When I saw this was a prequel to Evocations, I jumped at the chance to read this ARC, and after reading Odd Spirits I will be picking it from my bookshelf very soon as I decided to read the prequel first when I found out I got approved.

Odd Spirits explores the relationship between newlyweds Rhys and Moira, and is the focus point of the story. A perfect novella for fans of magic, the paranormal and romance.

This is my first Gibson, and I have to say I love her writing style, it painted the relationship dynamic and conflicting forms of magic perfectly, setting up what I am anticipating to be a great series.

The illustrations added in-between the pages are beautiful and really add to the story the book paints.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

As someone who hasn't read Evocation yet, this was an amazing prequal novella to the series! This perfect for those who are looking for something medium- spooky, has inclusion of tarot cards and a whole magick system.

Thank you to Netgalley, The author, and the publisher for the eARC.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

Predating Evocation, this book gives the backstory to Rhys and Moira and their struggles of being a newly married couple. On different sides of the magically spectrum, there's Moira a witch who prefers the natural magics of herbs, rocks and meditation. On the other side is Rhys a sorcerer who is a part of a magical society that preforms seances and mediates with spirits that have passed. When their home starts to almost take on a mind of it's own, their relationship is put to the test. S.T. Gibson's creates this dark gothic atmospheric tale that highlights love, marriage and the tribulations of relationships.

This book nailed the representation of relationships and what it takes to have a good relationship. It's not about ignoring the bad, it's about working through the bad together.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and wished I had read it before Evocation as it gave a lot more context to Moira and Rhys as people and a couple. After reading Evocation I have a soft spot for Daniel and I didn't understand why he got the reaction he did from both Moira and Rhys.

This book was released today! Happy release day!

S.T. Gibson is a master at setting up complex but understandable characters and settings from the first paragraph of writing. A great story with excellent details enhanced by the two points of view of the couple.

Absolutely loved this little back story into Rhys and Moiras life before Evocation. The illustrations inside and wonderful depictions of their craft was just what we needed. Seeing a freshly married couple work thru a haunting and also seeing David pop in as well was so refreshing. I enjoyed Moiras clients behind the scenes and tinctures and Rhys summoning and office life. I received an arc in an honest exchange and highly recommend this one for the back story or our favorites from Evocation. |

I loved this little prequel to Evocation. I thought it was really great to get a little context to Rhys and Moria’s relationship before Evocation. As always, I loved the imagery Gibson created throughout (and the actual illustrations were stunning) and how magic and the occult were used as a mirror of their marriage.

Oh my sweet heavens! This was beyond a joy to read! I absolutely adore Moira and Rhys' characters, they seemed so layered and relatable. The juxtaposition of religion and magical practices really spoke to me on such a deep level as someone who grew up Catholic but was also interested in the occult and all things magic but was told the two couldn't work together. As someone who as embraced lots of "socially clashing" things I really really appreciated the inclusion of this. Once again an S.T. Gibson book has made me feel seeeeeeen. The imagery? Chefs kiss! The gorgeous prose? Swept me off my feet. I just absolutely fell in love with this and loved a couple that wasn't "perfect" but were willing to try and work through things together. The respect for each others views on religions and practices even if it wasn't the same as their own really touched me. It captured what in my eyes is true love. And I love love loved it!

Also the physical imagery?!!! HELLO IT IS BEYOND BEAUTIFUL!! I am so so glad I am having my physical copy delivered today because the illustrations are absolutely beautiful! Beyond stunning!

Ever since Evocation I have loved Rhys and Moira. That character develops and illustrates their marriage and their heart. But in this prequel novella, what happens when they have a disagreement? Not the easy what do we have for dinner, but the doubts and insecurities bleeding into our waking hours. And what happened if these very real fears were experienced by witches and magicians? Odd Spirits is a charming novella. It's about working through our (supernatural) problems together.

Little cozy read about the daily life of occultists.

"Odd Spirits" follows the newlywed lives of Rhys and Moira. They have some issues, and they have trouble communicating them. I didn't understand how it could get to the point it did, but it was a raw relationship dynamic. Reading the novella convinced me to read "Evocations" to see more of the characters. What interested me the most was David's appearance! It's interesting to see how people can grow together.
Even though I received the e-ARC through NetGalley — for which I'm very grateful — the illustrations didn't go unnoticed by me. They were truly beautiful and fit the vibe of the story so well. I will be honest: What made me request this story was the title and a very nicely styled cover! I'm happy to see editions like this one.

Rating: 3.5

Just like in Evocation, I truly enjoying reading how these characters navigate relationships. It’s very raw and beautifully imperfect, and I feel like it just gives them all a very true sense of relatability. I like that they are so messy, it’s incredibly human. The prequel in itself is just fun, glorious chaos and mystery. I am truly so excited to see more of what this series has in store.

*also the art in this book is so stunning and loved the visual representation of some scenes from the story


Thanks again to NetGalley and Angry Robots for this arc.

I really enjoyed Evocation by Gibson so I was excited to be back in this world and also learn more about Rhys and Moira. I'm glad that I waited to read the edited and traditionally published version of this story because it sounds like Gibson was able to make a lot of revisions since it was previously published and I appreciated the changes. The plot of this novella mainly services character development of the two main characters who are both fascinating in their own right. Because I read Evocation first I probably have a more generous view on David who does show up in this book although in a more antagonistic role. I can't say that after finishing this novella that I think Moira and Rhys are the best and most communicative couple ever and it does sound like they got married rather rashly but I do understand them better. The story is a nice compliment to Evocation and that universe and I am excited to learn even more especially in the newly established relationship the characters find themselves in the universe.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet prequel novella to the story of Rhys and Moira. I loved how the haunting trope symboled the issues in their marriage that they would have to conquer together without cutting corners. Although I haven't read Evocation yet, the introduction to Rhys and Moira has me interested in continuing their story to see what other magic and spice they get into.

