Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Invocations & The New Couple in 5B

Welcome to another edition of Thriller Thursday with Sharon.  This week I am excited to share my thoughts on Krystal Sutherland’s newest YA thriller, The Invocations and Lisa Unger’s newest thriller, The New Couple in 5B. Both of these books were amazing and I loved them both.

Author: Krystal Sutherland

Publication Date: January 30, 2024

Publisher: Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books

Krystal Sutherland’s newest YA thriller, The Invocations, is everything I was hoping it would be and more. The story follows three seventeen-year-olds who team up to stop a serial killer who is killing witches and stealing their powers. The Invocations has it all, badass teenagers, witches, magic, murder, and more.

A year ago, Zara Jones’ sister, Savannah, was murdered and Zara wants nothing more than to bring her back to life so she can apologize for the hurtful last words she said to her. Zara is smart and she has been reading up on everything she can find that deals with magic and bringing the dead back to life. But so far nothing has worked.

Jude Wolf is the daughter of a billionaire. Two years ago, she cursed herself and her soul is now tied to demons. Jude is slowly rotting away and is trying anything to find someone who can undo the curse before the demons eat her alive.

Emer Bryne is a witch. Ten years ago, her entire family was killed by witch hunters. Emer has vowed to find those responsible and destroy them. Emer sells spells to women who are in desperate situations, the payment for these spells is that a demon gets part of their soul. Emer was seven years old when her family was killed, and she would have died if not for the demons living in the forest. These demons knew that they needed to keep Emer alive so she could find them souls.

I loved everything about this book.  I loved the magic and the demons and the gore when a demon ripped someone apart (Lol). But most of all I loved the characters. Zara, Jude and Emer will always have a special place in my heart. I loved getting to know each of their backstories. And the more I learned about them, the more I loved them.  They are so different from each other, but when they finally got together they clicked. They were the piece each other was missing. I loved their banter back and forth. Especially Jude, she had me laughing so many times.

Sutherland did a great job of bringing the magic and demons to life. Especially Bael, who is one of the demons that helped Emer when she was younger. Bael is waiting for Emer to give him her soul, so right now he is just like her own personal bodyguard, and I loved it when she would sick him on someone.

I don’t really want to say much more about what happens and spoil things. But if you like YA stories, badass teenage protagonists, magic, and demons, then you definitely need to check out, The Invocations.     4 ½ stars

Author: Lisa Unger

Publication Date: March 5, 2024

Publisher: Park Row

Lisa Unger’s latest book, The New Couple in 5B, was inspired by Rosemary’s Baby. But this is not a retelling of the horror classic, and Lisa Unger does a great job of giving the Rosemary’s Baby vibes, while creating her own story.

Chad and Rosie Lowan have inherited apartment 5B at 55 Park Ave, called the Windemere, from Chad’s uncle Ivan. Chad and Rosie took care of Ivan while he was dying, but they never thought he would leave them his apartment. Chad is an actor and Rosie is a true crime author. Rosie plans to write a book about the Windemere. There have been many deaths in this building, murders, suicides, accidents, and natural causes. There was a murder/suicide that took place in their actual apartment many years ago when it was owned by Paul and Willa. When they first moved in everyone was so welcoming, but Rosie soon starts to feel that things are not right with this building. The same doorman is always on duty, and Rosie is positive that she has seen the ghost of a small boy in the basement and hallways. The more Rosie digs into the building’s past, the more her life becomes in danger.

Wow! Lisa Unger sure had the hairs on my arm sticking up with this book. I loved the whole supernatural feel this book had, as well as the gothic vibe from the building itself.  I will admit that when I was first reading, I thought it was going to be like a retelling of Rosemary’s Baby and I was actually comparing them when I was reading. But I am happy to report that the book took a turn, and I was like “Okay so not the same as Rosemary’s Baby.”  LOL!

Lisa Unger did a great job in creating these characters and making them so untrustworthy. I loved that I didn’t know who to trust. Rosie was the only one I trusted, and I liked how she too started not trusting people. I am glad she was not a naïve character that just went along with everything.

I also liked getting chapters from the couple that lived in the apartment years ago, Paul and Willa. These were told from Willa’s POV and getting these chapters added more mystery to what was going on at the Windemere.

The more the story progressed, the more the tension built up, as well as the body count. I had no idea where things were going and when the secrets of the Windemere were finally revealed I was totally surprised. So, thank you for that Lisa Unger.

I definitely recommend The New Couple in 5B. If you are a fan of Lisa Unger and like supernatural stories with gothic buildings, then I really think you will enjoy The New Couple in 5B.  4 ½ stars