3.5 stars

I was unsure about this going in, as I didn't end up loving this author's last book. This one was more enjoyable, but I think her books are just not for me---the magical elements always end up taking a backseat to the romances and leave me with a lot of plot questions.

This is the first of a series following David, Rhys, and Moira, all of whom are practitioners of the occult. Can I tell you what that entails? Only sort of. Moira does astrology charts, David talks to dead people, and Rhys does ceremonial magic. What is that? No idea. David and Rhys are in a secret magical society together--what does the society do? Idk, magic. They're also exes and their relationship was apparently toxic and did not end well. What exactly happened? Couldn't tell ya. But when David gets magically sick, he calls Rhys and Rhys' wife, Moira, to help him. Turns out, there's a family curse. The three research and conduct magical experiments to figure out what's going on, most of which is conveniently just before or just after a scene that's actually on page so *handwave*.

I can appreciate good angst, and David is a mess and Moira and his friendship is fun. But I did not get why either of them were into Rhys, I was iffy on how David's alcoholism was handled, unsure of some of Moira's characterization, and mainly WHERE WAS ALL THE MAGIC? The vibes were here, but the plot was not, really. But if you're looking for a toxic romance between two men that's supported by one's wife, with occasional mentions of magic, you might love this. I also just learned that there's been a prequel announced for this in addition to the sequels, and I'm guessing that probably explains some of my questions. Unsure if I will or will not read it, but I wish some of the background could have been mentioned in this book, even if it was not fully elaborated on. Thanks to Angry Robot and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

David Aristarkhov is a Boston attorney moonlighting as a medium for a secret society even though he tried to leave the occult world behind when his father died. The Devil has come to collect on a deal David’s ancestor made, so he reaches out to his ex-boyfriend Rhys for help. To get Rhys to help him, David must befriend Moira, Rhys’s wife. The three must combine their powers to unravel the century-old curse before David's thirtieth birthday, or they won't have time to figure out what they mean to each other.

This is book one of The Summoner's Circle, so there's a lot of groundwork laid into the different kinds of magic, the Society, and the personalities of our main three characters. David is definitely a rigid man in the beginning, full of himself and his own importance. Being a successful lawyer at 29 and raised wealthy can explain some of that, but I found him very unsympathetic at first and wondered what Rhys even saw in him. Rhys has more humble origins, and Moira is full of Southern charm and a gift for Tarot and astrology. I liked her and Rhys right away. Like Moira, though, learning about his family and how he was raised gave context and I felt bad for him.

The curse hitting David was an interesting one, as was how it was circumvented by his ancestors and in this book. I really enjoyed a lot of the background characters and the relationships in the novel. Moira getting to learn about her own abilities will be fascinating to see in future novels, and I really hope we get to see chaos magic at work.

4.5 stars, rounded up

On paper, Evocation isn’t my kind of book at all, but I was completely won over by it and drawn into the story. At its heart, it’s a very impressive and well written romance novel that revolves entirely around the relationship of its main characters. Whilst the setting did feel a little superficial to the story at times, the quality of the plot and character interactions meant I was happy to overlook this, despite not being a particularly avid romance reader.

Evocation is set in Boston amongst the wealthy elite who dabble in the occult and hide in plain sight. A lot of the characters come from the world of finance and law, and attend secret societies in their spare time whilst offering up other skills to-hire such as seances, tarot readings and banishing of spirits. The undertones of wealth that most of the characters exude adds a real sense of luxury to the plot, and personally made it more believable - those not bothered by money troubles seem perfectly at home with the idea of gallivanting off for days in the pursuit of a loved one or a bit of plot progression. It must be said the world didn’t do a lot for me, and the occult societies and magical members all took a back step in the story in favour of the plot at hand.

This lack of focus on the world normally rankles me, but S.T Gibson showed such skill in writing the relationships of the lead three characters, that I found myself not really minding. Two of our characters, former lovers David and Rhys, are both influential members of the same society, and are jostling for position as the head of the group approaches retirement. With Rhys’ new wife Moira joining the scene as a talented trader in the occult in her own right, the trio spend the book trying to unpick their feelings for each other, and work out how they want the others to fit into their lives. The raw mix of emotions the characters go through in the story, and the emotional turmoil they go through trying to work out what they want, was wonderfully written and was the real highlight of the story. Evocation is an easy recommendation to any romance or romantasy readers, and I’m intrigued to try out more of S.T. Gibson’s work!

