I knew I wanted to read this as soon as I saw the cover and read the blurb. Secret society. Occult. Deal with the devil. It is right up my street.

I really do love the cover. It’s just stunning. I got sent a copy from NetGalley and then won a physical but I would have bought it anyway!

I really enjoyed the story. It is more character based than plot but I loved it all the same. The characters are easy to like. I think Moira could have been developed more. I loved David’s development as the story continued. The characters are diverse which I love. Also the bit of spice was good. Can’t complain about that!

I would have liked more about the secret society and the magic. I want to hear more about the powers they have and how they use them. I am hoping that as the series continues we will learn more about it.

It’s not perfect but I really enjoyed it and will read the rest of the series. 4.5⭐️

What can I say about this book that it’s more than just I loved it so much it got devoured. It is perfect for this season. It’s spooky, has a haunted house, witches, occults, magic and demon possession. Really struggled to out this book down.

David Aristarkhov is a powerful medium, who hides his true self behind the facade of a high-powered Boston attorney. He works for a secret society of magic wielders when necessary, with the hopes that one day he may be made High Priest. But, one seemingly innocent haunted house call leaves him reeling when a spirit grabs hold of him without invitation. Now he feels sluggish, sick psychically, and something is coming for him. His only recourse is to reach out to a demon expert, his society rival and ex-boyfriend Rhys. If only he no longer felt anything for this married man, or did not care about his incredible and also psychically strong wife, Moira.

The premise of this book was very good and the story was executed well. David as a character was easy to connect to, was suave but also lonely and had a terrible past involving an abusive and controlling father. Moira is no-nonsense, fierce, and protective of those she loves and of her latently hidden powers. She does not put up with David's disrespect and tells him his place in her life and in Rhys. But, as she gets to know David and he helps her understand herself and her powers a little more (powers her family always warned her against using), they become closer. Their relationship is phenomenal, they make each other stronger and genuinely care. This relationship was the base of the story and helped both advance the plot and created the best character growth for both of them.

My main issue with not fawning over this book is the character of Rhys. I actually hated him. I could not connect with him in any way and thought he was terrible for both Moira and David. He is arrogant, selfish, unkind, manipulative, and motivated only by his own ambitions. He was with David, but it really just seemed like he was using him to learn about magic and then get ahead in the society. He had zero empathy for David's background and seemed to belittle and blame David because he was born into a wealthy family. Nevermind that David was abused and mistreated and made a spectacle his whole childhood. And his anger at David's addiction, even as David worked so hard to be a better man for all those he loved, Rhys did nothing but cling to David's moments of despair and ream him out instead of helping him, asshole. I was rooting for the demon to kill him and for David and Moira to walk off into the sunset as besties.

Needless to say, I hope the second book shows Rhys he needs to own up to his own mistakes, his own character flaws and apologize for being such an arrogant prick. But as it is, I am not sure Moira and David can smooth him out enough for me to care about him to continue with the story. Which is a shame, because the story is captivating and I thought I would love it more than I did.

I mean the magic system was intriguing, and the back room shenanigans of the clearly patriarchal society were interesting. And I did love when Moira, who is more powerful than all the rich, white dudes, makes it to the top of the society. But I do not think Rhys really caused so much change that he is the savior David makes him out to be. I think David could have been that too, and actually respects everyone with power more than Rhys ever did. It is David who addresses Moira's power and makes her think that maybe she should not be scared of it like her family trained her to be. Rhys seems content to keep everyone around him in line, needing his strength, needing him to be the hero. Yuck!

Oops, I was ranting again. Okay rant over. The overtones of this book and the history of magic is propulsive. Moira and David are two characters who you will fall in love with and root for, hoping against the odds that they can tackle the demons of their own family histories in order to grow and adapt and become more powerful and stronger together. The one thing I would really love to sink my teeth into is David's sisters backstory and all that was happening with her, as well as the woman who practically raised him and is important to the magic scene in town, with her shop full of wonders and similar attitude to Moira (yes, please more strong women who are sick of rich men and their backroom dealings for power).

