Sadly this book wasn't for me. When I was 30% in and there still was not plot, I realized the story was a bit like Atlas Six - purely driven by the interactions of characters. Atlas Six also didn't work for me for the same reasons: I did not care about the characters at all, and so I kept hoping an interesting plot would kick in. Same here.
David was okay, with Rhys there was not enough 'there' there, and Moira... I don't know. I get the feeling that the female characters in Gibson's book are written as if they had an agenda, when really they are just being done dirty by men.

If you care for the characters and their relationships, I'm sure you'd like this book. The writing style is engaging enough.

For me it's 3/5 stars.

I'm very grateful to Netgalley and Angry Robot to have granted me the wish for the eARC.

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Going to start with, S. T. Gibson did it again!
I am head over heels for this book. The kind of good where I dreaded finishing it because I just wanted it to drag out a little longer. S. T. Gibson develops her characters so incredibly well and this is no exception. David has stolen a little soft place in my heart and deserves a safe space and all the love!

So I’m starting to think that S.T. Gibson is kinda sneaky as a writer. She gives you these unique and original dark academic supernatural stories but underneath that they are really stories about great relationships and amazing characters. This one is no different. We meet David, (a cocky and sarcastic wealthy lawyer who also moonlights as a medium for a secret society), Rhys (his rival and ex-boyfriend), and Moira (Rhys’ wife and the balancing force for them both). This love triangle was impossible not to get swept up in. The gothic atmosphere of this book was in line with Gibson’s other popular works like Dowry of Blood and Education in Malice and while the beginning of the book starts slightly slow once I got into the story I couldn’t stop. Gibson is very quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Thank you Angry Robot and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Evocation is actually the first book by S.T. Gibson that I've read. Dowery of Blood and An Education in Malice have both been on my radar, but I haven't had the chance to read either yet. After Evocation, I will definitely be moving both higher on my priority list because I am absolutely enamored!

Evocation starts by introducing us to the three main characters: David, Rhys, and Moira. All three are quickly compelling characters and there is some (initially unexplained) conflict between them that had me hooked early.

In the first few chapters, we learn that Rhys and Moira are happily married, Rhys and David are bitter exes (friends to lovers to enemies to ???), and David and Moira have had a relationship of distrust.

A paranormal mystery brings the married couple back into contact with David. Then, the plot gets started and builds to some amazing character and relationship growth.

Evocation is largely a character-based urban fantasy. All three main characters are magicians (David is a medium, Moira is a witch, and Rhys is a sorcerer) and two of them are part of a magical secret society but the world feels very grounded in reality. The plot largely serves as a catalyst for character and relationship development but it was engaging and I loved the gothic horror elements involved.

The true strength of the novel really lies in the characters and the relationships. The characters are diverse and complicated, and all three main characters have growth arcs that I thought were incredibly well done. There's also a small cast of supporting characters that add a lot to the story (including even more diversity).

I highly recommend this book and I'm really looking forward to future releases in this series. I truly can't wait to see more of these three characters and this world that S.T. Gibson has created!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc of this upcoming release! I want to start this by saying honesty is the best policy. Also, opinions are something everyone is entitled to.
Going into this book, my excitement couldn’t have been higher. This is one of those authors where I would read anything and everything they put out. Though this book is messy in the best way, it is not in the same caliber as her other work. It’s written plainly, which isn’t bad, but very different from the authors past work.
So please, give this a chance. Espérate the artist from the art, and take this story at face value.

Evocation exceeded every expectation I had and some I didn't know I even had, too!

Prior to reading this amazing story, I had read several of the reviews since I'd recently lost a close family friend and was attempting to avoid certain topics. (And incase you're wondering, any deaths happened in the past and off-page.)

I was a bit surprisesd at seeing few of the reviews commenting on the lack of explaination into David's past and the ending of his relationship with Rhys. Now, I'm not one to take reviews as gospel, but it was surprising as their interactions eluded to their past and eventually everything was explained by David and Rhys.

While I loved Rhys+Moira and Moira+David, I wasn't exactly a fan of past Rhys and his various hang-ups when it came to his relationship with David. But without their past, there couldn't be a present or a future...

While David does have some internal hiccups and personal hurtles to overcome, I'll be interested to see how Rhys evolves to become the supportive partner David clearly needs.

4.5/5

S.T. Gibson has a way of writing beautiful complicated relationships, the love between the characters difficult to define. Love can take so many forms, sometimes messy and painful, unable to be easily categorized. Evocation explores these different relationships with an interesting, likeable trio of main characters. The character dynamics and relationship development are the star of the show.

While I had largely figured out the mystery of the supernatural plot early on, it served as a good backdrop for what is largely an excellent character and relationship driven book. I hope that future books in the series explore the different styles of magic more thoroughly, I want to know more about how each character's personality interacts with their chosen field.

