1.5 stars- Urban fantasy that focused on the formation of a boring throuple at the expense of developing the only interesting aspects of the story- the haunted house and demon. I love fantasy romance and I read a lot of it but this is one of those books where I was so bored by the romance that I would prefer it to be removed entirely.

This book wound up being very slow and character-driven rather than plot-driven and there’s a lot of fanfic-style extraneous detail which made it feel like the book was spinning its wheels. I did like the character of David, characters who are intense, manipulative, and prickly are often my favorites. On the other hand Rhys was a controlling and judgemental bore and Moira was a self-care cottagecore girly who felt out of place given the dark academia vibes.

CWs: off-page child abuse, alcoholic relapse, classism, sexism, toxic relationship

I was excited to get an audio arc via NetGalley after reading the synopsis of this one. My first ST Gibson novel, but definitely not my last, the writing here was absolutely beautiful. Each of the three MC's had distinct feels to them and were both likable and flawed. I loved the bits of magic we got throughout but would definitely have enjoyed delving into that more. My favorite part of the story is how the author handled the poly relationship here. It felt authentic and not like it was done to be taboo or as a shock value. The way David and Moira's bond slowly developed over the course of the story felt genuine and of course, I adored David and Rhys and their bickering. Rhys and Moira's love for each other shined through as well. The audiobook is narrated by Oscar Reyes, who is a new narrator for me, and I really enjoyed his voices and cadence. Definitely check this one out!

3.5 actual rating.

Overall it wasn’t a bad book at all, I just think the rating will be higher or lower depending on what you expect to get out of the reading experience.

When it throws you into a secret society, with an ancestral demon in the mix and problems with the dead, I pictured there would be more grit and a deeper dive into that aspect of the story. Instead it is very much more about the relationship between the three main characters and how to balance that.

I would almost put this in the realm of cozy fantasy because nothing particularly bad happens. So if you are interested in a very relationship focused book versus the occult secrets society/demon focus, I think you will very much enjoy this. But if you are the opposite, you will probably think it's an enjoyable read in-between some of your heavier books.

I really enjoyed Evocation. We had an occult, dark academia atmosphere with secret societies, demons, witches, and a generational curse to top it off.

I was immediately invested in David, Rhys and Moira. I loved their relationship progression and I'm also looking forward to reading the prequel novella to learn more about Rhys and Moira.

Despite how much I enjoyed this, I am rating it 4 stars because I did not find it a very plot driven novel. This story focuses on the characters and their journey, and while I was okay with it, I think it could have benefitted from a little more in the plot department. David's curse ended up more like... Psychic flu? and I feel there was a missed opportunity for some more demon possession.

As I received an audiobook ARC, some notes on the narration: Oscar Reyes did a great job in my opinion. I comfortably listened at 1.5x speed. His voice for Rhys was incredibly deep, sometimes I had to turn the volume up if there was a lot of Rhys dialogue.

Overall I enjoyed this and will eagerly await the next in the series, I hope it is a bit more plot driven but I am looking forward to seeing more of David, Rhys and Moira.

This one was so fun! Featuring mature themes of dark magic, psychics, complicated relationships & curses this one kept me engaged. I thought Oscar Reyes did a great job narrating this.
Evocation was an emotionally charged tale in an urban fantasy setting.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this early audiobook.

happy release day to evocation @stgibsonauthor!

Evocation is the newest release from one of my favourite authors and also the first book in ST Gibson’s new series ‘The Summoner’s Circle”. The book really solidified ST Gibsons ranking of one of my all time favourite authors and is placed on my instant purchase list. Huge thank you to @stgibsonauthor, Angry Robot, Tantor Audio and @netgalley for an ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review. Since I received both the audiobook and e-book I can easily say that Evocation can be experienced in multi formats and still be amazing (plus Oscar Reyes’ narration of the audiobook is fantastic!) Everyone needs to pick up this book to experience by baby girl David! Evocation should be your next read if you like:

🔮 triple POV
🔮the occult
🔮dark academia
🔮a messy threesome/polyamorous relationship
🔮paranormal
🔮character driven
🔮queer romance
🔮secret societies
🔮exes to rivals to lovers

tw: alcohol abuse, physical abuse, childhood trauma

synopsis - The Devil knows your name, David Aristarkhov.
 
