Aileen Erin's Invocation is the first installment in the author's Days of Iron and Clay series. Even though it is said that you do not have to have read the Alpha Girls series, it would be nice to understand the world this story takes place. Especially since a bunch of characters from the Alpha Girls series play pivotal parts in this story. The world recently woke up to the news that supernaturals like werewolves, witches, vampires, and other supernaturals are real.

The story follows Samantha Lopez who is not exactly human, but something else. A Nephilim. Samantha just happens to be the daughter of a human and a fallen angel named Astaroth who is willing to do anything to get his wayward daughter back in hell where he thinks she belongs. Samantha also appeared in a short novella called Two More Days. 8 years ago, Samantha escaped from Hell and the man who claims to be her father. To this day, Sam hears his voice when she is trying to relax.

Samantha, who is the resident demonologist, is the person you call if you are demon possessed or in trouble. She's so good, that she is constantly busy sending lower & higher demons back to Hell from where they escaped. Samantha is destined to be an important, extraordinary person who is set on protecting innocent humans from demon infestations and evil spirits - via exorcisms and creating portals to Hell. With Heaven & Hell battling for millennia, Sam and her friends are all that stand in the way of the apocalypse.

Sam, who helped Tessa McCaide (Alpha Werewolf who has visions of the future) defeat her father, now lives in a supernatural community in Texas called The Sanctuary. Sam's friends/family include her mother/partner Elena Gomez, Phoenix Herrera (former soccer phenom), Frank (Priest), Eli (Archon Warrior Angel), Gabe (Demon-dead Nephilim), Dastien (Tessa's mate), Cosette (Fey princess), Claudia (Witch), Lucas (Peruvian Alpha), Axel, and Chris (Werewolf). As I said, all of these characters were part of the Alpha Girls series.

There is something of a dramatic event that happens at the beginning of this book which ends up with the story skipping years before ending in the present. Later, Sam is forced to rescue another friend, Van (Fey Warrior) from Hell after her father captures him, and uses him as bait and trap for Sam. Sam is not perfect. She gets into situations that end up with her in trouble. But she is a spiritual being, whose powers are spiritual, and even though Eli is her friend and protector, there are things that not even he can do without without becoming one of the Fallen.

I have every intention of continuing this story once the sequel releases next winter.

A 5 star book for me. Invocation by Aileen Erin is soooo good! I can't even describe what I felt reading this book. I felt shivers all over my skin, felt all the emotions. Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Independent Publishers Group and Aileen Erin for making this ARC available for me to read!

As someone who did not have the background from the other books by this author and of this universe, I found this read quite fun. It is an interesting world, clearly with a lot of backstory to it that had me quite curious and intrigued about the other books from this author. The story of Sam, and what happens to her in this book also did captivate me quite a bit, and I found myself reading this fast.

I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters, how the main character was surrounded by found family and with family relationships that were actually healthy (which isn't always the case for stories like these!).

Some things I was less fond of, which were inevitable nonetheless, was the insistance on the certain religious aspects of this story. I understand that it is part of this world and part of our character's story, but that wasn't for me necessarily. I also believe that there was a lot of dialogue in this book, to a point that it at times felt more like reading a script, rather than a book.

Another thing that kept me from being fully invested was the fact that parts of this read very Young Adult-y, not necessarily what one would think for the majority of this book (no spoilers) and that certain relationships developed extremely fast and felt a bit rushed or like "star-crossed lovers". Which, to me is not necessarily something I look for in a story or a book, but if you love that I think you will love this!

Overall, enjoyable read, would definitely recommend if you like all things supernatural, FMC and found family! 3,5/5 stars for me!

It's been a little while since I've spent time in the world that this spinoff book series takes place, but it was so nice to be back! Even if you haven't read anything else from this author, this new series is a lot of fun. The world is interesting and rich, with a slow burn that I can't wait to see pay off!

Sam is not your average girl. When the book begins, we get to see behind the scenes of what led to her last arrest of her childhood. I say last because she's been arrested and sent to an institution more than once. That's what happens when you can see the spiritual realm and nobody else wants to believe. It's both a blessing and curse to her, but she manages with a lot of grace. As the daughter of one of Satan's generals, she has a bit of baggage. Her mom is doing her best to protect her, but even the cute boy next door can't keep her from helping someone in need.

From there, we fast forward a few years, now in the ramp up to a big showdown with her dad. She's fallen in with a new found family of paranormals and even gets a surprise visit that sets her world spinning. It was really great to see the evolution of Sam, how she molded herself and her life to do battle, and how she is navigating the world of Angels and Demons. I really enjoyed time with Sam and can't wait to see what she does next!

Thanks Net Galley for the ARC!

