A Super Supernatural Mystery That Binds Three females To One Another!
Krystal Sutherland's introduces readers, young and old to The Invocations, a book I couldn't put down- no matter what I was called to do, I took a pass-- and kept reading as everything got more exciting and I was entertained with each turn of the page-- making me want to discover how each of the three girls the story revolves around, would solve their problems and then, solve the problem that all three shared in- the big mystery of why witches are being murdered and when that question begins to get answered- who is doing the killing. Most of all- how whatever has been killing witches- has been able to do so- while also stealing their powers.
Because, when the girls find out that a man is the culprit they don't know how this could be…Men are not allowed to practice magic. Even the devil doesn't trust men- because to get magic, something has to be given in trade. (From this information readers deduce that magic comes from the devil- or at least, I did). The girls guess that the devil doesn't trust men to keep their promise and honor their payments (their dues, females give in trade, to the devil, for magic).
When readers meet each of the three girls (who are the main characters in Sutherlands' supernatural mystery)- we discover that each is seeking something, even if they don't know it when they meet. Zara had an older sister who was murdered a year ago. However, what bothers Zara- is not who killed her sister. What bothers Zara is that her sister is dead- the only person she had in her entire life- when it came to blood relations. All the two girls had were each other- or that is what Zara thought. Now that she is all alone in this world- All Zara wants is to find a way to get her sister back.
Looking for a spell to bring her sister back, Zara finds Jude Wolf, a poor little rich girl who is on a search of her own. After all, Jude has done to herself in a search to undo (or at least live with) what her first fumble into magic created- anyone, I think, would feel sorry for this girl. Because no matter how much money she has (and she has a lot, with a rich father), Zara has screwed things up badly- with rotting body parts, a soul rotting- everything around her gross and full of puss (even her basement)- when she walks by a live plant, it withers and browns in her presence. Everything dies around Jude. In trying to solve her first problem, Jude found two semi-proficient witches who managed to tie two more tamed demons to her soul. However they don't help her at all and while the first demon- who is wild, unruly, and ruining everything in Jude's life- her life and soul continue to rot- as everyone that had been her in her life has fled- and made her stay away.
Last we meet Emer Byrne, the real witch of the three. Emer was raised in a family who created their world- far outside of society- to protect themselves and the magic they have. However, when men show up to kill all of them (when Emer is young), Emer is left to wander the woods as a very young girl. She would have ended up a feral, wild girl but was found and then raised by a cousin (who had left the family).
During Emer's time in the woods, the only things that took care of her were demons. While they did this for their own gain, bringing her spell books so she could become a curse writer, Esme became so successful with her magic- that she was able to give powers to women who are the weakest- women who are in a spot in their life where their power has been taken. The girls discover, together, that all of these women Esme has helped, have had their power taken by a man- after they are murdered!
When the trio finally meet, Zara believes she will be led to a way to bring her sister back to life, and Jude believes she will be helped to unbind herself from her first demon (which is impossible as- a demon is unbound from a person only upon the humans death) and Emer, Emer doesn't want anything until she hears about the witches that are being murdered.
But, when Emer is told the names of the witches who were murdered- she learns that all of them were women whom she wrote spells for. She did this so that they could gain powers to defeat the men in their lives who were hurting them. This is- in no way- what Emer wanted for the women she helped- gave them all a power to get away from a problematic man- only to have another seek them out, hunt them down- and strip them of their gift from Emer-- after their untimely death.
As the girls begin to investigate the murders they find that the culprit is a man. And somehow he is connected to the men that killed Emer Byrne's family all those years ago. However, they don't know how this can be- when a man can't do magic and when Emerson's family was murdered so long ago. But the girls find out that this boy has somehow been able to take all the powers from the women that he has murdered.
Having sought out a witch like Emer for so long, Zara Jones knows the girl is her only hope- as she has met no one that can do magic like the level on which Emer operates. Emer Byrne comes from a long line of witches however, without the help she got from demons after her family was killed she would know nothing and not have been offered the million dollars Zara Jones wants to give her- to remove the demon from her soul. And if a man can steal powers from the women he kills, shouldn't there be some way Emer can remove Zara's demon? However, none of the women who had their powers taken from them lived after this was done. Will Zara's only way out- be her death?