Promising atmospheric prose and deliciously Occulty, dark academia vibes; my hopes for S.T. Gibson’s newest novel (focusing on themes of identity, sexuality and complex relationships) couldn’t have been higher.

Unfortunately, the writing style and slower pacing just didn’t work for me this time around (which is a shame as I absolutely loved the gothic decadence of A Dowry of Blood.)

There was soo much promise with the characters, who I felt were quite well written and had really intriguing backstories. However, but I just didn’t fully connect with all of them. Moira and David were probably my fave characters to explore but primarily through their interactions together. I enjoyed getting to watch their complex relationship slowly develop, which I felt was way more nuanced and interesting than their individual interactions with Rhys.

And though we do get supernatural elements but I just feel they weren’t present enough to keep me invested.

Overall, a contemporary set dark academia with a lot of interesting elements, I just wish I’d enjoyed it more.

Also, thanks to Netgalley & Angry Robot Books for the e-arc.

3.5 rounded up. I liked this one!

The synopsis appealed a lot to me, and I wanted to give ST Gibson another shot after Education in Malice sadly wasn't for me. I'm glad I gave them another shot!

The characters were the strongest point in this book for me. Specifically, Moira she was so sweet, and the way she cared so fiercely for Rhys and David had my heart. Rhys and David were very messy individuals, especially with each other, so I'm glad Moira was around to balance them out.

The relationships were also very strong for me. Polyamorous dynamics in fiction are so hard to get right, especially hinge type relationships. The author nailed it in this one. I actually liked the platonic love that David and Moira shared more than the romantic aspects of this polycule lol.

I will be honest and say I wasn't as invested in the plot as I should've been. This was probably just a me thing, but I found myself skimming some of the plot because I didn't care about a lot of the non-magic stuff.

As usual, thank you to Netgalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. I felt very bored throughout and I don’t feel like there was enough magic or action going on.

I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters as well.

I don’t read a ton of books like this so it might just be me not the actual book.

I hope others really love this one but it definitely was not for me.

Evocation caught my interest with its premise and incorporation of astronomy and magic among other things. It was well written however unfortunately it felt a little lacking. The characters weren't able to charm me. And the dynamics between the three main characters were off or unbalanced. David and Moira had better chemistry as a duo. It felt like Rhys wasn't compatible with the two. Maybe it is just me since this would be the first one I read that dabble with polyamorous relationships.

Thank you Angry Robot for a copy of the eARC to review.

Tropes: Morally Grey, Exes to Rivals to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Secret Society, Found Family, Family Trauma

Rep: BIPOC, Polyamorous Relationship, Queer

This book was fun, it was dark, and it while it was short- I got attached to the characters. I LOVED Moira so much.
Rhys and David had such a complex relationship- dealing with David's addiction and his trauma that he never truly dealt with, then Rhys finally realizing that he didn't have to put up with David's dangerous cycle.

I did not really know what exactly this book was about when I started it- I like the authors other books and the cover is just gorgeous so I wanted to give it a shot. It might be my second favorite by S.T. Gibson.

I enjoyed that while the Society was a large part of the story, that the relationship between Moira, Rhys, and David was the main focal point of the story... oh and his demon possession. I think that David has the most character growth throughout the story. He has grown up thinking that he cannot depend on anyone to care for him due to his father- who is a piece of garbage IMO- so when he has to reach out and repair his relationship with Rhys it is beyond difficult for him.

I like that his sister was more than just mentioned, but honestly I would read a whole book about her and about Lorena. They are really interesting and I think their backstory would be a great story.

I did want a little more at the end of the book- I feel like the final like event should've been a tad bit more drawn out but I understand that it was already chaotic. I did get very emotional at one point.

Really enjoyed it overall and cannot wait for the next books!

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!

God, I just adored this book. The characters felt so real and so well-developed and fleshed out. It was like I was in the room with them watching them live their lives and talk to each other. All three of the main characters are so complex, flawed, and so, so lovable. It was such a treat reading about them and watching their relationships grow and develop over the course of the book. I'm such a sucker for queer people, occult magic, and demons, so pretty much everything about this book was right up my alley and it did not disappoint. My only complaints are 1.) this book was not long enough- I would have really liked to see how the possession storyline played out in the future. While it didn't end on a cliffhanger, I don't feel that it was resolved and I would really love to see the resolution (and, of course, read more about Moira, Rhys, and David's shenanigans). Sequel maybe? and 2.) the worldbuilding. There was so much more to be explored with the magic system and different types of magic/occult practices that could have been explored! The only thing I love more than good characters is good worldbuilding and I think this book fell just a bit short in that regard. There was enough to be compelling and drive the plot forward, but it didn't quite feel fully fleshed out otherwise.

