Evocation-The Summoner's Circle Book #1

By S.T. Gibson-new to me author

Publication: 5/28/24, Read 5/28/24

Run Time: 10:24

Setting: Boston

Genre: Adult Fic, Urban Fantasy, Sci-Fi, LGBTQIA+

Tropes: enemies to lovers, love triangle/threesome?, 2nd chance romance, the occult, witches, demons, and secret society

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this ALC💙 ! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are mine alone.

The narrator is Oscar Reyes with all characters read by 1 person. I believe the voice fit the characters with standouts of Moira's Southern twang and Rhys' intensity. Their voices were the most distinct, but I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style brought the story to life and the pacing was great and flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync, and they fit together perfectly.

The audiobook's flow was pretty good. The narrator paused and announced every time a new chapter came. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along. I loved how flushed out all three narrators David, Rhys, and Moira were. It's told through their alternating POVs, each dealing with their feelings and the occult.

David Aristarkhov (29) is a powerful, medium prodigy and Boston attorney. He deals with his past with his father who was an abusive, oppressive, occultist. David hears a voice believing the story that his father made with a deal with the Devil. He fears he's becoming demon-possessed. He reaches out to his ex-boyfriend and secret society rival Rhys and Rhys wife Moira-both witches. They all deal with mounting attractions, a possible triad, and a possible exorcism.

Overall, this horror urban fantasy dives into David, Rhys, and Moira's lives with all their insecurities and secrets. They bind together to help David, who is fragile and in desperate need of love. My recommendation is to read the audiobook because you can adjust the speed, skip parts easily (if desired), and picture the characters more vividly.

Evocation is a wonderful glimpse into the study of the occult. Readers are thrust into the life of David, a hard-to-love character on the surface you find empathizing with the more you learn. Next up are Rhys and Moria, an example of a couple who want nothing more than utter happiness for their partner. As tensions rise between the characters and peril becomes apparent, readers are sure to find themselves captivated in their entanglement. This is further constructed through the narrator of the audiobook, bringing each character to life, adding more personality into the written words. Overall a fantastic precursor to a series that holds promise.

Romance blossoms in the most unconventional manners sometimes. When past and present collide and as one person is in need to magical assistance, our characters learn that relying on each other is both necessary and desired. I enjoyed this character-driven story full of supernatural turmoil. The author has a way of bringing the romance together in a very natural progression.

The narrator provided vocals for each main character that kept them easily separated. He was also understood at higher speeds.

Thank you NetGalley, Tantor Audio, Angry Robot, and author S.T. Gibson for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars.

As a non-fantasy reader, this one was a pleasant surprise. I loved the dynamic between all the characters and found the plot to be refreshing and original. I loved that this is the first book of series because I'm not done reading about these characters. Looking forward to the next read.

Evocation is a captivating exploration of the lives of three occult practitioners set in Boston. This book is mostly character-driven and is a beautiful portrayal of queer and polyamorous relationships. It also explores themes of sobriety, relationships between exes, and magic societies! I loved listening to the audiobook too.

🌈 Queer rep: primary characters - MM main pairing, MF platonic romantic pairing, poly MMF situation. Secondary characters - trans woman, bi/queer sibling, nonbinary person (very brief), poly MFNB trio.

Really enjoyed this book! Rhys’ relationship with Moira is to die for and filled me with butterflies constantly. Also, I loved David, sorry not sorry he is amazing and is doing his best. The character development and relationship development/dynamic was probably my favorite part of this story. Astrology/tarot isn’t really my thing but this book had me reconsidering and revisioning my life and becoming a witch.

This book follows a complex story of secret societies, generational curses, childhood trauma, addiction, magic, and complicated people.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy to review!

A book filled with magic, lovers to rivals to a throuple, deal with a devil, old societies AND a great narrator? My dream book!

3.5 out 5

S.T Gibson writing is always a up and down for me like it is for many other. For me, Evocation was on the Upside.

Thank you Netgalley for this Audiobook-Arc

Menacing and resonant, a tale of love and death that will grip you from the start!

Such a meaningful journey through self discovery and encroaching darkness. The light comes from the bonds that these characters form through their grueling trial. I loved how simple the magic system was while still being interesting. I’m excited to see where this story goes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Ugh I love this story. It was a wonderful blend of contemporary and the occult. The narrator did an excellent job differentiating the different characters voices as well!

I was drawn to this book by the cover and it's reference to the hanged man from a tarot deck, but the story kept me hooked as we wandered through a world of mysticism, astrology, star charts, tarot, and mediumship. I find the occult fascinating and this book allowed me to explore the secret, underground world from a safe distance. Secret societies, curses, magic, and demonic forces will often draw me in pretty quickly.

With regards to the story and the relationship triangle we are presented with the three main characters, Rhys, David, and Moira; I didn't mind we explored the bisexuality of some of the characters, and complicated relationships with people's pasts lingering into the current. Sometimes people are crappy, sometimes relationships are strong, and sometimes they need flexibility. I didn't have an issue with the way the author wrote about the dynamics.

I think, personally, I would have loved to have seen the story focus more on the mystical forces rather than the relationships but this is completely personal preference. I think the author did a pretty good job of balancing them. I think my only real critique is the pacing was a bit slow for my taste, and there were a lot of angsty moments where people just would not talk to each other openly.

I do want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance reader audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I do plan on doing a YouTube book review some time in June 2024 on my channel Coffee, Books, and Rain, as well with a bit more insight into my thoughts.

Evocation should have been exactly the book for me - magic and demons and realistic relationships are my jam! Unfortunately this iteration of the ideas is a hard miss for me.

