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literary_chaos's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I received this book in exchange for a free and honest review.
From the synopsis alone I knew this book would be right up my alley. What I was not expecting was that it was going to be one of my favorite reads of the year.
It is important to note that this book does go in to some pretty heavy themes that include violent injuries, violence against women, murder, etc. It is also very quite gruesome at times. The book is vivid and has a lot of body horror to it. I quite enjoyed this, but I could see that it might be a bit much for some readers.
I, like some other reviews I have seen, found the first couple of chapters to be a bit slow. I was not bothered by it because I felt like it was setting up the book well, and the book picked up fairly quickly once the main characters met up.
I loved the main characters in this book, they were all very distinct and well written. They were by no means perfect but they are the kind of characters you can really sympathize with and route for.
While I was able to guess some of the plot twists, it by no means diminished my enjoyment of the book. It was one of the only books this year that had me on the edge of my seat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
ramreadsagain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advance digital copy. The below is my honest review.
Krystal Sutherland is really proving herself to be the exception to the rule when it comes to Young Adult literature for me. House of Hollow was excellent and this probably even exceeds that. This book really had that "one more chapter" feel, especially after the 80% mark; I've not stayed up late just to finish a book for so long but this truly had me hooked.
I loved all of the fantasy aspects, the interesting take on witchcraft was a highlight for me, particularly the world building around demons.
The main characters all felt very realistic, which I think is an achievement when you consider their extreme (and extremely different) upbringings. Their flaws felt real, done really well, and created an excellent dynamic between them as well. There was just enough of the romance subplot too, it never took over and I thought it was cute.
Some twists were a bit obvious, while others made me gasp as I only realised connections a couple of lines before our characters did. This to me is the perfect balance, I'm not against obvious twists but also enjoy being completely surprised. I've seen people comparing the 'obviousness' of the twist(s) here to the one in House of Hollow but I saw the HoH one coming a mile off too lol
It's not quite a 5 star read for me, partly because of the amount of convenience they experienced, for exampleSaul the PI available on the phone to provide whatever information they needed at the crucial plot point .
This was such an enjoyable read all the way through and I think that young women and girls will really enjoy this for its (albeit slightly heavyhanded) introduction to some fundamentals of feminism and the history of witch burning. I think the book created a really good balance between "witches are real in this world and they were persecuted" and "witch hunting was a tool used to oppress and control women". I think Zara's motivations too are a really great message and I love how hergrief and the results of bringing her sister back were handled.
Overall I really loved this and I'd absolutely recommend this to urban/contemporary fantasy fans as well as young adult readers.
Krystal Sutherland is really proving herself to be the exception to the rule when it comes to Young Adult literature for me. House of Hollow was excellent and this probably even exceeds that. This book really had that "one more chapter" feel, especially after the 80% mark; I've not stayed up late just to finish a book for so long but this truly had me hooked.
I loved all of the fantasy aspects, the interesting take on witchcraft was a highlight for me, particularly the world building around demons.
The main characters all felt very realistic, which I think is an achievement when you consider their extreme (and extremely different) upbringings. Their flaws felt real, done really well, and created an excellent dynamic between them as well. There was just enough of the romance subplot too, it never took over and I thought it was cute.
Some twists were a bit obvious, while others made me gasp as I only realised connections a couple of lines before our characters did. This to me is the perfect balance, I'm not against obvious twists but also enjoy being completely surprised. I've seen people comparing the 'obviousness' of the twist(s) here to the one in House of Hollow but I saw the HoH one coming a mile off too lol
It's not quite a 5 star read for me, partly because of the amount of convenience they experienced, for example
This was such an enjoyable read all the way through and I think that young women and girls will really enjoy this for its (albeit slightly heavyhanded) introduction to some fundamentals of feminism and the history of witch burning. I think the book created a really good balance between "witches are real in this world and they were persecuted" and "witch hunting was a tool used to oppress and control women". I think Zara's motivations too are a really great message and I love how her
Overall I really loved this and I'd absolutely recommend this to urban/contemporary fantasy fans as well as young adult readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Drug use
marywahlmeierbracciano's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Invocations is set in a world where only women can use magic, but it comes at a price. Butch heiress Jude learns this the hard way when a misguided curse leaves her with a necrotic wound. Zara’s racing against time to learn how to raise her sister from the dead before it’s too late. And Emer, a gifted polylinguist and curse-writer and the sole survivor from her coven, knows that being a witch is a dangerous thing. The three young women are brought together when it’s discovered that a serial murderer is targeting Emer’s past clients—women who were willing to sell part of their soul for magic. Grief leads the way in this whirlwind story, gruesome and truly scary as it confronts generational wealth, misogynistic violence, demons, and empowerment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Sexual violence, Torture, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
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