This review is for Evocation by S.T. Gibson which releases in the UK on the 28th May! Thanks so much to Netgalley and AngryRobot books for giving me an eArc copy for this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve read a lot of S.T. Gibson’s work now, and I think I can say for sure this is my favourite so far! I loved the wide range of diverse characters, and the unique world built in the novel. It’s set in Boston, specifically in the underground occultist networks featured in both high and low society. It features a wide range of magic users such as occultists, sorcerers, witches, mediums, and more. It’s overall super gritty and real, and I was obsessed. It was super easy to read, but does lack a little storyline. I felt it could have been so much more than what it was. The cover artwork is also super beautiful and can’t wait to have this on my shelf.

As I said, it features a wide range of diverse and LGBTQ+ characters and does explore a lot of the characters sexuality which was super interesting. Moira was obviously my favourite, and I hope they do come out with another book so I can see more of the main three characters dynamic. She is an incredible woman and I immediately loved her resilience and openness to the craziness they fall into. She is so different to the two male main characters David and Rhys, who are so ambitious and driven. The tension between all three of them is great, and came to the perfect ending in my opinion.

My only negative was the storyline, it just felt a little empty and felt like it could have been built up so much more to raise the stakes as it fell a little flat and felt a bit anticlimactic. However I did love it all the same, and hope there’s more after this book! Would highly recommend this to any fantasy readers out there.

Evocation is partly a psychic vs. demon fantasy-mystery, but mostly it is a polyamory ‘vee’ romance story, with David and Moira as the ‘metamours’ and Rhys as the ‘hinge’ that holds them together.

Which is slightly ironic as it is the David/Moira relationship that is most engaging here. Their enemies to loving friends journey feels like the most natural and healthy developing bond in the book, while Moira and Rhys feel like complicated couple goals, and Rhys and David are far too unhealthily co-dependent to be in a relationship with each other despite the feels.

The worldbuilding is interesting, taking a detailed and scientific approach to spiritualist practices such as tarot, tea leaves, palmistry and astrology, but also introducing spirit-calling, compulsion/charm magic and summoning of demons as more of a fantasy element. But all of this forms the background to the human tale of familial/child abuse, addiction, ambition and supportive, accepting love. This isn’t a story about saving the world – it’s about trying to save one troubled, difficult man (I do like David!). And how to balance work, family, friends, love and duty along the way, which is very relatable.

Expect a lot of angst, self-doubt and emotional struggle, with an incidental demon possession problem on the side (which felt analogous to either addiction or a wasting disease/chronic degenerating illness in the way it is portrayed).

There is a plot hook at the end to avoid any neat resolution to the story and lead the reader towards the next book in the series, which I hope will contain more of the occult mystery and magical worldbuilding, now that the characters have been introduced and developed into something of a working unit!

Vivid, gothic, twisted. A darkly delightful exploration of complicated relationships - set to the backdrop of an occult magical society and the threat of a mysterious, deadly curse.
Strong, stubborn and struggling David Aristarkhov reaches out to his ex, Rhys McGowan, when a routine psychic spirit summoning ends in possession. Little does David know the true extent of the problem... Meanwhile, Moira Delacroix - Rhys' wife - is determined to put aside past hurts to help both men, and together they race to find a solution that won't end in death (and/or heartbreak).
I loved the rich descriptions and that ST Gibson does not shy away from deep heartfelt emotions. The pacing felt natural and unrushed. I look forward to learning more about the three powerful main characters and their relationship with one another in the next Summoner's Circle book. This is a must-read for fans of Tamsyn Muir, C.L. Clarke, Veronica Roth and Olivie Blake.
Thank you to the publisher Angry Robot for providing me an ARC of this book via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

This is far from what I was expecting, but I loved it!
While the "occult" is definitely a theme that wraps around this story tightly, this is at heart a love story.
Mind me, I do not use the term love story lightly - this is not the typical romance book you find everywhere.
This is a story that feels real (not the occult part, but the relationship between the characters), even when uncomfortable.
A story that explores all the actual mess that can come around when deep, meaningful feelings are at play.
A story that conveys how liberating it can be to simply live your life, regardless of what others may think of you.
This is IMHO the best representation I ever read about polyamory , with a wonderful gloomy yet cozy background of dark magic in the shadowy city of Boston.
I am looking forward to the next book, thank you S.T. Gibson for opening a door into a world that - although not mine - always fascinated me deeply.

