Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - The Invocations

“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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neonfrills's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Thank you to Penguin Group and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book for review purposes

This is a YA Horror/ Thriller that focuses on three young women, each with some connection to witchcraft, that get pulled together when a serial killer starts targeting witches in their area, and they have to work together to stop him.

This book is an ode to women who take matters into their own hands against an unjust world. It captures so much of the fear, angst and rage that women go through at the hands of abuse by men, and feeds it into a “Good for Her” fantasy I think a lot of young women can relate to.

Krystal Sutherland is so good at giving a wide range of horror vibes in her books. She can do slower, more gross-out horrifying moments, as well as gut-punching jumpscares that leave you shocked and breathless. Yes, this book is YA, so maybe it doesn’t go as far as an adult horror would with the same subject matter, but it still gives me that uneasy feeling that no other YA horror author has for me.

Some other things I loved:

Jude calling her four older brothers “the Horseman” is such a good nickname that feels like something a real teenager would come up with, and also tells you so much about their personalities without spending too much time with them.
The demon characters and their bond with Emer, as well as some of the final reveals of their end goals really nail down the “Good for her” vibes as Emer got her revenge.

My only critique was personally, I didn’t love our main three protagonists as much as I did the Hollow sisters in House of Hollow. Jude a lot of the time is downright annoying, with her snarky commentary feeling a little forced. Zara is a bit better, but was lacking in the common sense department, especially with her eventual alternative plan to bring her sister back from the dead. Emer is the best of the three, who I instantly loved from her opening chapter; she’s smart, resourceful, a fighter, and her eventual self-destructive goals make sense from everything she’s been through. I didn’t really understand her and Jude’s attraction, and thought Zara and Jude had a better “straight man, funny man” combo going on, but I didn’t really need this book to have a pronounced romance at all for me to like it.

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marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

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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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emminkirjakasa'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

5.0

I had hard time writing a review of this book, since I don’t want to spoil anything. Just tell everyone to get this book when it’s out and binge it like I did.

The book has three amazing characters, Zara, Jude and Emer, who cross paths and team up to find a killer. While trying to find the killer, the girls find out family secrets, more about magic and curses, and even find time to flirt and go on a date. Having complex and funny female characters in a YA book that make the story come alive in an amazing way is something that will always make me recommend the book.

After reading this book, I started to wonder if I would you sell a piece of my soul for magic. So all I can say is, this Krystal Sutherlands book is something to look out for in January.

* Review is of an early proof copy of the book that I got from work.

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