This is technically a prequel to Evocation but I think it reads better after having read Evocation as you understand the characters better. It's a nice little pre-story for David and Moira and how they got together and the early days of their marriage. It's a very short story but a nice addition! Seeing the characters overcome some of their insecurities and flaws in this and learn how to communicate like adults was a good bonus (even if Moiras biphobia was extreme and hard to read at times). And I loved them explaining a bit more about their magic and occult practices and getting a deeper look into that. A nice wee bonus but honestly more of a bonus book/excerpt kind of feel than an actual book and not necessary for future books in the series I feel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for this ARC! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

I read Odd Spirits right after I finished Evocation. Both are character driven books. This novella is a nice addition where we can learn more about the characters that we came to know in Evocation. In Odd Spirits, the storytelling is done from Moira and Rhys's pov - past (how they met) and present (1 year after they got married hence pre Evocation). From the first reviews that I found, I learned that the original work (the one I just read is revised version then) had quite serious backlash regarding biphobia from Moira's pov towards Rhys. I can't comment on that, but I understand from the reviews why that would be triggering. If this is a revised version, I would love to have had more detailed insight into the characters. Why they did the things they did. Why they are the way they are. Even for a novella length.

As for me, I am still not really won over by Rhys and Moira's characters. There is just something that annoys me yet I can't pinpoint it. It felt silly to me how hostile they were towards David and the Society members. You needed help, you asked for help, you ARE receiving help mind you, yet you give them such a bad attitude. Are you for real? Also, there were subjects that should have been talked over as a couple BEFORE the marriage. Like please, communicate even about the simplest things. No one likes to be vulnerable but if you want to have a good relationship, you have to communicate.

As for David, he was my favorite in Evocation, so to see him here as 'his old self I guess' was entertaining enough. Alright, there is one more thing I want to add. I though that when Rhys said to Moira that he was the one to wish ill to *** was just... I wanted to face palm myself.

At the end of the day, Odd Spirits gives as a story about a messy relationship with fictional elements and beautiful illustrations.

I'm a big S.T. Gibson fan, newsletter and all. She's an autobuy author for me and I have loved everything I've read so far, which was why I was so excited for the chance to read Odd Spirits as an ARC. So thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity.

I really enjoyed Odd Spirits. I've rated it 3 stars because it didn't hit the same notes as Evocation did for me, but I think that is mainly because it's a smaller novella. I liked learning about the beginnings of Moira and Rhys' relationship, how they navigated this difficulties and David's role in this (chaos coordinator).

I truly admire the amount of research and hard work that has gone into this book in terms of information about the occult, spells, religious, tarot etc. I learned a lot myself and have found this a really interesting topic.

As always, it is fabulously written. I just didn't find it as captivating as I have with the other works. But again, I feel that this is because it's a back story rather than the full depths of a novel.

I enjoyed it and will purchase a physical copy to add to my S.T. Gibson collection 😊

I just realized I did not post my review yesterday! So sorry!

Oh my goodness! I absolutely loved this. While I knew the gist of what was happening because of reading Evocation, seeing Rhys and Moria go through this trial in their marriage with how loving they are with one another was such a wonderful deep dive into the relationship. You can really feel their connection. This was a fun, quick read. I am so ready to learn about more of these characters as this series continues. It’s been a while since I read Evocation, and I had really missed Rhys, Moria, and David. They really have worked into your heart.

This is just my opinion, but it reads really well after Evocation. Having the story of the characters in the full-length novel just gives it something extra because you already care about these characters and you already know where they’re going.

ST Gibson It’s just an automatic read for me at this point. Fantastic author.

Thank you so much to the author and NetGalley for giving me an eARC copy to read!

Phew. I feel like I just experienced every emotion under the sun 😂

This book was the definition of the miscommunication trope. Which I hate in books.

BUT HEAR ME OUT. Because this was perfect.

This book was a great example of the power of anxiety and panic. Neither Moria nor Rhys felt that they could say anything first, be the vulnerable one, show fear, show weakness, and this was a really great portrayal of that. It was about preconceived notions of what a man should be, how one should control their emotions, how to bottle everything up tight, and the consequences of your actions.

It was also about David

lmao

David was such a dick in this and I loved it.

I have read Evocation and while this is a prequel, I actually recommend you read it after Evocation! I feel like you’ll have a better understanding of the characters.

I also had quotes highlighted for this review but my kindle library seems to have deleted the book, so f you kindle, this is the second time you've deleted one of my books.

Thank you to Angry Robot and the author for providing me with an eARC and a gorgeous finished copy!

This was such a fun sweet quick novella, I loved seeing inside of their marriage and seeing them actually communicate

I love anything that S.T. Gibson writes and I was so excited to read a prequel novella for Evocation! Odd Spirits was a great look into the characters before the events of Evocation and helped me understand them more as characters. This is a quick read and feels like the perfect companion to the main story.

As it's a novella, Odd Spirits is easy to devour in one sitting and I relished spending more time with the characters of the Summoner's Circle series. I loved David, Rhys and Moira in Evocation, and it goes without saying that I couldn't resist additional insight into these characters. Odd Spirits was an intimate look at the early stages of Rhys and Moira's relationship and marriage. It shows two characters, whose magical styles are polar opposites, how they struggle, and how they choose to commit to each other again. It also provides insight into David and Moira's backstory.

Pick this series up if you love character driven stories, diverse characters, dark academia vibes and the occult. Evocation and Odd Spirits can be read in either order - and once you've read both, you can look forward to another three titles in the series, which have been announced! I'm here for it all!

A stunning re published novella, as a prequel to Evocation and the following series.
Was fantastic to see how the relationships started and learning more about Rhys and Moira backgrounds. Felt like ST Gibson introduction to the magic.
Love how she writes, the characters feel so real and gives us a look into the magic and occult life's context.
Attebded the author event this year and she took us through the next 4 books in the series, each one focused each of the characters, will but them all.
The special edition handbook of this novella is absolutely beautiful, great designing publisher Angry Robot.

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.