Blog tour review - Evocation by ST Gibson
When a family curse threatens David's life, he will turn to the only person he's ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend, Rhys-which means he will have to open his heart to Moira, Rhys's wife.
The day David Aristarkhov's occultist father died, he bought himself an Audi, drank every drop of liquor in the house, and abandoned his life as a teen psychic prodigy. Now pushing thirty, David is a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a medium for a secret society.
But when the Devil comes to collect on a deal David's ancestor made, he reluctantly reaches out to his ex-boyfriend Rhys for help. However, to get to Rhys, David will have to befriend Moira, Rhys's wife. The trio gets a little too close for comfort as they combine their powers to unravel the century-old curse, and if they don't break the curse by David's thirtieth birthday, he won't live long enough for everyone to figure out their feelings for each other.
Very sexy, very magical and really quite dark!
Evocation gives us a magical spin on contemporary Boston, inhabited by all kinds of powerful and sexy magic users. Some of them make a living telling fortunes and reading tarot, while others gather in the back rooms of exclusive members' clubs to summon spirits and Demons.
In the centre of this world, two shining lights in supernatural society are David and Rhys. David should be everything you love to hate in a character. He's a rich, smug, arrogant lawyer with a fortune in old money supporting his lavish lifestyle and a natural (or supernatural) talent that has people singing his praises without him ever having to work for it. But there's something strangely likeable about him. I think it's the vulnerability we see emerge in him, the weaknesses, the harsh upbringing that has left him desperate for praise, the pain of past relationships that leaves him unwilling to reach out.
Rhys is very different altogether. Rhys works hard, obsessively so, for what he has, but he's a man driven by ambition, absolutely thirsty for power and influence. Another hard character to like that I was won over by, because of the strength of his love I think.
Honestly, I think it's Moira that made both men feel likeable. From the start, Moira is a goddess among women, a queen with a tarot deck and wonderful taste in outfits. As a side note, this book spends a lot of time talking about outfits, but it's a big part of the characters and I never minded. Moira is awesome, though like David she carries some damage from her past. I think it was her insistence on seeing the best in the men around her that helped sell me on them in the end. I trusted her judgement. She's no fool either, she definitely doesn't wear rose-tinted glasses and calls them out on their bullshit with wonderful regularity.
In some ways, Evocation is a lovers to enemies to lovers tale. It's also a story about dark deals with Demons and the damage they can cause. There's a story in there too about politics, about playing that game and what happens when you win or when you lose. And it's a story about polyamory, about loving more than one person but being honest, being open and being fair, and about exploring what that might mean. For all of its spicy content, the polyamory is firmly rooted in a gentle affection that was really refreshing to see.
Evocation summons up a bold new world of magic and romance, and I'm excited to see where it goes next.
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Evocation by S T Gibson is out now from Angry Robot Books.
I was given a review copy in exchange for this honest review and participation in this Black Crow PR Blog tout.
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