Dark Academia and occult themes - sign me up! I recently was introduced to S.T. Gibson when I read An Education in Malice and my goodness what an amazing follow up release this is!

The dynamic between the three characters is such a delicious mess. A messy family curse and a secret society rivalry drags me in. Whilst this doesn’t have a massive academia vibe due to being focused on the curse aspect, but the way it flows - I have 0 complaints and I can’t wait to see the shenanigans that will happen in book 2.

The entire book is a lot more personal than other fantasy stories, as if you are involved and due to that it is hard not be invested in the characters and their feelings.

I want book two to hurry up! I cannot wait to find out more and see how this throuple relationship develops.

#currentlyreading #bookreview #bookreader #bookstagram #bookstagramer #ilovebooks #fantasyreader #romance #netgalley #darkacademia #Evocation #STGibson

This was an addictive story everyone should jump on. Blending the occult with magic and possession, a story about the intricacies of working within a society whilst maintaining challenging relationships is explored. Add a generational wager and things get pretty complicated. I couldn’t put this book down and can’t wait to purchase a physical copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for granting me a wished e-ARC in exchange for an honest review (I'm beyond delighted!)

As soon as I saw this beautiful cover, I knew I was hooked. I loved the writing style, the POVs from the three characters, and third-person narrative has always been my favourite. The writing was flowery and poetic but really added to that enchanting vibe that I was looking for. I found myself hooked onto all three characters and the complex and intricate dynamics between them.

I'm so excited to read more!

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for the Arc!

I really dragged my feet in writing this review because I was SO excited for this book. Legitimately PUMPED and jumped for joy when my wish for the ARC was granted! I've been following the author on twitter and the more I saw, the more I wanted (I mean, have you SEEN THIS COVER?!).

That being said... *whispers* I didn't like it. *sobs*

It started so strong, The world. The characters. The visceral feel of being in David's head. Oh, I was hooked. I was here for it. I loved how each POV was delightfully unique. The male characters were inherently male without being stereotypical.

It was half way that lost me. And I was so bummed. (Also there was a point where I nearly screamed "I GET IT. YOU LOVE YOUR WIFE." if Rhys frothingly brought it up one more time. It was incredibly annoying.) It stopped having the magical feel, even though we were talking about a secret magical society. It could've been any boring political fraternity and it was a bummer.

Also, it's supposed to be poly. It's all setup to be poly. But with Rhys constantly screaming at the reader how much he loves his wife (which kind of felt weirdly superficial. Hell, David and Moira had more chemistry than Rhys and Moira) and how much he hates David for 50% of the book, all the chemistry was gone. I honestly didn't want them to get together anymore. They sounded terrible together and I'd lose respect for both of them. (Don't even get me STARTED on the kiss. Don't want to spoiled it but it was the worst way to attempt to kick off a poly relationship and I am mad.)

What I dd LOVE. And I mean L.O.V.E. was the friendship between David and Moira. IT WAS AMAZING. I could feeeeeeel the friendship chemistry. She was so good for him and he needed her friendship. Loved. It.

So when I hit 70% and I have Moira and Rhys feeling like the parental figures David needs to get his shit together, the last thing I wanted was for them to bone. I didn't want them to get together. And when I hit the spice between Moira and Rhys, all the titillating spice felt bland like reading about my friend's parent having sex.

After that, all motivation to finish the story died. And I couldn't get into the book again no matter how hard I tried. Which sucked, because there were several amazing moments. I'm so sad.

But please, read it. Maybe you'll feel completely differently. The author is so talented is so many ways that it's worth a chance.

After enjoying both A Dowry of Blood and An Education in Malice, I was very excited about this arc. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. I never felt connected to any of the characters which made it hard to care about anything that they did. I still consider this author one of my favorites, this was just a miss for me.

I demolished this in 2 sittings, unfortunately I had work 😂
I had never read a book by this author before, but I'll be purchasing .ore of her work as soon as I can!
Absolutely blown away, I have nothing bad to say about it.
The story was woven so well, the plot wasn't hastened, it flowed with ease and intrigue, she built the characters up enough, but not too much in each chapter their pasts untangling bit by bit, the supernatural elements were amazing, it's made me want to start researching tarot and astronomy! I adored Moira, she was sweet but with dark undertones, a true representation of our own inner clashing of morals and empathy, David was the same, I related so much to his struggle to appear at his best at all times, and Rhys, so complex and just wonderful!
I am terrible at describing things, but it was just the most enjoyable read, it had great representation of healthy polyamory.
The whole book made me feel like I was reading a poem, beautifully worded.
10/10 would recommend!