I really loved this one, and I think it’s probably my favourite S.T. Gibson book to date. I felt totally immersed in this compelling urban fantasy and while I enjoyed the historical settings of A Dowry of Blood and An Education in Malice, Gibson’s writing soars in a more modern (but still magical) setting like Boston.

David was particularly charming but his vulnerability is really what struck a chord. Rhys is the perfect academic rival, and I very much enjoyed Moira’s strength. As always with S.T. Gibson’s novels queer identity, polyamory and sexuality were explored in a realistic way rather than relying on stock characterisation, and I can’t wait to see what happens to this trio next.

<i>I would like to thank NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.</i>

Okkkk I'm going to get this out of the way first and foremost, because my feelings about this particular point was so vicious at times that I refuse to blame myself. Brace yourself.

Straight up this whole poly thing was a mess. For me, the relationship stuff read so flat that I could not have cared less who kissed who. So no, imo this book did not need a throuple with constipated energy and no sex appeal. Stop it. Daphne, Velma and Fred had more chemistry. I'm very much hoping that Book 2 will eradicate this nonsense and it will read like either Book 1 never happened, or just like a flashback of an "experimental college experience" that <i>RhysDavidMoira</i> don't talk about anymore but remained friends despite/because of it all. Ok I'm done thinking about this now.

But also...

<b>...here are some OTHER things I was uncool about:</b>

1 thinking someone is a "deity" because they wear shimmer in their makeup, can plot a star chart, read tarot and give great hugs is...an interesting take. Especially when the book is literally about a pact with an <b>"i'm coming for your soul-your body/brain is an inconsequential happy meal"</b> demon, and additionally features a haunted house that actively hates David and wants to kill him. That's the story I came for.

But stg throughout 75% of this book I was hoping a rift would open up at Beacon Hill and claim them all just so I wouldn't have to read the word <b>"goddess"</b> ever again. Moira reads tarot with some zodiac sparkle, wields crystals and cries when she sees dead people. Calm down. That kid from Sixth Sense was more put together than this caricature of a southern "daddy raised me right/meemaw" gal.

It was a lot.

For me.

And I'm a yoga-crystal-meditation-stevie nicks fan.

Yes, I white saged after this.

Moving on.

2 <b>The Tone:</b> There's a Secret Society that evokes both Victorian-occultist sentimentality and regular, ritualistic summoning of netherworld denizens (with a side of cigar and sexism), a demon possessed workaholic lawyer/<i>spirit medium & psychic intuitive</i> under thirty, a mansion with its own agenda, a surname in demon Collections...sounds marvelous yeah? Now slap some lidocaine on that, imagine making conversation with an upper echelon "Kitty" while wearing off-the-rack Target and recalibrate your mouth dreams to yearn for a pistachio latte from Tatte (Charles St. location in Beacon Hill). Everything will taste like ash in your mouth after that.

There's academia, there's library-core, there's prosecuting, there's childhood trauma.

But all of this landed like a derivative, <i>"dark academia meets bougie Boston"</i> pinterest board and I'm sort of mad about that. Because there was just sooooo much potential here. And though this wasn't the greatest read for me, I still really enjoyed the ending! And I definitely liked David Aristarkhov!

So I'm very much hoping S.T. Gibson will take the bones of Book 1 and do the opposite of what a series typically does and magic a 5 star Book 2, with or without the help of any and all demons or divine light beings or whatever (cringe) goddess is on call for bestselling authors these days! Definitely curious to read the prequel, <b>Odd Spirits</b>, and to see where this series goes next! There's still a demon to vanquish after all, and I'm weirdly invested in Gibson's secret Society occultists leveling up, and bringing some hellfire in the next installment to make up for everything that led to this less than sparkling review.

First of all, this cover is ART. The colors and the Hanged Man card are chef's kiss. I am going to need a physical copy of this book because the pictures I've seen have made me swoon and I can only imagine it's even better in person.
Evocation is my favorite S.T. Gibson book by far. It has three equally compelling (read: MESSY) characters who I care about deeply. Gibson does such a good job of fleshing them out, of making them deeply flawed, of giving them hopes, dreams, fears, and ambitions. I love Rhys, David, and Moria so much as individuals, but also together in every combination. Their relationship is the real magic of this book.
The characters are the true driving force of the story, but I like the machinations of the society and the small glimpses we get into the magical worlds of Boston. I'm usually not a fan of urban fantasy or magic set in the real world, but this book does it so flawlessly I didn't even notice. Evocation is more grounded than Gibson's other books and because of this, the stakes feel higher, the characters more real.
I can't wait to read what happens next.

