Evocation by S.T. Gibson – Review

Published: May 28, 2024

Publisher: Angry Robot Books

Series: The Summoner’s Circle #1

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 400 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
The Devil knows your name, David Aristarkhov.

As a teen, David Aristarkhov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now, years after his father’s death and rapidly approaching his thirtieth birthday, he is content with the high-powered life he’s curated as a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a powerful medium for his secret society.

But with power comes a price, and the Devil has come to collect on an ancestral deal. David’s days are numbered, and death looms at his door.

Reluctantly, he reaches out to the only person he’s ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend and secret Society rival Rhys, for help. However, the only way to get to Rhys is through his wife, Moira. Thrust into each other’s care, emotions once buried deep resurface, and the trio race to figure out their feelings for one another before the Devil steals David away for good…

The first book in a spellbinding and vibrant new series from The Sunday Times bestselling author of A Dowry of Blood.

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S.T. Gibson has once again knocked it out of the park with another angst-ridden, tension filled occult fantasy novel. I’ve previously read A Dowry of Blood, which I liked, and An Education in Malice, which I liked a bit more, but I think Evocation takes the cake! I was in the perfect mood for this book and it just clicked for me.

Evocation is set in present day Boston and  follows three intertwined characters who all practice one of the esoteric arts. David Aristarkhov is a callous, overachieving man who practices law by day and performs psychic readings and arcane rituals by night. Rhys McGowan is more academically inclined, though his magical specialty is the summoning of entities that he sometimes binds to do his bidding. Then there’s Moira, an empathic reader of futures who is also trying to quash the fact that she can see the dead and maintain her take-no-shit attitude. Rhys and Moira may be married, but that doesn’t lessen the tension between David and Rhys who have a long, complicated history and an even more complicated present. The two are competing for the position of High Priest in their occult fraternity and both seem to think they are the heir apparent. 

The true plot in Evocation surrounds David – it’s rumored that the Aristarkhov family made a deal with the devil centuries before to gain their magical prowess and social influence and it seems like the devil is calling in his due. David is suffering a magical illness that leaves him weakened and fearful (all while he tries to maintain his front of competent bravado). He calls in Rhys, and by extension, Moira, to help find the source of his illness and fend it off. Putting those three in proximity is naught but a recipe for drama, and oh how delicious that drama was! David’s an ass, but he longs for Rhys, who is trying to maintain his distance and composure after David made a nasty accusation about Moira six months prior. Moira initially hates David, but as they spend more and more time together, she finds herself growing friendly with him. 

I personally loved the dynamics between the trio, though Rhys surprisingly managed to be the least likable. David and Moira, especially as they began to work together more, became my absolute favorites! I absolutely live for these modern day occult fantasy stories that are beginning to crop up and Evocation was fabulous. I think this would be the perfect read for fans of Ninth House or anyone looking for a good ‘deal with the devil’ type story. If you’ve already read Evocation keep your eye out for the prequel, Odd Spirits, coming out in October 2024.