Oh Lord almighty, The TENSION and the ANGST was just pure divine. The characters had so many layers to them, I loved how real they felt. Their relationships with each other felt perfectly right and the slow burn was just 🙏 And the way that no one wanted to mention polyamory but each of them knew it was how they felt and what they would want. The DENIAL built so much of the tension too. I just wanted to squeeze each of the characters into a hug.

Anyway, this was amazing.

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I really enjoyed David and Moira's dynamic, and I also liked learning more about David's character. The writing style was also very lovely, and the cover art is beautiful! I think the author does a great job of creating an interesting atmosphere, as well. This is the first book I've read by Gibson, and I'd definitely be curious to check out their other work.

I would have liked to learn more about Moira and her backstory. We don't really know much about her life outside of Rhys and David. Her relationships with her family and magic sound really interesting, but we only get the barest glimpses of them in this book. I also wasn't a big fan of Rhys' character, and I didn't really like how his relationships with David and Moira were handled. I liked some of the interactions between the three but the romance(s) just felt off to me.

I SO BADLY wanted to LOVE this book bc I've loved other publications from this author, but it just did not hit with me. I already don't really read dark academia type books but I wanted to give it a chance anyway. I loved the witchy/metaphysical topics, it felt actually researched and not just thrown in for a cheap gimmick. And I love that there is queer/poly representation but I felt a little off put by the relationship in this book. I don't like that the FMC was written as this stereotype "chill" girlfriend who is just completely fine with being treated unfairly. It was giving "me and my boyfriend check out girls TOGETHER so it's FINE" and I wasn't finding myself cheering on the other relationship either bc it just seemed like falling back into toxicity. Idk maybe I missed something but this just wasn't for me.

S. T. Gibson writes some of the most realistic and enjoyable poly and queer normative books to date. I absolutely adore the cozy vibes their books have, and this is another one that was enjoyable to read! The dynamic between David, Rhys, and Moira delightful to follow, seeing how it changed from the beginning of the story to the end, especially how they support each other in their own ways. I will say their relationship was the best part of the book. Gibson writes such strong character driven novels. The only thing with this book was the ending. To have such a strong build up, to have such a weak and abrupt ending was kind of a let down.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Firstly, the art on this cover is stunning and goes on the list as one of my favourite covers.

I had been looking forward to this book for some time as the synopsis appealed to me so much but I was surprised when I started seeing reviews come through that were a bit mixed, especially given S.T Gibsons reputation as a great writer of occult and unconventional relationships.

I kind of get it now though. This story is incredibly ambitious with what it sets out to do and I feel like there is potentially an element of the book biting off a bit more than it can chew.

In addition to the storyline exploring the ancestral demonic curse attached to David’s family line this story is also having to build and explore three complex relationships and I think that the balance is not quite there. Which is completely understandable (and why I give this story kudos for its ambition) but building a second chance romance between David and Rhys, exploring the emotional core of the marriage between Rhys and Moira and then also building a friendship and emotionally intimate relationship between Moira and David is ALOT to try and accomplish. I think that the relationship the book invested the most time in, and consequently that I believed the most was Moira and David, ironically enough as theirs was the only relationship in which sexual intimacy wasn’t a feature but I enjoyed the value the relationship bought to them both.

David was easily my favourite of the main characters. I have a soft spot for snarky assholes with vulnerable underbellies. It’s a weakness and I can’t stop it lol.

I did think that this was an interesting glimpse into the dynamics of polyamorous relationships though and the complexities that exist in navigating them. I can see why not many authors attempt to tackle this dynamic though as it would be so challenging.

That being said, I loved the magic in this world and the occult elements and given that this is one book in a series by the looks of it, I’ll be excited to read further installments and see if building more on this first book helps to develop some of the potential of this world, these characters and these relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for granting my wish and allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC.

Evocation is well-written with detailed, nuanced character work, but it’s more of a vibes book than I personally care for. The plot, such at it is, is very straightforward, and the majority of the book is the three main characters vibing at each other. I wasn’t particularly drawn to any of the characters, and so being a plot driven reader who needs characters I like, this was a miss for me.

I think this could work for you if you’re a character driven reader or if you’re interested in an exploration of character relationships and the start of a queer polyamorous relationship; otherwise this might be a pass.

(Rounded up from a 3.75)

I really am such a fan of S.T. Gibson's writing style. I always enjoy my reading experience. I think Dowry of Blood is still my favorite, but I definitely thought that Evocation was better than An Education In Malice.