As a teen, David Aristarkhov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now, years after his father’s death and rapidly approaching his thirtieth birthday, he is content with the high-powered life he’s curated as a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a powerful medium for his secret society.
 
But with power comes a price, and the Devil has come to collect on an ancestral deal. David’s days are numbered, and death looms at his door.
 
Reluctantly, he reaches out to the only person he’s ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend and secret Society rival Rhys, for help. However, the only way to get to Rhys is through his wife, Moira. Thrust into each other’s care, emotions once buried deep resurface, and the trio race to figure out their feelings for one another before the Devil steals David away for good…
 
The first book in a spellbinding and vibrant new series from The Sunday Times bestselling author of A Dowry of Blood.

A polyamorous witchery book from ST Gibson? I've been so stoked since I heard the premise and SO SO excited to get approved for an audio ARC of this!

I had a lot of fun reading this, and watching the relationships unfold. I love a good weird haunted house so that was a fun background aspect. I can't say this book blew my mind as intensely as Dowry did, but I did enjoy it a lot!

I’m currently stuck at 60% and am not sure I’ll finish. The storyline intrigued me and I was super excited to get into this book. The plot is falling flat for me. There’s little action and excitement. The beginning had potential but now that I’ve over the halfway mark, I expected much more.

The audio book in general is great! I love the narrator. He does a phenomenal job executing each character. That’s really the only reason I’m hanging on at this point.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the concept and plot of this book, but the narrator was a little cheesy for me!

David is a powerful medium and member of a top secret society. One of his ancestors made a literal deal with the Devil, and now he is coming to collect David. As David starts experiencing strange symptoms, he reaches out to Rhys, his ex and secret society rival for help. Except David has to befriend Rhys’s wife, Moira first.

Evocation explores multiple relationships, along with an ancient demonic curse. Interestingly, I think David and Moira’s growing emotional connection and friendship was my favorite relationship in the book because it allowed for the most character growth and development. The relationship between Moira and Rhys was just okay for me, and David and Rhys felt inevitable. Moira’s character was probably my favorite.

I do wish there was a bit more exploration of dark magic. I would have loved to be more immersed into the world of the secret society. We also were supposed to believe that David was being possessed, but it wasn’t really giving possession vibes. It was more like he had a cold than a demon possessing him for most of it, and there wasn’t a real rush to try and help him until the end.

I listened to the audio and the narrator did an excellent job giving each character their own distinct voice. I loved the chapters for David and Rhys, but do feel another narrator would have been beneficial for Moira’s character.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advance copy.

If you are looking for a deliciously dark tale about the occult with secret societies, demonic possessions and sizzling romance, keep looking. However if you love very character driven book this might be for you. The story itself was a little underwhelming for me. Not my favorite however I might be 5he wrong audience. Narrator was fine.

"Evocation" artfully navigates the complexities of messy relationships and flawed characters with a touch of fantasy.

The first third of the book, primarily told from David's POV, is a bit challenging to get through, as he starts off as a really unlikeable character. However, S.T. Gibson's talent shines through as the writing is both captivating and beautiful, effortlessly keeping me engaged throughout the entire story.

Moira, the heart of the novel, is an absolute queen. As she begins to warm to David, so did I, and by the end, I loved how they all fit together. The complexities of real and honest feelings are captured beautifully, making the relationships feel authentic and relatable.

David's character development is remarkable, transforming from someone hard to like into a figure you can empathize with. The non-romance plot adds enough interest and urgency to the story, even if it isn't as fleshed out as the romance. The discussions on family relationships and David's struggles are particularly touching.

Oscar Reyes did an amazing job narrating, really getting the emotions across to the audience and brining the story to life.

Overall, "Evocation" is a character-driven book that is both engrossing and enjoyable. Highly recommended for readers who appreciate stories with intricate relationships and emotional depth.