What a great book. 10/10, please give me 12 more with them.

(thank you to angry robot and net galley for the ARC) DNF...the way moira is written feels patronizing and I can't get through it. rhys and david are so unlikeable and not in a fun way! had high hopes because i really loved a dowry of blood. like that was the fun toxic throuple. this was not.

"He knew this feeling. It happened when his consciousness stepped aside during a seance to let something else take up residence in his body.
He was being possessed."

4.5 stars

This was magical, whimsical, demonic, and heartbreaking. It was about finding yourself, finding unconventional and unconditional love. David was so alone, so broken and damaged from his father that he made it hard for people to want to be around him. Moria was a beacon of light, the strength and heart. Rhys was the determined, scheming, confused man, trying to fit his desires with his upbringing. This was beautiful and sad and fun.

"If David was an unstoppable force, Moira was an immoveable object."

I did have a hard time with the timeline. Or maybe the era? I know it was set in present time, Instagram made an appearance, but the way they spoke and dressed kept getting me confused, like it was set back in time more, and it threw me off throughout the story.

"Humans need rest. It’s part of our natural rhythms.”
David stared at her like she had just started speaking Latin. “You seriously think self-care can help me now? I was just possessed.”
“Maybe because you don’t do enough self-care,” Moira said.

Years after David's father's death, the Devil has come to collect on his deal from David, the youngest Aristarkhov heir. With nowhere else to turn, he reaches out for help from his ex, Rhys, and with that comes his wife, Moira. As they rush to save David, old and new emotions bubble up, emotions which no one knows how to, or has the time to, deal with.

I have never read any of ST Gibson's works before, but this book makes me want to pick up all of her other books off my shelf and read them right now. I really enjoyed this one. While it explores demons and magic and the danger of deals, it also deals with mature relationships between fully realised characters, which are a little bit complicated.

I loved reading all of these characters, especially Moira, and I only wish we got a little more time with her. David and Rhys have such a complicated relationship, but they really grow throughout the story and feel very genuine with each other at the end.

I can't wait to read more ST Gibson books, especially the next in this series!

I received an advanced copy of Evocation from Angry Robot Books, and all opinions are my own!

I loved A Dowry of Blood and An Education of Malice, so I was extremely excited for this just based on the author and cover alone.

However, this was incredibly boring. I did not care what happened because nothing was happening. The stakes seemed low, and the three main characters just meander through weeks of not really doing anything at all. I thought two scenes were good, and grabbed my attention, but I sadly feel like I will forget everything that (didn't) happen after being away from it for a day or two. This being the first in a series, I want to be pulled in immediately. I want to be left anticipating the next installment, and unfortunately I do not feel that way about this.

I will continue to read Gibson's work, but I cannot stress enough how droll this one was.

Buddy read with Basil!

I'm glad Basil and I were on the same wavelength because this was a huge miss for us.

I expected something along the lines of an adult version of Krystal Sutherland's The Invocations, sprinkled with the dark and suffocating vibes of Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House. But instead, this was all just #ThroupleProblems with sprinkles of the occult.

Worst of all, it read like a fanfic. Like David, Rhys, and Moira were stand-ins for original characters from an established story and the entire occult vibes was just set dressing.

One huge issue I had with this (that I also had with An Education in Malice) was that everything felt so lite when it came to the dark themes. I wanted something much more heavier and depressing, like how I felt when I read A Dowry of Blood.

But I got the feeling that ST Gibson was holding back so much. This felt like YA instead of Adult (minus some of the more explicit sex scenes). I'm so, so disappointed.

I was here for the magic and demons, but that took a huge backseat to the poly relationship. You can tell that the author did research on Moira's field of magic (astrology and being a medium), but for the darker types of magic, the author didn't really bother to dive too much into lore. The Lesser Key of Solomon was mentioned, but that was pretty much it. Chaos magic made an appearance, but it felt more like a soft launch for Book 2.

