Member Reviews
thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and krystal sutherland for the advanced readers copy of "the invocations". i was a major fan of "house of hollow", so best believe i had to get my hands on an ARC for sutherland's newest novel! krystal sutherland knows how to do young adult RIGHT. what i love about her books is that while they are young adult, any age group can read and appreciate them. i have felt for some time that the witchy paranormal area of fiction is overdone and oversaturated, but i was pleasantly surprised by sutherland's spin on it. i love that not only does "the invocations" have paranormal elements, but also a serial killer! i was hooked throughout.
After the death of her sister, Savanah, Zara Jones has moved in with her abusive uncle. She is hell-bent on bringing her sister back from the dead. She crosses paths with Jude Wolf, the daughter of a billionaire, who accidently cursed herself after she dabbled in the occult at the age of 15 . The two seek the help from Emer, a witch who has a strange connection to the serial killer who killed Zara's sister. Now, they must work together to figure out the serial killer's identity and stop them from striking again.
We love female rage in this house, pair that with witches and make them sapphic and I AM IN. This was an interesting story, with a cast of characters you can't help but start to care for. The story started off slow, as we learned more about Zara and Jude, but quickly picked up pace once Emer was introduced. I love how all the girls had their own motives, but were all intertwined in some way in the end. Jude was definitely my favourite of the three. She was so flirty and sarcastic, but cared so much for the people she's loyal to. There is quite a bit of body horror in this, so if that isn't your vibe then maybe avoid.
I loved the ending, and thought it wrapped the story up so nicely. I desperately want more from these characters though, and wish there was a second installment coming.
This book was certainly interesting. I haven't read a full on fantasy/magic book in a minute so this was a good step back into it. I do have one thing to say though, the romance felt very forced and very awkward. It could've been better without the romance in my opinion.
This book was stunning! Krystal Sutherland truly never misses. I loved the world building and genuinely could not stop thinking about this book. And the twists at the end? Flawless. I truly never could’ve predicted whose role fit where in the grand scheme of the plot and it was executed so well! The characters were also so beautiful and the end of the book left me wanting more especially to see where Jude and Emer’s lives took them in their cottage and how they reshapes the world of the occult with their abilities. Such a beautiful story and I will be highly recommending this book!
I freaking loved this!! It’s dark and creepy, a bit occult with bad ass witches, the most empowering feminine rage, curses and demons, witch hunters, a trio to fall in love with, genuinely an addicting and thrilling ride from start to finish and perfect for the upcoming spooky season. Krystal Sutherland never disappoints!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was another delightful mix of fantasy and horror from the writer of House of Hollow- if you liked that book, odds are good you’ll like this one, too. I loved all three main characters, who all had very distinct personalities and voices, so it was easy to distinguish whose POV we were in in each chapter. The magic system was well thought out, well explained, and pretty unique. The ending left a nice resolution to all the storylines, while also leaving space for future installments in this world (which, for the record, I would not be mad at).
I adored this YA paranormal mystery!
Three girls use magic to catch a serial killer! What a unique and fun idea.
This is definitely a good fall read for spooky season.
This was such a great follow up to House of Hollow, which I gave five stars so my expectations were incredibly high for this one. I absolutely loved the entire book until the last 50 pages or so. It took a bit of a weird turn at the very end, so it ended up getting 4 stars instead of five. I loved Jude, Emer and Zara with Jude seeming like the real big main character. All of the women were so complex and I loved the commentary of women's history and just witches in general. The twist at the end wasn't majorly surprising, but it was still impactful so I did love that, but the big fight scene at the end was a bit odd.
This ending definitely wrapped up the book, but I'd love if there was a second book. The ending definitely left it so that there can be a second novel if the author wishes to continue.
Should you read this book?
Yes, if… you want a true feminine rage story, are interested in witches, or are just looking for a wild ride with deeply likeable and yet still flawed characters
No, if… you are squeamish with descriptions of blood/gore
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for honest review!
Wow this was such a fun time! I enjoyed the 3 different POVs and how different each of our characters' personalities were so it was easy to keep them straight. I also really liked how dark this was. There were mystery elements and horror, curses and witches--I had a great time.
My one issue was that these teenagers read older to me. I didn't completely buy their ages. But that didn't hurt my enj0yment of the book-it just took me out of the story sometimes (although it was easy to get back in).
