"If you cracked Rhys open he would probably have paperback pages inside him, instead of organs. Books have been his only saving grace. The magic of a written word, both figurative and literal, have been responsible for all his successes"

it was... okey, not gonna lie, I'm a little disappointed, cus a dowry of blood was phenomenal and an education of malice was great as well, but this one felt lacking and a little flat,

there was this big life and death situation the whole book, but I didn't feel the high stakes and the seriousness of it all, they were just doing side quests the whole book, while the literal demonic possession was hanging above their heads and denying their attraction to each other, but the poly was good, st Gibson knows how to write complicated relationships,

also there were very little rituals in this book which theme is occult, the vibe was there, but the rituals themselves were only at the beginning

2,5/5⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

This is definitely different from other ST Gibson titles, but I was here for it.

Evocation is kind of a cosy fantasy/mystery but it really shines in characters and character development. David Aristarkhov is the last in his family line and while performing a summoning to speak to the dead, something strange happens. A voice in his head...something not quite right. He contacts the only person he can think who is smart enough to figure out what's happening, Rhys McGowan, a sorcerer and David's ex and rival in a society they're both part of.

Rhys has moved on from David and married the lovely Moira, a witch who typically works with tarot cards. While neither wants to get involved in David's drama, which has trended towards toxic for them in the past, they are quickly sucked in when it seems like David might actually be in danger.

The plot is good, but is also really just a set up to get the characters close together. As they work in close proximity, Rhys and David realise they never stopped having feelings for each other, but Rhys loves Moira. And David is starting to get very close to Moira, teaching her new magic in exchange for her help. I loved the dynamic between the three and by the end there were some incredibly tender and emotional moments that really made this story special. I can't wait to see more of the three of them together in the next books!

Evocation by S.T. Gibson was such a fun and entertaining read. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. I thought the relationships between these characters were fantastically done. It was fun!

The audiobook was great, I liked the voices for each of the characters and I felt like it brought something extra to the story. I cannot wait to listen to the rest of this series in audiobook.

DNF at 25% - I think this is a novel that my brain needs to read in physical form because I'm not fully tracking in an audiobook form. I'll be reading this in a tandem read once I get my physical copy of the novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook.

Overall, it was good but definitely focused way too much on the relationships in the story and not nearly enough on the occult which would have been fine if the relationships weren't generally "meh".

It took a bit too long to get interesting for me. As for the narrator, hard pass. A breath every third or fourth word is extremely distracting.

David Aristarkhov is used to things coming easily for him. A gifted psychic, a bewitching warlock, and a world-class prosecuting attorney, he's never had to work much to be successful. Combine that with his devastatingly good looks, his penchant for dressing to the nines, and his extensive wealth, he'd be anyone's dream man. Except for Rhys - David's ex-boyfriend and the only man in their magical society who can go toe-to-toe with David and come out unscathed. David's success is nearly mythological, with stories going back generations about the Aristarkhov family's wealth and eminence being tied to a deal with a devil. So when a demon appears to collect on a generations-old deal, who else is David to call but his ex-lover and sometimes-adversary?

I found myself completely engrossed in the world that Gibson created for these characters, and I am thrilled to learn that there is a prequel novella that I have since requested as a purchase for my library (Odd Spirits). I am eager to continue my exploration of David and Rhys's world when book 2 arrives!

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and ST Gibson for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Old demon deals already had me obsessed. This was so fun and just the right amount of messy.
S.T. Gibson nailed it with this series. So looking forward to where this story goes.
Oscar Reyes did an incredible job with the narration.

Overall I enjoyed this read, but I wanted more depth to the occult side of things. For the most part this book focuses on the relationship between the three characters, which was a little bland. I think the character of Moira could have been left out completely or been given so much more. She was just kind of there loving and supporting and cooking food and taking care of everyone. She was strong in her own right, but her strength was in taking care of others and telling her husband it’s okay to be in love with his ex? I did love that Rhys called her little goddess though ✨.

For the narration, it grew on me, but the faked deep voice given to Rhys reminded me of when you would pretend to be a man to prank call 😂.