This book is very character driven, and I feel that some people might think the plot to be a little flimsy. I didn't really mind. As always, S.T. Gibson makes it a point to be very inclusive with her characters, including gay and bisexual representation, trans representation, and polyamory. I'm really just in it for the occultism, lol. I wasn't very invested in the romance, which is unfortunate since it does preoccupy a large amount of the book.

Overall, I do wish that the characters spent more time on paper trying to figure out their demon issue and less time trying to figure out how they felt about each other, but I did still enjoy myself.

When I saw this book being compared to The Raven Cycle and Ninth House, my two absolute favorite books ever, I knew I had to have an advanced copy of Evocation. With comps that good and a genuinely intriguing premise, I was convinced I was going to love it. Unfortunately though, this book did not work out for me. The main element I was excited for was the magic and plot, but this was more character-driven that I had anticipated. While I tend to enjoy character-driven books, I cared little for the main characters and their romance. I also found the writing to be a downgrade from S.T. Gibson’s previous books.

𝐄𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 | 𝐒𝐓 𝐆𝐢𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐧
★★★.5

𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
David Aristarkhov, lawyer by day and medium by night, is wealthy and talented beyond reason. So much so, in fact, that perhaps there’s some truth to the centuries old bargain with the Devil his ancestors apparently made. And the Devil is ready to collect.

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟
⟡ romantasy
⟡ polyamory
⟡ lgbt+ rep
⟡ interesting magic systems
⟡ elements of dark academia

𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝
This was a darkly fascinating unconventional romantasy with phenomenal polyamory and LGBT+ representation that is slipped in naturally into the pages. This book depicts a world of psychics, societies and scandal, with a trio of main characters that are flawed and figuring out how to function.

This means that the dynamics between the trio are pretty complex, strongly passionate, and quick to fluctuate. Resentment seemed to easily transcend into affection in this book and the chemistry was worked on a lot through the middle section of this book

I thought that the characterizations were brilliant for each character (see quotation below mentioning Moira) and this gave the characters a level of depth I have come to adore from ST Gibson.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝
What lets this book down is its plot. There is a lot of focus on character development and the plot feels like an afterthought. I’d have loved to have known more about the magic system and world building, however, the references to it were quite vague and sometimes a little hard to understand. This ambiguity coupled with the complex dynamics makes this story feel like a shadow that is slipping away from any grasp of reality and understanding.

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘔𝘰𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘦.”

“𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦.”

“𝘚𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘢𝘴: 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩.”

“𝘐’𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵.“

𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
Reminds me a bit of Tori Bovalino’s The Devil Makes Three with its degree of academia and battling with demons.

This started off so slow, and only picked up towards the end. This book was clearly here for mainly vibes with 10% plot. Really, in the first chapter, David gets maybe-possessed, and it’s not until chapter ten that anything actually high stakes happens or anything gets done about it. That’s not the only dull thing about this book.

The relationship dynamic between David and Rhys & Rhys and Moira was so infuriating. First off, there was no depth to Rhys and Moira’s marriage. Like we know in bullet points how they met, got married some years ago, and sometime six months ago, David did something that drove a conflict between them. Their relationship felt like a cardboard cutout saying, “here we are, this is what love looks like. We are in love.” Rhys always talks about and inner monologues that Moira is super important to him and that she always comes first, but it just comes off as ingenuous, especially since it’s obvious that he still feels something for David.

Now David is supposed to be an asshole, especially at the start of the book. He’s that rich, nepo necromancer-lawyer who struts around all the time, smirking, and always making light fun, never taking anything serious. Even so, he was the most entertaining perspective and I’m kinda obsessed with him. Rhys was so dull and filled with Catholic morals and guilt that I just felt bad for Moira. For how much Rhys thinks about David, it actually annoyed me when 30-40% of the book in, he still treated him antagonistically. Now, I liked Moira, but it honestly felt like more time was built into the relationship between David and Rhys. Sometimes, it felt like she was just there.

Overall 2.5 stars. I desperately wished I loved this, since this seems right up my alley, but sometimes you just gotta take the L.

