*3.5 stars*

I feel like this had a lot of potential but just fell a little flat for me.

The plot was very predictable but not necessarily in a bad way. I enjoyed both the world and the characters I just feel like we didn’t get enough time with either to feel fully satisfied. I am really interested to see where the series goes in the future and I’ll definitely read the next book.

The audio was fine but something about the way the narrator over emphasized sometimes made it seem a little theatrical in a bad way. Something about the audio made it hard to feel immersed and forget it was being narrated.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

4.5 for this one. First of all I want to say that the narrator almost made me dnf at the beginning. I hated him so fucking much I wanted to stop listening
. But after like 40% I got used to him I guess and I got more into the story. I absolutely adored the characters especially Moira and David, ST Gibson is definitely the queen of character development. Rhys was kinda meh for me and also kinda wanted to make me stop reading it. But I loved the friendship and asexual romance of Moiras and David’s relationship. Will definitely recommend this further I really loved it at the end.

I think I expected something similar to An Education in Malice and of course this wasn’t that at all so I ended up being a little disappointed. This is still an amazing story, with immaculate gothic vibes and ST Gibson’s incredible relationships they always seem to write. Evocation has more of an occult magic system and I really enjoyed it, even if it didn’t invent anything new, it worked well with what it had and succeeded at depicting a magical world that felt real. I think ST Gibson’s strength is in the way they write about relationships/situationships and all the nuances in between: the love triangle was great because it was an actual love triangle and not a corner which I love that we’re getting more of those. A great book even if I was a little disappointed because I expected something a little more like their previous book which I absolutely adored. 3.5 stars

I'll talk about this one on my channel. But a new book by an author I adore and one who writes angst as no one does.

The problem is that this book is my least favourite by her. The other novels were marketed more as gothic romance, which is fine that’s why I read them0, but Evocation felt like it was going to be more of a fantasy focus book, and it wasn’t. It might have been my own expectations, but the novel was mostly focused on the relationship of Moira, David and Rhys. The relationship was good, but it didn’t give me the same emotions as in an Education in Malice and a Dowry of Blood, so I’m a little bit sad about that.

In general, it was entertaining but nothing that I’ll probably remember in the long run. I’ll read the next book just because of the author but for now my favourites are definitely the standalones.

The real rating is a 3.5.

4/5 ⭐️ - Book Rating
3/5 ⭐️ - Audiobook Rating

The audiobook for this was fine. I thought Oscar Reyes did a nice job but his voice took me a while to get used to in terms of the overall vibe of the book and I'm not sure if it quite clicked for me. Good, but not great and I don't know if I would necessarily recommend audiobook over just eyeball reading it.

The book itself was actually kind of a pleasant surprise. I've read and loved Gibson's, "A Dowry of Blood." "Evocation" leans more as a contemporary romance with some fantasy elements rather than a fantasy romance, which I think was to its benefit. It has an occult dark academia feel (which I'm not typically a fan of, but enjoyed in this) and centers around the relationship dynamics of David, Moira, and Rhys. I fell in love with the three of them and it's their relationship that really drives the story forward. Having it set in Boston was also an added bonus for me.

I would recommend checking this book out if magic, secret societies, romance (poly relationship), and character driven stories are your jam.

Thank you to NetGalley, S.T. Gibson, Angry Robot and Tantor Audio for my early access to this.

The story was good. I can't say that the dynamic of the main characters was my favorite, and I didn't care for the narrator as much.. (I listen to books sped up so it's probably my fault) But overall, I love S.T. Gibson's writing.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ALC of this book!

really starting to think 'a dowry of blood' was a fluke at this point.

