⭐️ 3
🌶 2

Sadly, this story wasn't for me. Perhaps I went into it with too high expectations, because I feel let down. It's not a bad book, it's just mediocre.

Part of my issue is that I expected a lot more overt use of occult magic, as this is marketed as a fantasy novel. But barring the last 15%, this story felt far more like magical realism to me.

Considering the author researched enough to use specific occultism terminology, very little of it was actually explained for the reader and even less was utilised by the characters. I had to resort to googling certain words as the author neglected to provide details within the story.

If you like books that are more about occultist, dark academia vibes than plot and character-driven, this is probably for you. The characters are messy, angsty and flawed, and their interactions with each other reflect this.

For me, it felt like the plot took almost halfway through to kick in, and it was weak and drawn out unnecessarily. The big plot twist at the end was very obvious and the delivery felt flat to me because of this.

The marketing of a throuple romance is actually (in my opinion) misleading. Without spoiling anything, it's not the MMF relationship I was led to believe. The few times there was spice, it felt like it was added in to appease readers rather than to add to the story (except the last spicy scene, which was loooooong overdue).

Overall, the world building, the magic system, the character growth, the romance and the plot all had the potential to be great but didn't quite get there.

It was a very interesting reading. It’s a very unique dark gothic mystery book with funny banter and quite an exquisite duo but it was a bit lacking concerning the plot that was a bit flat and did not grip me. I think the characters saved the book and don’t get me wrong it’s still a good book but very character driven which I was not expecting so I was a bit disappointed

I’ve loved Gibson’s previous works and Evocation is continuing the trend - blending their sumptuous writing into a modern setting, rife with rumbling tension and a seething character study.
This IS slow paced (until the final 10%) and won’t be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve seen other reviews comparing it to an adult Raven Cycle and I think that definitely holds up. Excited to see more!

Evocation by S.T. Gibson is due to be released in May 2024 and like everyone who has even heard an inkling about this book, I was desperate to read it. Let’s be honest S.T. Gibson is one of those authors who have that way of building and developing such gothic, atmospheric, occult worlds that you are immediately drawn in and bewitched. In Evocation, Gibson takes on the challenges of everything from the occult and deals with the devil, to polyamory, abuse and so much more however, be warned the characters are the central focus in this first book in the The Summoner’s Circle series, with plot coming as a secondary fast follower.

Central to the whole story are David, a high flying, highly strung, psychic child prodigy, Rhys (David’s ex,) the hard working, determined scholar, determined to make his way through work, grit and determination that far exceed his psychic/occult abilities and Moira, (Ryhys’ wife and goddess!) Moira is truly a grounded, earth nature, witch and psychic with such beautiful abilities, I would challenge anyone not to love her. The story primarily revolves around David and the drawing in of Rhys and Moira into an investigation into a mystery psychic illness that is plaguing David, and ultimately putting his life at risk.

I would say that if you loved The Raven Boys, this is definitely the book for you. Gibson puts the majority of the focus on the characters, how they change and adapt throughout the storyline that begins with true antagonism, passive and micro-agression that blocks their developing relationship until the situation they find themselves in challenges this and opens them up to new dynamics that are very interesting and entertaining to observe.

I can truly say that I totally fell for this family, and whilst I came for the plot of Evocation, I totally stayed for the characters! There were a few bumps in the road but, I’m no expert on polyamory relationships and am definitely not one to judge but, I will be here waiting for the next book in the series, I can’t wait to see where it takes Moira, Rhys and David next.

Thank you so much Angry Robot Books and Netgalley for sharing this arc with me in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for the e-ARC!

4.5★’s - this book was a tremendously fun read! I love a good grumpy/mean-to-everyone-to-keep-them-away/martyr type character, and we get that from David here. He’s also clearly not a morally pure guy—his clear flaws of classism and self-centeredness (among others) keep him believable.

The plot and mystery of this book were both interesting and fun, but the stand out moments were the character relationships. Our main trip was heartbreaking and amusing in equal turns - each duo was going through it for different reasons. There was just so much angst potential between all of them that was artfully executed. I could be upset with a character for hurting another one, while fully understanding why they would do that. David was my favorite, because I love that character archetype, but Moira was a surprise stand out, between her bad-assery and her empathy. Rhys was well fleshed out as a character, but not my personal favorite, though I appreciated the interactions with him.

