I have read all of Cat Winters books and I have to say this one ranks up there with A Steep and Thorny Way (which was my favorite book of hers to date).  I enjoyed this so much more than her previous book, Yesternight.  

I really enjoyed this Cat Winters book about two monster hunting sisters.  It's an interesting story that is as much about the hardships of growing up, as it is about hunting down a monster.   I enjoyed the idea of these monster themed stories driving a lot of the characters' lives.

This was a unique read in an interesting setting.  I loved the close relationship between the two main sisters, Od and Tru.  Despite all of the chaos (or maybe because of) they support and help each other in a way that is admirable and sweet.

The story ends in an excellent place and I absolutely loved it.  I would love to read more about Od and Tru.  The story ends up having more of a magical realism tone to it than paranormal or urban fantasy.  By the end you are not really sure what is real and what is not.

Overall this was an excellent story about hardships, growing up, monsters, and myths.  I would recommend to those who enjoy paranormal stories set in the 1920's (or thereabouts in this time period).  I can’t wait to see what Winters comes up with next!

The alternating perspectives and careful unfolding of the story captures the readers attention and carries them along. Winters does a wonderful job of establishing each sister's personality and showing how they came to be who they are. This is perfect for readers who enjoy realistic fiction with a touch of fantasy thrown in.

This is not the book I was expecting.
Anyone picking this book up for the same reasons I did is going to be a little disappointed.
The ending is not disappointing however, it’s actually very happy and I loved it!

This book is told from two points of view, one is Od’s – the past and the other is Tru’s – the present. The epilogue is from a third POV however and I can’t tell you whose because spoilers. This isn’t too distracting, but Od’s chapters aren’t all the same year so it’s helpful to pay attention to the dates at the top. I also recommend keeping a few bookmarks or bits of paper nearby so that you can mark things you think may be important later because I didn’t and then couldn’t flick back when I realised things which was a little frustrating. It’s not a complex plot but I did find myself often wishing I could go back and re-read or check something – I didn’t highlight anything on my kindle app because I was feeling lazy/didn’t think I’d need to.

I liked both Tru and Od. I felt sorry for them too and I loved that Tru was ‘disabled’ and adventuring. I found myself wishing that she wasn’t suite so disabled though. This was usually at times of high tension when I wanted her to be able to run away and stay safe! Hers was a happier storyline but I have hope for Od’s!!
I also loved uncle Magnus too, though we mostly see him through the eyes of a child and so some of his mysteries are never explained.
I did NOT however, like the aunt AT ALL! She had the worst parenting skills EVER!
“I want you to avoid something but I’m totally not telling you what it is, JUST DON’T YOU DARE DO IT!!!” Gee, thanks auntie.

These girls were amazing despite everything. Once Od convinced Tru to join her they certainly made far more headway than all the others clomping around being scared and shooting at shadows.

This book contained some hidden secrets and a bit of a twisty ending. I was holding out for one way, then we were going the other, except we weren’t…
I didn’t want the book to be any longer but I’d have liked some more information on some of the characters and situations, especially as this was a standalone novel! I really loved the epilogue! It hardly gave us anything, but it also gave us everything. I can imagine them getting a visit one day, out of the Blue and I’m so excited for them.

I’d really love to explore this world further, have more of an explanation and meet a new generation of hunters.

Mini review:

DNF 

I received this E-ARC via the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I had been seeing this book everywhere. I decided to request it. Unfortunately it wasn't for me. 

In the beginning I liked it. The story was interesting and it kept me engaged. But then it went downhill. I didn't particularly care about anything afterwards. 

As this was a personal thing I still recommend.

Mysterious with a hint of creepiness.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

"Tru, We're lionhearted. Both of us." 

This book clearly has all kinds of magic in it. It's about a young girl named Odette who somehow was forced to leave their home and soon forbidden to see her younger sister Trudchen. Following in the footsteps of their mother, aunt, and uncle's footsteps into seeking out and destroying monsters that go bump in the night. It's about facing different kinds of demons and proving the importance of family. That standing beside your family is always best and would conquer all evil. Up until the last page of the book these girls have proven themselves to be brave and marvelous.

