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!

This book came as a fresh breath of air. I haven't read anything like this before and devoured this book like a hungry reader. The setting, the characters arcs, all profound and lovely. Talking about the writing, I enjoyed the writing style as well as the quality. The narration flows smoothly. The book although short, created lasting impression on me.

Odd Spirits is the prequel to S. T. Gibson’s Evocation and book 0.5 in The Summoner’s Circle Series. With just about 200 pages, it is a great, short read for Autumn and a good way to learn more about Rhys and Moira’s past. With secret societies, magic, tarot and romance, it is full of fun.

First of all, let me just say that the cover design and illustrations for this series are beautiful. There is so much detail and all of the symbols and gilded images make the book seem like a forbidden magic grimoire. In this case, you really should judge a book by its cover because it seems to perfectly convey the atmosphere of the book.

Now onto the actual book itself. I’ve really been a fan of novellas recently and I think that they really suit the gothic/fantasy genres. I read Graveyard Shift (M. L. Rio’s new book) in a day and got completely sucked into the world in a few short chapters, the same goes for books like What Makes the Dead Move by T. Kingfisher and The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey. This short format leaves some questions unanswered, but that often makes spooky books more interesting. So, I was happy to see that S. T. Gibson was writing a novella set in the eerily magical world of Evocation. Her writing style, which is descriptive but not overly lyrical, works well in this book. She clearly sets up the world and atmosphere without losing track of the overarching narrative. Although, I will warn you that the plot isn’t very intricate. We follow Rhys and Moira as they go about their everyday lives and try to solve the mystery of what is going on in their house. There are strange happenings, but mostly we learn more about the characters and their relationships.

There isn’t an awful lot of substance to the book so I think you would be disappointed if you started reading expecting something like A Dowry of Blood or An Education in Malice. But if you just want a short, witchy story to read in October, I think that you’ll really enjoy this.

This was a very quick read. I loved the story and the inclusion of both sides of the spirtual coin. Even it being 100 pages I had a great understanding of who Moira and Rhys is. The flashback had great meaning and only pushed the theme of isolation and acceptance more. This book could have been 1000 pages and I still would have devoured it.

A wonderful addition to The Summoners Series! I really enjoyed reading about Moira and Rhys relationship before everything that occurs in Evocation. Amazing characterization. I love everything that ST Gibson writes!

Hmmm. I really don’t think this book in particular added anything to the overall series or the characters in it,
Rhys came out as a meek character who didn’t really like his wife, and Moira was just awful, she comes across as a hateful bratty mean girl.

Following Rhys and Moria as they navigate their newlyweds' life, 𝑂𝑑𝑑 𝑆𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑠 is the perfect novella to get into the Samhain/Halloween spirit. It might be a very short book, but it has got it all: anxious mage and lively witch, marriage trouble, haunted house, dark academia x whimsical cottagecore vibes. And, it feels like it was written for hurt/comfort fics lovers, which makes it even better!
I'm now more excited than ever to get into the rest of the Summoner's Circle books (especially with their shiny new covers!)

Thank you to @angryrobotbooks and @netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of this little gem!

Odd Spirits by S.T. Gibson 👻

I enjoyed this story! This is a prequel novella to Evocation. I loved learning about Rhys and Moira’s relationship before the full story! I truly think if I had read this before Evocation that’s I would have enjoyed that story even more. This book featured more spirits and haunted house vibes than I felt like Evocation did.

If you like spirits and haunted houses this book of for you.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC! 💕

A wonderful, magical prequel novella from ST Gibson! I loved Evocation so I knew I would enjoy this one. Mora and Rhys are great and it was so interesting getting to see so much more of their life.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for providing me with an e-arc.

3.25⭐️ This was an ok read. 

I’m not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope in an already-formed couple. It gets me mad more than anything else and I don’t really see the point of it most of the time, and in this case, it was the whole plot of the book. 

Because I received an ARC of this book, I ended up not DNFing it and I’m glad I did because the ending made it better, but overall the story was bland and lacking something for me.

Thank you Angry Robot Books and S.T. Gibson for the ARC!

As a prequel novella to The Summoner's Circle series, Odd Spirits had all the potential to be a fascinating glimpse into Rhys and Moira’s relationship, a modern ceremonial magician and a tarot witch, as they confront a malevolent entity haunting their home. The premise of two magical partners with contrasting practices coming together to battle dark forces is intriguing, especially with the added complications of a psychic ex and a secret society.

However, as much as I love S.T. Gibson’s work and thoroughly enjoyed Evocation, this novella was a disappointment for me. My biggest gripe? The miscommunication trope, which isn't even accurately described as such here. The real issue was the complete lack of communication between Rhys and Moira. They barely spoke about their issues, and this total communication breakdown made it impossible to root for their relationship. It was frustrating, and it overshadowed any of the plot points or character development that could have made this novella compelling.

Unfortunately, this also tainted my affection for the characters I’d grown to like in Evocation. Both Rhys and Moira came off as unlikable in Odd Spirits, and it was hard to feel invested in their struggles when the bulk of their problems stemmed from an unwillingness to even talk to each other.

While I will still continue to follow Gibson’s work, as I’m a big fan of her writing style and her unique storytelling, Odd Spirits wasn’t for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

"Come here. Speak through me; let me advocate for you. Tell us what you want."

S.T. Gibson's novella gives us more insight into the characters we meet in Evocation. Rhys and Moira are deeply commited to each other. They are doing everything they can to make things work however a marriage between a witch and a magician isn't smooth sailing. A malevolent entity has taken up residence in their home, it is testing their love and pushing them beyond their limits. The solution? with help from an ex who is a psychic can these two overcome this huge hiccup in their lives together.

For readers who read Evocation and need another fix this novella will definitely provide that. It takes us back to when Rhys and Moira met and reveals some further secrets that have to surface in order to expel the evil that refuses to leave their home.

It was interesting to see how these unique characters came to cross paths. We know from the previous book however this touches on those initial unanswered questions while solving the dark case.

I liked that for how short this was it still packed in lots of magic and mystery with drama too. This edition does include some beautiful illustrations.