🥀Occult
🥀Multiple Pov's
🥀Exs to Rivals to Lovers
🥀 Polyamorous
🥀 Magic
🥀 Gothic

TRIGGER WARNING
🥀 Alcoholism

Evocation follows the lives of David, Rhys and Moria. David is a lawyer and medium. He has the gift of persuasion. He comes from a prominent magical family.

David used to be in a relationship with Rhys, a scholar. However their relationship ended as David was an alcoholic. Rhys then meets Morio, a witch whom he marries.

Rhys had cut David out of life, until David becomes magically sick and need his help. Old wounds are opened.

Rhys, David and Moria's relationship is constantly changing and growing but through it all the find each other and love.

Thank you netgalley and angry robot for the ARC. I truly enjoyed Evocation and look forward to the second book

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robotfir providing an ARC, this didn’t influence my review of the book!

Secret Societies, demon summonings, and tarot readings? Yes. Pretentious and ambitious occultists? Yes. Polyamory? Yes.

From the first sentence, this book managed to pull me in and not let me go until the last page. I haven’t been this excited about reading a book in a while and I was so immersed in the story, it truly didn’t even feel like I was reading.

The characters were all incredible and I loved them so much. They each had their own personalities and goals and were very well rounded. Even the supporting characters felt three dimensional and you could tell that the author put work into developing all of her characters.
The dynamic between David, Rhys, and Moira was so intriguing to follow and I loved seeing it change from beginning to end and I’m curious to see the direction it will take as the series progresses.
Furthermore, the relationship between Moira and Rhys was so refreshing to read about because there was just so much love, genuine trust and boundaries and it’s honestly one of the healthiest relationships I’ve read about lately.

Also, the nicknames. Little goddess. Indigo Child. Sign me up.

And the vibes. Immaculate. Slightly spooky, gothic, and dark but still funny at times.

One of my favourite things about this book is also the notion, that love can exist without the desire to have sex with someone, and I feel like that’s such an important message that I haven’t really seen represented in media, so it made me very happy.

My only critique is that I found the plot to be a bit weak. Generally it was very interesting but I wish there had been more scenes of them actually trying to break the curse and that we had seen more rituals and summonings and the likes.

Overall, despite my one critique, this book still deserves nothing less than five stars for what it gave me and I cannot believe that I now have to leave David, Moira and Rhys until book 2 comes out.
If you are interested in the occult and want a new series with amazing characters and great vibes, then this is definitely the book for you!

The Devil knows your name. David Aristarkov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now, he moonlights as a powerful medium for a secret society, while keeping a high-powered life as a lawyer. But with power comes a price and the Devil has come to collect on an ancestral deal. His days are numbered and death looms before him.

Finding himself on the brink of death from an ancestral curse he reaches out to the only person he’s ever truly trusted. An ex-boyfriends and secret society rival, Rhys, who may be the only person who can help him. But the only way to get to Rhys is through his wife, Moira, who has powers and secrets aplenty of her own. Thrust into each other’s lives again, emotions once buried deep resurface, and the trio try to figure out their feelings for each other while racing to find a way to break the curse. Before the Devil steals David away forever.

All told in the author’s signature prose while navigating complex themes around relationships, addiction and abuse. This book may have been slow to start off with while centring around intense relationships and character development. All culminating in a quick climax and an end that leaves the story open for the next instalment. This author will always be an immediate read due to the beautiful prose, epic storytelling and characters that are nuanced and lifelike. She navigates intense themes and topics in her books in an open and honest way that will speak to any reader. A perfect start to the series.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘖𝘯𝘦, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦) 𝘣𝘺 𝘚 𝘛 𝘎𝘪𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘯

thank you netgalley and angry robot books for an ARC in exchange of an honest review!

this was amazing! i loved the writing, and i loved the gothic themes as well as the spiritualism and the astrology aspects. understanding that this was character driven, while the pace was a little slow at times, there were moments that made it all worth it.

rhys calls moira his little goddess, goddess incarnate, witch of his heart… and honestly? i am obsessed with them!!!! i am obsessed with the three of them, i am obsessed with moira, i am obsessed with moira and rhys, i am obsessed with david, i am obsessed with david and rhys!!!

i will definitely come back to this book once it gets published and check for any updates or changes!

absolutely in love with this book and characters. the only problem with finishing “evocation” is that i have to wait years for the rest of the books to come out :((( i adored everything about this, the magic system, the different magic users, the way the magic was explained in such simple terms that it not only made sense but it felt like a natural, organic part of the world. this is how urban fantasy should feel like. and the characters? they were flawed and full of emotion, and i liked finding out things about them through the different pov chapters. the build up in the relationship was delicious, rhys and moira are the perfect couple but add david’s messiness to that and it just gets better. the prose? beautiful! the words flow out of the page and captivate you. gibson never misses with her prose. she never misses!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

S.T. Gibson is an auto-buy and auto-read author for me. She always writes compelling character-driven stories that tackle complex themes. Her writing is haunting and accessible, and it compels you to continue reading, time and responsibilities be damned. 😂

Evocation is sort of a gothic paranormal novel, set in modern Boston. It includes elements that are so outside my interests' zone. It's set around an occult society mainly featuring a club only consisted of men and how they delve into "magic". S.T. Gibson does a good job explaining how different groups of people view and practice their powers/magic as well as how they view the numerous labels of what they do. It didn't feel overwhelming nor abundant; it was perfectly described when it was needed. I was intrigued by Moira's point of view, that the term "witch" was what her foreparents used and felt comfortable with, that it was a cozy term that inspired warmth, instead of "medium" that inspired distrust and was used by many people who didn't wish to help others but wished to take advantage of them. I have absolutely no knowledge of the terminology or the terms' background, but in my non-knowing bubble, it felt intriguing.

