S.T. Gibson is the queen of spooky, gothic romance vibes, and it hits for me every single time. I absolutely loved Evocation, and I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite series. This series is much more modern than Dowry and Education, but it still has the aura I'm looking for in a darker fantasy romance.

This story has:
The sweetest, most stubborn broken men.
An absolute queen of a woman extending so much grace and understanding to help fix their broken relationships.
A demon possession threatening to tear them apart, or bring them closer together.
A secret society of warlocks (ST said morally grey lapsed Catholics), with quite a bit of soap box drama.
And some badass, witchy female side characters.
We get a bit of forced proximity, some slow burn polyamorous relationship building (in such a cute, healthy way while also being extremely toxic), and a lot of asshole behavior.

Thank you to ST Gibson, Angry Robot and Netgalley for this arc. I cannot wait for the release date! Highly recommend.

Okay this is going to be really long so for the people who dont want to read the whole thing here are the bullet points on why I hate this book and is the worst thing I’ve read this year

1. The way Moira was written ( she lacks depth and its clear that the author really only cared about the two men and their romance)
2. Moira’s character suffered from the strong black woman/meemaw stereotype
3. Moira was cheated on
4. Didn’t like the prose - felt very fanficy (very descriptive for no reason) and the dialogue between Rhys and Moira felt scripted so didn’t believe in their love
5. not the fun toxic gay relationship I like too realistic to be fun
6. Moira was never treated like a real person by Rhys - he treated her like salvation and loved her for how he made her feel
7. Didn’t like how David’s addiction was written
8. Book was advertised as polyamorous and it is by the dictionary definition in reality the romance is between David and Rhys two ex lovers and ex best friends who still have feelings for one another after almost a decade for separation and who should honestly just be together by themselves and fuck each other up and leave Moira out their mess
9. Moira was a side chick in her own marriage, was cheated on and instead of being rightfully angry Gibson wrote her to be okay with it because it was “inevitable”….el oh el
10. Moira was given the fandom treatment - the way fandom treats the female characters, saying the female character is a “girlboss” and a “bad bitch” and nothing else and going back to obsessing and discussing the male characters and their favourite gay ship
11. Rhys as an entire character fuck him

i dont even know where to start with this review. I have so many problems with this book and I hate that. I really do cause this was on my 24 books to read in 2024 and was a highly anticipated read because when I read a Dowry in Blood back in 2021 when it was still self published, it changed my life and rewired my brain, it was that kind of 5 star read. Ironically this book also rewired my brain by how fucking awful it was, it was that kind of 1 star read. It was soo bad that after I finished it I literally had to take a walk, reconnect to nature caused I just…could not believe what I just read and the fact that this has so many glowing reviews…I must’ve gotten the wrong arc. Like S.T Gibson owes me $1500 for making me read this during Black History Month. And I mentioned BHM because my main problem with this book is how Moira, the black female “main character” is written and treated.

Moira was done so fucking dirty in this book I dont think I would ever get over it. Like this book isn’t racist but…..its giving racism babes. Like Moira deserves so much fucking better than the bullshit David and FUCKING RHYS put her through (rhys is also one of the main problems I have with this book but im not gonna get into that now. Lets just say I never met a good male character named Rhys… fuck all Rhys’). The way Moira was written… it was giving a fujoshi trying to beat the misogynist allegations, it was giving how male shounen authors write their female characters, it was giving how fandom treats female characters. Like How they ignore the female characters in favour of the male characters and their prefer mlm ship and to beat the misogynist allegations, they simply just hail the female character as a “girlboss” and as a “bad bitch”. Never discussing the female character in any shape of form that explores her depth and treats her as a real character that has flaws and weaknesses that contributes to the story. That’s how Moira was written. It was just abundantly clear that the author only cared about David and Rhys and their relationship because Gibson barely gave Moira any depth and substance to her character. All Moira ever was was the caretaker, the emotional support system for both Rhys and David. To me it seems as if Moira only purpose was to serve as conflict between Rhys and David, an obstacle, she was never written to be a real character with depth, and the barely there depth she was given, it was in relation to David. All Moira ever was, was a “goddess” and a person to depend on. She was never treated as a real person by David and Rhys, especially Rhys. Rhys treated her as his salvation, treated her like an object that showed he was normal and good and that he wasn’t the person he was when he was with David. What attracted Rhys to Moira was that she wasn’t David. Thats fucking it. And I dont know if im explaining it well how Rhys constantly calling Moira a goddess, constantly saying she comes first and shes the best thing that ever happened to him is, actually not good. Like I said earlier Moria was simply a salvation to Rhys and him calling her a goddess wasn’t some cutsie romantic shit and was extremely similar to how fandom treats the forgotten female character Like if you’ve ever been in a fandom you know what I’m talking about.