I was disappointed by the demon possession plotline. I thought it'd be a major part of the story, but like I said with the above, it felt very watered down and tame. David sounded like he caught magic covid instead of being cursed by his ancestor and possessed by a centuries old demon. It would've been great if there had been some kind of dialogue with the demon, or if the demon actually manifested as a real being on any sort of plane (physical, astral, whatever).

Idk.

And at the end, it felt like Moira just existed for the sake of having a WOC character to add diversity to a book about two queer white dudes. I actually loved her character, but lbr, the major focus was on David and Rhys. Moira was basically the hinge that allowed Rhys and David to get back together. Like she just gave up and realized that Rhys and David were meant to be.

The angst between Rhys and David was annoying to read about. And somehow, I ended up liking David and Moira's platonic relationship much more than either Rhys/David or Rhys/Moira. Lbr, Rhys was such a mid love interest for either David or Moira. Hell, I was rooting for David/Moira (like those two seriously vibed), but, alas, David was strictly gay.

Oh well.

I highly doubt that I'll pick up the sequel because I didn't care about the relationships at all.

But the other day, Basil told me there was a goddamn PREQUEL to this novel that established our three MCs. That wasn't mentioned in any promos that I remember. Wth. And judging by the reviews, it wasn't received well.

Basil and I said we weren't too interested in requesting anymore of the author's arcs, but we're interested in looking into the trad pubbed version of Odd Spirits just to see if it catches our eye or sparks our interest. Knowing me, I might find it as meh as Evocation.

Anyway.

If you like contemporary romances with a splash of fantasy, then this is for you. If not, I'd skip this.

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for this arc.

DNF. I really enjoyed An Education in Malice, and I’m glad ST Gibson is trying new things, But this was just too weird and not in a good way. It wasn’t attention grabbing and the characters were boring.

I adore S.T. Gibson and their writing. A Dowry of Blood is one of my favourite books, and I loved an Education in Malice, Evocation was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. The writing felt very juvenile for Gibson and this was a super unfortunate miss for me.

Evocation is the gripping new urban fantasy from S. T. Gibson. There is plenty of mystery and romance, with dashes of the occult sprinkled in to keep the story moving. The writing is superb, both with the main characters and with the plot.

David is a high-powered attorney, but also a magical prodigy from a very prestigious family. David hopes to take his place in charge of the Society he has long been a part of, but his ex and rival Rhys might throw a spanner in these works

Rhys and David have a tumultuous past and distance was the only way they can deal with it, but when David starts blacking out and becoming ill, Rhys is the only person he can turn to

Rhys is now very happily married to Moria, who has powerful magic in her own right and the couple agree to help David with what ails him, at a price of course

The three couldn't even imagine how these events will change them all, and I for one, loved being on this journey with them.

I started this book with a quick couple of chapters before bed last night and then easily devoured the rest of it after work

I loved this book, the story was hooking and the characters loveable, even with their flaws and struggles. I am so glad to see this is part of a series and cannot wait to see what comes next in this world

Out at the end of this month so you've still time to preorder before release, thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the early review copy

Evocation is written by the Author ST. Gibson, who also wrote Education in Malice and a Dowry of Blood amongst others. Gibson is an auto buy author for me at this point, and this newest work did not disappoint.

After his occultist father's death, David Aristarkhov ditched his former life for law and secret society medium work. Now, as his thirtieth birthday approaches, a centuries-old curse threatens his life. Reluctantly seeking help from his ex, Rhys, David must navigate the complexities of befriending Rhys's wife, Moira. Together, they delve into their combined powers to break the curse before David's time runs out.

Evocation presents an intriguing plot that felt refreshingly unique, reminiscent of Ninth House. While it took some time to fully engage (around 15%), once immersed, I found myself eagerly anticipating each return to its pages. Gibson skillfully crafts characters that are flawed yet endearing, making them relatable and lovable in their imperfections. The evolving relationship between Moira, Rhys, and David is portrayed with authenticity, allowing for genuine growth and problem-solving rather than instant perfection. Gibson focuses their books on the characters, but still gives a strong plot that paces well.

I eagerly anticipate the next installment in this series. The ending struck a balance, not overly heart-wrenching but with enough intrigue to leave me eager for more.

S.T. Gibson will never disappoint when it comes giving me the poly books i have always been looking for. i always felt bored that the main character in a love triangle needed to chose one person, why not both? i loved the way moira and rhys slowly opened their hearts for david to enter. and i really enjoyed the way s.t. gibson wrote the male povs!!