The story is not fun to read. So little actually happens, and the tidbits of magicky plot are buried under a deluge of explanation. The painstaking development of a polyamorous relationship feels manufactured rather than genuine because of the lack of chemistry between the characters. Even the attempt at developed characters can't save the book when their thoughts and motivations are overexplained and utterly flat and mostly pretty awful.

On the plus side, the growth of the platonic relationship between Moira and David is easily the best part of the story. Fiction doesn't depict nearly enough important non-sexual relationships, so I will always cheer them on when I find them!

This is a personal grievance, so take it or leave it - I have no patience with sex scenes that will only use coy descriptors ("her nub," "his length," "her button"). Either leave the sexy times out or else call things what they are, because the pseudo description feels like a high schooler trying to push boundaries. If - unlike - me you prefer your fictional sex suggestive rather than direct, great! This writing will probably hit the sweet spot for you.

The audiobook narrator does a good job, though his narration style didn't work particularly well for me either.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audio ARC in return for my honest review. I truly wish I had had a more positive reaction to the story I had been looking forward to reading.

A perfect paranormal romance full of astrology, tarot readings, seances, and of course demon possession. This is a satisfying look at the beginning stages of a bi polyamorous love triangle, including a second chance romance in the form of exes to rivals to lovers. I loved each of the MCs and appreciated how each relationship grew on its own timeline. Book two cannot come soon enough!
The narrator did a great job of creating separate and easily distinguishable voices for all characters.

I read An Education in Malice earlier this year and found it to be just okay; however, I thought S.T. Gibson's writing skill was so strong that I wanted to give them another try. I'm so glad I did, because I really enjoyed Evocation. I loved following the complexity and familiarity of David, Rhys, and Moira as they navigate a whole lot of past feelings and sexual tension! (Side note- I just want to be BFFs with Moira, what a delight!)

This book expertly combined dark academia in the modern day, a magical realism story, and a poly romance with great communication. I really enjoyed it and am now invigorated to read more by the author! I read this book in an audio format and thought that the narration style created intrigue and clarity as we swapped character POVs in a meaningful way. I'm so grateful to Angry Robot Books for the Advanced Reader Copy!

Despite being a 400 page or 10hr in terms of audio Evocation sucked me in from the very first page. The book tackles heavy themes like fidelity, addiction, and childhood abuse, all within an occult, dark academia setting.
The story follows David, a medium; Rhys, his sorcerer ex-boyfriend; and Moira, Rhys' astrologer wife as they all get entangled in a family curse and secret society drama. The gothic atmosphere is captivating and just what one needs on a cloudy moody day.
Character dynamics are crucial here. David, Rhys, and Moira form a complicated throuple. David, in particular, is troubled yet endearing, and I found myself rooting for him. However, the book tries to juggle a lot—ancestral curses and complex relationships. Sometimes, it felt unbalanced. The relationship between Moira and David, which isn’t sexual, felt the most authentic.
Despite some unevenness, I enjoyed the book. The detailed portrayal of astrology and tarot was impressive, and Gibson's passion for these subjects shines through. While "Evocation" might not be my favourite of her works, it’s still a fascinating dive into magic, personal drama, and complex relationships. If you’re into dark academia and occult fiction, it's worth checking out. I’m looking forward to the next instalment!

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to the audio version of Evocation.

This was a good sorcerer/witchcraft starter for a series.
A little bit of spice .5
The character building was great and they all seem to work together well
Hoping to continue this series as I did get the special edition hard cover.

DNF @ 62% - I am just bored to tears. Plot was non-existent and I just didn't like any of the characters, which made it hard to continue.

3.75 💫 for STG’s newest release!

Happy release day to one of my favorite authors.

If you’re a fan of secret societies, tarot, astrology, and messy relationships I highly recommend you pick this book up.

You’re following David who is a very high strung lawyer with a side practice being in a secret society that is part of the occult. You’re also following Rhys (David’s ex boyfriend) & Moira. David is concerned that he is possessed by a demon and asks for Rhys’s & Moira’s help.

This book was more character driven than plot driven. I will never be able to get over STG’s writing. The knowledge she put into this book was so unreal and I felt like I was learning new things about astrology and tarot cards and magic. This book follows a polyamorous between the 3 and when we got to that point I just didn’t feel as connected with them as I have in past STG books. But the point of this book I do believe was about messy and complicated relationships! Overall, I’m excited to see where this story goes and I will be continuing the series when the other books come out.

Thank you NetGalley & Angry Robot for this arc! 🪄🧙‍♀️

With great power, comes greater setbacks. Over the years David has grown his credibility as a medium for the secret society he works with. Recently, he has been experiencing strange issues and the only people he thinks can pull him out of this mess are his Ex & his wife. Helping David may unearth several other emotions that Rhys can't decide what scares him more: not helping his old love OR losing his present one in the process.

The plot was certainly riveting with magical society and the presence of supernatural aspects & enchantments made it all the more engrossing. I wasn't really a fan of polygamy or multi-partner relationships so it was a little difficult to enjoy the dynamics between David Rhys and his wife (Moira). The constant clash just kept me at bay from really rooting for the characters. Nevertheless, the storyline involving curses, dark lore & the writing style kept me going and I did enjoy most of what I read.

David is a powerful and well known attorney by day. By night he is a medium for a secret society. When his normally reliable powers begin failing David must reach out to his former love and now rival Rhys for help by going through Rhys's new wife Maura. The three decide to work together using their different magical abilities. Rhys and David's already strained relationship is further tested as their secret society is picking a new leader and both are vying for the position.

This book was very entertaining. I really enjoyed the magic system and world building. All of the characters were incredibly strong. I love seeing more books featuring polyamorous relationships coming out now. I can't wait to read the next book in this series! The audio narration by Oscar Reyes was great.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.