I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Invocations by Krystal SutherlandNarrator: Kit Griffiths
Published by Penguin Random House, Penguin Random House Audio on January 30, 2024
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Contemporary
Length: 13 hours 6 minutes
Pages: 400
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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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.
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.
This was excellent! I really liked all of the main characters and was fully invested in the outcome of this story. Jude, Zara, and Emer each had a lot at stake and I thought that they made a great team. The magic of the story was unique and I loved the fact that I never knew which direction things would go. There were a few twists and turns that caught me completely by surprise, which is always fun. I found this book to be incredibly entertaining and almost impossible to put down.
Jude, Zara, and Emer don’t know each other at the start of this story but are drawn together by circumstance. Jude is the estranged daughter of a very wealthy man. She made a deal with a demon but she didn’t do it correctly. If she can’t find a witch to help her fix the situation, she may not have much longer to live. Zara’s sister was killed by a serial killer and she would do anything to get her back. Zara intends to find someone who can help her do exactly that and she fears that she is running out of time. Emer has the skills that both girls need but it seems that her former clients are being killed, and the invocations on their skin are being stolen. The trio must work together to achieve all of their goals and to stop a killer.
I listened to the audiobook and thought that Kit Griffiths did a wonderful job of bringing this story to life. I liked the voices that she used for the various characters in the story and thought that she was able to add just the right amount of emotion to her reading. I found her voice to be very pleasant and I thought that it suited the story perfectly. I am certain that her performance added to my overall enjoyment of this story. I will definitely be recommending this one to others. This was a wonderfully exciting story with characters that I cared about. I hope to read more of this author’s work very soon.
I received a review copy of this book from Penguin Random House and Penguin Random House Audio.
This sounds suspenseful.
I plan on starting this one this week. Great review and glad you loved it!
I haven’t heard a lot about this one but it does sound good! I am glad you liked it, Carole!
I’m not much of a YA reader but I like the sound of this one! I’m discovering I really enjoy mystery mixed with other genres.
A great narrator always brings so much to the book