"Evocation" unfolds in the Boston occultist underground, and the novel's quiet grittiness around a cast of psychics, occultists, sorcerers, witches, and mediums was definitely a highlight. David, a rich medium, is possessed by a demon with ties to his Russian ancestors from the 16th century. To save himself, David enlists the help of his ex-boyfriend Rhys and Rhys's wife, Moira. This leads to intriguing *shenanigans* that had me on the edge of my seat.

This is a well-crafted queer fantasy novel with a focus on character development

David, a high-strung lawyer and medium, experiences an abrupt loss of his usually boundless magical powers. Seeking answers, he turns to his ex-boyfriend and magical society rival, Rhys, accompanied by his astrologer wife, Moira. Together, they embark on a quest to solve David's magical troubles.

Witnessing David's character arc unfold was especially satisfying. He stands out as my favorite character of the three, and I really enjoyed witnessing his development throughout the book.
While the growing polyamorous dynamic among them is evident, Moira and Rhys's marriage became my most liked relationship.

While the book successfully depicts the evolving three-way relationship, it lacks significant action and worldbuilding. I would have liked a lot more plot, some more things happening outside the relationship. More plot development beyond the relationships among the main characters would really make this book a new favorite. Additionally, a deeper exploration of the magic system and world understanding would have been appreciated, and I hope these aspects are explored in later books of the series.

A slow/medium-paced character-driven book. The plot, 3 characters coming together to break a generational demon curse, is often sidetracked to focus on the relationship between the 3 MCs.

S.T. Gibson has written well-developed, complex, and loveable characters with their own beliefs, ambitions, and struggles. The relationships felt genuine and were handled well. The relationship between Moira & Rhys, in particular, is one of the healthiest relationships I've read; full of love, trust, communication, and well-established boundaries.

I can't wait to see where the story goes in the next installment.

Thanks to Netgalley & Angry Robot Books for the early copy.

Dark academia, gothic horror, fantastic prose & lovable characters mixed together gives you Evocation. David, Moira & Rhys are a wonderful addition to S.T. Gibson's track record of well written characters. David's character growth over the course of the book was natural thanks to Moira and the start of their friendship (then relationship) was a standout for me. Moira deserves the world!

* Actual rating: 3,5 ⭐️

I’d have to start this review by stating that however I felt this book wasn’t for me, it wasn’t necessarily bad in any kind of way.

Gibson’s lyrical prose was present which is also the case in her previous works however I feel like it didn’t fit here as well as it did in her other novels. The modern setting was kind of hard for me to get into but it grew on me throughout the book. Another important thing to know before reading is that this one is a (very) slow paced book.

Onto the plot itself; I really enjoyed the spiritual aspects but I wished that there had been more of it. However, this book is the first in a series so I’m sure that we’ll see more of it throughout the next books. I think the focus of this book was more on the relationship(s) between the characters. Let’s talk a bit more about them.

I didn’t like Rhys, I had this feeling that he was very indifferent and not “real”, as if we haven’t seen his true nature yet. His character felt really bland.
Moira is such a sweetheart and I think if she existed irl that we’d be besties but honestly, she deserved better. I’ll talk more about that later.
And finally, David. In comparison to Rhys, he actually feels like I’m reading about an actual person with flaws and all. A person that makes mistakes but also learns from them and grows.

Rhys and Moira are married but I didn’t feel the spark between them and when David then kind of joined their relationship, it felt more as if Moirq was just a bystander and it felt more as if Rhys got his way and Moira just accepted it.


Overall: There is potential, a lot of it but I feel like it hasn’t been completely tapped into but I am curious to see how the series evolves and I’ll be reading the other books in the future.


Thank you to Angry Robot & Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc.

5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc!

Where to start? I absolutely loved this book. I was so utterly immersed in this book and I completely adored all of the characters.
I found David such an interesting character as he was quite unlikable to begin with as he was portrayed as just another spoilt, rich, white boy but as I kept reading I found such a depth to his character that I couldn't help but love.
I also thought the portrayal of Moira and David's relationship to be so interesting and natural and it developed so beautifully. Speaking of Moira, my god, what a girlboss. She is such an overwhelming well written character who I just absolutely adored the entire way through the book.
Rhys McGowan, the man that you are. I have never fallen so damn hard in love with a character. I really related to a lot of aspects of Rhys' character and I thought he was so incredible. Honestly, any man that calls his wife "little goddess" is a 10 in my books.

On to the actual plot of the book now, I really enjoyed the deal with the devil/possession aspects of it and I didn't feel overwhelmed by the magic/occult/tarot aspect of it as I don't particularly know much about that. I found it very well paced and readable and not once did I find myself in a slow bit.

All in all, I think this book is an excellent example of polyamorous relationships, has a fantastic second chance romance and incredibly written characters, all while having an interesting and exciting plot to move the story forward.