★★★★★ - 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
Evocation by S.T. Gibson
Book 1 - The Summoner’s Circle
༘Spoiler free ༘
⭐️4/5
🌶️ definitely spicy
Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Horror, LGBTQIAP+
Multi POV
➳ Secret Societies
➳ Lovers to Exes to Rivals to Lovers
➳ Modern Day Boston
➳ Dark Academia
➳ Gothic
➳ Occultism
➳ LGBTQIAP+
➳ Deals w/the Devil


✨Is there anything S.T. Gibson can’t do? If you’re looking for a genre-defying experience that blends elements of paranormal horror, modern occultism, second chance romance and queer comedy you’ve found your match.✨

Gibson’s prose never ceases to impress me and this time she was crackling with wit and energy imbuing the perfect balance of sharp humour and palpable emotion.

Set in the high-powered world of boston’s elite, this novel follows an unexpected trio of characters. David Aristarkhov, a former psychic prodigy (quite literally) haunted by his oppressive father’s legacy; Rhys his scholarly and earnest ex-lover; and Rhys’ enigmatic Wife, Moira who possesses unspoken and formidable magical abilities. The trio team up to help save David from his penchant for trouble when the devil comes calling. David believes himself to be the target of demonic possession, and his time is running out. Amidst the chaos, the characters must puzzle their way through past hurts, navigate tangled emotions, and free themselves from their guilt and shame.

**Fantasy Scoring**
Worldbuilding ➷ ✅ 4/4
Foreshadowing ➷ ✅ 4/4
Plot ➷ ✅ 4/4
Relationships ➷ ✅ 4/4

Thank you to the S.T Gibson, Angry Robot and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide my honest opinion on the ARC of this book.

Thank you to Amy at Angry Robot Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw the cover I knew I wanted to read it. I had just gotten into tarot so seeing the hanged man on the cover intrigued me. Then, reading the blurb, it only got better. So I was really excited when Amy's email landed in my inbox with an invitation to get an arc.

We follow David as he deals with a demonic curse laid upon his family decades ago. His father passed away without telling him about it so he asks Rhys, his ex-lover, to help. Rhys has his own troubles though. Not in his relationship with his wife, but he can't deny the attraction to David is still there. The push and pull between the two is incredible sweet to watch, especially when Moira also becomes involved with David. She can help him since she has a gift only a few people know about, and it might be the key to help with David's mystery demon.

The highlight of the book has to be the character dynamics between David, Rhys, and Moira. The kindness of Rhys and gentleness of Moira help David become more himself and less his family's curse. David has a different kind of intimacy with Rhys and Moira but with the same intensity. It's beautiful to see blossom. There were chapters where I wanted more of the romance and less of the demon hunting but the two plotlines couldn't do without each other. David's headaches made me sympathize with him a lot as someone who has migraines.

The dynamics with the relationships and the demon gnawing at David's head made me flip the pages faster and faster as I got closer to the end of the book. The ending wasn't at all what I expected but it makes sense since it's going to be a series. I can only hope it won't be too long before it comes out.

I really enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to the second book. For fans of queer romantasy with a supernatural world as a background.

S.T. Gibson nailed it with Evocation.

From the beginning I loved Rhys and Moria. They are couple goals. They set boundaries for their relationship, they communicate well, and not saying everything is perfect, but when there is an issue, they remember their love for each other and work towards a solution. They are one of the most mature and secure couples I have read. Both are so sweet and loving towards each other, it just makes me swoon.

David, I did not like so much from the beginning, but S.T. Gibson makes you fall for him in the best way. He's a very broken character, and you grow to love him through the eyes of Moria and Rhys. David's relationship with the two is very strained at the beginning of the book, but they are the only ones he can turn to for help. This requires him to be vulnerable, and you get his backstory and why he pushes people away, and you as the reader start to love him just like Rhys and Moria.

This is going down as one of my favorite books in 2024. I am going to be thinking about it for a long time, and I am not ready to leave these characters. I hope the author explores more with them, and I think she can.

If you enjoy relationship driven stories with dark academia vibes, then you will love Evocation.

Thank you so much to S.T. Gibson, Angry Robot, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. I loved it so much.

Ahhhh this was so good!!!! 🥹 Evocation was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I’m glad to say it did not disappoint!

What I loved the most about this book are the characters: David, Rhys, and Moira are all well-written, interesting & compelling in their own right, and I enjoyed their dynamics & relationship development immensely.

The plot was also intriguing, although I do feel like the final arc, the climax it was all building up to, was resolved a bit too quickly… However, as someone who puts characters above plot, I didn’t mind it all that much.

I enjoyed the writing style—S.T. Gibson has a beautiful way with words—though it’s noticeably different from Dowry’s, less lyrical and flowery, but still a pleasure to read.

I am happy to say that Evocation lived up to my expectations, and I’m super excited for the sequel!

Thank you Angry Robot Books for the arc 🖤