Gibson has once again written an incredible story full of magic and intrigue and just a dash of spice. I really enjoyed the way that David, Rhys, and Moira are all kind of imperfect characters and we enter their story with a lot of baggage and history between them. The relationship dynamic of this book was so compelling as it enabled the reader to have beautiful scenes of domesticity with an established couple (something that I really don't think readers get treated to enough!) as well as feeling the burn and intrigue of relationships in their early days of blossoming. The fact that things didn't always feel linear and easy created a story that was incredibly engaging as well as feeling truthful.

I make no secret that I am somewhat partial to a vampire story so it really comes as a surprise to me that Evocation is my favourite Gibson story that I have read to date. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy A Dowry of Blood and An Education in Malice, I think they are both incredible stories, it just really feels as though Evocation is where Gibson has really found their stride.

I love the unique magic systems that are at play in this story and the deep lore that it feels as though we are only beginning to scratch the surface of, leaving the reader excited for more stories to come in the Summoner's Circle series.

I think this is a book that will have wide appeal with sizzling character dynamics and a magical mystery are the core.

"Evocation," the first installment of S.T. Gibson's new fantasy series, offers a darkly atmospheric and character-focused narrative that both intrigues and frustrates. As a fan of Gibson's previous works, I had high expectations for this book. While it didn't fully meet them, it still delivered on several fronts.

The story centers around David Aristarkhov, a former psychic prodigy turned Boston attorney who moonlights as a powerful medium for his secret society. With his thirtieth birthday approaching, David's life takes a dark turn as the Devil comes to collect on an ancestral deal. Desperate, David reaches out to his ex-boyfriend and secret society rival Rhys for help. However, to get to Rhys, he must first navigate his relationship with Rhys's wife, Moira. As they are thrust together, buried emotions resurface, and the trio must sort through their complicated feelings before the Devil claims David for good.

Initially, I found the slow start and occasionally awkward character dynamics to be detracting. The plot, while intriguing in premise, was rather weak and didn't become a central focus until the final chapters. This pacing made the beginning feel sluggish and less engaging than I had hoped.

However, as the story progressed, the characters' relationships began to develop more fully. Gibson's signature gothic atmosphere, dynamic characters, and complex romances are present throughout, which helped to draw me back in. Despite the slow build, the emotional depth and interactions between David, Rhys, and Moira eventually became the heart of the story, making it a more character-centered narrative than a plot-driven one.

While "Evocation" might not have lived up to the high bar set by Gibson's previous works, it still has plenty to offer fans of gothic fantasy. The character development and rich atmosphere kept me invested, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the story evolves in the next installment. S.T. Gibson remains one of my favorite authors, and I'll eagerly follow her wherever her storytelling takes me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

ST Gibson is the queen! I am new to her writing, but have loved everything she has released.

This a great start to a series with political intrigue, creepy spirits, and characters you can relate to and be annoyed by. I love the bi rep in this book, as often I think the bisexuality is often ignored or portrayed poorly. I was hooked listening to this book the entire time. I cannot wait for book 2.

Thank you netgalley for the audio ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc.

This was my first time reading S.T Gibsons work and it definitely will not be my last. The writing was well done and the plot was fully formed and flushed out, there was no point where I felt lost in the world building (which is hard to accomplish in fantasy). David was such an interesting character and such a well traumatized character, having the burden of being a terrible mans son, basically alone in the world because of his family's actions. Very unique love triangle of a married couple but the husband has a boyfriend and the wife is kind of into it, I really liked how it was done as neither of the characters in the marriage really felt threatened by David's presence (well towards the middle/end). There are so many books where there is a deal with the devil and usually they fall into a repetitive plot all the time, this felt more like a generational curse than a simple deal to get out of a one time conflict.

I will say the ending did feel a little rushed, especially since it seems like there is going to be a follow up book? Either way I appreciated the writing and a well written story!

3.5 stars

I was unsure about this going in, as I didn't end up loving this author's last book. This one was more enjoyable, but I think her books are just not for me---the magical elements always end up taking a backseat to the romances and leave me with a lot of plot questions.

