The Invocations

New
817TAyx1gRL
Age Range
16+
Release Date
January 30, 2024
ISBN
978-0593532263
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From the author of New York Times bestseller House of Hollow comes a darkly seductive witchy thriller where, though both men and demons lurk in shadows, girls refuse to go quietly into the night.

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Three girls, one supernatural killer on the loose . . .

Zara Jones believes in magic because the alternative is too painful to consider—that her murdered sister is gone forever and there is nothing she can do about it. Rather than grieving and moving on, Zara decides she will do whatever it takes to claw her sister back from the grave—even trading in the occult.

Jude Wolf may be the daughter of a billionaire, but she is also undeniably cursed. After a deal with a demon went horribly wrong, her soul has been slowly turning necrotic. It’s a miserable existence marred by pain, sickness, and monstrous things that taunt her in the night. Now that she’s glimpsed what’s beyond the veil, Jude’s desperate to find someone to undo the damage she’s done to herself.

Enter Emer Byrne, an orphaned witch with a dark past and a deadly power, a.k.a. the solution to both Zara’s and Jude’s problems. Though Emer lives a hardscrabble life, she gives away her most valuable asset—her invocations—to women in desperate situations who are willing to sacrifice a piece of their soul in exchange for a scrap of power. Zara and Jude are willing, but they first have to find Emer.

When Emer’s clients start turning up dead all over London, a vital clue leads Zara and Jude right to her. If a serial killer is targeting her clients, Emer wants to know why—and to stop them. She strikes a tenuous alliance with Zara and Jude to hunt a killer before they are next on his list, even if she can’t give them in return what Zara and Jude want most: a sister and a soul.

Editor review

1 review
Well-Written, But Not For The Faint Of Heart!
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
The Invocations is a supernatural mystery to catch an occult serial killer. The story flows between Emer Bryne, Jude Wolf, and Zara Jones’ perspectives. Each has developed backstories that are interesting, but as the story unfolds, you find out just how much their skills and troubles all tie together with the murders of other young women. They can’t solve their problems without each other.
Emer Bryne was young when witch hunters came and slaughtered her family. Demons helped her survive for years on her own. She grew into a talented cursewriter who helps other women reclaim power from the men that would abuse them with their deals with demons. Jude Wolf is a discarded heiress. Disowned from her billionaire family 2 years ago for a supposed drug addiction, but she was really suffering from a botched curse that is desiccating her soul from the inside out, and she needs Emer’s help to transfer the curse away from her. Zara’s sister was murdered one year ago by the serial killer, and she is stubborn enough to learn necromancy to have a proper good-bye and to learn about her killer.
Sutherland is a powerful storyteller whose story is engaging and haunting. The necromancy scenes are detailed and stomach-churningly graphic. If you have lost someone, then these scenes may be especially hard to read.
While the story is about magic, curses, and demons, there are clear references made to abusive men and the oppression of women. These angry girls are reclaiming their power from the patriarchy that would give everything to one gender and dismiss the other. There is also a strong sense of found family as these girls meet and support each other through some very ill-advised goals. There is a small spark of romance between two of the girls. It is there, but this is far from a story with a romance subplot.
Overall, if you like suspense, thrillers, magic, fantasy, occult, female empowerment, and found family, then this is a great choice. It seems to wrap up as a standalone novel, although it leaves room for a sequel if the author decides to in the future. This is an extremely well-written story that will keep you turning pages, staying up late, and having some disturbing dreams, so beware; it is not for the faint of heart.
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