The Invocations
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  • Published: 30 January 2024
  • ISBN: 9780143777410
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $30.00

The Invocations

Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
30 Jan 2024
EBook
30 Jan 2024
Audiobook
30 Jan 2024
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AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
An Amazon Best Book of the Month for YA – February 2024
From the author of New York Times bestseller House of Hollow comes a darkly seductive witchy thriller where, though both men and demons lurk in shadows, girls refuse to go quietly into the night.

Three girls, one supernatural killer on the loose . . .
Zara Jones believes in magic because the alternative is too painful to consider—that her murdered sister is gone forever and there is nothing she can do about it. Rather than grieving and moving on, Zara decides she will do whatever it takes to claw her sister back from the grave—even trading in the occult.
Jude Wolf may be the daughter of a billionaire, but she is also undeniably cursed. After a deal with a demon went horribly wrong, her soul has been slowly turning necrotic. It’s a miserable existence marred by pain, sickness, and monstrous things that taunt her in the night. Now that she’s glimpsed what’s beyond the veil, Jude’s desperate to find someone to undo the damage she’s done to herself.
Enter Emer Byrne, an orphaned witch with a dark past and a deadly power, a.k.a. the solution to both Zara’s and Jude’s problems. Though Emer lives a hardscrabble life, she gives away her most valuable asset—her invocations—to women in desperate situations who are willing to sacrifice a piece of their soul in exchange for a scrap of power. Zara and Jude are willing, but they first have to find Emer.
When Emer’s clients start turning up dead all over London, a vital clue leads Zara and Jude right to her. If a serial killer is targeting her clients, Emer wants to know why—and to stop them. She strikes a tenuous alliance with Zara and Jude to hunt a killer before they are next on his list, even if she can’t give them in return what Zara and Jude want most: a sister and a soul.
“The Invocations is stunning. Perfectly plotted, gorgeously written, with a heart-pounding finale that will leave readers gasping. An intricate, twisty, brilliant book that pulls you in from the very first line and refuses to let go until the final page. I loved it.” —Katherine Webber, The Sunday Times bestselling author of Twin Crowns
“Vivid descriptions, mellifluous prose, expert pacing, and a slow-burning romance keep the tension high and the pages turning while intimately written character arcs probe themes of misogyny, grief, and dynamics of gender and power. Sarcastic, wise-cracking dialogue tempers dark topics with droll wit as the twisty, haunting tale unveils multiple horrors such as rotting souls, inhuman evil, grotesque rituals, decaying bodies, and the chilling social inequities that disempower women.” —Publishers Weekly
  • Published: 30 January 2024
  • ISBN: 9780143777410
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $30.00
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About the author

Krystal Sutherland

Krystal Sutherland is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of House of Hollow, A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares and Our Chemical Hearts, which was adapted into a film by Amazon Studios. Her books have been published in more than twenty countries and nominated for the Carnegie Medal and YA Book Prize, among others. Originally from Australia, she has lived on four continents and currently calls London home.

portrait photo of Krystal Sutherland

Also by Krystal Sutherland

Chemical Hearts
House of Hollow
A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares
Our Chemical Hearts
See all

Praise for The Invocations

A gorgeously twisted modern fairy tale that shimmers with magic and mystery, The Invocations is thrilling, irresistible, and unforgettable.

Karen M. McManus, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of ONE OF US IS LYING

The Invocations is stunning. Perfectly plotted, gorgeously written, with a heart-pounding finale that will leave readers gasping. An intricate, twisty, brilliant book that pulls you in from the very first line and refuses to let go until the final page. I loved it.

Katherine Webber, THE SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of TWIN CROWNS

Lyrical, grotesque and pulsing with feminist rage, this is sapphic horror at its very finest. Sutherland is a luminous (albeit slightly terrifying) talent.

Laura Steven, award-winning author of THE SOCIETY FOR SOULLESS GIRLS

This is pitch-dark academia at its best and most captivatingly haunted: by demons and dead languages, occult magic and richly imagined supernatural disaster. If you’ve ever dreamed of leading a magic-touched double life in England’s most history-heavy places, The Invocations is your next obsession.

Melissa Albert, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THE HAZEL WOOD

One of my favorite reads of the year. This story is exceptionally crafted. Equal parts visceral and haunting, its twists and turns will lure readers in, and its compulsive plot will keep them engrossed until the end.

Ayana Gray, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of the BEASTS OF PREY trilogy

Sutherland (House of Hollow) pits three teens against a monstrous evil in this devilishly bewitching novel steeped in dark academia and set in a fantasy London where only women wield magic . . . Vivid descriptions, mellifluous prose, expert pacing, and a slow-burning romance keep the tension high and the pages turning while intimately written character arcs probe themes of misogyny, grief, and dynamics of gender and power. Sarcastic, wise-cracking dialogue tempers dark topics with droll wit as the twisty, haunting tale unveils multiple horrors such as rotting souls, inhuman evil, grotesque rituals, decaying bodies and the chilling social inequities that disempower women.

starred review, Publishers Weekly

“Three young women team up to track down a serial killer who’s targeting witches . . . Sutherland expertly weaves together their lives in intricate and fascinating ways. Filled with feminist rage and a sprinkle of queer romance, this lushly written tale methodically builds to a heart-pounding confrontation . . .The evocative body horror, distinct and compelling leads, and twisty plot will keep readers immersed in this grisly story. A thrilling and exquisitely grotesque showcase of young women taking charge."

Kirkus Reviews

A wild ride of the best kind: strong women, queer representation, a crime that the reader is as equally invested in solving as the characters are, and more. It is intricate, with a twist only readers with a sharp eye may catch before all the signs fall into place. The Invocations pulls you in from the beginning and doesn’t let you go until the end. It’s a perfect addition to a growing niche of stories about queer magic users. It is a brilliant choice for readers 14 and over, particularly fans of Isabel Sterling, Sarah Gailey, and Victoria Lee.

Books + Publishing

A bewitching and devilish book perfect for fans of The Craft and A Dark Song. The Invocations was a taut YA horror in its own league. I loved it!

Dawn Kurtagich, author of THE DEAD HOUSE

This furious, seductive 14+ horror-fantasy will appeal to fans of Holly Black and Melissa Albert.

The Guardian