I loved this storyline, but the book tried to do too much. The harem/open relationship dynamic felt so surface level and the erotic/sensual parts too light to justify the few slightly heavier moments. There was decent character development, but very little relationship development, and part of the idea of a sequel for this particular storyline hinges on being invested in the relationship. I think maybe less focus on the past anger could have opened up some space to focus on the magical part of the storyline as well as the relationship in a way that invested me. I enjoyed this, but I think I will have forgotten about it by the time a sequel comes. Thank you Angry Robot & NetGalley for the ARC

Evocation by S.T. Gibson was such a a highly anticipated read for me and I'm happy to say it did not let me down. I just loved this gorgeous book!

This is a relationship and character study more than anything else and I just ate it up! David, Rhys, and Moira have very complicated relationships with each other, and due to a curse on David they only become more entwined throughout the book. It's messy and complex and delicious! I was hooked right from the start.

The narration was also really well done. It's just one narrator, and at first I thought it would be better with 3 (one for each of the POVs), but Oscar Reyes did a wonderful job bringing each character to life.

I truly loved this book and cannot wait for the next! Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advance audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oooooooooooh, David, David, David. Mr. Aristarkhov. God, what a character. My man, my babygirl, my legal advisor. Never would have thought I could one day warm up to that asshole from Odd Spirits, but this was an excquisite exploration of privileged rich kid bottom-ry, and here I am now, stanning a blonde. (I feel like I say this every time I take a liking to a blond fictional man, but the Lestats of this world really are outliers for me.)

Odd Spirits itself is one of my favourite pieces of short format fiction, so I was naturally jumping at the chance to get an eARC of the sequel and simultaneous new introduction to David's, Rhys' and Moira's antics, extending their relationship into a throuple in V-form. Evocation gets into the lore behind David's arrogant demeanor, allows glimpes of the reasons for Rhys' and David's breakup, and a introduces a demonic bargain David's Russian oligarch father kept secret for too long. I'm not sure if one should start with this installment, when the Odd Spirits novella is still out there, but I guess you might.

David carried this novel on his chiselled, burnt-out, white-boy shoulders. Sure, it's "his" book, but he outshines the other protagonists in this multi-POV book because he alone is allowed to be nasty, messy, and - for the largest part - unapologetic. Rhys and Moira, meanwhile... well, they are just there. My favourite aspect of Odd Spirits were the niche paranormal topics picked up for each of their urban magic systems, but that wasn't so much the focus as an afterthought in Evocation. Mainly, the two were there to discuss where their marriage is going.

And guys, yes, of course, a couple who consider opening or extending their relationship into a polyamorous one should absolutely discuss the terms and conditions beforehand, should check back with each other, set their priorities etc. etc. BUT my god, this is fiction, and the return of Rhys attraction to David didn't have to be so endlessly ruminated. Moira was okay with it, Moira even suggested it first, and yet the same conversations were being repeated over and over again? The scene where she hands Rhys a book on ethical non-monogamy (I don't even care to look up that part to check which exact term is being used) was where I got completely thrown out of the plot and never quite made my way back in.

In Gibson's latest releases, the need for the content to be morally squeaky clean is noticeable, and it doesn't work to this book's advance either. I was very disappointed to hear that while yes, Odd Spirits will be reprinted! and reprinted to fit in with the gorgeous look of the rest of the series! there would also be editorial changes to the content to remove the biphobia of the previous edition. Which... let me get this straight, the author, who is to my knowledge bisexual herself, erases the alleged biphobia (Moira's fear of "not being enough" for her husband, which is resolved in a very neat, touching way in the original publication), which is the main conflict of that story?

I can't call this practice anything other than window dressing, and it started appearing in Gibson's works once she was picked up by a major publisher imo. It takes away some of my enjoyment of her sometimes achingly beautiful prose. I think back to my experience of reading A Dowry of Blood and I'm afraid that kind of finger-biting subtlety and eroticism simply isn't going to happen again. It's a pity and a waste! You can count on me to still read the edit

*Thank you to Angry Robots for a physical copy and Netgalley for an audiobook copy*

When I started this book yesterday morning, I’ll admit I wasn’t that intrigued with the characters or the plot, but the magic had me gripped. But I kept going because the audiobook was pretty good. And then I think around 30% through I finally got intrigued with everything.

First, I want to talk about the audiobook. I really did enjoy the narrator, however, I *wish* we got a second narrator for Moira’s chapters. Oscar Reyes is a great narrator (I loved Rhys’ and David’s chapters), but him doing Moira’s chapters really didn’t work for me.