Invocation is a fast-paced, gritty paranormal romance. It has the depth of lore seen in similar themed stories such as Constantine (movie starring Keanu Reeves), and it has the witty banter that's seen in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.

I haven't read any of the Alpha Girls books, and Erin has done a marvellous job of making sure readers are up to date with what we need to know to fully appreciate what's going on.
Sam is a smart, sarcastic, and strong character that can't seem to catch a break! I loved the dynamics between Sam and her supernatural pals. Especially Eli. He reminds me of the way angels are portrayed in the Supernatural TV series (we love a sassy and bored-esque man with the ability to glow brighter than the sun).

As someone who usually steers clear of romance, I'd happily continue reading what Sam battles next.

Thank you NetGalley and Ink Monster, LLC for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Below review won't contain big spoilers, but I will reference some things from the book to explain where my opinion comes from.

Not all YA feels young, but this one definitely does.

This story follows Samantha, who is the daughter of a human mother & a fallen angel/demon father. Because of this, she is able to see through different realms and can see & react with the spiritual world. She's destined to be this important, extraordinary person (and likely save the world at one point) who is set on protecting innocent humans from demons infestations and evil spirits - via exorcisms and creating portals to Hell. She's also on the run from her father who is dead-set on bringing her (back) to Hell forever. Her best friends are some werewolves, witches, a priest, an archon, and her demon-dead friend.

This description, the world and set-up for the story sounded great, so I was excited to delve in. It did, however, not really deliver for me. My main gripe was the storytelling feeling so, so young. It was quite clunky, a lot of tell (mainly internal monologue) and very little show. The conversations had very much "teenager" vibe to it and often went on for much too long with a lot of repetition. This would've made sense for the first part in which she was still 17 years old. However, this did not change after the 6-year time-jump. She's said to have aged so much compared to her peers from having been to Hell, but this was not evident from anything whatsoever.

Some other points that stood out to me:
- While it is a spin-off, I've read multiple times that you do not need to have read the main series. I would disagree, if only for the fact that there is a lot of name-dropping through the book of characters that were very obviously part of that previous series. It wasn't that it confused me as much as it felt like you're in a conversation with people who are talking about something that you were not a part of so you're just sitting there, awkwardly.
- We hear many times how awful and terrifying Hell and her father are, but we're never actually really shown how bad it really is, I never felt that there were actual high stakes involved even when everything went to hell (pun intended). Having more emotional investment would've really helped with these moments.
- The romance was ... not really existing for me. The eventual love interest and her experience some kind of insta-love moment which I did not connect with at all. Since the events were spread out of over 2 days in total, as a reader it did not make sense for some real attraction to blossom. I'm not against insta-love or insta-lust, but this was extremely cringy for me.

Not all YA has to feel really young, and I'm actually surprised this one did, since for most of the story the characters were between 23 and 28 years old. Perhaps if I had read this when I was much younger myself, I would've liked it more. I won't be continuing the series myself for that reason, but I can see how this has potential for a younger audience (I just didn't see it being marketed that way).

i had hope that this would be a decent read based off of the title and cover alone but my bad though because this was not definitely not it for me.

we’ve got sam / samantha who is the daughter of a human mother and demon father, constantly on the run and in hiding from her demon father because he didn’t like the fact she had thwarted him by saving her werewolf friend, tessa (oh don’t worry! you won’t ever forget tessa is a werewolf because it is beaten into you throughout the book).

in the first few chapters sam is 17, living with her mother, and across the hall from her hot soccer player neighbor, phoenix. time skip 6 years and sam’s since moved to texas from california, has a job as a demon hunter and somehow SOME WAY, runs into phoenix again when he asks the local priest for some supernatural help with one of his sisters. i won’t get into further details as to not spoil the rest of the book but i really thought this would be more focused on the demon aspect of it instead of her nonexistent love life. i honestly could have done away with the romance altogether and really felt like it didn’t help the book at all. it could have been a better read without it, but to each their own. it could be just me and the fact i’ve read too many fantasy books within the last year but the fated mates trope is getting to be so redundant. it doesn’t help that sam’s friend group / found family are werewolves for the majority and with that comes mates. obviously this plays into her odd lust romance for phoenix but come on, can we not?? the included romance felt out of place, almost forced and i found myself cringing throughout the book. even though for the rest of the book sam is 23, her inner dialogue reads as if she’s still 17. i felt she didn’t really grow out of that age.

(my last thoughts on this but “babe” is said 24 times. why? idk. sometimes the urban fantasies don’t work out.)

⭐️: 2.75/5
🌶️: spice-free!
Format: 📱 eARC

This was really interesting! I was drawn in initially by the absolutely STUNNING cover art, and the really cool premise. Erin builds on her previous omegaverse series "Alpha Girl," but in a standalone focusing on a spiritual battle between good and evil, Angels and Demons. Fans of James Patterson's "Maximum Ride" will love FMC Sam's badass chic energy and save-the-world attitude!