'Evocation' follows David, his ex-boyfriend Rhys and his wife Moira as they do some occult things and David and Rhys are also part of a society that does occult things but it's never really specified what those things are so it mostly just feels like a club of boys hanging out and talking about doing magic but we never really figure out what that magic is and if this description sounds vague it's because the entire book was vague and i really couldn't tell you what it's about?

the main characters read very 'i'm not like other girls/boys' despite having nothing really special about them. if you're in it for the mystery or suspense you're out of luck. this is a character study at best and on top of that all of the characters are boring and stubborn. there is no tension to be found, despite the characters ending up in a life or death situation.

if you're in it for the polyamourous romance you're ALSO OUT OF LUCK and probably better off reading 'a dowry of blood' instead, where the author did manage to explore the concept properly.

as i mentioned in my description of the story, the plot is very thin. there's little to no worldbuilding and i dare you to tell me what the magic system in this novel is actually set up to do (no really, please tell me because i genuinely don't know).

Evocation was everything I desired after reading the book description and it enticed with each page!

I thought S.T. Gibson did a wonderful job of gently introducing a complicated (but a very modern) relationship between the three main characters. I was immediately immersed into their feelings for each other and couldn’t wait to see where this story was leading me.
The fact that the book is written from different perspectives added so much more depth to learning the progression of their relationships. You get to experience three different lives and three different personalities that somehow fit in a very unique way.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see the author spend a proper amount of time not only on the character’s relationships, but also on the occult experiences and new age practices. It was a delight to not only connect to their personalities, but also to envision a world full of divination, seances, spirit summoning, astrology, tarot readings and so much more.

Although I only see one way this story could progress, I’ll be very curious to read what the author has in store for the next title.

Moira is a ball of bright light and Southern charm, raised to be polite until wronged. She is full of healing energy and has magic that’s been passed down for generations of powerful women. She is a born intuitive that reads people’s emotions and has built a successful (but fair) business specializing in divination, reading stars, and birth charts. Moira is married to Rhys who calls her his “goddess” and his “home”.

Rhys is a member of a secret society that values discretion. What used to be a powerhouse filled with elite members is now its shadow resembling an occult fraternity. A demon-summoning social club that is still hanging on to the hope of the “better days and new money” to come. Rhys has no inherent supernatural abilities, but has a well-established reputation in the occult community due to his obsessive scholarly focus and an undying interest in everything occult. This combination earned him a consideration in the title of a High Priest.

David comes from an extremely wealthy family of immigrants from Russia and is an obvious choice for a successor. The rumor is, his ancestor made a deal with The Devil which would explain their wealth and the supernatural knack for persuasion. Being a workaholic and a prosecutor in Boston, David has no time to believe in such things. Earning the trust of the elderly society members who are stuck in their ways and the younger members who are looking for a change takes a lot of energy, but will be worth it if he earns this title. David will not bow down to anyone, especially Rhys.

Until one day David is faced with a supernatural problem that he cannot explain and has no choice but to ask Rhys and Moira for help in the only way he knows - by offering them both a deal they cannot refuse.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ARC of this audiobook.

A queer urban fantasy that delves into the intricacies of love, curses, and the supernatural, with an emphasis on love.
I truly did love this book it had a great secret society vibe, however, I felt like it focused more on the past relationship between the two male main characters than it did anything else. I would've preferred more on the curse itself, David's family, magic systems etc, the main hook was "The Devil knows your name, David Aristarkhov." but I felt like that's all we knew about him too.

The choice of narrator was spot on his voice fit in with what I would imagine the characters would sound like (excluding Martha, his southern drawl wasn't quite it)

Evocation is hands down my favorite book by S.T. Gibson. If you’re looking for a quick, spooky read that’s really character driven, this is the book for you. Do I think it wrapped up a little too neatly? Maybe, but I enjoyed it immensely anyway.

I first want to say that this book has solidified s.t gibson as an autobuy author for me. Her ability to make you feel at ease in a world and with characters is second to none. From the beginning i wanted to know more, we follow david who thinks he is cursed and has to go to his ex boyfriend rhys and his wife moira for help which he isnt happy about. The dynamic between these three and how it matures and grows is something i loved being apart of and was my favourite part of the book. However, and this could be because i listened on audiobook, i cringed alot when it came to the sexual aspects of this book and feel like i would have enjoyed it more without it. More so i feel as though the plot was underdeveloped which is not a new criticism i have of gibson but enjoy her books even so. I would definitely recommend for people who have enjoyed s.t gibson books and also who love a character based book.