The writing of this book kept me engrossed- relatively straightforward, without flourishes that broke me out of the immersion or slowed down the momentum. As soon as I started the book, I wanted to keep going until the end. We got a satisfying ending, but also an ongoing problem to solve, which leaves me anticipating the next book!

I will be posting my review on my book Instagram within the next week - once that is done, I will update this to reflect the link

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I absolutely adored this book, Ms. Gibson literally can not do any wrong. Boston? Secret societies? SOLD. I will highly recommend this one, especially to those that loved Ninth House, very similar vibes and I'm here for it. Now just to wait until I can get my hands on a physical copy! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

I had very high hopes for Evocation as I received the arc for An Education in Malice and absolutely loved it. I went into this with the same expectations of devouring it in a single sitting, but I found the story to be very lackluster and not at all exciting. The three main characters — David, Rhys, and Moira — are all very thought out and descriptive, and I love ST’s ability to write characters. However, the conflict between the three felt so childish and petty that I didn’t care at all about it. As for the occult, supernatural elements, they were few and far between. The plot moved glacially slow and most of the chapters were filled with mundane scenes that did nothing to further the plot. I felt myself dreading to continue at about 35% in and had to fight to continue. Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for the arc.

4.5 stars from me.

I really loved the creepy occult vibes and it was different to what I've read before.
Moira is now my comfort character and I want her to be my friend.

I got a bit bored in the middle but the chemistry between all the characters and the growing tension between David and Rhys had be gripped.

I really enjoyed David's character ARC and his and Moira's dynamic. Such a beautiful relationship and I loved the poly exploration.

I would read this again and S.T. Gibson is now one of my top authors! I've loved everything she's written so far and can't wait to see what's next!

Loved the vibe and the characters. The main trio has my heart. But the magic and the pacing the story was a little off for me. The magic (spells used) felt very vague. It just happens in a lot of scenes, and for me makes it feel like a incomplete part of the story. And therefore I feel that the story should have been a couple pages longer, to flesh out the magic. And for me this effected the pace of the story as well. In the end they use magic (and there is no backstory behind it) and they just find the right spell out of gut feeling to fight the demon. These sort of scenes took me out of the story. Besides that I really enjoyed the book, characters and the authors writing.

Thank you netgalley for granting me the arc for this book.

David struggles with the ghosts of his past who literally haunt his home and a myth that spoke of a deal with the Devil turns out to be the truth. He finds himself suffering from episodes of possession and seeks his ex-love, Rhys' help. Rhys and Moira have been focusing and healing their marriage when Rhys gets the phone call from David desperate for help. With all guards up will Rhys and Moira help David who has a history of pushing everyone away. I loved the quote 'You don't need to make yourself smaller in order to be worth of blessings.'

I really enjoyed the relationship that built between David and Moira and the connection they shared. This was an easy, cosy read and focused on the tension between loves with a side of plot.

This was 3.5 stars. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

To start, this book was so different from “a dowry of blood” that I kind of struggled to believe it was written by the same author. And honestly, I was just kind of bored reading it. It picked up around 40%, but some chapters and passages were still just so dull and unnecessary. Also, I don’t know why/how, but the characters felt older than they were. Supposedly they were in their mid/late twenties, but they could have easily and more believably been in their 30s based on the action, their professions, and their interactions. They just felt older and more mature than they were supposed to be. The story is very character driven, something I apparently don’t really like.

This is a book about three magical people: David, Moira, and Rhys. David is possessed by a demon after an old demon deal someone in his family made. So why do I after having finished the book not know anything about demon possession? There is almost no action in this book, and I don’t understand why, because it could have been so much more.

Moira is by far the most interesting character. She has her own opinions and even though she says she’s a people pleaser, she still doesn’t take shit from Rhys (her husband) or David. I would have liked to know more about her and her family's history with magic.

I did not like David at the start of the book. He comes across as an arrogant prick, who’s also kind of prejudiced. But he does show a deeper connection and more nuance later on, so he kind of grows on you, and he does develop into someone kind of likeable.

I don’t like Rhys at all though. He never got over David (they dated first) and he’s still in love with him. So I’m mad because he should never have gotten married when that was the case. Like yes, he loves Moira, but he even says it’s nothing like when David looks at him. I just don’t like this love triangle at all. And Moira is much more graceful than I would ever be. Also Rhys’ parts of the story were the most boring. I honestly felt like he didn’t really contribute anything other than a whiny, egotistical presence.

