Evocation by S. T. Gibson caught my eye with its beautiful cover design and interesting premise but when I made an attempt to pick it up I found it disappointingly booktokish. It's just leans heavily into the "New Adult" genre with characterizations that are just a little too archetypical and writing reminiscent of fanfiction.
But I really like David, the self-centered morally ambiguous hotshot rich guy who is obviously getting setup for a humbling character arc, and I love the idea of an occult themed queer fiction that involves demons, spirits, hauntings and general esoterica. Is there anything that might encompass these elements that might be a bit more nuanced or complex or even a book/series that is LESS saturated with fluff.
It doesn't even have to be occult centered I just like when a bloated ego with a lot of charisma gets humbled and the character is forced to grow as a person. Bonus points if gay!
by Criminies
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Affinity by Sarah Waters — Sapphic gothic historical fiction about a woman trying to help an imprisoned spiritualist in Victorian England.
Bored Gay Werewolf maybe? The character growth is definitely there