What do you do when you're cursed to the point where dying would be a blessing? What do you do when someone murdered your sister, leaving you oozing with guilt and grief? What do you do when your entire coven was butchered while you, at age seven, watched?
These are the realities Jude, Zara, and Emer must live with. Their coming together is fueled by a series of evil and brutal killings. Each victim was initially connected to Emer who's a witch able to invoke curses on willing women.
What ensues after the three meet and form an uneasy alliance, is twisty, violent, and bloody as all get out. Will they survive? Will they unmask the witch killer? Read the book and find out. You'll have quite ride as you do so. ( )

I enjoyed this book. I thought the magic system was unique and interesting and the plot was engaging. I did think the characters and romance were just okay though. Overall, I would recommend to dark fantasy fans. ( )

Since I loved Sutherland's previous book, "House of Hollow," so much, I really tried not to go into this one with my expectations too high. I don't think it would've mattered if I did though, because "The Invocations" was even better. This book has everything that I loved about "House of Hollow," including the author's absolutely gorgeous, evocative, skillful writing style that brings the world to life. It's creepy, it's even more gruesome, and the mystery at the heart of the story is even more engaging and thrilling, as it's about a serial killer going after witches.

One thing about HoH I was a bit let down by was the ending, but "The Invocations" completely delivers. I also ended up more invested in the characters.

I'm blown away. Love this book; love the body horror, the queerness, the witchiness, everything. I can't wait to see what Sutherland writes next, and I want the Illumicrate/Evernight edition SO much now. ( )

I hadn’t read Krystal Sutherland’s previous work (though House of Hollow has been on my TBR for too long), so I wasn’t sure what to expect from her going into this. She definitely lives up to the hype with this one.
All three main characters were fun to read about. They had strong and distinct character that was fully shown through both the dialogue and their narration.
The magical elements of this world were incorporated well and managed appropriate darkness and grittiness without going into excessive edginess. I liked that the demons, while undoubtedly inscrutable and mystical, behaved like real animals not just monsters.
The twists aren’t spectacular, though (spoilers, kind of?) Jude’s perspective and biases were compelling enough to actually build some doubt. I think everything with her family and especially her brother worked more in the same vein as Zara’s quest to resurrect her sister as a doomed dream and a source of tension for the reader even if it’s not a shocking reveal. The characters' inability to see/accept the disaster coming still feels realistic regardless of when the reader guesses what’s coming. ( )

Definitely my favorite YA release of 2024, Krystal Sutherland’s second YA gothic fantasy Invocations has everything. It was fun, fast-paced, original, spooky, and full of a cast I loved from start to finish. The witchy elements were tastefully done and the right amount of grit and guts was present with each character. The plot twists were awesome, I didn’t see them coming at all. Definitely add this one to your list.