Additionally Moira’s character was kinda giving the meemaw stereotype but softcore. Like it was giving the strong black women stereotype.Gibson just utterly fuck up Moira’s character and it was so clear that she only really cared about Davi and Rhys and im like ???? why not just write a mlm story. Moira was the mature one, the emotionally intelligent one, the support system, but no one actually supported Moira. Everyone just used her and this is why im saying that S.T Gibson owes me $13430 for making me read this shit during black history month cause Gibson hated Moira like im sorry i had to say it. Never fleshing out her character, making her into a stereotype, making her the side piece in HER OWN FUCKING MARRIAGE. and this is like the cherry on top of the whole shitpie that is Moira’s character. This book was advertised as polyamory so im thinking im about to get some delicious angst and yearning and sexy times between all three characters but nope. Not all three characters are romantically involved with each other David only likes Rhys and Rhys is in “love” with both David and Moira and Moira only gets to be together with Rhys….Now i know this type of relationship happens in poly relationships not everyone is dating everyone in the relationship but the way this particular relationship was written…again you can’t convince me that Gibson didn’t hate Moira. Like I said earlier it was so fucking clear that she only cared about Rhys and David relationship and she could’ve just written a mlm relationship. Like there was absolutely no love and respect for Moira and when you read this book you know that the main romance is between David and Rhys and the only reason its a throuple is because Rhys and Moira were a pair packaged. You cannot convince me that Rhys loved Moira. They have been married for 5 yrs together for longer and Rhys was still in love with David his best friend was still hung up over him and in the end he cheated on Moira with David. All the chemistry and the subtext shows that Rhys is in love with David and David is in love with Rhys and that Moira was the fucking side chick in her own marriage. SHE DESERVED BETTER. Like i keep repeating this book couldve been so much better (not by much mind you) if Gibson just wrote it as a simple mlm romance story cause shes not equipped to write a good poly relationship ( a dowry of blood might’ve been a fluke) and she’s certainly not fucking equipped to write a black female character. Like how you gonna have Moira be fucking okay with Rhys cheating on her just because she was “expecting it” which is a terrible thing in on itself and then to not make her get angry ??? get upset??? just calmly accept her husband being in love still being in love with his ex ???? mind you literally two chapters before the cheating happen Moira told David that he would never come between her and Rhys so for Moira to just calmly accept the cheating and the betrayal to act like its was inevitable and therefore its okay it doesn’t make sense to get mad is just fucking awful god awful shitty fuck up writing. Like wow the way Moirs was written it was like i was transported back to the fucking early 2010s. And again the strong black woman/meemaw stereotype is coming into play with Moira’s reaction to Rhys cheating on her. Moira was never allowed to be mad it seems, always caring and being considerate to Rhys and David’s feelings and relationships and it just makes me mad cause those two shitheads do no deserve her (okay only Rhys was a shithead).