For me, I did want a little bit more from this book. I think my expectations were a little bit misaligned, and while I did enjoy it, it just wasn't for me! I was thrown off a bit by the characters' ages (they're 23 and 28), but this is a YA novel, and the characters will definitely appeal more to younger readers. At times, I felt like they were still teenagers. I also had issues with the pacing and development. This went by very quickly, because the whole book focuses on three major events--with no transitional scenes in between. Because we only see the characters in three events and settings, I needed more development. Since most of the book is from Sam's perspective, we do get more of her inner monologue and thought process, as well as some flashbacks, which helped some, but the development of relationships, decisions, and more felt very sudden and rushed. I wanted a lot more.

What I did really like was the "Part One"- the book starts with the first third when Sam is 17, and I was INTO it. I was hooked really early on, and loved the expositional scene. I felt it tee'd things up really well for the main relationship, had great action, and the characters fit their ages. I was super engaged. But the six-year time jump threw me a lot, and the characters still acted the same way as when they were younger. My engagement dropped off as things progressed.

I think this is one of those YA books that I am just struggling to get into as an adult, and the target audience will enjoy it more. The premise and ideas were really cool, I just wasn't personally engaged with how they were executed. I'd recommend if you've got a teen who likes the paranormal and a little romantic twist!

This is an action-packed fun YA paranormal romance. I really loved how the spiritual realm, demons and portals are just everyday life for the FMC. There’s a dramatic incident at the start of the book so we start off with action, which I loved, but then there’s a big time jump. I really invested but then this threw me. I’m glad certain characters came back into the plot, although this was all a bit convenient. The romance was a slow-burn and I really enjoyed the MMC point of view at the end to get to see how he was feeling. Overall a fun quick YA read that I would compare vibes to vampire diaries (slightly cheesy with plenty of YA drama). Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I haven't read the Alpha Girl series yet (but I plan to). So I wasn't as familiar with the characters as others might be. But you can definitely read this book/start this series without reading the previous ones. I never felt like I was missing part of the story. That said, I'm starting to understand why the previous series has 9 books. I felt like the story moved too slowly. There's a lot of dialogue, which I don't mind as long as it doesn't take the place of story progression.
A bit too much romance for me as well, but that's more my issue.
And I'm a bit confused by the choice to end the book with a different pov. Would've liked Sam's to return at the end.

Overall, I did like it. Sam's a great main character and I'll be checking out the next (and previous) books.

Hoping the wait for book 2 won't be too long (because I have a terrible memory)

I'll be perfectly honest. This wasn't my favorite book, and it was a bit slow for my taste. That being said, I think it was a great start to the series, and I can't wait to read the next book!



Thanks to netgalley and Aileen Erin for allowing me to review an advanced copy of this book!

3.75 stars rounded up and my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This is my first book my Erin and I probably won't go out of my way to look for others. Was it a good story? Sure. Did I care about the characters? Some of them. A lot of the reviews I saw stated that you don't have to read the other stories to get the characters and understand the dynamics, but literally every minute was filled with, what I assumed to be, references from previous novels. I know it's a spin-off of the other series Erin has written, so a lot of side characters are from that series. Their relationships to each other and to Samantha were set in stone even by the first chapter. I admit I wasn't lost or confused, but to say you can go into this book with zero context is not accurate.

What I liked: The relationship between Samantha and her Mom, Ana. I loved that. They felt real and felt like they really cared about each other. Samantha never stated that she felt smothered by Ana while Ana was trying to take care of her. Just knew that they had to do what they had to do to make sure Samantha was safe and healthy.

What I disliked: How damn dense every character could be. Every new item or new revelation was a SURPRISE to the characters, even though they heard every single word that was said explaining, in great detail, what the revelation meant. Like. The anchor situation at the end? Literally 5 pages worth of kindle reading the characters explain it to each other out loud before Phoenix was like WAIT WHAT? WHAT IS AN ANCHOR????

All in all, it was a fun read. I probably will keep an eye out for the next few books in this particular series, but I'm not interested enough for the werewolf series.

*I received a free ARc of this book from the publisher*

This was a fantastic YA story and introduction to Samantha's life and the world she sees. She is brave, strong, and fiercely loyal, while also being relatable through her self-doubt and anxiety induced by past traumas. She would be the best kind of friend to have, which had me rooting for her the entire book. I also love her friends and family, and Phoenix is a gem. I loved the very wholesome romance in the book and I cannot wait to see more of it in the next book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA romantasy!

