Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Invocations

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The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

83 reviews

nerdybookqueen's review

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.

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corabookworm's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Zara wants to raise her murdered sister from the dead. Jude is being slowly destroyed by the demons she cursed herself with. And Emer lives in the shadows, writing dangerous curses for desperate women. But those women are dying, brutally murdered and robbed of their magic. The three fierce girls, all connected to the occult in some way, unite to hunt down the killer.

The Invocations was delightfully disgusting and absolutely thrilling.

While Zara’s character felt a little flat to me at times, her love for her sister and her cleverness won me over. I also ADORED Jude and Emery. I was charmed by both Jude’s witty flirting and Emer’s feral fierceness. Reading the interactions between the three of them, and the side characters, made me laugh and cry and blush. (I have a soft spot for angry queer girls, I guess.)

The notes I wrote for myself after finishing this book included “ew but in a good way”, which accurately sums up Sutherland’s bloody body horror. This book definitely isn’t for the faint of heart—some of the descriptions had me shuddering, and the story itself is very dark. But the writing was absolutely delicious. If you enjoy horror books like Hell Followed With Us, you’ll absolutely devour this one.

In terms of plot, the concept was fantastic. A feminist, witchy mystery with demons and murder and sapphics? Yes please. I did predict the big plot twist, but enjoyed the story anyway. Sutherland constructed the mystery incredibly well, and slowly putting the puzzle pieces together was so fun. The slower-paced build-up was worth it for the action-packed climax, and the book had a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, The Invocations was absolutely incredible. Krystal Sutherland has once again created a haunting masterpiece packed full of vicious magic, furious women, and gorgeous writing. I loved it.

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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

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anna_may's review

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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? It's complicated

5.0

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readhaileyread's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

I had so much fun reading this!

It is dark, witchy, gruesome, and full of angry women who actually do something about it. I really like the messages of feminism, toxic masculinity, and misogyny that are sprinkled throughout the book. This book is also MUCH darker and more violent than I was expecting and is full of body horror (def a fan, but def gross). The serial killer mystery was great and the book had some fun twists.

Overall, this book is like a (really awesome) punch to the face. Krystal Sutherland is amazing. #girlpower

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Nancy Paulsen Books for the ARC!

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hobbithopeful's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Thank you Penguin for this ARC!
Krystal Sutherland truly never misses. The Invocations is haunting, magical, and full of rage, and Sutherland's writing style makes it impossible to put down!
Demons, magic, and so much blood, I don't even know where to start with what I love the most. The characters are all so fleshed out and well explored. Over the course of the story we see each one open up more as they begin to trust each other, and share their stories. There is so much female rage in this, and so much wonderful queer representation. Everyone who has been scared to walk home alone, or has pepper spray on their keychain will easily relate and see themselves in this story. I will say this isn't a book to eat and read at the same time, the imagery in this book had me gagging from how horrific and disgusting Sutherland described it.
Each one of the characters has lost something, and they are on a quest to achieve their goal, no matter the cost. (Also guys, lots of daddy issues in this, you know I love to see that!)
I love every second of this book, I have yet to read a book of hers I didn't thoroughly enjoy. There is something about her writing style that manages to tread the line between grotesque imagery, and mystery. I never know where her books are going to take me, but I always know I am going to have a fantastic time on the journey.
This is definitely one to check your triggers for! There is a lot of blood, injuries, and heavy topics that will make this difficult to read for many people, so please make sure you check that before you read this.
This is easily my favorite book of hers so far. I HIGHLY recommend this one! Perfect for fans of dark witchy reads with badass sapphic rep at the forefront.
One final note, I learned way more then I ever wanted to about body decomposition.

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camiandkitread's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

“The Invocations” by New York Times bestselling author Krystal Sutherland is a dark, witchy thriller about the women who refused to be afraid of the men and demons who lurk in the night.

The book follows three girls from very different backgrounds: Zara Jones, Jude Wolf, and Emmer Bryne:

Zara doggedly believes in magic because it’s the solution she needs to bring her sister back after she was murdered by a serial killer. If dabbling in the occult will bring her sister back, then that’s what Zara will do. But she needs a guide to show her how to do real magic.

In sharp opposition to Zara, Jed Wolf, is an heiress who has had life served to her on a silver platter. That is, until a deal with a demon went awry and her soul began decaying. Flowers wither, insects drop dead, and monstrous things haunt her nights. If Jude can’t find someone with the skill to undo her mistake, she knows her time is limited.

Emer Bryne is the person both Zara and Jude are looking for. The self-trained daughter of a witch, Emer crafts spells for women in desperate situations that sacrifice part of their soul for enough magic to change their circumstances. Emer has her own dark past, which she fears has caught up with her as her former clients are being found murdered.

Once the three girls’ paths cross, they team up to catch the London Ripper before they end up his next victims.

I’ve seen “The Invocations” everywhere since I attended YALLFest in 2023 and was so excited to read it. I was expecting a clever, spooky tale with witches trying to solve a murder. While “The Invocations” technically delivered, I personally think it’s been overhyped. The style came across as disjointed and it was very difficult to keep track of which POV the chapters changed to.

The three main characters were all distinct in their personalities and had compelling backgrounds. They stayed true to their motivations the whole time and had compelling personal arcs. The plot was interesting and the stakes were high…but it was mostly lackluster. It seemed like it was trying too hard to be dark and edgy, and the characters slid into completely trusting each other a little too fast.

While I didn’t dislike “The Invocations,” I was definitely disappointed. It had all the right parts, but the execution was just slightly off, in my opinion.

I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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ramreadsagain's review against another edition

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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 example

Saul 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 her

grief 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.

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marywahlmeierbracciano's review

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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.

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metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition

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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

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