We believe in what we believe in, because it's only when we believe to these things come to life.

This book is for people who are lost or have experienced so many wrong turns in life and are seeking or have found light and strength again. They do journey to different places, run around city streets and drink lots and lots of tea.

I have it three stars because I really did expect a lot of action, blood splashing, and etc. with this book but what I got was drama. Despite disappointing m expectations I enjoyed it rather well. From a point of view from one's past and the point of view of the other's present. They collide in the end to form one true message. (You have to read the book if you want to know that message or you can read below, but I warn you it's filled with spoilers.) 
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SPOILER ALERT

"Danger still sniffs you out, even when you're hiding--even when you don't know it's coming for you." 

I expected lots of magic from this book, and from the very beginning I believed Od's stories about monsters and creatures that take children in the night. 

All throughout the story I see Odette as a young girl creating stories out of downcast circumstances in her life and making herself believe those stories are true as a way of coping from her loss and missteps. I find this story as really about Odette and her sister Trudchen as a secondary character. I do feel sorry for her to witness such tragedy at a young age where she realizes her father has another family. Telling her he can't go with her because this is his real family.

I wondered if that made Mama, Tru, and me his phantom family. 

All the beauty and goodness of my childhood shattered across the ground, too broken to ever be mended. 

A child shouldn't have to see that, but Uncle Magnus thought Od had to. Maybe it wasn't right, but we can never question the ways of the world. That moment might have been part of the strength that Od used to keep going in life and to keep loving the people around her.

"The darkness will be coming for you, but you can't let it win. You musn't let it turn you into either a victim or a villain. You must always be the hero--always!" 

In other words, we must always stand up to our demons and never let anything thrown at us get us down. I interpret this entire book as a way of finding one's self again and regaining strength from family. 

"Even when you're being attacked, or ridiculed, or thrown out on your own with no one else in the world to help you, you need to rise up from the pain and transform into a victor, no matter how much of a struggle it is, no matter how much it hurts. Always be the victor. 

Despite the truth being revealed that they had no blood trace of power within them, they created their own power and killed the beast themselves no matter what people think and no matter how much they refuse to believe them. All that mattered to them was the believed it and they had each other.

*3.75 stars*
Another solid book from an author whose now an "auto read" author for me. Mini review to come September 4, 2017. Link will be updated here once the post is live.

This book was not at all what I expected, but I was actually pretty happy about that. The cover screams "badass girls with pickaxes cutting heads off monsters all night long" so if you're hoping for that, you'll probably be disappointed. But if you like historical fiction, character driven stories, and complex family dynamics, along with slight supernatural elements, you'll be as pleased with this one as I was. I kind of like that the cover and the blurb trick you a bit into thinking you're getting something different, and it's refreshing to read a YA novel that isn't just kids killing each other.

I love that the story is told from the points of view of both sisters, alternating between the past and the present, and then coming together at the end. The story deals with some very dark themes in a sensitive way, and I felt that each element of the story worked and made sense in the broader context of the time period the book was set in. There were certainly parts that were a bit slow, and the story did drag a bit, but overall, if you can get past the slow parts, it's all worth it in the end.

Definitely recommend!

What a delightful little book this turned out to be. I thought going into this one that I was going to get something along the lines of the TV show Supernatural just with two sisters that chase monsters. What I ended up getting was very different than that and in my opinion so much better. 

This was a book about sisters who would do anything for each other. About the twists and turns their lives took. About one sister who spun these fantastical tales and about another sister who despite being disabled isn't afraid to forge her own path forward. The sister bond in this book was one of the best I have read to date. Told in dual POVs that jumps back and forth in time (usually, something that I find off-putting but worked incredibly well in this book) this story kept me captivated from page one. It was fantastically well written and paced. It was magical and heartbreaking. The characters were engaging and well developed. I love the folklore the authors weave into the plot as well.

