Opening with modern magic and murder, Invocations begins as it means to proceed, with gruesome costs for spells and grizzly consequences. Women in this book are allowed to be grotesque, their bodies rotting from the possessions they are forced to bear like chains. They can be angry, vengeful, powerful and so much more. Maybe my standards are too low but I like that the women are allowed to exist as morally grey and unpleasant to look at, give me more female protagonists that aren’t cookie-cutter beautiful and that have to bear the brands of their greed. Pulled together by the same needs to different ends, Jude battles three demons in her body and needs a witch, while Zara is determined to bring her dead sister back from the dead at any cost.

The only reason I haven’t rated this book higher was the fact that one of the characters didn’t connect with me and brought be out of the story. For other people, I think she’d be loved, and in another story, I likely would have been too, but the contrast between her personality and the world / what’s happening to the women of London felt opposed at some points. I did love the ending and felt the catharsis for the character's storylines, except one, who I wish had been given more peace by what she found.