To build on that, I felt like the poly relationship came out of nowhere from Moira. I guess it was ok that she was the one to broach the subject, but it happened after Rhys and David had kissed multiple times (which is cheating in my book). I feel like it could have been better if it was clear that hey had been thinking about and discussed a poly relationship earlier on, and not as a result of one of them cheating.

Overall I think I might not have been the best audience for this book. I can see how others might like it, but I need it to be more plot-driven and this was a 99% character-driven book. Since I didn't like the characters all that well, it's not a surprise it was a 3-star read for me.

I was very excited about the premise of this book! I’m always intrigued by secret societies and occult practices. Overall I found Evocation to be entertaining and enjoyable. Everything flowed at a decent pace. The MC’s were all flawed but lovable in their own ways. The story was very character driven, and I enjoyed watching the relationships between characters grow and evolve through the book. As someone who quit drinking several years ago, I appreciate characters who struggle with substances and exploring how it affects their lives and the ones they love. The direction the story took at the end set up a lot to be explored in the rest of the series. Ultimately it was a good book and solid start to a series, but I did feel like it was missing that extra spark to make it a 5 star read for me.

I knew I was going to enjoy this book when I first read the blurb. The occult, academics, Boston, spice, and the beautiful prose that I expect from ST Gibson made this an incredibly enjoyable read for me. A new, modern setting, different from previous Gibson novels, I loved the magical realism in a city already close to my heart. I loved this book from the start, and devoured it in a day. Can't wait to read more in this series!

As always, I really enjoyed ST Gibson's prose in this book! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for letting me read an early copy :) !

I've been eagerly awaiting new S.T. Gibson books since her stunning debut, A Dowry of Blood, back in 2021. I fell in love with Gibson's deliciously dark worldbuilding, her evocative prose, her cathartic portrayal of all the world's messiest polycule...all of it. An Education in Malice similarly blew me away with its sapphic rivals-to-lovers and exploration of complex power dynamics, all set in a gorgeous 1960s university.

So when I saw Evocation was ALSO coming out this year, I couldn't believe my luck...but it fell a little flat for me. There are many things I loved about Evocation: the magic system--full of astrology and tarot cards and summoning circles--is unbelievably cool. I haven't read many books with tarot magic, and as a practitioner, I appreciated the care that Gibson put into accurately depicting it. I loved the premise of wealthy and seemingly perfect lawyer David Aristarkhov's life beginning to unravel when his family's deal with the devil comes for him. I loved Rhys, David's ex boyfriend, and Moira, Rhys's wife; I especially loved seeing such a healthy relationship--why can't all men be Rhys? And Moira especially is a favorite of mine. I lived for her chapters, and I also loved the rivalry between Rhys and David. Things are frosty between them for a number of reasons, but one of the main ones is they are both vying for head of their magical fraternity/secret society. Their rivalry is beautifully done, as is the romance between them.

But what didn't work for me is the juggling of the various plots. We've got a romance (Rhys and David, with Moira having to reluctantly accept that she's in the polycule, which is a whole other thing), a demonic possession, and a bid for High Priest. It feels like the demonic possession doesn't have the urgency that it should -- I know S. T. Gibson's work is usually character driven (a thing I love!!), but I would have appreciated the stakes feeling a bit consistently higher throughout the book. I also missed her evocative prose! I know some people will appreciate the more stripped down prose here (some folks did mention it being very readable, which I agree with), but for me, Gibson's command of the language is what keeps me returning to her books over and over.

I still intend to pick up the sequel, and I really did love the ending, but I guess I was just hoping for a bit more of that S. T. Gibson spark here.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Angry Robot, and S. T. Gibson for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Other Reviewers: This book has no plot.
Me: WHAT?! Of course this book has plot! Things happen! There's...I mean... Well...

Evocation is a character novel, and I love those anyway. Gibson's writing is beautiful. I read An Education in Malice, and I found it to be a similar experience. This story is about three people learning to coexist with their love for one another with a side story about demonic possession. As with An Education in Malice, I was uncomfortable with the romantic tropes in play. This is very polyamorous, "Why choose," and open marriage. I think they were done very well, and I appreciate the care that went into representation for every LGBTQ+ community member portrayed. The representation was impressive, standard, and inclusive making this possibly the most diverse novel I've ever read. I just wish they didn't all smoke cigarettes; I thought as a global community we agreed to say no to lung cancer.
The setting of Boston is accurately described and as a native MA resident, I appreciated the detail and love for the city that is present in the writing. Despite not favoring the romantic angle that was so prominent, I thought this book was fantastically well written.
I look forward to the day Gibson writes a literary fiction novel, because I have no doubts it will be fantastic as well.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for granting my wish for this ARC!