And this brings me to issue number 3 (yes we’re not done yet). Rhys. Worst character ever written he was so fucking self righteous. I know i just went on about Rhys never loving Moira only David but tbh I don’t believe Rhys actually likes David either. Like the way Rhys treated David was fucking awful and throughout the book all I was thinking was that David and Moira should leave Rhys with his power and money, the only two things he really cared about, and run away. Like Rhys was just fucking awful and did not care/love REALLY love either Moira and David. He treated Moira not like a real person but as a God/salvation which makes sense cause he’s catholic. He only loved hoe Moira makes him look. And he only loves David when David is sober…again which makes sense cause hes a fucking piece of shit Catholic thats so fucking self righteous ugh I hate him. And the way the story never conveys that Rhys is ever in the wrong when hes ALWAYS in the wrong. Like Rhys is treated as the good guy when hes fucking awful. Hes so fucking toxic and yh this book was advertised as having s toxic relationship but this toxic relationship wasnt the fun gay toxic relationship that I like but like it was very fucking realistic and it was like David and Moira (especially Moira) were my homegirls dealing with a toxic asshole and I try to tell them to fuck that man and leave him but they wouldn’t. Like this toxic relationship was not fun at all and its because Rhys did not love Moira or David at all. And I truly do believe this and part of the reason why is Issue #4

The fucking writing… It’s so ironic that one of the reasons i really a dowry of blood is cause its writing. I love purple lyrical prose and a dowry of blood had that however i dont need my book to have lyrical writinh for it to be good for me to love the writing sometimes i find that lyrical writing actually takes away from the book (the song of achilles) and that good really fucking good writing and prose can be simple and still beautiful ( robin hobb i love you). But the writing in Evocation wasn’t lyrical and purple prose but it wasn’t the simple but yet beautiful prose either. I felt like i was reading a fanfiction, it was overly descriptive and it was all show and tell Gibson told us everything and that’s partly why I don’t believe in Rhys and Moira’s love because it felt very scripted and force and like if Rhys was not only trying to convince Moira that he does love her despite still being hung up over his ex, but he was also trying to convince us the reader….and baby it did not work.

Issues number whatever atp I forgot, how David’s addiction was written. It wasn’t written well. It wasn’t written and treated like a disease which addiction is. This book makes you want to believe that David is this awful unloveable asshole and yh he was an asshole in the beginning but tbh not that much of an asshole and he was quite cute and adorable. And yes he has flaws but he truly wasn’t this awful guy that the book and especially Rhys, treated as. David was the only well developed character in this book and he was so interesting but I hate the way his addiction was handle and I hate the way his relapsed was handle and how Rhys immediately resorted to anger when he realize and treated David as a fucked up and treated it as if was inevitable and unsurprising that David relapsed instead of being sympathetic and realizing that something had to be deeply wrong for David to relapsed after 3 fucking years of sobriety. Im not saying David shouldn’t be held accountable and responsible for his actions but the way Rhys reacted knowing that his actions and his selfishness was what led to David relapse was so fucking disgusting to read and the way the book never paints Rhys as in the wrong is sooo…ugh its so annoying. But yh I dont like the way David’s addiction was handled not saying David should be coddled but he needed sympathy and concerned considering the situation and him impulsively relapsing after 3 years of sobriety and not anger and disgust from Rhys and his self righteousness.

Yeah i hated everything about this book the only thing I liked was David’s and Moira’s friendship but even that has a bitter aspect to it considering how Gibson wrote Moira’s character.


Anyways Thank you Angry Robot/Netgalley for granting me an arc for what was unfortunately a highly anticipated read for an honest review 🙂

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

And honestly, it didn't work for me. At first I really enjoyed it. The magic system seemed cool, I loved the Boston/old money vibes (kind of reminiscent of Ninth House and the Whispering Dark) and I thought it was really going to be a fun read. However, the story seemed more interested in the polyamorous relationship between the three main characters than the actual plotline, which ultimately was quite thin, despite promises of ancient curses and family secrets. And maybe I'm just a square but the romance did not work for me at all - which is too bad as I really enjoyed ST Gibson's other romantic book. Maybe if I had gone in expecting it to be just a romance I wouldn't have minded it as much.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book! Below is my honest review:

I absolutely loved this! S.T. Gibson does not miss!!

This book follows David, a man with supernatural abilities and a complicated past; Rhys, David’s ex and rival in the secret society they’re both apart of; and Moira, Rhys’s wife and a powerful witch. The three of them have to work together to solve a problem from David’s family history, and the forced proximity is just *chef’s kiss*.

Every single one of the main characters owns my whole heart. I love them so much, and I loved their relationships with each other. The way Gibson makes complicated characters that you can’t help but root for is unrivaled. Even the side characters left me wanting more.

