Hello, everyone! I finally read Evocation by S.T. Gibson!!! I was so excited for this book when it came out. Unfortunately, I kept bumping it down the TBR for one reason or another. I finally got around to reading it, though, and am so excited to share my thoughts about it.

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.

I’m glad that I read a few reviews of this book before I got around to reading it. They helped temper my expectations, and it undoubtedly increased my enjoyment while reading the book. So, I’ll start by saying what I learned from those reviews and then expound on it in my own way. Evocation is first and foremost a book about relationship dynamics and drama with the trappings of urban fantasy in the background. Knowing this about the book beforehand definitely improved my reading experience.

First, let’s talk about the urban fantasy bits in Evocation. I liked them. The plot about saving David’s soul from the demon was simple but interesting. I wish there had been more of a focus on showing the research that went into the characters’ actions. It largely felt glossed over. We were told over and over that Rhys does lots of research. However, the reader never got to sit in on that process with him. The secret magical society was great, and I loved the peek into the power struggles and friendship dynamics in that type of group. I just wanted to spend more time with the society and what the members did at meetings. It was really bare bones, which was true of a lot of the world-building.

All that being said, I get that Evocation was David’s story. I really liked his character and enjoyed getting to know him. He was a self-obsessed workaholic that grew up with wealth and privilege. I loved how the story slowly peeled back his layers and made the reader understand how his intense and gruff persona developed. He had a lot of trauma to unpack. The demon possession was such a great metaphor for all of the trauma he kept repressing coming back to bite him. I was glad to see him get better at being vulnerable with others and am interested to see how his character progresses in future books.

Unfortunately, the romantic elements of Evocation just didn’t work for me. I was so excited to read a story about polyamory, but the relationship development just felt stiff and way too forced. I also never really understood why Moira and Rhys were so mad at David in the beginning. Maybe it will make more sense after reading the prequel novella? That shouldn’t be necessary, though, especially since this book came out first. I think it all would have worked a bit better if the book was longer and gave more time for the communication and relationships to breathe. I did love Moira, Rhys, and David as individual characters, though, and am curious about where their relationships go from here. Hopefully, future installments will flesh things out a bit more.

All in all, I had a good time reading Evocation. I liked the characters and really connected to David’s story of dealing with his childhood trauma and discovering that his self-worth was not tied to his achievements. The world-building and relationships could have used a bit more fleshing out. There was more than enough there to make me interested in future installments, though. Therefore, I rate Evocation 3.5 out of 5 stars.

There you have it! My thoughts on Evocation by S.T. Gibson. It was a solid series opener with some faults I hope will be addressed in future installments. Have you read the book? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!