Thank you to NetGalley & RB Media for the audio arc of this book.

I like it more than an Education in Malice, but not nearly as much as a Dowry of Blood. That being said, I did enjoy this for the most part!

If you’re looking for a plot driven book, this isn’t it, and that may have been why I couldn’t get invested until maybe the half way point where I finally felt like I saw where the story was going.

I believe they wanted me to allow the couples to drive the story, but I truly think I only liked 1/3 of the characters and that was David. He had deep work on his backstory and I’ll always love the snarky, quick-witted character, they do it for me. Rhys fell flat into this “I love my wife, but I can’t deny my ex” repetition and Moira was lovely and caring, but I didn’t ever really understand her.

I really liked the occult elements and magic system, so now that I’ve read this, I’m definitely interested in the rest of the series, it’s just that it felt like a very long prelude or pilot episode.

"Evocation" by S. T. Gibson is a paranormal fiction thriller. This is the first book in the new series, "The Summoner's Circle". I liked this spooky book, and I want to read future books in the series.

When the demons get nasty and one uninvited spirit takes over, David Aristarkhov needs his well versed magical long-lost friend and ex, Rhys, and Rhys's wife, Moira, to help solve the problem. David is a medium who likes to summon and channel spirits and do seances. Rhys likes that, too, but he is an archivist who prefers rituals to summon and control demons. Moira is a psychic who can see ghosts and does astrology charts and reads tarot cards.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 5/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5 by Oscar Reyes
Cover - 5/5
Overall - 39/8= 4 7/8 -> rounded up to 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Tantor Audio,
and S.T. Gibson for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Angry Robot, and RB Media for an eARC and an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5!

I loved Gibson’s previous releases, and like them, I really enjoyed her prose in Evocation. Once again I really enjoyed her atmosphere and the overall vibes of the novel, but this was maybe a little rougher than I’d been expecting. I enjoyed how messy David and Rhys were, but I do kind of wish Moira had gotten equal screen time? I’m personally not too fussed about this because this is the first in a series and David and Rhys obviously have a history together, but I do hope to see more of her in future installments. As always I think Gibson does really, really solid character work and I did really like the main cast and find this a fun, easy read, though the plot itself was fairly basic (which, fair, this is a character driven story). I think I mostly just want to see more, in terms of relationships, characters, and magic, but as a first entry, it definitely did its job in hooking me and making me want to know what happens next, especially the way it ended.

The audiobook was fine, though perhaps not my favorite. I think he did a good job with David and Rhys’ voices, though his Moira felt a little… over the top, maybe? Regardless, I had an overall good time.

I really enjoyed the first installment in this new series by S.T. Gibson! This is my first book by Gibson and I can see why people really enjoy her writing. We are introduced to Moira, Rhys, and David (yes I did think about Schitt's Creek a lot) in Evocation, three imperfect and incredibly interesting characters. Rhys and Moira are married and David is Rhys' ex-boyfriend. David has to go to Rhys for help when he starts blacking out and hearing a voice in his head.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was watching the bond between Moira and David grow. They start off not liking each other at all and end really relying on each other. I'm also excited to see the relationship between David and Rhys grow more in the upcoming books.

Title: Evocation
Author: S.T. Gibson
Page Count: 400
Time Length:
Dates Read: 6/3-6/8
Format: Audiobook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: This was an Arc given by Netgalley for an honest review.

This was my first read by Gibson and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. David, Rhys, and Moira are strong characters that form a romance that is sweet. David is dealing with an old family curse. Rhys and Moira will go through a thing to help David.

I will definitely be reading more by this author. I would also recommend this to friends.

Things I liked: •the sultry magic vibes~ I liked that there’s a little bit of everything (exorcisms, seances, tarot, spooky houses) •Exploration of healthy relationship dynamics that aren’t considered the societal norm

The story does a good job delving into traumatic pasts, privilege, class disparity in the workplace and relationships, addiction, and mental health. I enjoyed each characters’s POV, and seeing the way their life experiences affect their outlooks on life, love, and friendship. There’s some build up to a poly-relationship, but I wish there was a little more communication between the characters.