David Aristarkhov thought he had escaped the dark legacy of his father’s occultist world, building a successful life as a Boston attorney and powerful medium for his secret society. But as his thirtieth birthday nears, the price of his inherited power becomes clear: the Devil is coming to collect on an ancestral pact, and David’s time is running out. Desperate, he turns to the only person he’s ever truly trusted—his ex-boyfriend and rival, Rhys—but to reach him, David must first navigate the complex dynamics with Rhys’s wife, Moira. As the three of them are thrust together, old emotions resurface, and they must untangle their past and confront their present feelings before the Devil claims David forever. In this intense, supernatural thriller, love, loyalty, and the looming threat of damnation collide in a race against time.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

4.5 stars. I loved the book and the characters. The pacing is just the tiniest bit slow at the beginning but other than that, great read. The story line is interesting and I am really curious to see what will happen next!

Evocation is an amazing novel with interesting characters, plot, and world building. All the characters were well written and I wanted to know more about them. The queer/poly rep was exquisite as always (can always count on S.T Gibson writing good poly rep). All in all a good book all around.

Thank you to S.T. Gibson and Netgalley for the eARC!
4/5 stars.

My history with S.T. Gibson books has been mixed - I gave Dowry of Blood a 4.5 star rating, and Education in Malice a 2 star rating. I wasn't sure how I would feel about a new series, but boy, I'm ready for the follow-up! I am a sucker for any secret society and anything occult so this one was a sure fire win.

The characters themselves are written wonderfully and are actually fully fledged entities. Rhys, Moira, and David have my heart, and their dynamic is worth the read alone. Excellent book, will be impatiently waiting for the followup.

Evocation is a perfect book for the fall season. I curled up with this gothic fantasy book on a cold and rainy day and I read it in one sitting. I will say that this book is more character driven than plot driven in my opinion, but it worked so well for this story. Evocation is told through three POVs and I feel that that worked so well for this story and gave us a bigger picture.

The writing of this story pulled me in right away, but I will say it took me just a little bit before I was completely pulled into this story. I think that's because Evocation is mostly character driven and by the end of the book we still don't know a lot about the society they belong to, the magic, or the world they're in. And in this case, I don't feel like that's a bad thing. The characters and how they develop are the most important part of the story and the slow burn development gives you time to get to know them and what's going on.

David, Moira, and Rhys all have their own stories and complicated backgrounds, but David brings them together again. David and Rhys clearly have a history and that makes them both so frustrating at times! David's familial curse is what brings them together and they're all drawn together for their own reason. I loved how relationships developed and I really wanted all of them to just be happy. I think because this was mainly character driven, I felt so close to all three of them. My favorite element of this book was communication! Moira made sure they talked and I loved that, because it's not something I see often in stories. Especially when romance is involved.

If you love a gothic fantasy, with familial curses, a slow burn romance, and a character driven story, I highly recommend Evocation. I don't want to give too much away, because I feel like you just need to dive in and see where the story goes. I can't wait for the sequel that releases next year.

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on October 24th!

So I expected to like it, people were so excited to read it and it made me interested in it, But I tried to read it so many times and it never worked. Some aspects of the writing style did not sit well with me and made me cringe (vodka-exporting, etc...). I could not care less about the characters and their dynamics. The magic? Whatever. Anyway, I DNFed in the end. Probably a book that it is just not for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Angry Robot for the ARC.

S.T. Gibson has done it again. The romance happening between all three leads was so delicious to read. David, Rhys, and Moira each felt like such real characters, and the magical environment was so lush. I cried and I laughed. Above all, I can't wait for the next one!

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review, all opinios are my own*

OMG THIS BOOK! THIS BOOK!

I didn't think I would like this book so much, but I'm so glad I did.
It was a book that took me by surprise and I loved it.
The best part of it is definitely the characters. If you don't fall in love with them in the first few chapters, you probably won't like the book that much. I loved them, so I loved the book.
The fantasy is very interesting. I liked how the author worked with the world and the different forms of magic. I think she managed to make everything very clear and coherent.
But the best part was the construction of the characters. They are complex, well-constructed and developed, as well as captivating.
But the point of the book that made me happiest was the way the romance was constructed. I think the author managed to show forms of love and relationships that we can have between different people in such a simple and beautiful way. I liked how she made all three main characters have their own relationships with each other. Even though I didn't like all the decisions made in relation to the romance, it was so well done that I couldn't help but like it.
In other words, I highly recommend this story. I think it's one of those fantasy books with romance that captivates you and brings differents concepts of story from the one we're used to reading in books of this genre, at least for me. Just read it!