"Polyamory and magic? Sign me up!" - those were my first thoughts when I heard about this book and I was not disappointed. At the heart of it all, this book is a love story and what a great one at that. The relationships were handled so well. They felt genuine and complex and beautiful.
The thing that irked me a little, however, was the handling of the magical issue. Clearly, there was a problem, but I was missing a sense of urgency from the group to try and resolve it. The severity really only kicked in towards the last 10-20% of the book.
All in all, I really enjoyed myself though and would revisit these characters in a heartbeat.

I was incredibly disappointed by this book. The premise and concept were things I personally really like, so I was sad when it didn't live up to its promise.

Pros: the concept is interesting, the characters were compelling, Moira and David's growing friendship was lovely

Cons: This book felt like a rough draft. The pacing was atrocious, the novel meandered along and then everything was suddenly fixed at the end. Despite supposedly being about David and Rhys's relationship, little to no time was spent at all. The biggest issue was David's condition. When he first realizes something is wrong, he freaks out enough to call Rhys, and then this gets put on the back burner FOR THE ENTIRE NOVEL.

In short, this book really didn't work for me, and I do wish it was going to go back for another round of revisions before being published, because I can see how great of a novel it would be if the pacing issues were fixed.

Wow, this book was a major disappointment for me, but I think that was a 'managing expectations' issue and less a reflection on the book itself. I adored Gibson's 'An Education in Malice' so I was really looking forward to this one, but its focus on rich bratty white men made this a hard sell to begin with. The execution didn't really make up for that issue, in the end.

David comes from a long line of powerful magical manipulators, but that family line includes
a steep cost that’s come due.

Rhys, David’s ex, and Moira, Rhys’s wife, are also powerful in their own rights. With trepidation they agree to try to help David with his literal demon.

Along the way relationships get tangled and grow into something new.

If you're looking for a dark-academia-demonology-summoners-circle type of book, look no further than Evocation. If you liked Bardugo's Ninth House, you'd like Evocation. (Added bonus of Evocation being pretty dang gay, too.) Basically, if you want the feeling of an old dark dust-covered mansion with a chalk circle in the library...you've found the right book.

I was not the biggest fan of David, but I don't actually think you're supposed to like him all that much. He's a spoiled rich boy who gets everything he's ever wanted. (He does have a sad/tragic/awful backstory, but his personality doesn't change much over the course of the book.) I really liked Rhys and Moira, though. They were couple goals, really. Moira is a bright light in the darkness of this book. And it is fairly dark, though not a lot of violence takes place. It's just...demons.

Actually, there's not a whole lot that happens really, over the course of the book. David finds himself possessed, and then turns to Rhys and Moira for help figuring out what exactly is going on. They all fall in love. Ish. ALLLLSOOOOOO I was promised polyamory, but Moira and David don't really ~love~ each other in the romantic sense. OR at least that's how I read the book. It was more platonic between them, but definitely romantic between David and Rhys. IDK maybe I don't know what polyamory is exactly.

EITHER WAY -- Evocation is a decent read, but it's not particularly plot heavy. It's more of a character study with a tiny splash of plot in the background. I'm going to give it three and a half stars, simply because I really wanted there to be a MMF relationship hidden in there somewhere.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year, and having now read it, I am disappointed.
This book sounded fantastic from the blurb - a gothic, occult, dark academia book with secret magical societies, psychics and deals with the devil? Unfortunately, this book contains only the barest hints of these elements, and in reality this book is basically a poly-romance story. Not what I was expecting at all.
It seems that the author couldn't really figure out which direction to take the book. It was a very slow burn, much more character driven than plot driven, and the "occult" elements that are being used to sell/market the book only appear within the last 10% - more like an afterthought than the main point!
I have given this book 3 stars - but only because I think it holds its own as a poly-romance. Take out what little occult elements there are, and the romance still holds up.

Evocation is the first book in The Summoner's Circle series. I was so happy that my wish had been granted. I really enjoy Gibson's writing style. Her character development is amazing, and I appreciated the slow-paced, character-focused storytelling in this book. I also enjoyed the secret society and underground Boston occult aspect of the story. Overall, I highly recommend this book, especially to those who enjoy occult stories with a polyamorous relationship. I can't wait to read the second book and see where the story goes. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy. I'll post my review closer to the publication date.

4.5 stars

This book has everything i have loved in my books lately.
Secret societies, dark academia vibes with magical and mysterious elements, plus polyamory? Yes, please!

Here we follow David (my sweet indigo child), Moira and Rhys. These three go through struggles and shenanigans of all kinds. From who they are individually and to each other to daddy issues (iykyk), to how to break contracts, you never signe *side eyed* to find the true meaning of love and life.
It was a ride but an amazing one.

This was a very character driven book so if you don't like that type of books, you might struggle with this one still I feel if you've read ST books especially A Dowry of Blood, (and to be honest even if you havent and are just curious) you'd definitely enjoy this one.

Now... I can't wait for book two for more of these three.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.