What I didn’t like: A lack of personality and chemistry between the characters. It felt like the MMCs relied mostly on broody tension and shared history rather than an obvious chemistry. Moira had more of a unique voice and presence, but I found some of her dialogue to be cheesy at times. Now, this could TOTALLY be an audio issue- the narrator made David and Rhys have rather gruff, flat voices that perhaps took away from their characters. I also found the plot/relationship pacing to be a little off. I know this is a character driven book (I do love character driven books) but as the relationship “stuff” was escalating, the plot just disappeared for a good chunk and suddenly came back for the last 10% of the book (maybe an exaggeration but that’s what it felt like 🤷🏻‍♀️). I think I prefer just a taaad more balance? I was a little disinterested at times, but overall I thought it was good, had beautifully written parts, and I can see why people love it. I think I might have enjoyed this more with my eyeballs.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book. I have soft spot for any stories that dabble into the occult and this book was no exception! I do hope there will be more from this world and eagerly await it.

This book was really good. I surprisingly was so invested in the love story that was by far the highlight. The loving self sacrifice just can’t get over it! Is there going to be a second one? I can’t wait!

Thanks netgalley and tantor audio for letting me reviw this ebook! Also, this was my fairyloot book for april, and the edition was STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS.

david is a boston lawyer with family money....but hes also a powerful medium whos family has had dealings with the occult for generations. He belongs to a secret society of magic, along with his ex, Rhys. While magic has always been natural to david, rhys loves the ceremony and ritual, and works diligently at his craft. Rhys also works hard to make his marriage to moira, another empath and overall QUEEN, happy and stable. But as davids thirtieth birthday approaches, david weakens with a psychic sickeness, and turns to rhys and moira for help.

I thought this book was fun- i liked all the characters so much and wanted to hang out with them. Howver, i wish that there was more focus on the society's magic workings, and how rhys got wrapped into the magic. Same with moiras family magic workings- however i have hope there will be more about these in the series future. Ive seen other reviews say that they wanted more from the demon drama, but i thought the purpose of this book was to world and relationship build, and i think the foundations of the relationships between david/rhys/moira were layed well.

I think the audio narrator did a good job bringing a sense of action and import to the story and good pacing. He did a great job with the mmc voices, but sometimes moiras over the top southern accent was too mcuh and took me out of it. Overall, and an enjoyable audio experience.

I look forward to more installments in this series.

I'm sorry to say it but this lacked the magic the last few books I've read from this author. The beautiful prose I've come to love was not there for this story. And it wasn't a bad story at all, just not what I hoped to read. For a poly romance with the history that there is between characters, I expected something messy and complicated, but it was weirdly easy. Like everyone was fine with it without a second thought? I also wanted there to be more emphasis on the actual magic of this world. I'll read the sequel if I can get my hands on it but I think I'd be just as okay to skip it.

I love all things occult, so the oremise if this was intriguing. A man possesed, tarot, communes with the dead, haunted mansion, secret societies. This has it all except, it all somehow felt like background filler to the two male characters, a relationship that is toxic at times. The books primary focus was on them, which kind of annoyed me as well because Moira, our black female lead, could have been such a stronger voice and character. But she primarly came off as a sweet southern woman who gave permission for her husband to resume a second romance with his ex and take care of them both. I didn't particularly like their "throuple" and it definitely was not an even romance. Rhys just got both his loves and David and Moira are now fast friends.
Back to David, he is possessed by a demon and his house is haunted and he can see dead people, was abused as a child and a recovering alcoholic. None of those things were given much attentoon though and I didn't quite connect with him or Rhys to really understand them. The possession also seemed to take a backseat, I would have thought it'd have been more urgent but it isn't until it's too late. I also didn't understand the curse, like what actually will happen to him?
I sadly just felt bored and even sometimes angry with the scenarios and didn't enjoy this one as I had hoped. So much more could have been explored, especially the occult in Boston.