fit into the world. Accepted, yet not. Concepts of prejudice, hate, and genocide are also a bit above the classification for YA in my opinion. Overall, I'd say the book was really interesting and I was surprised by the revelation of who the killer was. But it's not YA.

Last year, I read ‘House of Hollow’ by the same author and have not stopped thinking about the unique way that Krystal Sutherland told her story.

And she did it again. This book was dark. This book was gruesome and gory. It was a fresh and fascinating portrayal of witches who were on the hunt for a serial killer. We have a found family between three women and I adored every step of the way.

The characters themselves were so well written and the details left me feeling queasy, which isn’t an easy thing for a book to do.

Even further, this book is a deeper commentary on women and their power.

I just loved it. It will definitely be one that lives rent free in my head and I won’t be surprised if it lands on my top books of 2024 as ‘House of Hollow’ did for 2023. Krystal Sutherland is an auto-buy/read author for me now. Two bangers in a row.

This book was given to me by the publisher but my thoughts and opinions are all my own.

Curse, demons, witches. This is right up my alley.

Krystal Sutherland has a way with describing gross wounds and other situations. There were many times where I was truly grossed out by the words on page, and that doesn't happen often.

If you enjoyed House of Hollow, you will enjoy this one, but I will warn you that this is more horror based and has more gore than her previous novel.

My only dislike is how the story ended. I do think that it wrapped up a little too nicely, and I find it unbelievable that none of the main characters really ended up being held accountable for anything, given that the average person would not believe in any explanation involving demons and witchcraft.

All in all, I did enjoy this story.

This is a slightly new genre for me. I’m definitely not a huge magic/ fantasy fan, but I love what this author did to create a spellbinding (yes pun intended) mystery.

I like the major plot twist of this book, I did not see it coming. I do wish there was more to the story (maybe a sequel please?!?!?)

Overall, enjoyable read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.5/5 STARS

Genre: YA paranormal mystery

Synopsis: Three girls linked by witchcraft come together in an unconventional way to catch a serial killer murdering girls.

This was such a pleasant surprise! Think Jack the Ripper but add witches. You have three girls trying to solve a bunch of murders where pieces of skin are cut off of each body and a note is left about ending witchcraft.
Zara: her sister is a murder victim & she is determined to bring her back from the dead
Jude: daughter of a billionaire who made a deal with a demon & her body is rotting as payment. She is trying to reverse the curse.
Emer: a witch who can give someone a power in exchange for part of their soul.
The murder victims are all of Emer’s customers and the girls work together to try and figure it out.
This is a gothic horror/murder mystery that had the perfect amount of suspense and witchcraft. Each girl has their own misgivings to deal with and become unlikely friends. There were so many twists and turns and the ending was unexpected! The author did a great job of weaving in touches of witchcraft without overdoing it. I have not read House of Hollow but I will now! I listened to this on audio & the narration was well done.
If you Iike mystery books with witchcraft mixed in, read this!

Thank you Penguin Teen for the gifted copy! 🧙🖤

"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Krystal Sutherland said this one is for the girls!!! (And she meant that!!) I really enjoyed House of Hollow, and I personally love any dark, gritty, bloody book so this one was right up my alley. The book follows three characters who become inextricably linked: Emer, a witch/cursewriter; Jude, the daughter of a billionaire who finds herself attached to three demons; and Zara, someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to bring her sister back from the dead. The three of them join forces to hunt down a mysterious figure who is murdering all of Emer's past clients.

"The Invocations" doesn't truly pick up in pace until around 50% of the book, yet I found the writing and plot to be interesting enough to hold me over. Sutherland does a good job at giving each character their own distinctive voice and characteristics. I did find the ending a little rushed and the reveal of the killer to be a bit predictable. However, I liked how Sutherland managed to sprinkle some humor into an otherwise dark novel that focuses on how dangerous it is to be a woman and the dark corners we'll venture into to find power. I personally felt the romance was rushed and maybe a bit unnecessary and thrown in. But if you like demons, witches, and solving murder mysteries, this book is definitely for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!