I was going to write a very long review listing everything I disliked about this book but honestly too much time had passed in between finishing it and going to writer the review so I'm not going to do that anymore unfortunately. It would've been a great review too but my passion died. I was deeply disappointed with this one. A Dowry of Blood was an absolute masterpiece but this seems like a completely different author wrote this one. It was incredibly slow and boring and all of the cool aspects were completely overlooked. The only black character was also used as a token back character and I don't feel that her story was shared enough and she was just used for the two men to come into each others lives. The supposed demon possession was barely a thing. There was a lot of cool aspects like I said but they were just ignored. I could go on but overall, this was not great.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Evocation follows three characters, Moira, Rhys, and David as they navigate an occultist society and an inherited curse in modern day Boston.

David is a lawyer with supernatural abilities, when he’s not in court he’s performing seances and scrying sessions. He comes from a long line of magically inclined individuals- one of whom made a deal with the devil in exchange for success many generations ago. Once the curse catches up to him he realizes he won’t be able to deal with this on his own, and is forced to reach out to the only two people who he knows can help him. His ex- Rhys, and Rhy’s wife- talented astrologer and diviner, Moira.

Rhys and David have long tumultuous history dating back to college days, where they performed dangerous magic together. Over the years post break up they both remained rivals in the occultist society. That rivalry heightened when the position of high priest opened up and they were both vying for candidacy.

Moira is a kind and open hearted force of nature. She uses Astrology for divination but has a supernatural empathy that sometimes allows her to feel the direct emotions of others through physical contact. She also can see ghosts (I can’t wait to see how this gift manifests in the following books)

Moira and Rhys are so in love and so kind to each other, so when David comes knocking they are both on edge and reluctant to help David in the name of protecting their peace. Despite their apprehensions, they both see how desperate David is, and join forces to help David to resolve the curse.

I loved how the relationship between the three blossomed through out this book. I’m so happy there’s going to be a whole 5 book series! And the next book will be from Rhy’s perspective!

Thank you NetGalley, Angry Robot, and RB Media for an eARC and an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5!

I loved Gibson’s previous releases, and like them, I really enjoyed her prose in Evocation. Once again I really enjoyed her atmosphere and the overall vibes of the novel, but this was maybe a little rougher than I’d been expecting. I enjoyed how messy David and Rhys were, but I do kind of wish Moira had gotten equal screen time? I’m personally not too fussed about this because this is the first in a series and David and Rhys obviously have a history together, but I do hope to see more of her in future installments. As always I think Gibson does really, really solid character work and I did really like the main cast and find this a fun, easy read, though the plot itself was fairly basic (which, fair, this is a character driven story). I think I mostly just want to see more, in terms of relationships, characters, and magic, but as a first entry, it definitely did its job in hooking me and making me want to know what happens next, especially the way it ended.

The audiobook was fine, though perhaps not my favorite. I think he did a good job with David and Rhys’ voices, though his Moira felt a little… over the top, maybe? Regardless, I had an overall good time.

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
Evocation is the first book in a new urban fantasy series, and I enjoyed this fast and easy read. Evocation strength lies in the complicated love dynamics between the David, Rhys and Moira the main characters that drive this supernatural tale. David is still attracted to his ex-Rhys who is married to Moira who eventually becomes good friends with David which helps Rhys resolve his complicated feelings about David. All this happens against a background of a complicated family curse that is going to kill David unless he does something about this.
There are spells and action as well as secret magical society. The book touches upon generational trauma and payback- David must pay for a deal made by ancestors’ generations ago but one which ensured their good fortune and luck.
This is a great book for anyone looking for a new urban fantasy.

A secret society of magic. A love triangle. A bisexual relationship. Demons. Exorcisms. This book has so much amazing stuff.
I loved the dynamic between all three of the main characters of the book.
David is plagued by a family curse and needs the help of his ex boyfriend and his ex’s wife. They all work together to help David, learning about each other in the process
I definitely recommend this book. There was drama. There was conflict. There was love.

I absolutely adore this author and the pure creativity they bring in their books! Couldn’t put it down once I started! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this book! Everything about this novel was just perfect. Reading S. T. Gibson's work, is to read poetry. I thought that A Dowry of Blood would always be my favourite work by S. T Gibson, but she is making it incredibly difficult to choose between them now.

Can I get a round of applause. Because I finally hit my dark gothic era this year?? Freaking loved all the witchy stuff.



I think David might be my favorite (currently, lol.)
He’s just my type of guy, mkay? His sarcasm truly slapped.

It was an intriguing journey for me, because it’s not often that I find books with Polyamorous dynamics, and it’s one of my favorite kinds.

Rhys and Moira’s relationship, come on, who doesn’t love a bit of drama, when the ex boyfriend comes knocking?



Can’t wait for what’s next for our team of 3!