Not much more to say about this one. I loved it, and if you are looking for a beautiful, unique, and magical book with strong females characters, then this one should be added to your list ASAP. Two HUGE thumbs up from yours truly.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one quite as much as I did.
But it was actually quite wonderful!

It's about family bonds , myths & legends, the everyday struggles of life, and magic.

The story follows two very close sisters and each chapter alternates between each of their points of view. 
The chapters by Tru happen in the present and take us on an adventure across America where we'll face dangers, hunt monsters, and uncover family secrets.
Od's chapters tell us about the past; how the two sisters grew up, the real truth about their family history and what happened to Od when she was sent away from home and her sister.

I was expecting more magic, myths and monsters in this book if I'm honest, but I'm actually not mad about how it turned out.
There was just enough enchantment, folklore and mythical creatures to keep me interested, but the story was mainly about family, the love the two sisters share, overcoming adversity and being brave enough to carry on when life throws you a curve ball.
I really enjoyed learning about the girls' family history and the truth behind Od's tall tales.

I loved both of the sisters fiercely! 
They were both so vastly different from each other, but equally strong and brave in their own way.
Tru suffered from Polio as a child and, as a result, one of her legs has withered and is unusable. She gets around with the help of a cane or wheelchair, but doesn't let this stop her from living her life and having adventures! She is delicate, quiet, smart, strong and brave.
Od, on the other hand, is a bit of a wild-child. She loves adventures, stomping around the woods following monster tracks, and looking after her sister. She suffers through quite a lot as she grows up, but her vivid imagination and thirst for magic always stays strong.

It's a fantastical adventure into dark family secrets, impossible stories and the unbreakable bond between sisters.
And could the magic be real after all?!

I've always loved Winter's stories. The pure imagination that goes behind them as she merges both a historical feel and a paranormal element to every tale she weaves. Her latest, True and Odd Tales has to be one of my favorites yet.

Told in both Tru and Od's point of view as it weaves both through the past and present tenses, this story magical unfolds as each girl comes to find out not only about herself and their family secrets but about their past as well and what it means to be a Lowenherz  and the legacy that was left for them. 

I love that this story isn't just about hunting monsters, in fact it isn't really about that at all. In truth it is a story about growing up and dealing with the situation and circumstances that both Tru and Od have to go through as they get older, grow up and really learn about their family secrets. It's about Tru dealing with being crippled by Polio and Od's adventures, heartache, and having to deal with being the older sister and everything that comes with a family that isn't all that it seems and has secrets not only from the girls, but from each other as well. 

This was a fabulous coming of age story rip with intrigue and mystery and just enough of a touch of the maybe paranormal to get fans of both genres interested and curious and eagerly turning the pages.

Odd & True is a mysterious journey. It's a story told in two parts by two voices, a story about family, about journeys, about truths and lies and secrets. About monsters, those fantastical and those hidden in our own past.

Trudchen is a little lonely, a little lost. Left behind by her father, mother, and later her sister, she's had to become practical. After the polio that almost took her leg, she's had a hard life. Struggling to get around, struggling to be seen as anything other than crippled. But now Odette's returned, ready and eager to whisk Tru off on a dangerous mission, to continue keeping people safe from monsters and demons. But it's hard for Tru to trust her sister, now that she's older and finds it hard to still believe in such stories. Od's voice is like a voice from the past, a voice who has seen, has suffered, and now knows what to do. She's the keeper of secrets and truths, the holder of knowledge, and at times it seems odd that there's only so much she'll share with her sister.

This is a curious tale, one I expected to be full of monsters and rescues, demons and creatures that lurk in the shadows, and two sisters continuing a family tradition. In some ways, that's what it is, and in some ways it isn't. It seems to be about people, their memories and their secrets, their lives and their journeys. It's about the things we hide and run from, the things we run towards, and the things we do in order to save others. I imagine fans of the author's previous books, historical tales with a dash of the ghostly and the impossible, will enjoy this, as might fans of historical stories and complicated but well-meaning sister relationships.

