Thank you to the Publisher for the ALC. This is my honest review.

I was not the target audience for this. It was a mix of the writing style and the characters. They just weren't it for me and felt forced too much. I couldn't get into the story and wasn't happy with it.

Narrator wasn't too bad, but not my preference.

5 ⭐

ST Gibson I am a huge fan! Evocation is one of those books where the writing is so beautiful you almost lose yourself within the world. I listened to the audiobook and was quickly engrossed in this world filled with magic and the paranormal, while still being grounded within a contemporary Boston setting. This book was narrated by Oscar Reyes and it was a 4⭐ narration. It felt a bit bland at times, but the writing and character relationships made me overlook it.

At first, it felt difficult to connect with the struggles between David, Moira and Rhys, but as the relationship started to play out and the issues were exposed, it made me love the book. The plot is a underlying part and issue, however, this is a character driven book that makes you feel for each one of them.

The ending makes me desperate for more of these characters! It was thrilling and I can't wait for the sequel, Ascension, to see where it goes from here.

📖 Secret Societies
📖 POC, Poly & LGBTQ+ rep!
📖 Gothic mystery
📖 Dark Academia
📖 Beautiful prose

Thank you NetGalley, Angry Robot & Tantor Audio for the ALC of Evocation by S.T. Gibson in exchange for an honest review!

I couldn't get into the narrator, unfortunately. The book itself seemed fine, just a case of personal preference.

I loved the style of the writing and was enthralled with the story. Such a fun read I was hooked from the beginning.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Evocation by S.T. Gibson is an amazing and mind bending story. I was supposed to review this novel when I first read this but rated it and forgot. Here I am now better late than never.
I read this novel from start to finish in only 2 days because I could not stop. I needed to know what will happen to these characters at every moment. The magic in this novel was really interesting and I love S.T. Gibson's gothic vibes in all of her novels. It makes the magic feel more monumental.
The relationships between the characters are the focal point and it does not disappoint. The unique connections between the characters only make the magic of this novel even more powerful.
Overall, I recommend this novel to any lover of gothic fantasy with unique magic systems!

S.T. Gibson’s writing feels both familiar and perfectly suited to her stories. There’s a unique charm in how she crafts her characters, allowing readers to fully understand their desires and intricacies. Her character development is so rich that you feel like you could guess the main characters’ favorite foods! In *Evocation*, all three protagonists are delightful and multi-dimensional, making them easy to connect with.

As someone familiar with Gibson’s style, I appreciated even the quieter, everyday moments that deepened my understanding of the characters. However, the pacing wasn’t always fast, which may not work for everyone. Personally, I enjoyed the slower pace as it allowed me to witness the organic growth of their friendships.

The magic system is thoughtfully developed and feels grounded, making it an excellent introduction for readers new to fantasy. Its integration into the world felt natural, enhancing the story without overwhelming it.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Evocation and eagerly anticipate more from Gibson in the future.

This book had some highs and lows. I enjoyed the magic and psychic powers qualities of this book and the group working together to solve the occult problem occurring with David. I did not really enjoy the throuple relationship or the characters at all. Basically it was a lot of cheating and a girl without a spine, and they called it polyamorous. It was a no for me. Also at one point someone touched someone else’s top nipples. Im still trying to figure out what that was 😆

2.75 stars from me, rounded up. I would give ST Gibson another try, as I did enjoy the story line!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley and the author for an arc of the audiobook. The narrator did a great job! I gave my honest opinion of the book in exchange for the arc.

Not exactly my style, thought it'd be more.

Good writing but couldn't connect with the story, unfortunately.

Will keep the rating on the middle because I wasn't the target for this.

This was an absolute hit for me. The writing was excellent and I loved the dynamic between the main characters. There were some great twists and turns and the world building also felt so captivating - the discussions around sorcery and secret societies managed to be fresh and unique, despite having been done many times before.

Always a fan of S.T.Gibson. I enjoy the magical aspect of the occult in his novel. The narrator was great. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC opportunity!

I love Gibson’s work, and I am so excited for this series to continue. This is a wonderful opening to a series that I know is going to be fantastic and full of drama, heat, and hope.

This was a SLOG to get through. The entire time I listened to this on audio, I could never—even for a second—get into it. The plot was completely uninteresting and anticlimactic to me. One of the three main characters, David, is possessed and he collaborates alongside his ex and his ex’s new wife, working through their thorny history, as they eradicate the possession. This had insta-love galore, a boring meandering plot, and characters that were difficult to connect with.

To me and my preferences, it's becoming clearer and clearer that Gibson is a one hit wonder. I miss the themes brought forward in her feminist, vengeful Dracula retelling, <i>A Dowry of Blood</i>. Where is that Gibson? Frankly, I don’t give a shit about stories centering men. At least <i>An Education in Malice</i> had its female leads going for it, and that was also a slog for me. But this didn’t work at all. We had Moira, who was great, but the deepest Gibson delved into making any kind of commentary on the sexism she established in her fictional secret society boils down to “women should be allowed to join us.” Which is shallow at best, but worse when you recognize that a man had to be elevated to a position of power to grant that possibility. Why couldn’t the previous priest sanction that? Why was it still happening in the first place given it is fucking 2024? Why was the paranormal sexism even necessary to the plot at all? Certainly, the trite, shallow resolution of that sexism wasn’t satisfying enough to necessitate it.