A fun, quick read. I was quite interested in all the mythos and thought the author did a wonderful job describing hell. That being said, the characters were largely one note. Samantha was a bit TOO self sacrificial and Pheonix was too perfect. The romance was sudden and not believable, at least to me. The supernatural aspects were well written and interesting.

Paranormal romances are always a hit or a miss. This book landed smack in the middle. I enjoyed most of the characters but I felt that the plot itself was slow. There were parts that took me out of the moment, like for instance when so many people were invested in Sam’s love life. It seemed silly and really solidified my feelings on this book. It had potiental but it fell short of being a book to take seriously, which didn’t bode well with me. I went in expecting an epic, action filled, paranormal romance. Instead I felt like I was reading a cheesey fanfiction.

This was the first book I've read by Aileen Erin and honestly, I loved it. I want to say thanks to NetGalley for this e-ARC copy of the book. I was drawn to it both by it's cover and the synopsis.

The story starts with a look at Sam (Samantha) in her teenage years going through an experience that is not uncommon for her, but definitely a new endeavor for her neighbor, Phoenix. This event sets the groundwork for where we see Sam a few years in the future and helps to put the action in motion. The mix of supernatural elements mixed with the realism of a 20-something girl's woes with dating and finding the right person made this fantasy more approachable and easier to relate to. But don't get me wrong! The bulk of the book wasn't a focus on the romance this time around. While it seemed all of the supporting characters were VERY invested in Sam's love life, the plot moved forward with a greater focus on the supernatural trials she has to endure and work through to save loved ones and reconnect with others.

I have seen others describe this as an urban fantasy, which I get to a point. However, the story is set primarily in an enclave for those with supernatural abilities largely away from the general public so it felt like more of a mix of traditional fantasy taking place in another realm with some realism tossed in.

Overall, I could've done without everyone's intense focus on Sam's single-ness and think it was a bit heavy-handed. It could've been mentioned or remained the focus of one of her friends/family vs. them all continuously mentioning it... Otherwise, the story was really well written. I appreciated that the book wasn't drawn out to be longer just to hit an arbitrary length, but instead ended at a natural stopping point.

I'm looking forward to reading the next books in this series and only hope that the author elects to expand a bit more on some of the concepts we see in the first book that seem fundamental to the world building. I was able to follow, but think there are definitely some things that can be explained further that would enhance the story!

Great book overall. Would definitely recommend to others.

I really loved this book! While reading I kept thinking, "this would make an incredible TV show" and that is because it is such a fun read! This is a great epic adventure with awesome characters, a gripping plot, and makes you feel all the feels. Would very much recommend!

Thank you Netgalley for the copy of Invocation. I loved this plot. I definitely wish it was more Adult but it feels like it should 100 percent be a CW show. It has a buffy/supernatural vibe to it. The characters are all great. Absolutely love Gabe the demon and Frank. I hope as the books progress Sam reads as more of an adult than a teen. She definitely gave off 17 the whole book. I feel like she has a lot of potential to be more likable. This is my first book by Aileen Erin. It's not what I wpuld normally gravitate towards but it was cute and fun. It is a very quick read even at 300 pages. If you are a supernatural or Buffy fan I think this will be right up your alley.

I absolutely loved this book, it blew my mind and was incredibly thought provoking. I've been a huge fan of Aileen Erin for a while, ever since I started her Alpha Girl series. I now want to reread Alpha Girl and I'm not usually a rereader. I'm getting the same feels for Samantha and Phoenix that I had for Tessa and Dastien. Some of the themes in this story stick with you days after reading it, love, loyalty and bravery. Yes, there is insta-romance because in the paranormal they are guided by destiny. I believe Sam's loved ones want her to find her someone because she needs more in her life than this constant battle against evil. Samantha's mantra about not polluting your body with dark influences is an excellent reminder in fiction and in real life, I know it kept me awake rethinking some of my innocuous choices. Star Wars fans will see the comparisons to using the force for good or evil. I could also go on forever about Aileen's world building! I felt I was right by Samantha's side whenever she hung over a portal to hell. Her descriptions of the unbearable heat, terror and agony emanating from the pits are conversely bone chilling. Even though I laughed, I cried, I swooned, this book isn't fluff, it's a heartfelt epic adventure!

I have to admit at first i struggled getting into this book. It took me a good 2-3 weeks to get going, but once I did I’m glad I did. It was a good book. I’ve never read any of the authors other books “Alpha Girl” series but that didn’t stop me from knowing what was going on. There is a little romance, urban fantasy and horror wrapped up in one. I had a hard time staying focused because of the religious aspect though, it felt weird for me to have a priest and everyone else so focused on her live life and I’m not sure if that will play into the next book or not. I really enjoyed Sam’s POV though. Thank you for approving me to read this ARC!