Another thing I loved about this book is how immersive it is. I could really see every aspect of this story unfold in my mind. All of the settings were unique and added to the world a lot.

I feel like this book does a good job of establishing the characters and the environment they inhabit, and I am so excited for whatever comes next in this series! I also can’t wait to see how the relationships of the main three characters unfold going forward!

Wow, this read was a lot of fun, it was magical, culty and queer! I read it nearly in one sitting. I’ve read a Dowry in Blood and an Education in Malice, and I was shocked how different this book was. It still has S.t. Gibson's fantastic writing but with an interesting new occult story.

First of all, I LOVED the characters, Rhys and Moira are the sweetest, the fact that Rhys calls Moira (his wife) “little goddess”?? Swooning! I really enjoyed seeing their relationship and seeing them grow and communicate with each other, it felt so healthy. Then we have my love David, he just felt so lonely and he also has a lot of unresolved trauma (relatable). I enjoyed watching these characters grow and fall in love with each other - I haven’t read many polyamorous relationships but I adored seeing how the relationship developed and the different types of love these characters had for each other. (also Moria calling David indigo child? sobbing)

Now the plot, I loved the contrast of this wholesome and passionate relationship with the magic, secret societies, haunted houses and a deal with the devil. I wasn’t bored for one second (hence how I read this book in less than 24 hours). I liked the different aspects of magic used throughout the story, such as tarot, astrology and summoning spirits and demons?It was just so fun!

I believe this will be a series so I am unbelievable excited to see what happens next!

Huge thanks to Angry Robot and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:4/5

"Moira was the blinding sun at the center of the universe, overshadowing everything else, but somehow her radiance was only accentuated by David's cool, silvery light. Rhys had felt a strange mix of anguish and longing, watching them wing their way along the ballroom like celestial bodies. Not jealousy, exactly. Something softer and more treacherous."

I'm obsessed. I'M. SO. OBSESSED. Evocation was absolutely delicious and it's my favourite S. T. Gibson book so far. I love reading about witchcraft, magic and the occult, which is why this was a treat for me. Gibson understood her assignment and then knocked it out of the park.

I've previously devoured the author's historical, vampiric retellings of gothic classics and her new urban fantasy was just as addictive, if not more. The characters are such and entangled mess and I loved following them through their journey of figuring everything out. My favourite character was Moira. She's just so sweet, kind and knows exactly what to do to make someone feel better. Her friendship with David was the highlight of the book for me. Rhys, unfortunately, was the least compelling character of the three and I wasn't half as invested in his pov as I was in the other two's. Evocation is quite low on the fantasy front. There isn't much action and the focus is on th character dynamics. If you're expecting a lot of action, you'll probably be disappointed. The climax felt a little underwhelming and rushed.

Overall, Evocation is a fun, addictive read and I'd say it's worth it. The character development is really good and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!

I feel bad because I adore this authors work but this one just did not hold my interest. I couldn't get into the romance because a couple who had marriage problems and adds one of the partners exes just doesn't sit well with me. I will definitely still try this authors books in the future though

David is juggling full time work as a lawyer and a thriving private occult practice, as well as attending weekly secret Society Occult meetings.
Rhys is an associate position at a small university library and is the youngest member of the Society, Catholic, and deeply curious about acquiring knowledge.
Moira is Rhys’s wife and is one of the best tarot card readers in the city.

Moira and Rhys had been making painstaking progress towards healing after an incident with David and Rhys. Things were getting better. But then David comes to them for help with fears of a demonic possession. David was the last thing their marriage needed.

Forgiveness wasn't about the person who wronged you, it was about freeing yourself from resentment and moving on with your life.

So far, Gibson has astounded me with her haunting historical gothic writing. Now she has infused that in a modern setting with dysfunctional adults who have a variety of trauma to heal from.
Trigger warnings for physical abuse, recovering alcoholism.

Gibson effortlessly weaves politics of gender, sexuality, and traditional older values compared to newer liberal views and adaptations.

Moira is an astounding woman and I immediately loved her resilience, healing, and love. She takes self-care seriously, and amidst two men who are so ambitious and driven, this contrast serves to show how important it is to care for yourself in such a 24/7 capitalist society we find ourselves in.

