I wasn't sure of this book at first, but once it grabbed me, I was sold. An atmospheric adventure that you will love every moment of.

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Novel Review: Evocation is not like any of S.T. Gibson’s other books. So, if you are picking this up with the expectation of it being similar to A Dowery of Blood or An Education in Malice, you are going to be let down so let go of that before you start this novel. I would say this book is for fans of S.T. Gibson who want to know more parts of her as an author.

It’s hard to define what this story is about. It’s a love story at it’s core. It reminds me of cozy, romantasy in a way but even that doesn’t feel quite what it is. Let me spout off a few things and see what comes out. It’s a slow burn possession story, it’s about the occult and origins of secret societies, its about family and belonging, identity and complicated relationships. It’s about so much. If you are going in expecting a plot heavy book, this won’t be it.

I feel the need to defend this book, just because of the expectations of S.T. Gibson has just been in the position of A Dowery of Blood. I want you to know what you’re getting into so that you don’t have unrealistic hopes.

Evocation may push your belief system about love and relationships. I really enjoyed the three main characters, we get the story told from three different people and how they are intertwined by magic and the occult. This book reminds me of Olivie Blake’s stories in some ways. We zoom in to a lot of small moments and interactions between the characters and really examine what it means to be human.

I really loved this book. I gave it 4.5 stars. Some small things are that at times it does feel a little slow in the middle and because of that a tiny bit repetitive. A little bit more adventures would have made it a 5 star or even a new favorite for me. That’s all personal preference. I will continue with this series and it’s a book I would love to read again.

David Aristarkhov is a man living with a foot in two worlds. On the one hand, he is a hotshot attorney, while on the other he is one of the most powerful psychics in Boston's occult scene. His wealth and success come not only from his abilities but also as a result of being the latest heir in a family that used its occult powers for generations to ensure that wealth and success for themselves. David is also arrogant, cynical, and tactless.

No one could attest to this more than David's old college boyfriend Rhys. Rhys would like nothing more than to keep as much distance between himself and David as possible. Unfortunately, they both belong to the same secret occult Society in Boston, so he's forced to see David at their meetings. Both of them are highly ambitious with their magic, and both would love nothing more than to replace the retiring Head Priest of the Society.

Complicating David and Rhys's tenuous tolerance for each other further is Rhys's wife Moira. More specifically, the fight David caused between Rhys and Moira which nearly ruined their marriage. Neither Rhys nor Moira ever want to see David again, and David is grudgingly abiding by the boundaries Rhys has set for their further acquaintance. That is, until David begins to experience what he can only call spirit sickness.

David has blackouts, he can't sleep, he can't channel spirits, and worst of all, he needs Rhys and Moira's help to find out why. Slowly, the three of them begin to patch things up between themselves while trying to find out what is slowly draining David's spirit. The answers they find may be more than they bargained for.

First of all, this book is primarily focused on relationships - romantic, familial, and platonic. David was raised by an abusive father who only saw him as a tool, a psychic prodigy, that would further his father's own standing within the Society and to secure business dealings. David was raised to be ambitious and seek success. His only friend growing up was his half-sister, who he maintains a relationship with through intermittent phone calls and lunch dates. David has never wanted for anything in his life save human connection.

Rhys, on the other hand, was raised in South Boston and has never known anything but want. He has clawed his way up into a day job he enjoys in academia, and he's done the same in the Society. His primary goal is to become the next High Priest, and David is his biggest rival. He relies on his wife Moira to keep him steady, and she forces him to remember to eat and take care of their relationship.

Meanwhile, Moira has a secret of her own. She is a witch with a client list that allows her to have her own success. However, like David, she's a psychic. She can see and channel spirits, but she's ignored that part of her life for years because her family raised her to believe it was evil. Thus, in David she sees someone being successful in ways she doesn't feel she can ever be. She also sees someone who has hurt Rhys and his relationship with her without seeming apologetic at all.

This is the dynamic at play as Rhys and Moira work to help David figure out what's wrong with him, and watching them all learn to trust each other and help each other was a large part of the story. Which, to be honest, I did really enjoy watching their relationship develop and grow. I just wish a story about a centuries old deal with the devil had spent more time with the magical side of things.

The Society and magic and the occult could have easily been swapped out with regular social gatherings or groups, and the story would have largely remained the same. For a book that was supposed to be steeped in magic, there just wasn't very much of it. To be fair, this is the first book in a planned series, so I'm hopeful there will be time to correct this issue with balancing the romance and the magic.

The story also touched on a few other issues, such as alcoholism and patriarchal societies, and I thought those were handled well, even if they weren't the main message being related. Also, I can tell S.T. Gibson spent a lot of time crafting this story. Compared to other books by Gibson I've read, the writing in Evocation was definitely a step up. Not that the writing in previous books were bad, but I can tell there's been a lot of growth with Gibson's craft in this book. I'm definitely looking forward to more from this series.