Secondly, my name is Rhys, and my favourite character was Rhys LOL. Not gonna lie, it was a little awkward in the sex scenes but that’s only because of the name, not the actual sex in the book. I just had to point it out because I find it funny!

As for the story, before the last 4 chapters, this was looking like a 2.5-3.25 star rating. But then the last 4 chapters changed everything for me!! Like EVERYTHING! And I really loved it in the end, and am rating it 4 stars.

I want to point out too that the ending got changed. And I love the addition of another chapter. Originally, chapter 34 was the end and there wasn’t an extra sex scene. But I think that extra sex scene really helps show the growth of all 3 of them. I was doing a tandem read, and was so thoroughly confused, but then the last chunk of chapter 35 ended the same as chapter 34 in the physical arc I received. And I really love that Gibson kept that the same but added in another chapter for more character arc!!

Overall, I recommend this if you’re looking for a slower paced fantasy with cool magic and a polyam relationship!!

This is my 2nd S.T Gibson book and im glad i gave the author another chance after the mess that was a dowry in blood. Evocation feels like something the author can handel easier, Probably due to being set in modern America instead of Europe.

The book was easy to read and it had nice vibes. Parts of it did feel like a knock off of the raven cycle but I didn’t mind as a fan of that.

The story was fun and I’m intrigued in what will happen in the next book. I especially liked the first 30% of the book where we get to see a lot of the set up. It was very fun to see.

My only problem is once again with the way S.T Gibson writes Poly romances. I think Poly is something very underused in books and stories but Gibson never hits the mark for me. It very much centres men in an incredibly odd way. I do Think the book could have Done without it or something better written. It’s incredibly disappointing since I crave a nice poly story.

Over all it was a quick and easy read and I would recommend reading it if it seems interesting to you.

My sincerest thanks to ST Gibson, Angry Robot Books, and NetGalley for an audio ARC of "Evocation" in exchange for an honest review.

This book won’t be for everyone, but it was definitely for me! I really lucked out with queer ARCs leading up to Pride Month.

We have a messy, fledgling poly relationship, dark sorcery, dramatic gay exes, alcohol problems, racial diversity, and respective magic field diversity. What else do you want? Oh yeah, secret society, nepotism, rivals to lovers trope, etc!

David and Rhys, exes from college, have fallen out after a disastrous breakup and subsequent attempt at cordiality. Now Rhys is married to Moira, whose first impression of David doesn’t go so well, but who soon starts to change her mind when they spend more time together. David has a problem. A curse passed down through generations of his family has come to claim him, and Rhys and Moira are the only people he trusts enough to help him.

Spending long days and nights together in David’s old, spooky family home full of books, they start to bond.

I’m here for the drama and the atmosphere! I want to act it out or throw a themed party about this book! However, it’s a 4 and not a 5 because the characters could really be developed a bit more, especially Moira. She was one of my favorites, but I felt that her Southern background came across as stereotyped at times.

I really enjoyed Evocation! I love the magic. The plot line was interesting and I’m excited to see how the second book in the duology goes. Also I’m always thrilled to read a book with a polyamorous romance!

The audiobook was well done and I liked the narrator.

I absolutely love ST Gibson’s writing! I think this is such a cool story, This did fall a little flat for me but I think this is because of the narration of the book. I was not a fan but I stuck it out any way. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters quite as much as I usually do with Gibson’s writing. I want to reread this one physically and see if it was the narration for me. I love David, I love how complicated he is. Moira 100% steals the show, she’s my favorite. She has the best personality and she shines in every chapter she is a part of. I am not sure if it was maybe the quickness of the story, but I needed more pining and background on their love story. It all seemed to happen so fast. I also wanted soooo much more about the secret society instead of telling me that Rhys was “off doing secret society things”. Overall, I think it’s a really cool concept but I wanted more of each of the different things happening. More of the 3 of them, more of the secret society, more of the love/pining for each other, more background. And definitely more Moira!

Narration: I was not a fan of this narrator, but only for Moira’s parts! I think he does a good job with David and Rhys. But I wanted a different narrator to do Moira’s voice. I think we need more than one narrator. It broke up the book for me so much that I felt very disconnected from the entire thing.