I liked this one more than House of Hollow (which I also really liked) and can't wait to see what Sutherland has coming up!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
This was unputdownable! It was fast paced and full of action and lots of magic! The twists in this one were 🤯 I loved all of the different POVs and I thought they were easy to follow and fun. This book made me want to visit London, but maybe without all of the supernatural stuff happening!
Read if you enjoy:
• witches
• Magic
• London
• twists
• multiple POVs
• dark academia
DNF @ 25%. This is a case of me changing in my reading habits, and no longer being able to consume extremely dark books with horror themes.
I liked this book, but it wasn't my favorite by Sutherland. Her first few books were so amazing, and I while I do like her turn towards more paranormal books, I do think the humor that I really loved in her first two books is lost a bit.
Overall it was a good book and I really liked the characters and the way they worked together.
This book was dark; I enjoyed it. Especially since I love dark humor
the characters were great, i loved how queer it was (and the fact it was effortlessly inclusive in its definition of womanhood - something so simple but often not included), and the plot had me gripped throughout.
the scatterings of female rage and body horror made this a really compelling read, and i loved the almost dark academia vibes (although this is not a dark academia book!)
i enjoyed seeing the relationships between the characters develop, and the magic system was really cool! whilst i did think the pacing was a little bit off in places, i really enjoyed this overall.
This Dark witchy thriller was the perfect book to read on a rainy day curled up on the couch. I could not get enouht of the book. I loved the girls and their character, the plot was perfect and I highly enjoyed this book.
I just reviewed The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland. #TheInvocations #NetGalley
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Such a good book! It was so well written and I loved the story. This one also lives rent free in my head
I was really interested in this book going into but It didn’t hold my attention as much as I would have liked it to.
I really enjoyed Sutherland’s other books but this one was almost too much for me. The descriptions of Jude’s “condition” was just icky and at times hard to read. I still enjoyed the story, but squeamish people should take caution before reading.
**4.5-stars**
Jude Wolf is the daughter of a billionaire. You'd think she's a girl that has everything, but worries. Sadly, you'd be wrong. Jude has a serious issue that is literally eating her alive. Dabbling in the occult at the age of 15, Jude cursed herself and now her soul is slowly turning necrotic. After every remedy she's tried has failed, she's been looking for someone to help her purge this blasted curse.
Zara Jones lost her beloved sister, Savannah, to the hands of a vicious serial killer. Savannah was the only person she trusted and now that she's gone, Zara would do anything to bring her back, including turn to occult methods. Zara feels if she could bring her back, Savannah could identify her killer and he could be brought to justice.
Two girls on a desperate hunt for someone with the abilities to help them, happen by chance upon one another. Instant attraction and a kinship of need follows. The girls see a potential ally in Emer Byrne, a witch with a tragic past, who sells spells to women looking to escape desperate situations. Emer has a lot of knowledge and power, two things that Jude and Zara hopelessly seek.
They notice women being murdered at an alarming rate in their city of London and after some thought, it seems they all have one thing in common: connections to Emer. Now Emer, Zara and Jude must team up and figure out the identity of the serial killer before any of them end up next on his list.
I didn't have any expectations when I picked up The Invocations. Although I have <i>House of Hollow</i> by Krystal Sutherland, and have heard incredible things about it, I haven't picked it up yet. I'm so impressed with how this played out. I loved the combination of the intriguing murder mystery mixed with all the vivid occult elements. The character work was fantastic and I truly hope this isn't the last we see of these characters.
I was hooked into this story very quickly. Initially, we are just learning about Jude and Zara. I loved meeting both of them and Sutherland made their personal stories so believable and compelling. I was interested to see how their paths were going to intersect and what would keep them together. I think they way Sutherland drew out this process and then their meeting, it was so impactful.
Once Emer comes in, I loved how they all needed to band together to work towards a common purpose. Even though they were very distinct individuals, with different end goals, it made sense for them to combine their efforts to achieve everything they wanted.
I found Sutherland's writing to be highly readable. The setting was incredibly atmospheric. I loved how 'our world' it felt, with a touch of dark magic and stellar witchy vibes.
Additionally, I felt like the occult elements were amazing. The concepts were captivating and well thought out. I also feel like this will be accessible to a broad audience, easily enjoyed by Readers of all ages. The feminist themes were also well presented and in this case, well received. I'm looking forward to reading more from Sutherland. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who thinks the synopsis sounds interesting. It delivers what is promised.
Thank you to the publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait to see what Sutherland creates next!
An engaging read that I thoroughly enjoyed! Gritty with incredible world building. Highly recommend and will purchase several physical and digital copies for library collections. Thank you!!