I gave Evocation by S.T. Gibson four out of five stars. I was going back and forth between three and four stars for this book just because of the few issues I had with it, but in the end, I decided to round up to four stars. This book is magically inclined, but it's mostly about relationships. The romance is definitely there as well, but you'll have to wait until the end for the pay off!

It is the year of S.T. Gibson!!! Having already read a copy of Odd Spirits when it was originally self-published, I was absolutely thrilled with Gibson announced this book. The characters, the setting, and the set up for the next book... I loved every second of it. Moira is a complete vibe, and I think if I were to complain about anything, it would be that I wish there was an entire book dedicated to just her character and story. I seriously think Gibson can do no wrong. I can't wait for the republication of Odd Spirits so we can get a deeper glimpse into David and Rhys' relationship.

This started off as an exciting read as we are thrown into the world of the supernatural and the occult. Summonings. Possession. Demons. Sorcerors. Ghosts. The opening line had me hooked. A haunted house? Oh yes bring it on!

A strong character driven read, this is the first in a series and is centred around David’s story. As well as his thriving sideline occult practice he is also a prosecutor for the City of Boston. His ex boyfriend Rhys and Rhys’ wife Moira are the other main characters and the story is told from the three POV’s. Quite a complicated relationship between the three with lingering feelings coming back to the surface. And plenty of spice. However my favourite character was Leda, David’s sister, a chaos magician. While the others are quite bland she is a jump off the page larger than life personality. ‘A bit of a hedonist’ as she describes herself.

David and Rhys are competing for the best position at their secret society and I would love to have read more details about what goes on at their weekly meetings.

When David hears a voice at a seance which appears to come from inside of him he is concerned he has accidentally let himself be possessed and reaches out to Rhys and Moira for help. Could it be the devil himself? Could the fabled family curse be real?

It is obvious the author is very interested in the occult, being a tarot reader, and has done a lot of research. I watched a very interesting interview on Instagram with Fairyloot I would recommend you watch if you are thinking of reading this book, or have already read it.

I would have really liked more focus on the plot and more of the supernatural rather than the relationships but that is just my preference. The plot took a back seat which is a shame as that’s what I was hoping to read. Perhaps book two will be more plot focussed.

A brand new series by S. T. Gibson called The Summoner’s Circle. It’s an urban gothic fantasy that shines light on a polyamrous relationship. We mainly follow 3 characters in Boston who are occult practitioners. So we have some dark academia and demonology, curses, supernatural elements in the story. It’s actually reminded me a lot of Ninth House but with it's own unique elements of course. Very secret society, some reviewers have mentioned it's slower paced, but with it came a really character driven story. Adored it!

I'm starting to thing that only A Dowry of Blood worked for me...

This book didn't really work for me. I hated the writing style, I felt really distant from the narrative and I couldn't really connect to any of the characters nor did I care about any of them. In regards to the relationship, I didn't really see any chemistry between them.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love S.T. Gibson books so much - they’re the perfect mix of the supernatural, dark academia vibes, and the best queer representation. Evocation was not at all what I was expecting, but somehow even better. I had such a good time in this world, and I’m hoping there is second story about the society coming.

David - powerful medium and a workaholic - has been good about leaving his ex alone. Until during a routine medium appointment, he’s possessed by a demon and can’t quite shake it. He then reaches out to his ex, Rhys. Rhys doesn’t want to, but eventually he and his wife - Moira - agree to help David get to the root of his sickness and banish his demons. What starts out as reluctant aid giving, grows to be deep love between David and Moira and a rekindling of love between David and Rhys.

This truly has it all - demons and ancient curses and patriarchal warlock associations and haunted houses and true platonic love and polyamory. The characterization of all three main characters - Rhys, David, and Moira - could have felt undone, but they’re all so distinct and unique and I loved them all so much. There’s also so much growth in what is a relatively short time frame. Rhys and David have a history, and when it’s brought up it doesn’t feel shoehorned in at all, instead a natural part of the story. Anyway this was fun, but also so heartfelt. Lots of TW including active sobriety and childhood abuse plus demon things, but definitely worth a read!!

For me, this book was very average. I enjoyed the occult themes and LGBTQ representation. However, this story just couldn't hold my interest for some reason. Sadly, I don't think this will be a memorable plot or characters for me this year.

This is a gripping and very entertaining read, a urban fantasy according to my heart mixing secret society, something that could have happended in the past, ghosts, past lovers and much more.
I loved all the characters and loved Moira. It kept me reading even the more steamiest part and I'm the Queen-of-Skipping-Steamy-Pages.
I can't wait to read the next novel, I bought the prequel to pass time.
Had a lot of fun and read it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Boasting psychics, secret societies and a haunted mansion, Evocation is an emotional, queer romance that is character-driven and aesthetically pleasing.

The characters are wonderfully well-built individually. David, Moira, and Rhys all felt like fully fleshed-out real people to me. I found their relationships to not be quite as believable, however. With a throuple relationship, there’s a lot to unpack and convince readers of in only 300 pages. While highly ambitious, I don’t know if this quite hit the mark. I applaud the attempt, but I just needed a bit more of them together.