Not to mention, the communication in this is exquisite. As well as the trust and acceptance. Gibson writes relationships in such a pure, honest, and open light.

”I love Moira all the way to hell and back. I love her more than money, more than my own pride and ambition. That woman is my home, and I am more than willing to prioritize her— vehemently, if need be. If she tells me she needs something to feel safe, she gets it. End of story."

I did think the ending ruined the book. This was such a character-focused, slow-moving book that the sudden climax and quick end result left me feeling cheated and felt disjointed from the rest of the narrative.

However, Gibson has cemented herself as an auto-buy author - writing the complexities of relationships, emotions, and internal struggle with such insight, armed with atmosphere and life lessons.

Thank you to Angry Robot for providing an arc in exchange for a review.

⋆⭒˚｡⋆ Evocation by S.T. Gibson ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽₊

★ ★ ★ /5


I’ve been waiting to get my hands on Evocation since I read S.T. Gibson’s masterwork A Dowry of Blood last year.

Evocation is about David Aristarkhov — an arrogant psychic prodigy in expensive clothes — who discovers he’s unwillingly possessed as he tries to perform a seance. In order to understand what’s happening, he is forced to reach out to his ex-boyfriend and current rival in the secret Society, Rhys.

The story immediately engulfed me — something Gibson has never had any issues with. However, the story fell flat by only focusing on the curse in the story rather than expanding more on the secret society and what they were doing, i.e. more seances, and possessions. Therefore, the characters' developments felt shallow outside of the curse.

While the occult, gothic atmosphere works nicely with the various types of characters, I somewhat lacked the story progression along the characters' development. David discovers more about his legendary family curse along with Rhys and his wife Moira, making the story mainly focus on the curse through the development of emotions rather than the story.

David, Rhys, and Moira felt like amazing main characters alone, but very different together. While Rhys was soft and delicate with Moira, he was rough and stern with David. Moira felt most consistent in her personality traits, and I wish the consistency would be similar in the others to create a deeper connection with all of them together.

All in all, I believe the series will improve as the first book draws you in, making you stay for the characters — which Evocation did.

If a gothic queer polyamory romance/fantasy entices you, this is definitely for you!! ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽₊


Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robots for letting me read this before release in exchange for an honest review!! Evocation will be released on May 28th this year ⋆⭒˚｡⋆

Evocation, the first part of a series coming out in May 2024, is the second book by S. T. Gibson I have read, and it is the second time she has delivered the exact kind of story I didn't know I wanted and needed.

The story has an undeniably character-driven narrative that effortlessly drew me into an occult setting filled with captivating personalities. From the very first page, the characters leap off the page and left me longing to be a part of their world.

The plot, centering around the efforts to save David - a talented medium - from demon possession, occasionally takes a backseat to the exploration of the relationships between the three main characters - David, Rhys, and Moira. There were moments where the urgency of the plot seemed to wane, leaving me questioning the stakes. Despite this, the cast of characters, both main and side, left a lasting impression, and I eagerly anticipate their further development in future installments. The portrayal of a budding polyamorous relationship promises intriguing dynamics to come.

Gibson's writing is, as always, stunning, and it is evident that she has crafted the story she always wanted to read, and luckily I also wanted to read exactly this type of story. The premise - secret societies, witches, magick shops, demons, ghosts, etc., as well as the captivating characters, made this the kind of book I always longed to read. This is undoubtedly a great start to what promises to be an enthralling series.

I feel so bad but I had to dnf this 😭. I got 40% in and I just couldn't get invested. I quickly skimmed to the end and this was just a miss for me.

Thank you so much to Angry Robot and NetGalley for an ARC of Evocation in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5
Spice: 5/5

This book was absolutely delicious! I was so engrossed in the story that I couldn't bear to put it down. The way the plot unfolded was so captivating that it left me thinking about it even after I had finished reading it. The book was hauntingly beautiful, and the relationships between all three of the main characters were so well-written that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them. I found myself rooting for my favorite couple and was delighted to see the way their stories unfolded. The book was full of so many fun quotes and lines that I couldn't help but highlight one line on each page. I'm sure that I will be thinking about them for a long time to come. Overall, I am eagerly waiting for more books from the author, S.T. Gibson, as this book was an absolute masterpiece!