Overall, there were a myriad of issues with this. Thematically, this didn’t work for me. I struggled to connect with the characters. The poly romance, while great to see, was utterly undermined by the insta-love. The plot was boring and slow. Gibson’s releases have gotten lower and lower ratings from me and it’s honestly time I come to grips with facts—she had one good book. The rest is just simply not for me.

<b>RATING:</b> 1 star.

I love a good “deal with a demon” book and this did not disappoint. Add in anxiety, bi+, and poly rep? And a haunted house? I’m sold.
David was probably my favorite character. And Moira was a close second.
Oscar Reyes was a fantastic narrator for this story as well.

a hit and miss unfortunately. I was hyped for this from what others were saying but it didn't really do it for me, I couldn't get into the story and really didn't like the main character. it also started rocky for me to begin with, I just couldn't stand his character from the get-go.

Evocation by S.T. Gibson is a dark, atmospheric novel that weaves together gothic elements and emotional depth. The haunting prose and richly drawn characters create a mesmerizing tale of power, love, and betrayal. While the pacing can be slow at times, the eerie mood and complex relationships make this a captivating read for fans of gothic fiction.

Evocation by S.T. Gibson didn’t quite resonate with me. Right from the start I found it hard to connect with the plot or the characters. I struggled to find any emotional attachment, and the characters just didn’t hold my interest.

One highlight, though, was the narrator. The performance was excellent, and the voice acting made the experience more enjoyable, even though the story itself fell flat.

Compared to Gibson’s other books, which I found much more atmospheric and immersive, Evocation was disappointing for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the early chance to listening to the story, even though I didn't enjoy it.

I’m not much of an audiobook listener, but I was looking forward to Gibson’s newest book and I’ve heard great things about Oscar Reyes as a narrator. I was not disappointed. Reyes brings our three protagonists to life. each with with a unique voice, His narration serves to enhance the already-astounding novel.

I absolutely LOVED this book! The blossoming of the relationships that we see between the three main characters had me absolutely in a choke hold.

Moira is my absolute favorite, her southern bell attitude and take no crap from anyone had me screaming "Yes!" and, "You go girl!" whenever someone tries to tell her what to do,

4.5

Evocation follows David, Rhys, and Moira as they create and strengthen relationships ties while trying to decipher how and why David seems to be sick after an interesting seance encounter. David is a high-power attorney by day and a well-paid medium by night. After one particular seance, David's psychic powers seem to weaken and he begins getting "spell sick" throughout his days. The only person he knows and trusts to help him figure out the issue is Rhys, his ex-boyfriend and ex-friend. Rhys doesn't want to be dragged back into David's messes but after David offers to help Rhys' wife, Moira, strengthen some of her own psychic powers, they agree. David and Rhys fall back into a complicated acquaintance-ship quickly, but David and Moira have more in common than they realized and they get close very fast in their lessons.

I ended up listening to this completely on audio. I really love how S.T. Gibson's writing translates into the audiobook format. Gibson writes some complex characters that you eventually end up loving and feeling for even if you don't start out that way. It took me a few chapters to like each character but they grew on me fairly quickly once I had a bit more time in each of their heads. I think there is an interesting premise to the Devil Deal that David is dealing with and the way that the group attempts to solve the problem feels accurate to their ages (between 24 - 30 years old). I also really appreciated how Gibson let each relationship build and grow in their respective ways. David is brash and stubborn at first but his and Moira's connection really showed off his sweet side. Rhys gets completely lost in his own head and David seems to fill in some of the gaps that Rhys leaves between himself and Moira. Moira seems to be the glue holding everyone together. She's caring and kind and looking out for both men in the ways they each need but also knows when they're being stupid and need a good whack. I'm excited for what comes next in this series and seeing how these three relationship progresses and their attempts at solving their new problem.

As a teen, David Aristarkhov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now approaching his thirtieth birthday, he balances his life being a high-powered attorney and a powerful medium for his secret society. When David is scrying for a patient, he believes that he was possessed by a demon and that death is not far away. He reaches out to Rhys for help. Not only is Rhys a rival in their secret society, but he is also David's ex-boyfriend. Rhys promised himself never to fall for David again after a ritual gone wrong and things that David had said regarding Rhy's wife Moira. While working together, David and Rhys must figure out their feelings for one another, before it is too late.

I felt that Evocation was an introductory book for the characters and series. Not only does it introduce the situation David is in but focuses on David's past relationship with the occult and Rhys. The book does focus more on the relationship between the three characters, but I am hoping that more information on the different types of magic and the world of the occult will be in the next book.

I was not a huge fan of the narrator for this audiobook and ended up reading the physical copy instead. I found the narrator to be distracting to the story and the narrator often mixed up the characters voices.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to review Evocation. All thoughts and opinions are my own.