S T Gibson has such a lyrical way of writing and the narrator of the audiobook did such an incredible job of portraying all of the characters perfectly. The longing the wrapped itself around every sentence and the need that burned through chapter after chapter was masterfully done.

The story was great but the characters are where this book truly shines. Moira is probably one of the best female protagonists I have read so far this year. The way she is so solid for both Rhys and David made me love her instantly. As for the two male leads I could read an entire book on their previous relationship and then how David came to love Moira.

If it’s not clear, I adored this book. S T Gibson cemented their writing as a firm fave with dowry and continues to amaze.

Whilst the premise for this book is intriguing, I found it difficult to care about any of these characters. Rhys, in particular, came off as almost a stereotype of someone who’s been to therapy too much. How many times did he have to mention boundaries? And blowing up a friendship and friend group for his wife (who often seemed to care more for repairing the relationship than he did) felt very disproportionally. Plotwise, the description makes it seem like they know early on that the devil has come to collect but in reality, most of the book is spent with them foundering around. We know what this thing is that’s haunting David. The part of the book where they struggle to figure it out feels drawn out. It would’ve been much better if in the first 20% they discover it’s this deal with the devil/generational curse BS and spent more time trying to handle it.

The audiobook narrator was good.

’ll be honest, if there’s one name that triggers me, it’s David. Having a main character with this name, especially in 3rd person, really threw me off. I debated on DNFing for that reason alone several times. However, I pushed through because of my love for this author and her debut novel, A Dowry of Blood.

When I got passed the main character’s name, I mostly enjoyed this story. I love S.T Gibson’s writing style, and I loved the idea of a rich nepotism man working with his ex and his new wife to save him from a deal with the devil. I loved their friendship, but when they decide to make it polyamory at the 70% mark, my fascination in this book rapidly waned. It’s like the author stopped worrying about the central plot- the deal with the devil- and focused on being a story about the relationship. Listen, I have zero problems with polyamory. I actually love books that show this type of relationship. I just hate how it was done in this particular book.

First, Rhys and David are toxic as a couple; they’re better as friends. Second, Moira isn’t a part of the sexual part with David. I guess when I read about polyamory, I prefer when all are equal parts of the relationship, and it doesn’t feel like Moira is. Lastly, I don’t really like that Moira’s totally fine with David & Rhys fooling around even though they’re not a healthy relationship. She’s such a smart and empathetic person. She has to know they’re not good for each other, but after hearing about their kiss, she doesn’t even spend a chapter being upset. Instead, she’s so fine with it, and that was odd to me.

If this book didn’t have polyamory and it got rid of the filler chapters, then it would be one of my favorite reads of the year. However, because of the unhealthy relationship being glorified throughout the story, my fascination with the story waned by the end.

A spooky, gothic dive into occultism, spiritualism, and summoning. Imagine one of Harvard’s secret societies, grown up.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review and boy oh boy I’m so happy I had the chance!
The best way to describe this book is as a mix of The Raven Cycle and Legend (the sequel to Hollow) by Karina Halle. The end of the book was so spicy!!! Can’t wait to read book 2.

While this was a very interesting story, it was a struggle for me to finish. The narrator did very well especially with several characters to portray. The elements within the book giving John Constantine and Practical Magic vibes were right up my alley, but were just not 100% there for me. David is very self-centered and haunted with what he thinks is his father but turns into so much more. As his problems grow worse, David has only one person he feels he can turn to. Rhys is definitely trying to not get thrown into David’s problems anymore; but given their past, he still cares too much to ignore him, He continuously says he wants to focus on his own goals and his wife, Moira. Especially because David and Moira struggle to be civil with one another. Their relationship does grow, and was enjoyable.