Evocation is told by three points of view, Moira's, Rhys' and David's. I can't say that I disliked any of them, but truth be told, I didn't really "fall" for any of them, either. Moira started off as a unambitious woman who cared for her husband, her clients, and herself. Through David, she discovered that she was, in fact, ambitious, and that she didn't want to hide some of her abilities, that she could do more than she did. As usual with S.T.Gibson's writing, Moira has a compelling character development. She grows as a character and discovers new sides to herself. I found her journey to be delightful. I also loved how much she insisted on self-care; it was so refreshing to read, and it's so, so needed in our lives.

Rhys is a husband dedicated to his wife and his duty at that society club. He's also very conflicted with his feelings toward David, as in he knows he loves his wife very much, but he's also still in love with David. I think he's the character I liked the least because to me, it felt like he needed confirmation and approval for everything. I did like how ambitious he was and how hard he fought for his place, but he was also a little too set on his beliefs. And it was painfully obvious that he was still in love with David, but he needed Moira to say it first...

David was my favorite. He's hard and blunt on the outside, but he's so broken on the inside. He feels inadequate and worthless, like he ruins everyone who comes to his life. He is a recovering alcoholic who was severely traumatized by his abusive father. He works non-stop because it's been engraved on his very soul that if he doesn't work, if he doesn't succeed, he's not worth anything. And when the deal with the devil came up, he was in agony not only because he was to die, but also because it implied that his talents, him being a "prodigy", his charming personality were there only due to that deal. He was so pained by this because to him, what he could do was absolutely everything--since he ruined everything else. His broken soul spoke to me as it did to Moira.

S.T. Gibson writes complex characters with complex problems and complex feelings. I have nothing against polyamorous people/couples; I just haven't read any books with them, so I don't feel that I have any grounds to speak about if it was written well or not. As I said before, I also haven't read about the occult and the different views of it nor about astrology. However, I do believe that we should delve into the unknown and read books that are different from what we usually go for, and Evocation was that for me. I enjoyed it a lot, partly because of S.T.Gibson's compelling writing and partly because I rooted for David's survival.

S.T. Gibson offers a new compelling story about feminism, society's view of women, self-identity, self-journey, as well as fidelity, desire, love, and trauma.

*
It's the monthly pick for a box, so... To Skip Or Not To Skip? RENEW!! Something tells me that this will be a stunning edition.

I really enjoyed this book! I love books about ghosts, haunting and the paranormal etc, but have never read one like this before - a really creative way to tell a paranormal story in a way that doesn't feel dated or tired, but really intriguing and exciting!

The book took me some time to get used to in terms of the heavy writing style, but once I was invested, I was so absorbed. There is so much attention to detail - really rich world-building with the society, the characters are so fleshed out, the whole world of the book is so vividly brought to life that I was completely immersed within it. It's definitely not a book I could have read half-heartedly or when tired, as it did require my full concentration, but I found when I did start reading, I would fly through pages at such a fast paced because the book definitely kept my attention hooked.

I'd say this is an equal mix of both a plot and character book so I really enjoyed that mix of both, getting to learn about the characters and their relationships with each other, as well as a rather eerie plotline too.

I'd never read a book by this author before and now will definitely want to read more of their books - I'll certainly be picking up a copy of A Dowry of Blood soon!

A fantastic atmospheric read, and I can't wait for it to come out to read it again!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this! Education of malice wasn’t my cup of tea but this was a really good quick read! I enjoyed all 3 MCs as well

Thank you to Angry Robot for giving me access to an arc of this. While I did find this entertaining, I wish there would’ve been more of a balance when it came to the romance and the fantastical aspect of the story. I feel like I’m left with so many questions that I feel should’ve been answered within the first book but hopefully those get answered in the second.

Also this has been gnawing at me but I don’t appreciate the way that Moira was written. There’s something that’s lacking and her story and ambitions only seem to involve David and Rhys. What are her desires outside of them? I’m not exactly sure! I also, in the beginning, felt very weird about how Moira was portrayed as a Black woman. I also think that she was way too accepting of the fact that Rhys and David cheated and I don’t think there is enough time for her to actually process what happens.

I know she suggests that Rhys read that one book and how they can been healthy in this type of relationship but…I’m not sure that this was executed in the right way.

I got access to this book through netgalley and GOD IM OBSESSED.
I love everything ST Gibson releases, and when I saw this was coming on netgalley you better believe I ran SO FAST to apply. The way she writes her characters just makes me fall in love with them so quickly. I saw so much of myself in David - who pushes everyone away as a punishment to himself, and is afraid to let anyone near him in case they see how broken he really is.
Plot wise, it did go a bit slow. It takes a good bit for it to dive into the issue, and even with the slow burn sexual tension, at times it felt too slow. I wanted all three of them to just get together but it was so much back and forth between them like a delicate dance. I need the second one out now 💥💥

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.