Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

2 reviews

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

   I enjoyed the book, but I figured out who the witch hunter was pretty easily, so that plot "twist" was pretty dull. I did love the ending and I hope there's a sequel, which there seemed to be a setup for.
   While dark there were enough moments of levity to keep it from being a thoroughly depressing book.

Narrator Rating: 5 stars
   The narrator did an excellent job with tonal shifts and giving each character a unique voice.

Elemental Levels:  Fluff-0/5  Heartfelt-2/5   Helpful-NA     Horror-3/5   Inspiration-NA  
Love aka Romance-3/5   Mystery-2/5    Predictability-4/5   Spice-0/5    Suspense-2/5    Tear- 2.5/5  
Thrill-3/5 Humor-2/5 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Classism, Grief, Death, Murder, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Blood, Chronic illness, Self harm, Sexism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Cannibalism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Confinement, Addiction, Excrement, and Bullying

Minor: Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, and Sexual violence

camiclarkbooks's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Minor: Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Pregnancy, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, and Vomit