With the story so focused on character work, I found the plot rather slow and lacking. The basic storyline didn’t seem unique enough to really stand out at me.

Stylistically, I enjoyed the author’s diction and syntax. This appears that it’s going to be a series, and I’d like to give book two another chance.

Overall, it took me a little longer than usual to get through, but there were still aspects I definitely enjoyed.

If you’re looking for a moody, gothic, occult story that focuses mainly on romance and aesthetic, then this is just for you!

7 out of 10 / 3.5 stars

I loved this book! And hellloooo, finally some accurate divination! The characters were fabulous, and I am so invested in the story and relationships.

I can't wait for book two, such a strong start to this world.

Slow clap for a thruple!!!

I adored the romance in this book, I couldn’t get enough, I mean obviously I’m here for all of the occult aspects too, but I just can’t help loving love in a story, I did feel a touch disappointed with the end I have to say, but no spoilers here, if it was a bit better it would be 5 stars from me, but it’s a solid 4.5 from me

The vibes of this book are very similar to the Atlas Six. I hated that book. I hate this one. I could not grow to like the characters. There’s no plot. I was bored. Also, Moira deserved so much better. How can she be a side piece in her own marriage and be okay with that? No, thank you. This was such a disappointment.

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This review might be bias as I am slightly obsessed with S.T. Gibson’s writing since Lauren and I buddy read A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson last year. Evocation is a slight genre jump as this book is a contemporary paranormal book. S.T. Gibson has become an auto buy author and I know I am going to be reading a book full of the gothic aesthetics I adore and a story I am going to be fully invested in. After reading both A Dowry of Blood and An Education in Malice I knew I was going to be in for a beautifully gothic tale and S.T. Gibson understood the assignment when it came to Evocation.

I loved David, Rhys, and Moira as they work on breaking a curse. I couldn’t help but fall in love with the magical, astrological, occultist aspect of this story. I loved the nature of the story, it’s refreshing to have a curse that needs breaking, but it’s on a personal level rather than save-the-world scale. It gave the characters a chance to breath and express themselves and really weigh the costs of their actions. It was refreshing take as it never felt like the characters needed to take the straightforward way out or act a particular way to get through the story. It also felt more personal, and like I was involved in the story and their lives.


I enjoyed the story and am interested to see how the series develops

This was by far my favorite read of S.T. Gibson (I've currently read Education in Malice and A Dowry of Blood). Gibson is the queen of complicated relationships, but this one felt more realistic than her other books to me compared to the others. I loved the characters, set within an occult community with secret societies and mysterious family secrets.

David and Rhys, exes with a complicated history, are thrown back together to figure out a family mystery causing havoc with David's life, but Rhys and his new wife, Moira, have to navigate carefully to work with David's huge personality. I am 100% planning on reading the sequel, I really enjoyed this one.

This is my first book by S.T Gibson and I've been curious about the author for a while. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about Evocation, but it grew on me and I fell for Moira, David and Rhys. They're wonderfully crafted characters and I'm looking forward to seeing their story's develop further. Evocation ended at just the right spot and I'll definitely be reading the sequel!

I absolutely loved everything about this book! The romance? The communication? The magic? All impeccable! Anything S.T. Gibson writes I read but I think this was her best work yet!

✨Netgalley Review💫

Thank You to Angry Robot and ST Gibson ❤️

May contain mild spoilers -
Another ST Gibson release, another 5 (let’s be real, anything they write is an automatic 6) star read.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
In my opinion, Evocation is a step in a slightly less toxic relationship direction for ST Gibsons works (one of my favourite things about reading dowry & aeim was the toxicity), but that’s not to say these characters aren’t at least a little bit toxic, and it gave me everything I want from flawed characters.
She masterfully blends these flawed and even somewhat problematic occultists, into a healthy and well balanced narrative showing the importance of tenderness(platonic and romantic) and empathy in less than ideal situations.
Rhys, David and Moira have their own careers, lives, ambitions, histories and thoroughly established values so they really do feel like real people. They feel like people I could care about.
The work Saint has done with their prose in this one is equally gorgeous, as it still feels like their voice, but a bit faster and snappier than Dowry/AEIM.
As far as craft goes it’s a showstopper, and I can’t wait to see how this pacing and character driven plot progresses through the other books.
Also, Moira is an absolute gem, a masterpiece. Her empathy towards Rhys’ emotional needs and Davids spiritual needs/trauma is a lovely touch, I find it balances so well with her consistent, firm boundaries and honest communication. Her POV was my favourite so I can’t wait for her book.

ST Gibson does it again! This story follows three people in Boston who are dealing with a mysterious demon trying to wreck their lives. The relationships are tangled, messy, and described so well. This book was definitely more character based than plot based, but the last few chapters held more plot and action at the height of the problem. I would have personally liked a more plot focused story, but for those who enjoy vast character arcs and character focused stories, this is definitely it for you!