I was very excited to see a new book by Cat Winters available on Net Galley as I really enjoyed In the Shadow of Blackbirds that I read during the Big Library Read. Cat again takes us on a historical and supernatural journey with the tale of two sisters who just might be a bit more than they realize.  My first thought was that this seemed like a turn of the century Supernatural tale only with sisters instead of brothers, which was ultra appealing!  

Of necessity this review may be a bit spoilery, so if you don't want to know more, just know that I enjoyed this tale, and recommend it if you are interested in mystery, sister relationships, past events shaping personalities, and that wonder of supernatural things that might be real, even though you think maybe not, but then maybe, but you're not sure.

Od and Tru are sisters, that for reasons we aren't sure of yet, live with their aunt on her farm.  It opens with Tru imploring Od to tell her a favorite tale, which Od obliges.  This tale is a special one that Od has crafted with love for her little sister, to give her a life full of magic and mystery, to spare her the hard life truths that she's already experienced, and that are still to come.  As the girls get older, Od continues to hold to these myth's of their family, that their mother was a monster hunter, that each family member has different powers, that they are special, and have a duty.  Even through leaving home for a few years and coming back one night to get Tru to leave the farm with her, she clings to these ideas, to the point where Tru is beginning to believe that her sister has gone crazy.

A last second leap of faith leads Tru to run away with Od for an adventure, though she's still not entirely sure of her sister's sanity.  Tru has seen some signs of her own that give her that push she needs, and away they go on a train to they aren't immediately sure where, following their childhood dream of monster hunting.

The chapters alternate between Tru's current telling of events, and Od's recounting of their lives to that point, so we slowly find out the truths and the disappointments that have made Od into who she is.  She's far from crazy, but she is brave, and loving and determined.

This story is very much a study of personality and being shaped by your past, also by what you are told at a young age, and what you are not.  Od and Tru were at once too sheltered, but also neglected in important ways by the adults in their lives.  Tru, kept in a childlike role from her illness and not allowed to make that move into adulthood, and Od being thrown into adulthood without being prepared and then punished for the mistakes that resulted.  Through it all, their love as sisters remained a mainstay for them.

This is a story with so much heart, with an interesting historical backdrop, and that keeps teasing you along, never quite giving you that final answer, is it real, or not?  Cat Winters has definitely shot up on my list of authors to keep track of, and I look forward to catching up on her previous books as well.

This is an odd story of two sisters named Od (Odette) and Tru (Trudchen). They grew up collecting stories of monsters and believing they came from a long line of Protectors who fought supernatural beings and saved their communities. They are raised by their aunt and have very little to no contact with their mother, father and uncle. Tru suffered from polio when she was two years old and as a result one leg is shorter than the other. She has to rely on braces, a cane and a wheelchair to get around. This does not stop her from doing things however. Od left home when she was 15 and has been gone for a couple of years, exiled for an unknown reason. On Tru's 15th birthday, Od returns from exile to take Tru on an adventure. They are off to fight monsters and find their mother. They journey from Oregon to Philadelphia. 

The story is told through alternating chapters. Tru narrates the present adventure and Od tells the story of the past. I personally enjoyed Od's story a lot more than Tru's. While I did appreciate the fact that Tru is disabled, but still very capable, her story was a bit boring. It was basically the sisters traveling across the country and trying to get to know each other again. Tru seemed really naive to me and a bit gullible. Od however spoke truth and revealed secrets in her telling. Her story was much more compelling and made you question the validity of the current day story. I couldn't wait for each new secret truth to come out in her chapters. By the end one is left wondering what the truth is. 

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher.

Put down for the moment. But, I know it's a book I'll love when I am able to commit to it. Amazing girl power themes and reminds me of Stalking Jack the Ripper.

When I asked for this book I had high hopes. I just loved the synopsis and I was dying to read it! This book was absolutely fantastic. It gripped me right from the start and I just wanted to know more about Od and Tru (Isn’t it so clever how the book was named?!) and all their fantastic tales!