The girls in The Invocations have so many desires, each their own, while sharing a common plight- keeping the young boy who is killing witches and stealing their powers- from killing any more of their kind. But how will they do this? On their way to a solution, the girls put themselves in terrible danger time and time again. Will all three make it? Or will one, two, or all of them succumb to a deadly fate while trying to reach their own goal and their common one?
Will Zara get her sister back- or will the new friends she has made, fill the void that the one person she had in the world left? Will Zara get rid of the demon who is rotting her soul- her body- the entire environment around which she is in- so that she can be part of the rich and famous Wolf family again? Because, as Zara is now, her family has turned their back on her- until the curse is gone.
And will Emer solve the mystery of who killed her family and why? Why is it that the Byrne family powers are so special to these particular men who seem to have a connection with a killer ten years later? And why is the killer only going after witches who have the power that Emer gave them? Is there something about her magic that makes this easy- or possible? Why is a man able to steal these powers and wield them- because Emer has never heard of a man being able to do magic. What has made this possible?
Sutherland brings all an amazing read as the New Year begins that readers will want to pick up- it is one of those books you can't miss-- for readers young and old, even though classified as a young adult book- readers of any age will enjoy this supernatural mystery.
Sutherland manages to empower women, to show what being a strong woman means-- and how men want to take this away from the fairer sex. Men are afraid of women with power- and that when a woman has power they do not- there is a desire to take it, even with multiple murders -- for their own. However- when women unite- they can be stronger together, than apart- refreshing the bonds of womanhood in these pages- kindling a friendship between the girls unlike any I have read for a long time- and definitely a friendship like one I had ever known myself.
As the girls grow closer, I found myself envying the bond they had and I hope that our young readers will internalize what they learn on these pages- and seek it out in their own lives, within the female friends they meet and make. While I am a little too old to make such close female friends to share my life with- I love to think about what young women will learn to emulate from what they read here- not about demons and magic but about the bonds of females and friendship.
Because while magic is important to Zara, Emer, and Jude- the thing that saves them, in the end– is that they have one another. If the three survive- it will only be because they have found each other and built a strong bond within their trio- that they are together and that they would ever be apart.
Happy Reading!
Because, when the girls find out that a man is the culprit they don't know how this could be…Men are not allowed to practice magic. Even the devil doesn't trust men- because to get magic, something has to be given in trade. (From this information readers deduce that magic comes from the devil- or at least, I did). The girls guess that the devil doesn't trust men to keep their promise and honor their payments (their dues, females give in trade, to the devil, for magic).
When readers meet each of the three girls (who are the main characters in Sutherlands' supernatural mystery)- we discover that each is seeking something, even if they don't know it when they meet. Zara had an older sister who was murdered a year ago. However, what bothers Zara- is not who killed her sister. What bothers Zara is that her sister is dead- the only person she had in her entire life- when it came to blood relations. All the two girls had were each other- or that is what Zara thought. Now that she is all alone in this world- All Zara wants is to find a way to get her sister back.
Looking for a spell to bring her sister back, Zara finds Jude Wolf, a poor little rich girl who is on a search of her own. After all, Jude has done to herself in a search to undo (or at least live with) what her first fumble into magic created- anyone, I think, would feel sorry for this girl. Because no matter how much money she has (and she has a lot, with a rich father), Zara has screwed things up badly- with rotting body parts, a soul rotting- everything around her gross and full of puss (even her basement)- when she walks by a live plant, it withers and browns in her presence. Everything dies around Jude. In trying to solve her first problem, Jude found two semi-proficient witches who managed to tie two more tamed demons to her soul. However they don't help her at all and while the first demon- who is wild, unruly, and ruining everything in Jude's life- her life and soul continue to rot- as everyone that had been her in her life has fled- and made her stay away.
Last we meet Emer Byrne, the real witch of the three. Emer was raised in a family who created their world- far outside of society- to protect themselves and the magic they have. However, when men show up to kill all of them (when Emer is young), Emer is left to wander the woods as a very young girl. She would have ended up a feral, wild girl but was found and then raised by a cousin (who had left the family).
