If you love a story about found family, magical legacies, and queer fantasy Evocation is for you. It’s going to be great for those who love the idea of an adult contemporary fantasy world meets deals with the Devil. What more could you want? Keep reading this book review of Evocation for my full thoughts.
Summary
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…
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
We love deals with demons and Evocation fits the bill. It features multiple POV which is a brilliant decision. I love a good exes who need to figure out their deal and in Rhys’ POV we see him struggling to navigate the pull of David. The hold the past has on us even when we think we’ve moved on. We witness the sacrifices we make for people we can’t quite let go of. Through David we are allowed to see him exploring the idea of family legacy. Do you love family drama? Then you’ll love David’s family and how they make sense of power.
And in Moira’s POV we are able to get to know David from scratch. We can see how she unravels the threads between David and Rhys as well as her own secrets. I loved the world building in Evocation. It gives very much secret societies and lush magical parties with subway access. While there’s undoubtedly action, I think the characters steal the show in Evocation. In it we can see a found family forming which manages to come up against this gilded society of nepotism, power grabbing, and legacy.
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Evocation was a solid first book in a series. I cannot wait to read the next one and see how these characters grow and develop. The snippets of the world and politics we saw are great breadcrumbs for what I hope will become major players in the rest of the series. Find Evocation on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.