This is the first of a series following David, Rhys, and Moira, all of whom are practitioners of the occult. Can I tell you what that entails? Only sort of. Moira does astrology charts, David talks to dead people, and Rhys does ceremonial magic. What is that? No idea. David and Rhys are in a secret magical society together--what does the society do? Idk, magic. They're also exes and their relationship was apparently toxic and did not end well. What exactly happened? Couldn't tell ya. But when David gets magically sick, he calls Rhys and Rhys' wife, Moira, to help him. Turns out, there's a family curse. The three research and conduct magical experiments to figure out what's going on, most of which is conveniently just before or just after a scene that's actually on page so *handwave*.

I can appreciate good angst, and David is a mess and Moira and his friendship is fun. But I did not get why either of them were into Rhys, I was iffy on how David's alcoholism was handled, unsure of some of Moira's characterization, and mainly WHERE WAS ALL THE MAGIC? The vibes were here, but the plot was not, really. But if you're looking for a toxic romance between two men that's supported by one's wife, with occasional mentions of magic, you might love this. I also just learned that there's been a prequel announced for this in addition to the sequels, and I'm guessing that probably explains some of my questions. Unsure if I will or will not read it, but I wish some of the background could have been mentioned in this book, even if it was not fully elaborated on. Thanks to Angry Robot and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

David Aristarkhov is a Boston attorney moonlighting as a medium for a secret society even though he tried to leave the occult world behind when his father died. The Devil has come to collect on a deal David’s ancestor made, so he reaches out to his ex-boyfriend Rhys for help. To get Rhys to help him, David must befriend Moira, Rhys’s wife. The three must combine their powers to unravel the century-old curse before David's thirtieth birthday, or they won't have time to figure out what they mean to each other.

This is book one of The Summoner's Circle, so there's a lot of groundwork laid into the different kinds of magic, the Society, and the personalities of our main three characters. David is definitely a rigid man in the beginning, full of himself and his own importance. Being a successful lawyer at 29 and raised wealthy can explain some of that, but I found him very unsympathetic at first and wondered what Rhys even saw in him. Rhys has more humble origins, and Moira is full of Southern charm and a gift for Tarot and astrology. I liked her and Rhys right away. Like Moira, though, learning about his family and how he was raised gave context and I felt bad for him.

The curse hitting David was an interesting one, as was how it was circumvented by his ancestors and in this book. I really enjoyed a lot of the background characters and the relationships in the novel. Moira getting to learn about her own abilities will be fascinating to see in future novels, and I really hope we get to see chaos magic at work.

4.5 stars, rounded up

On paper, Evocation isn’t my kind of book at all, but I was completely won over by it and drawn into the story. At its heart, it’s a very impressive and well written romance novel that revolves entirely around the relationship of its main characters. Whilst the setting did feel a little superficial to the story at times, the quality of the plot and character interactions meant I was happy to overlook this, despite not being a particularly avid romance reader.

Evocation is set in Boston amongst the wealthy elite who dabble in the occult and hide in plain sight. A lot of the characters come from the world of finance and law, and attend secret societies in their spare time whilst offering up other skills to-hire such as seances, tarot readings and banishing of spirits. The undertones of wealth that most of the characters exude adds a real sense of luxury to the plot, and personally made it more believable - those not bothered by money troubles seem perfectly at home with the idea of gallivanting off for days in the pursuit of a loved one or a bit of plot progression. It must be said the world didn’t do a lot for me, and the occult societies and magical members all took a back step in the story in favour of the plot at hand.

This lack of focus on the world normally rankles me, but S.T Gibson showed such skill in writing the relationships of the lead three characters, that I found myself not really minding. Two of our characters, former lovers David and Rhys, are both influential members of the same society, and are jostling for position as the head of the group approaches retirement. With Rhys’ new wife Moira joining the scene as a talented trader in the occult in her own right, the trio spend the book trying to unpick their feelings for each other, and work out how they want the others to fit into their lives. The raw mix of emotions the characters go through in the story, and the emotional turmoil they go through trying to work out what they want, was wonderfully written and was the real highlight of the story. Evocation is an easy recommendation to any romance or romantasy readers, and I’m intrigued to try out more of S.T. Gibson’s work!

Promising atmospheric prose and deliciously Occulty, dark academia vibes; my hopes for S.T. Gibson’s newest novel (focusing on themes of identity, sexuality and complex relationships) couldn’t have been higher.

Unfortunately, the writing style and slower pacing just didn’t work for me this time around (which is a shame as I absolutely loved the gothic decadence of A Dowry of Blood.)