During Emer's time in the woods, the only things that took care of her were demons. While they did this for their own gain, bringing her spell books so she could become a curse writer, Esme became so successful with her magic- that she was able to give powers to women who are the weakest- women who are in a spot in their life where their power has been taken. The girls discover, together, that all of these women Esme has helped, have had their power taken by a man- after they are murdered!
When the trio finally meet, Zara believes she will be led to a way to bring her sister back to life, and Jude believes she will be helped to unbind herself from her first demon (which is impossible as- a demon is unbound from a person only upon the humans death) and Emer, Emer doesn't want anything until she hears about the witches that are being murdered.
But, when Emer is told the names of the witches who were murdered- she learns that all of them were women whom she wrote spells for. She did this so that they could gain powers to defeat the men in their lives who were hurting them. This is- in no way- what Emer wanted for the women she helped- gave them all a power to get away from a problematic man- only to have another seek them out, hunt them down- and strip them of their gift from Emer-- after their untimely death.
As the girls begin to investigate the murders they find that the culprit is a man. And somehow he is connected to the men that killed Emer Byrne's family all those years ago. However, they don't know how this can be- when a man can't do magic and when Emerson's family was murdered so long ago. But the girls find out that this boy has somehow been able to take all the powers from the women that he has murdered.
Having sought out a witch like Emer for so long, Zara Jones knows the girl is her only hope- as she has met no one that can do magic like the level on which Emer operates. Emer Byrne comes from a long line of witches however, without the help she got from demons after her family was killed she would know nothing and not have been offered the million dollars Zara Jones wants to give her- to remove the demon from her soul. And if a man can steal powers from the women he kills, shouldn't there be some way Emer can remove Zara's demon? However, none of the women who had their powers taken from them lived after this was done. Will Zara's only way out- be her death?
The girls in The Invocations have so many desires, each their own, while sharing a common plight- keeping the young boy who is killing witches and stealing their powers- from killing any more of their kind. But how will they do this? On their way to a solution, the girls put themselves in terrible danger time and time again. Will all three make it? Or will one, two, or all of them succumb to a deadly fate while trying to reach their own goal and their common one?
Will Zara get her sister back- or will the new friends she has made, fill the void that the one person she had in the world left? Will Zara get rid of the demon who is rotting her soul- her body- the entire environment around which she is in- so that she can be part of the rich and famous Wolf family again? Because, as Zara is now, her family has turned their back on her- until the curse is gone.
And will Emer solve the mystery of who killed her family and why? Why is it that the Byrne family powers are so special to these particular men who seem to have a connection with a killer ten years later? And why is the killer only going after witches who have the power that Emer gave them? Is there something about her magic that makes this easy- or possible? Why is a man able to steal these powers and wield them- because Emer has never heard of a man being able to do magic. What has made this possible?
Sutherland brings all an amazing read as the New Year begins that readers will want to pick up- it is one of those books you can't miss-- for readers young and old, even though classified as a young adult book- readers of any age will enjoy this supernatural mystery.
Sutherland manages to empower women, to show what being a strong woman means-- and how men want to take this away from the fairer sex. Men are afraid of women with power- and that when a woman has power they do not- there is a desire to take it, even with multiple murders -- for their own. However- when women unite- they can be stronger together, than apart- refreshing the bonds of womanhood in these pages- kindling a friendship between the girls unlike any I have read for a long time- and definitely a friendship like one I had ever known myself.
As the girls grow closer, I found myself envying the bond they had and I hope that our young readers will internalize what they learn on these pages- and seek it out in their own lives, within the female friends they meet and make. While I am a little too old to make such close female friends to share my life with- I love to think about what young women will learn to emulate from what they read here- not about demons and magic but about the bonds of females and friendship.
Because while magic is important to Zara, Emer, and Jude- the thing that saves them, in the end– is that they have one another. If the three survive- it will only be because they have found each other and built a strong bond within their trio- that they are together and that they would ever be apart.
Happy Reading!