I haven’t read Evocation yet, I decided to do this first to see how it did as an actual prequel. It was very interesting seeing the two types of magic in one house, and the couple dealing with the spirit harassing them. I did feel like I was missing out a little on some backstory. From other reviews I have seen this is likely better read after Evocation, since this is a shorter work there isn’t much filling in of gaps. The art in this was also a nice touch.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars. I loved Evocation so so much but this was just erring on the side of too fluffy for me. It's a little slow because the focus is on the couples marriage problems as newlyweds rather than plot. Unfortunately, this made me dislike Moira a little at times because of how unnecessarily antagonistic she was towards David who was only doing them a favour (and obviously having loved Evocation from Davids POV, that made this a harder read).

Thanks so much to Angry Robot Books for the e-arc! Can't wait to read Ascension!

It was really well written, I love the writing style. I do kind of wish it had a clearer mark of which chapters are past and present. I enjoyed it, I didnt want to stop reading it. That said, Moira is genuinely awful, almost to a point of being abusive tbh. I haven’t read Evocation yet because I always prefer to read prequels first but I kind of don’t want to now. I like David but not enough to deal with more of Moira and Rhys.

I finished Odd Spirits at 1AM and I loved it! Even though I already own Evocation, I decided to read Odd Spirits first because I love a good prequel and this one did not disappoint. Moira and Rhys were honestly such a sweet couple and I appreciated the “real life struggles” they went through. I was also very intrigued by the types of magic described in the book and am eager to dive into the rest of the series to learn more! Lastly, I loved the inclusion of a POC as one of the main characters as I haven’t had a chance to read many books with a POC as a main character. Thank you to Angry Robot for gifting me this arc!

i guess i shouldn’t have expected much from a novella but it was nice to see the origins of Rhys and Moira’s relationship. they’re so sweet and considerate of how the other feels and this showed that it took them a bit to get to where they’re at now. i’ve come to realize that i prefer the relationship when David is included and even though he was in this, it just wasn’t the same. i loved the illustrations added throughout the book cause they were absolutely gorgeous. i’m glad i read this cause it provided more context to the characters and their dynamics but it didn’t do much for me. i’m still highly anticipating the 2nd book Ascension cause Evocation will always remain a favorite book of mine regardless!

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC

Odd Spirits is the prequel novella to one of my favorite reads so far this year, Evocation, and it didn’t disappoint! We get to follow Rhys and Moira while they go through some issues early on in their marriage as a malevolent entity wreaks havoc on their home. It was a bit heartbreaking to see Rhys and Moira at odds but it makes their relationship in Evocation make so much sense. We also get to see their absolutely adorable meet-cute which just makes you root for them more.

While I loved the action and different magic styles, the character development is the real star. Rhys and Moira being vulnerable and working on their insecurities to build a healthy relationship was expertly done. This novella solidifies Moira as my favorite character and makes me really excited for the rest of the series and book 3 (Moira’s book) in particular.

Odd Spirits is a thoughtful and emotional story that stands on its own but also sets up the rest of the series beautifully. As a lot of novellas do, it does leave you wanting more but I’ll always want more of these characters! Thankfully, Evocation is already out and we have three more books coming in the future.

More like 3.75/5 stars.

Generally, I am not the biggest fan of novellas because you can rarely write a compelling story in so little pages but I did have a fun time reading this.
Since I read this after Evocation I already knew I loved the characters so that was a huge plus although they did infuriate me quite a bit.
I didn’t like how Rhys and Moira did not properly communicate for most of the novella and actually thought David was the most reasonable and least infuriating character during their scene together.
What I did like were the short snippets of Rhys and Moira meeting and getting to know each other as well as the writing which I already knew I loved.
Overall, I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a must read but it’s enjoyable enough and I liked getting some more content set in this series to tide me over to the next instalment.

★ ★ 2 stars

After just reading Evocation, I found it easier to jump into Odd Spirits. However, I just don’t believe this series is for me.

This prequel to Evocation follows Rhys and Moira, and the unspoken event that caused Rhys to cut David out of his life.

₊˚🕯️♱‧₊˚. ₊˚🕯️♱‧₊˚.

Honestly, I found this really frustrating. This story is solely focused on Moira and Rhys in their early days of marriage, and their having issues unknowingly creates a tulpa (negative energy in the home). This tulpa wreaks havoc in their home, causing even more strife between the couple. They ask David to come help, and when he tries to help and identifies what it is, Rhys and Moira completely shut him out because they’re embarrassed by what he’s saying (that they’re having marital problems).

I don’t understand what David did wrong, and honestly I think it’s completely childish what they did to David. For them to have shut him out for so long after this (and a decent bit of the way through Evocation), I think it’s absolutely ridiculous. This book solidified my not continuing with this series.

I think if you really enjoyed Evocation, you should pick this up to get more insight on Rhys and Moira.

₊˚🕯️♱‧₊˚. ₊˚🕯️♱‧₊˚.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this arc!