The Invocations
by Krystal Sutherland (Penguin, 2024)
audiobook read by Kit Griffiths (Penguin Random House Australia)
Itchingly dark, powerfully feminist. There is nothing cosy in Sutherland’s depiction of witchcraft. Instead, ‘The Invocations’ recasts the bleak horror of ‘House of Hollow’ as a visceral manifestation of (societally ingrained) misogyny, endured and countered by three resilient, resolute, sorely representative 17-year-olds.
A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares
by Krystal Sutherland (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2017); audiobook read by Tara Sands (Penguin Random House, 2017)
A YA character study that sidles up to the reader and sneaks in both a sad, serious survival plot and an important mental health message under cover of its pseudo-supernatural premise and upbeat narrative style. Tara Sands’s audiobook reading enriches the experience.
House of Hollow
by Krystal Sutherland (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2021); audiobook read by Eleanor Bennett (Bolinda, 2021)
YA with slow-festering horror elements and excellent characterisation (memorably voiced by Eleanor Bennett). The story unfolds in well-pitched reveals, blending action and reflection. The ending lacks punch but Sutherland deserves credit for trusting the concept, not fiddling retroactively or adding extraneous twists.