There were things i really liked about this book. The character dynamics between David and Moira is the main one. The smut is of fair quality, but when considering that it was published and not found lurking on the internet, it is certainly better than most offerings. Its a fun, light read. However, the pacing in this book is off, and the writing fails to make up for it. Having read Dowry of Blood, I am deeply aware of S.T. Gibson's ability to master prose. This book was lacking in that signature skill, though the very nature of it being so different from DOB means that I don't hold it too much against it. This book is not for DOB enjoyers, it is for people looking for an entertaining spell-caster read with not much plot or pacing. Essentially, someone looking for a fairly well kudosed AO3 fic, except with Original Characters. This is not an insult, as I enjoy reading those types of fanfiction; it is simply a description. I would recommend this book to the right person, and it definitely has a place on any witchy, smut lovers bookcase that prefers the printed page to digital.

Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot Books for an eARC of this book in extange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.

Evocation was my first S.T Gibson novel and boy did it not disappoint. It follows twenty-nine year old David Aristarkhov who leads a double life as a lawyer and occultist. The book kicks off, when David starts having seizure like episodes and enlists his college ex-boyfriend Rhys and his wife Moira to help him. I loved all of the characters especially Moira. I liked seeing a character who knows exactly what she wants and doesn't let the opinions of others bother her in the slightest. It also made me really happy to see a character who's not skinny be comfortable and happy with the way she looks and for her body to be a very minor part of who she is as a character. David annoyed me alot at the beginning, he was obnoxious and self-centred but I thought that Gibson did a really good job of showcasing his flaws but also his pain and what has caused him to be that way. He's a complex character and I can definitely see why some people wouldn't like him but I did. I particularly enjoyed his relationship with Moira. I loved their journey from dislike to allies to friends. Rhys was my least favourite of the trio. There's nothing that I didn't like about his character, I just struggled to connect to him right up until the end. I really liked Moira and Rhys's relationship, I loved seeing how he always put her first and thought about how she was feeling in every situation and vice versa. They had such a beautiful, healthy relationship and I loved reading about it. On paper, Rhys's relationship with David is exactly something that I would like reading about. It combines two romance tropes that I really enjoy: second chance romance and forced proximity/they have to work together. However I struggled to see why they were still so hung up on the other person when they only dated for a year while at university. Eventually though I changed my mind and by the end I was really rooting for them.

Plot wise, this was solid. I like old, creepy family curses and I liked the more modern setting. I've never read a book that focuses on the occult so I don't have anything to compare that aspect to but I thought that it was pretty cool. I did find that the pacing dragged a little bit towards the middle of the book but the ending really made up for that!

I would definitely describe this as a character focused book so if you're a more plot driven reader, then I wouldn't recommend picking this book up. But if, like me, the characters can make or break a book for you then 100% pick this up when it comes out in May.

cw: discussions of alcoholism, discussions of parental abuse/neglect

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Evocation' by S.T. Gibson.

This book was alright. Honestly I can't give it more than that and I'm gutted. The characters were just alright and so was the story. Will it stick in my brain? No, it's already gone and that's how it goes. After reading a couple of S.T. Gibsons now, I realise that it's very much a 'either the book is a masterpiece to you or its just an alright book.'

3.75 rounded up.
There were many things I enjoyed about this book. Moira is a goddess- Her vintage clothes, her powerful, earthy magic, the way she handles her business and holds a grudge, her southern charm, and the way she will take absolutely no nonsense. The woman is divine and I will accept no slander.
David is one of those annoyingly perfect people who, whoops, turns out has a deep dark issue, or rather a lot of them. Of course he never asks for help.
Rhys is a quintessential scholar. I loved the constant mentions of how he needs therapy to get over his Catholic guilt. And the way he treats his wife, men should take notes.
I loved all the different types of people and different kinds of love that were showed throughout this book, the good kind and the bad. And there was just about every kind of rep you could ask for- bi, straight, poly, gay, trans, BIPOC, and all of it just accepted.
My biggest negative is that the book was very slow. While the buildup was steady, it seemed like the relationships were more the focus of the story, than the plot itself of fixing the problem that was making David sick. Because the stakes were so slow to escalate, and the story was much more character driven than plot, by the climax, I didn’t feel fully invested, so was a little let down. Though the ending was overall satisfying, while leaving crumbs for book 2