The biggest issue for me was the polyamorous element. No judgement on the authors choice. Personally, I believe in monogamy. And the relationship just felt very unfaithful and fake to me. Overall a very intriguing story. Just not something I will continue. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.

3.5 rounded up.

Evocation is an urban fantasy that deals in the occult, a secret society, and demons!

I have been a fan of S.T. Gibson's for a few years now and absolutely devoured A Dowry of Blood and An Education in Malice. I was SO excited to dive into another of their offerings.

S.T. Gibson does characters so well and this is on display on this very character driven novel. You can't help but empathize and understand the struggles they are going through even with otherworldly issues. As well, the atmosphere was PALPABLE. You open this book and become fully immersed in the story every time.

Although I thought the secret society was interestingly fleshed out, and I did really enjoy the characters and their interactions. The only thing I didn't like was the polyamorous relationship. Not the polyamory itself, but the fact that it read as David and Rhys' love story that Moira has to step aside for. I thought she deserved a lot better! And I wanted to explore her friendship with David more - they were really great together.

Overall, this seems to be a series (I think? will there be a book 2??) and I do look forward to what will happen next. It was an extremely compelling read and I loved the lore we learned as the book went on. It would be great to expand upon the world, the relationships and see how the secret society adapts to all the change!

In S.T. Gibson's "Evocation," the intricate dance of magic and relationships unfolds with mesmerizing allure. From the onset, David's psychic prowess and complex familial ties draw readers into a world teeming with occult intrigue. The nuanced dynamics between the characters resonate deeply, showcasing the author's skill in crafting multifaceted relationships.

However, as the story reaches its crescendo, the polyamorous relationship feels discordant, particularly in its execution. Despite the narrative's earlier promise, the portrayal of this dynamic falls short of satisfaction particularly for Moira's character, who I personally felt deserved much better from both men, but particularly her husband.

Yet, amidst this disappointment, the strength of the characters' connections, especially the bond between David and Moira, and David and Rhys continues to shine. Their emotional journey, fraught with past wounds and renewed affection, adds depth to the narrative tapestry.

While "Evocation" initially held the promise of a five-star read, the misstep in its conclusion tempers this enthusiasm, settling the overall experience closer to a 3.75-4 rating. Despite my dissatisfaction with the relationships, Gibson's novel remains a compelling exploration of magic, love, and the complexities of human relationships.

I was thrilled to receive approval for my last-minute request of the audiobook for Evocation by S.T. Gibson. I listened all the way through it in a matter of two days!

Quick Synopsis: Present-day childhood psychic prodigy David Aristarkhov is a high-powered Boston attorney and skilled medium for his secret society. But power has a price, and as David approaches his 30th birthday, the Devil comes knocking to collect on a 300-year old blood oath. Out of other options, David reluctantly reaches out to his ex-boyfriend and current occultist rival Rhys and Rhys' wife, Moira. David's days are numbered, and buried feelings claw their way to the surface as the trio works tirelessly to save David from his doomed destiny.

Review: The plot in Evocation was compelling and engaging. As a Boston girlie, I loved all of the references to the greater Boston metro sprinkled throughout the book. Additionally, I ADORED Moira's character and how she and David are able to build their own friendship amidst the chaos. I'm always down for some LGBTQIA+ representation, especially bi-rep, so that's another win for Evocation in my book. That being said, it was not overly or unnecessarily smutty. I liked the balance of old flame, newfound friendship, rekindling, and acceptance from all. I would definitely read this again and read the next installment in The Summoner's Circle series.

Narrator review: The narrator for Evocation did a great job! There were distinct voices for both MMCs which made it easy to distinguish whose POV you are listening to. There was also a surprising and lovely accent associated with Moira's character, furthering her endearingly character for me personally.

Thank you to the author S.T. Gibson, publisher Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads review submitted and linked below. A grid post on my bookstagram account (@bostonkatreads) to follow.