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.✨

I'm so sad to say I didn't enjoy this book as much as their other books. The writing felt almost completely different in this one, especially compared to Dowry. I wanted a lot more of the magic system and their powers and I felt like they weren't touched on enough. Although I did love the relationship between Moira and Rhys, I think I wanted more of that in the story. I guess that's the common theme for this book is I just wanted more out of it. Maybe it was written that way because it's the first in the series and hopefully I'll get more out of the next book, which I'll definitely be reading. Moira was by far my favorite character of the three. Her style, her personality, I would have been more than happy if the entire story was written from her point of view. I am very excited with how the book left off at the end, it was alluding to something that I had been hoping for through the whole book and I can't wait.

Many thanks to Angry Robot for my review copy!

I was so excited to get to this one I have loved every book I have read by S T Gibson but I was disappointed with this one. I think this is a well written story but I wasn't invested in the story or characters 😞

Thank you to Netgalley, Angry Robot and S T Gibson for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Evocation is a really captivating and mysterious novel, with complex character dynamics. I really liked it and I will definitely read more in this world and from the author.
This is the first book in The Summoner's Circle and it is a queer fantasy romance book.

I really liked the writing style and the characters of the book. Rhys, Moira and David have really unique relationship dynamics.
I loved the atmosphere of the book. It has gothic and dark academia vibes.

I also want to mention that the book navigates complex themes around fidelity, addiction, and childhood abuse.

I am really looking forward to continue with the series.

David was an occult prodigy as a young adult, he was raised by his abusive father. His father has been dead for years and he has been living a very luxurious life of riches and power. By day he is an attorney, and in his off time he provides medium services. Just before his 3oth birthday he begins to feel weird, his powers are acting up and he is at a loss for the cause.

In comes his researcher ex-boyfriend, and occult rival Rhys, he seeks his help but in order for him to agree he has to charm and convince Moira, Rhys' wife. Feelings and attachments between the 3 of them develop and it will take all of them to figure out this deal with the devil David's ancestors left him with.

This book really took my by surprise, I have been meaning to read from this author and this happens to be my first. I LOVED the queer representation in this book, especially the exploration of polyamory and non-romantic/sexual love and connection. The plot kept me intrigued from the get go, and I could not put it down. Although things are not fully resolved due to this being part of the series it did end in a good place that did not feel like too much of a cliffhanger. I cannot wait for the next installment.

I enjoyed Evocation a lot more than the author's previous books; it's more like my kind of fantasy and I'm really happy about that. However, I found myself drawn out of the book several times around the 50% mark and I put it down for multiple days at a time; I can't say for sure whether that's the book's fault or mine (I believed it to be my fault until I learned that others felt the same way), but I know that, unfortunately, I can't give it 5 stars. The characters were amazing, especially David and Moira, which is not a surprise; I always love S.T. Gibson's characters. The plot, however, is not as strong as I hoped it would be. I didn't find inconsistencies, but there just wasn't enough of a mystery to it. Everything that happened was extremely predictable and I get that the focus here was on the characters and the relationships between them, but I needed more action, more occult, more... something, which unfortunately wasn't there.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this one quite a lot! It was hard to put down, because it was an immersive read, and even if it is not perfect, and I wasn't particularly impressed by anything in here, I still had a good time with it, as strange as it may sound. I mean, the main point of the whole story is the relationship between our characters, and this is masterly done, all the rest work as a contour for this and so... it is not bad, but it is not great either. And still, I am happy with this one, and I think that it is well worth your time, too.

Things I liked:
1) David. He is not my usual kind of character, and yet I really enjoyed him and his development. I was invested in his story (and in his well-being). I think that he is a great MC.
2) Moira and Rhys' wedding. I love that they work for it, and I love that the author portrays a happy couple who is not scared of asking for their need to be met. (Well, I am oversimplifying things a bit here, but trust me, it is a happy marriage and they did their best to make it work. And I loved it!)
3) The writing. This is the second book I read by this author, and from what I read around this is quite atypical while the other one I have read (An Education in Malice) is more typical for the writing style and the trope. And the writing between these two books is different. A lot. But even if here it is not so evocative and lush, is still smooth and well-thought and it made for a really compelling reader. It flows really well, and it was hard to put down the book because it was just so easy to keep going!
4) Moira. It took me some time to warm up to her, but in the end, I really enjoyed her.She is a great character with a great personality and an amazing attitude.
5) The magic. If I have to say that the magical system is a tad disappointing because we don't get to see how it is properly inserted in the world at large, we see enough to understand without problems the story and to follow along. And what we see is pretty great, I like how seamlessly ingrained in the world it is and all the different branches are intriguing.
6) The relationship between David, Rhys and Moira. This is the focal point of the book and I really enjoyed that, this time around, we have a relationship that it is sane, even if the characters are not. I don't mean that the characters are insane, but they all are broken and they try their best to be better and to change things, but still, we get to see how "broken" people can still create a working relationship and this part I enjoyed a lot.