The characters in this book were amazing. Trudchen and Odette are sisters and they have a very strong and beautiful bond. I was fascinated with Odette and her way to see the world. True was a very strong and interesting character as well. They are very different from each other and their lives have also been very different, but they love each other and they would do anything, literally anything for each other! I loved it!

The book is divided in different POVs and jumps in time a lot, but it’s very easy to keep pace with it and although it’s slightly slow in the beginning, it gets so fascinating and gripping! Basically, since children, Od always told amazing and fantastic tales about monsters, magical creatures and how their mom hunted them, to Tru. She believed that they were destined to do the same one day. There was a time when both believed it. But things are not the same anymore, especially when Od goes away.

Until one day, she comes back and pushes True into an adventure. It’s believed that there’s a monster prowling around a city and they are supposed to fight it and protect the city from harm.

I loved how they united each other to do that, how their relationship although changed with time, was still as strong as when they were little and how much I got to know about the characters. They were incredibly well described and it made the book really emotional and somewhat heavy and deep.

This book is more about inner demons than real ones. It’s about family, relationships, and loss. It has a lot of mystery in it that it’s done in a totally different way from what I’m used to, and I absolutely loved that! Especially how the Leeds Devil was incorporated for the historical fiction aspect.

The writing was also really different and captivating and I am definitely going to try more books from the author – I’m especially interested in In the Shadow of Blackbirds.

I have so much more to say about this book! But for now, these are the main things. I loved it and although this is not the type of books I normally go for, this is for sure a book that I will not forget easily.

This was simply wonderful and incredibly unique! And that end… it was everything I needed from a book! It just took my breath away! I loved this and I would definitely recommend it if you like historical fiction with supernatural in it.

Clearly I’m in the minority, but I didn’t love this. It’s a well written story that’s highly character driven. It wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought it would have a stronger fantasy element to it and a bit more action. The magic was so slight I wouldn’t even call it paranormal. Most of the book was spent revealing whether Od knows magic is real or is delusional and thinks it’s real.

It alternated between Od and Tru’s POV. Although they were sisters there was a lot Tru didn’t know about her family. Tru’s POV was necessary but very boring. Practicality does not make an exciting character trait in a main character. The problem with Tru was that I didn’t care about her one way or the other. Od’s POV was better. What she experienced in life was difficult. It was the magical element she brought to everything that annoyed me, and yes I know that is the point of the book. It was clear early on about what was really going on with Od.

Most of the side characters weren’t interesting. I liked Uncle Magnus. He was the only side character who really seemed to care about Od and Tru. In the end he disappointed me a little. I flat out didn’t like any of the other characters. They were self absorbed or more concerned with propriety than being descent people.
I liked this book enough that I wouldn’t mind reading another book by Cat Winters. I’ve had some on my TBR list for a while. This story isn’t something that will stick with me for a while. Honestly it’s surprising I even bothered to finish it. To be fair I’ve been in a book funk and have had a hard time getting into almost any book.

Bittersweet and captivating, <i>Odd & True</i> was a wonderful story about stories and sisters. It's definitely more of a slow burn of a book, so if you're looking for an action-packed adventure I wouldn't recommend this, but it does have some mystery to it, as you're wondering what's real and what isn't along with Tru. At its core it's about family - particularly sisters - and dealing with tough situations. As I was reading, I was a little surprised by how sad this book made me - not in an Adam Silvera, I'm going to tear my heart out, kind of sad, but a bittersweet sad, as I wanted these sisters to have everything they wanted (which was mostly to be together and to go on adventures). I highly recommend this for fans of Winters' previous books, as well as anyone who likes their historical fiction to be character driven with a bit of the supernatural.

Odd and True is brilliantly written! I was kept on the edge of my seat always wondering what was going to happen next, if the monsters were real or not. This story gave me the whole “what is hiding around the next corner” feeling. It was tantalizing to my spidey senses. When I chose to read this book, it was because I really wanted a fast and furious monster hunt with maybe even a little gore. That is not what this story was about and I will admit I was disappointed. What this story really is about is the bond between two sisters, their love for each other and what family really means.

