The premise that anchors The Invocations – the new book from House of Hollow scribe Krystal Sutherland – is pleasingly high-concept. Three young women find themselves drawn together in the wake of a mystical serial killer, all seeking their own goals. Curse-writer Emer is just trying to survive, eking out an existence by stealing student IDs and free food from local universities, sleeping in bathrooms, and avoiding the demons who congregate around her; meanwhile grieving preppy schoolgirl Zara is obsessed with resurrecting her dead sister, and the rich, pampered Jude is desperately trying to cure herself of a ritual-gone-wrong that has left her living a cursed, pained existence.
Sutherland proves herself a dab hand at story and character – the plotting is sinuous and strong, giving space for each of the three leads to journey through their own narrative arcs and is unafraid to explore the inner recesses of their souls. Zara is intelligent and resourceful but also driven to a fault, Jude is a breath of fresh, snarky air, but also spoiled and self-centred, and Emer hides a core of noble heart inside a thick crust of aloof coldness, each of them distinct from the other and full of character nuance.
Nor does Sutherland skimp on the horror in The Invocations; fans of Sutherland’s work, namely her standout YA horror House of Hollow, will find similar levels here. The beleaguered Jude’s backfired spell has manifested as a grisly, Cronenbergian bodily affliction, while the demons who seek out our trio of co-leads are grotesque and terrifying. The bloodshed – when it frequently arises – is suitably gore-soaked and visceral, a necessity of the story that Sutherland is telling, one of weakness and strength, of mortal bodies and immortal souls, and of sisterhood that binds it all together.
In a genre full of notable entries – such as the dark sapphic stylings of Kayla Cottingham or Laura Steven’s respective works – The Invocations stands out as a bewitching triumph. Blending together dark magical mystery, body horror, and three brutal coming-of-age narratives, The Invocations is a pitch-black, pitch-perfect fantasy for those looking for their next fix of a grisly, gloriously feminist tale of reclaiming power and finding ones kin, a tale that is sure to put a spell on each and every reader…
The Invocations is out now from Hot Key Books.