Things I didn't enjoy:
1) Rhys. I tried but I did not like him. At all. He has his moments, sure, but all in all, I didn't like him.
2) The plot and the worldbuilding are not central to this story and it shows. And even if I didn't dislike this as much as I disliked Rhys, I still think that the author could have done better on both fronts.

I had a good time with this book, all things considered, and I am happy to have read it! I hope you will enjoy it too!

The book follows the main character David as well as Rhys the ex boyfriend and Rhys’s wife Moria as they struggle to deal with an ancestral deal that has come due!
David reluctantly reaches out to his ex boyfriend Rhys who is one of the few people he ever truly trusted. Both are part of a Secret Society where they play rivals to each other But the only way to get Rhys to help David is through his wife Moria.

The characters are really well written and have a good depth to them and I loved that each character wasn’t perfect and had their own flaws and issues. I enjoyed the complex relationships, how the Polyamory was explored and how it came across in the book. I did find at points this was the sole focus. I really enjoyed the multiple POV in the book and definitely felt that helped add to the story. Whilst it was mainly David’s POV and story adding both Rhys and Moira gave it more depth and added more understanding of the other two characters who I really enjoyed.

I found the book to be well written and easy to follow along. I enjoyed the Gothic , Dark Academia vibe that the book gave off with all the different Occult elements. I love that the magic system is different in this book and that it’s completely different to what I’ve read before and completely focused on the Occult, I really loved the world building and descriptions, especially the practices.
I did find the book to have a slower pace plot wise.

Without giving too much away I really enjoyed the last part of the book and found myself rooting for our main characters.

3.75

this was fun to read!!! really loved the characters so much. the third act kinda fell off for me i felt like something was off because it was rushed a bit, i would have definitely enjoyed more supernatural elements and some drama to keep me entertained tho

a phenomenal debut!! thank you so incredibly much for an arc of this!! i now have a hardback on my shelf because it is STUNNING!!!

Evocation is a good urban fantasy with great characters and setting. I was at times drawn out of the book and put it down for days at a time, but don't take this point too seriously. I might have just read this at the wrong time, personally. I loved the author's previous works, so anyone who enjoyed those should jump right in.

Evocation is the first book in the romantasy series The Summoner's Circle, a proposal full of passion and mysticism with a character driven story, written by S.T. Gibson and published by Angry Robot Books. A story that puts the focus on David, Rhys, and Moira, and the relationships that evolve between them, while fighting with the demonic curse that afflicts David as a result of his family's deal with the devil.

We can't talk about Evocation without putting the focus on the characters and, most importantly, how they make us feel. David has been a bittersweet sensation for me. On one hand, he's a total jerk at the start, and it's difficult to empathize with him; but the more I read and he opens himself to Moira and Rhys, shows his vulnerabilities, the more I enjoyed how Gibson wrote him. David is a broken person, whose abusive familiar relationship drove him towards that loneliness and (this is a guess) depression, which only deeps himself into the self-destructive behaviours; touching the bottom moves him to ask for help, and opening himself to Moira and Rhys are the key pieces that can save him.
In comparison, Rhys is the opposite of David, a hard-worker that compensates his lack of natural affinity to the mystical things with study and effort; he totally reveres his wife, but a part of him will always belong to David.
And our third character, and for me, the real kick-ass of the series is Moira; she's brave and strong, empowered. Moira is an intense person, but in the good sense; without her, Evocation wouldn't be the same.

The polycle that appears between our three characters was, for me, a really enjoyable part of the story; while between each member the intensity is different, they complement themselves in incredible ways. Moira is the catalyst that allows this to happen, that spoils both of the male characters to show their best version; without her, the things wouldn't smooth between David and Rhys. It's not a spicy book, but the intimate moments between our characters are deep touching.

The setting is charming; I loved the gothic and mystical atmosphere that is part of the Boston described by Gibson. It is clear the passion of the author for the occult, and that gets captured in her words, creating an alive world with many forces and ways to interact with them.

Evocation is a great way to initiate the Summoner's Circle series; it's an intense character-driven story whose atmosphere will fascinate you. Despite my initial problems with David, Gibson managed to eventually get him an arc that made me love the book; and now I can only way for the next entry in this series.

This just was a DNF for me.
I found this book to just be really boring. I made it 43% through and felt like we were never getting to the point of anything. Maybe I needed to read further? But I feel like if I get to 43% and I don't feel invested, it's time to move on.
The characters seemed to lack any depth for me and I found myself not really caring about them or what happened to them.

Although I did not enjoy this book myself, my staff members who also got ARC copies did.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advance Readers Copy