There was soo much promise with the characters, who I felt were quite well written and had really intriguing backstories. However, but I just didn’t fully connect with all of them. Moira and David were probably my fave characters to explore but primarily through their interactions together. I enjoyed getting to watch their complex relationship slowly develop, which I felt was way more nuanced and interesting than their individual interactions with Rhys.

And though we do get supernatural elements but I just feel they weren’t present enough to keep me invested.

Overall, a contemporary set dark academia with a lot of interesting elements, I just wish I’d enjoyed it more.

Also, thanks to Netgalley & Angry Robot Books for the e-arc.

3.5 rounded up. I liked this one!

The synopsis appealed a lot to me, and I wanted to give ST Gibson another shot after Education in Malice sadly wasn't for me. I'm glad I gave them another shot!

The characters were the strongest point in this book for me. Specifically, Moira she was so sweet, and the way she cared so fiercely for Rhys and David had my heart. Rhys and David were very messy individuals, especially with each other, so I'm glad Moira was around to balance them out.

The relationships were also very strong for me. Polyamorous dynamics in fiction are so hard to get right, especially hinge type relationships. The author nailed it in this one. I actually liked the platonic love that David and Moira shared more than the romantic aspects of this polycule lol.

I will be honest and say I wasn't as invested in the plot as I should've been. This was probably just a me thing, but I found myself skimming some of the plot because I didn't care about a lot of the non-magic stuff.

As usual, thank you to Netgalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. I felt very bored throughout and I don’t feel like there was enough magic or action going on.

I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters as well.

I don’t read a ton of books like this so it might just be me not the actual book.

I hope others really love this one but it definitely was not for me.

Evocation caught my interest with its premise and incorporation of astronomy and magic among other things. It was well written however unfortunately it felt a little lacking. The characters weren't able to charm me. And the dynamics between the three main characters were off or unbalanced. David and Moira had better chemistry as a duo. It felt like Rhys wasn't compatible with the two. Maybe it is just me since this would be the first one I read that dabble with polyamorous relationships.

Thank you Angry Robot for a copy of the eARC to review.

Tropes: Morally Grey, Exes to Rivals to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Secret Society, Found Family, Family Trauma

Rep: BIPOC, Polyamorous Relationship, Queer

This book was fun, it was dark, and it while it was short- I got attached to the characters. I LOVED Moira so much.
Rhys and David had such a complex relationship- dealing with David's addiction and his trauma that he never truly dealt with, then Rhys finally realizing that he didn't have to put up with David's dangerous cycle.

I did not really know what exactly this book was about when I started it- I like the authors other books and the cover is just gorgeous so I wanted to give it a shot. It might be my second favorite by S.T. Gibson.

I enjoyed that while the Society was a large part of the story, that the relationship between Moira, Rhys, and David was the main focal point of the story... oh and his demon possession. I think that David has the most character growth throughout the story. He has grown up thinking that he cannot depend on anyone to care for him due to his father- who is a piece of garbage IMO- so when he has to reach out and repair his relationship with Rhys it is beyond difficult for him.

I like that his sister was more than just mentioned, but honestly I would read a whole book about her and about Lorena. They are really interesting and I think their backstory would be a great story.

I did want a little more at the end of the book- I feel like the final like event should've been a tad bit more drawn out but I understand that it was already chaotic. I did get very emotional at one point.

Really enjoyed it overall and cannot wait for the next books!

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!

God, I just adored this book. The characters felt so real and so well-developed and fleshed out. It was like I was in the room with them watching them live their lives and talk to each other. All three of the main characters are so complex, flawed, and so, so lovable. It was such a treat reading about them and watching their relationships grow and develop over the course of the book. I'm such a sucker for queer people, occult magic, and demons, so pretty much everything about this book was right up my alley and it did not disappoint. My only complaints are 1.) this book was not long enough- I would have really liked to see how the possession storyline played out in the future. While it didn't end on a cliffhanger, I don't feel that it was resolved and I would really love to see the resolution (and, of course, read more about Moira, Rhys, and David's shenanigans). Sequel maybe? and 2.) the worldbuilding. There was so much more to be explored with the magic system and different types of magic/occult practices that could have been explored! The only thing I love more than good characters is good worldbuilding and I think this book fell just a bit short in that regard. There was enough to be compelling and drive the plot forward, but it didn't quite feel fully fleshed out otherwise.

What a great book. 10/10, please give me 12 more with them.