Unfortunately this book just was not for me!

It had potential with the storyline, I was intrigued by the polyamorous relationship and the magic, but it just didn't do enough to really captivate me. In saying this, I will read the next book to see if it picks up.

Thank you Angry Robot for the arc.

4.5

Evocation follows David, Rhys, and Moira as they create and strengthen relationships ties while trying to decipher how and why David seems to be sick after an interesting seance encounter. David is a high-power attorney by day and a well-paid medium by night. After one particular seance, David's psychic powers seem to weaken and he begins getting "spell sick" throughout his days. The only person he knows and trusts to help him figure out the issue is Rhys, his ex-boyfriend and ex-friend. Rhys doesn't want to be dragged back into David's messes but after David offers to help Rhys' wife, Moira, strengthen some of her own psychic powers, they agree. David and Rhys fall back into a complicated acquaintance-ship quickly, but David and Moira have more in common than they realized and they get close very fast in their lessons.

I ended up listening to this completely on audio. I really love how S.T. Gibson's writing translates into the audiobook format. Gibson writes some complex characters that you eventually end up loving and feeling for even if you don't start out that way. It took me a few chapters to like each character but they grew on me fairly quickly once I had a bit more time in each of their heads. I think there is an interesting premise to the Devil Deal that David is dealing with and the way that the group attempts to solve the problem feels accurate to their ages (between 24 - 30 years old). I also really appreciated how Gibson let each relationship build and grow in their respective ways. David is brash and stubborn at first but his and Moira's connection really showed off his sweet side. Rhys gets completely lost in his own head and David seems to fill in some of the gaps that Rhys leaves between himself and Moira. Moira seems to be the glue holding everyone together. She's caring and kind and looking out for both men in the ways they each need but also knows when they're being stupid and need a good whack. I'm excited for what comes next in this series and seeing how these three relationship progresses and their attempts at solving their new problem.

ST Gibsons writing continues to be excellent. I love this plot line, loved the characters, and cannot wait to see more from her.

The whole book is a vibe, the characters are incredible. Amazing writing, plot and all that makes a book worth picking up and carrying on.

Evocation was first book from The Summoning's Circle and also my third reads from the author. I am sure this is not my last read.

"The devil knows your name"

The story following psychic prodigy, David with his old family curse. The premises to get dark secret academia/society with curses and dark magic also sprinkled with ex lover to friends trope successfully grabbed my interest.

This queer fantasy gave us perfect combination between beautiful narration, interesting characters, gothic element, sensual and perfect polyamorous romance with good portion of supernatural elements. It is takes time to warming into the world and plot but totally worth our reading time.

Thank you Netgalley and Angry Robot Publisher for granting my wishes, a copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting Publication : 28 May 2024

it’s definitely a good enough story but i think it lacked the depth her other books had in my opinion.

it felt lighter and less serious, maybe it’s the polyamory relationship, or maybe because i didn’t really see the details of the magic in the way they were trying to save david, it was all very superficial for me.

even tho i’m not very into polyamorous romance i kinda enjoyed this one, it felt natural and not at all forced so i’m glad for that, and since it will be more of this story i do consider reading the next book when it comes out.

rating: 3 stars.

S.T Gibson NEVER MISSES!
Evocation is a witchy, occult fantasy with polyamory, the utmost tension, astonishing writing and characters that you can't help but fall in love with!!! First and foremost, I endlessly adore the way that S.T Gibson has the capability of writing a flawed character that by the end, you will adore with everything in you. David, you have my heart. Her writing is endlessly as eloquent as it is shocking ~ she has such a capability of enchanting a narrative that leaves me FLOORED every time. The tension between all of the characters and her explorations on polyamory are always so fascinating and addicting, I loved them all.

This is absolutely a MUST READ for autumn, I'll be thinking about this one for a very long time.

*4.5 stars*

A absolutely delightful and magical start to a series. I have always been a huge fan of S.T. Gibson's writing and this was no surprise to read that this one flowed lyrically and the character dynamics were so unique. I can't wait to read the next book to see where the characters grow and how the story will continue. This book isn't for everyone, however it very much was for me. I had a fun time reading it and I loved the relationship messiness in this one. S..T Gibson always manages to write the most unique relationships and I love recommending these queer books to people so much.