DNF. I'm trying to get into this book, but the first few chapters are not at all hooking me in. Sad, because I really love S.T. Gibson's other works. I might need to try this book again at some other time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC of this book!

I've been hooked on S.T. Gibson since I read A Dowry of Blood, so needless tow say I was thrilled that Angry Robot chose me for an advanced copy. This book features the beginnings of a polyamorous relationship between Rhys, his wife Moira, and his ex David. Rhys and David had a falling out but it proved to be harder than they thought to avoid each other when they belong to the same society. Everything changes when David seems to have been possessed by something that he didn't invite in. He's getting sicker and in desperation contacts Rhys for his help. Now the trio have to figure out how to save David from the devil and how they fit into each other's lives. I'm glad this is the first book because I feel like we have only scratched the surface of this world, the magic, and their relationship. Fans of Ninth House and dark academia will enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley, Angry Robot, and ST Gibson.

Evocation was an amazing story. It kept my attention throughout the entire story and I could not put it down. Without Moria, David and Rhys would have never got anywhere. I found all the different magic very interesting and loved how they all had their own specialty.

As a big lover of the authors other work, I went into this book expecting it to be a 5 star read and I think that was big part of why the first 150-200 pages flew in for me. But sadly I found myself starting to lose interest in the second half.

The beauty of the writing and the dynamic between the characters held the story together for me. The plot on the other hand didn't do much for me, and I would have loved to explore a bit deeper into the magic side of things.

Overall, I will be picking up the next book in the series simply because I'm a big fan of the author and I'm hopeful that this story can be improved upon.

A netgallery ARC in exchange for an honest review.


A secret magic society, magic curses and a hint of polyamory.

T/W child abuse, alcoholism, polyamory and infedelity


I feel this book only picked up from around the 50% mark, before that I struggle to get into it/enjoy it which is a shame whereas after that point I quite enjoyed it and devoured that section very quickly.

I love how S J Gibson writes and her previous books but this just didn't hit the spot for me as the others did. The language and writing style was still in this book which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I felt certain aspects were skimmed over as if we were supposed to know them already, like chaos magic.

I feel like we should get a prequal of this book about David and Rhys but reading online it'll be a sequel.

I wished it delved deeper into polyamory a bit more, it really just skirted it instead.

A little more plot/world building than character driven and this would have felt a better book.

This definitely isn't a negative review, it's a unique story line and has so much potential, I'd like to see where the next book takes us.




Reviews on Goodreads, storygraph and Waterstones

I thoroughly enjoyed this paranormal romance set in Boston featuring the occult and trying to exorcise a demon from one of the main characters, what more could you want!

This features a polyamory romance with an MMF ‘hinge’ or ‘V’ dynamic where Rhys has a wife Moira but then gets back to together with his ex boyfriend David (the one with the century old curse). I do wish there was a teeny bit more on page romance but hopefully we can get this in further books.

Rhys got on my nerves a bit a times but i ended up liking him by the time the book finished.

4.5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this paranormal romance set in Boston featuring the occult and trying to exorcise a demon from one of the main characters, what more could you want!

This features a polyamory romance with an MMF ‘hinge’ or ‘V’ dynamic where Rhys has a wife Moira but then gets back to together with his ex boyfriend David (the one with the century old curse). I do wish there was a teeny bit more on page romance but hopefully we can get this in further books.

Rhys got on my nerves a bit a times but i ended up liking him by the time the book finished.

4.5 stars.

i haven't been this excited for a fantasy novel in a bit, maybe because i'm primarily a literary fiction reader, but evocation hit the mark and left me wanting more. that's because david, rhys, and moira are so fun to follow as gibson redefines what a traditional monogamous relationship looks like with trust that the love is there. there's an urgent but kind sense that each character is allowed to learn more about themselves by going after something they want, which is so refreshing. if anything i just wanted to see more of rhys' relationship with moira as well as how the new england academic setting exacerbates david's struggles with alcohol. however, i am so excited to read the next installment of this series for years to come.