Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Invocations

When I saw a Krystal Sutherland book was coming out I put it immediately on the TBR without reading the synopsis. House of Hallows was on of my favorite books in 2021. My excitement level was through the roof!!

There is always a price to pay for magic. None know this better than Zara, Jude, and Emer. Though they all come from different backgrounds… they all have something in common. Zara is working to find a way to revive her murdered sister. Jude is struggling to survive her demons (literally). And Emer is a cursewriter that tries to help women be stronger (for a price of course). What connects them all? These girls join together to try to solve the murders of witches. A serial killer is on the loose! Will they be able to solve it in time before more bodies show up?

This book is a mix of horror, thriller, and mystery… and of course queer. We love to see it! The book was paced nicely. Per usual, Sutherland pays excellent attention to detail (note: the book is part horror so just know there are a lot of trigger warnings…. so keep that in mind)! There was a great twist ending. Overall a very quick, enjoyable (and dark) read!

A huge thank you to this book’s publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

jaynellewags's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4.5 Stars
Tropes: Witch Hunters, Found Family, Who Done It, Forced Proximity, Serial Killers

Thank you Netgalley for a eARC of this book.

This book was a whirlwind of a story and I may have stayed up late to make sure that I found out how everything ended up. I don't remember the last time I felt compelled to do that.

This story follows three teenage (17ish) girls that live in London. A killer is on the lose and they are cutting out squares of skin then murdering the women.

Jude is the daughter of a very wealthy man in London, but she accidentally cursed herself. Now everything she owns has fallen into ruin, and her leg is rotting...

Zara's sister has recently died. She is obsessed with the occult and will do anything to talk to Savannah just one more time

Emer writes Invocations. She is an extremely talented witch that lives day to day.

When the girls paths become intertwined, everything will change.

Quotes:
"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,"
"I have to die... I need one of you to kill me."

Thoughts:
This book while very gory at times, was such a thrill to read. I loved House of Hollow so when I saw that Krystal Sutherland had a new book coming out I knew that I wanted to read it.
I loved all the three girls all had very different reasons for being involved with the occult. They were all working together originally out of selfish reasons, but their relationship evolved into so much more.
Emer's life was such a mess and I loved seeing her character get a support system, and people that she could count on after what happened was fantastic.
The underlying story of Emer's revenge to kill the people who took her family- the freaking plot twist- holy crap. It was fantastic. I somewhat saw it but the killer... I did not predict that at all.
I loved that there is a HEA with such a dark book. I really enjoy mystery/horror books that get super messy but then everything ends up good.
The relationship between Jude and her father was very interesting.

Content Warnings

devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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nerdybookqueen's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I got this book from netgalley in exchange for a review.

What an amazing adventure. If you enjoyed this author's other work, you'll enjoy this one.

Featuring three povs, these female leads must join together to achieve their goals and solve the mystery underlying the story. I found all three women to be very interesting and compelling characters, featuring unique motives and personalities.

Jude is working to fix the botched deal with a demon, and along the way starts investigating a string of murdered women, all with a similar signature. She meets Zara, a woman trying to find a way to bring her sister back from the dead. Together, they find Emer, the woman who, as it turns out, has written deals-invocations- with demons for all the murdered women so far. And she's not pleased they're turning up dead. Together, they work to discover whose been murdering these women, while trying to find a solution to both Jude and Zara's problems.

This story kept me hooked, every twist and turn in the tale creating an exciting adventure that had me hanging on every word until the end. I also loved the addition of sapphic main characters, enjoying their story and the evolution of their relationship through the tale.

I was so sad when the story ended, but so satisfied, and surprised, by the final act. I've already preorder the book, I loved it so much.

Content Warnings

leos_library's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

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