As children, some of us are told fairy tales and clinging to those ideas of magic and mystery as a child is wondrous. As we grow though, we realize that life is not made up of fairy tales and monster hunts, that is of course unless you are Odette and Trudchen Grey. They grew up their whole childhood being told they descended from monster hunters. They believed that their mother and her siblings were great monster hunters and that their legacy was to continue hunting those very same monsters. I thoroughly enjoyed all the ways the sisters would try and stave off the monsters they knew trying to get to them.

When Od & Tru were little, the sisters would go around collecting tales of monsters that terrorized their local neighbors. Writing down the tales and illustrating them was how the girls were planning on identifying the monsters that they would someday slay. I loved reading about how the girls spent their time together planning how they would have grand adventures where they would help those in need. They spent every day together until for reasons unexplained to Tru, Od was sent away by their Aunt Vik. Without her sister’s unfailing faith, Tru slowly began to question if everything that they had been told was true.

After she left, Od would write letters to Tru detailing her adventures but Tru always felt that something was missing. It was not until Tru’s fifteenth birthday that Od came back to see her by way of Tru’s window. Od had returned to get Tru so that they could go off on a grand adventure, together, as it should be. The adventure that they embarked on was something wondrous and miraculous but at the same time misconceptions were revealed and neither girl would ever be the same.

Although this story was not what I desired I appreciated it all the same. The relationship between Od and Tru was funny, endearing, and frustrating. I felt that the writing was captivating and creative. I was brought into the world of Od & Tru and it was a place of wonder where the lines between reality and fantasy blurred. There was heartbreak, monster hunts, and this story is character driven. The pacing can slow down at times but when you finish this story you will find that it was not what you thought it was going to be but that it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.

*Thank you to NetGalley & Abrams Kids for this eARC of Odd & True*

This review is based on a complimentary book I received from NetGalley. It is an honest and voluntary review. The complimentary receipt of it in no way affected my review or rating.

This book ended up being different than what I expected. I though it would be creepier and full of monsters, but in actuality it's was a novel about the bonds of sisterhood. That being said, the book was good. I think the characters were genuine and strong. I enjoyed the relationship between the sisters and the storytelling was good. On the downside, I wish there was a bit more action.

Odd & True is told in parallel “modern” (the main storyline is set in 1909) and past accounts. The modern is told from younger sister Odette’s POV, while the past is from Trudchen’s. Cool, we get some history and get to find out how it is they come up against the Leed’s Devil (you may know it by it’s more popular moniker, the Jersey Devil), right? I mean, that cool cover has to come into play at some point, right? Well…yes and no. Yes, in the sense that we do inevitably have the MCs facing off with something, but it takes 
way
too long to get to this point.

The idea of two young sisters living in the 1900’s, a time when females were considered – as well as treated as – the fairer sex, wanting to together go and fight monsters, was really a cool one. I had pictured in my own mind the different “monsters” or basically anything supernatural really, they could possibly battle before the Leed’s Devil case, but no, we get a lot of journeying to, and back-story. Oh my God! the back-stories really bored me to death! I feel like we could have been told, in lesser words, the sister’s history. Sure, a lot of what we’re told explains the sister’s current circumstances, but there was also a good amount that just seemed too…extra. Like I said, their history in lesser words, then we can be cool.

Moving on…

I liked the MCs well enough (yeah, even with my squabbling), and what’s always a plus for me, is that they weren’t annoying! Yay! I thought that it was really cool to see them in a field you just wouldn’t expect. At least, I haven’t read any books with characters like these, so I liked that about this one.

Finally, I haven’t seen any mentions of a sequel, and the epilogue seems to support that, but I feel like this book could really benefit from being a series, because there’s so many more monsters that could be highlighted in a book, and we can get to know the sisters more in “modern” times.

Really, though, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book, I did enjoy it for what it was, so that’s all I can say.