This was such an interesting and compelling look at the early stages of Rhys and Moira's relationship, I raced through it and loved every moment! It reads like a small but flavourful bite to keep the reader satisfied while they wait for more. I also adore all the illustrations throughout, it's such a nice touch and adds a lot of personality to this novella/series as a whole.

Since this was such a quick read I don't think I have any grand thoughts other than "that was exactly what I think it should have been" and I have no complaints! As always I adore Gibson's prose and storytelling techniques. This has me eager for the sequel to Evocation in the future!

'Odd Spirits' by S.T. Gibson is a prequel novella, set before their novel 'Evocation', featuring Rhys and Moira - a newlywed couple trying to deal with an angry spirit in their home while also dealing with their own anxieties, disagreements, and learning how to live together as a couple when they are polar opposites (both in personality and in their occult practices).

I haven't had a chance to read 'Evocation' (it's sitting in my bookcase at the moment), so I didn't have any prior dealings with these characters - but I loved them none the less; Moira's independence and folk-based craft, Rhys academic approach with summon rituals, and David being a sassy, dramatic B. The breakdown in communication between Rhys and Moira felt real and gut wrenching, and the bit reveal and resolution was so satisfying. It's made me even more keen to get into 'Evocation'.

I knew this novella was going to be short, but I’ve never flown through 115 pages so quickly!

Odd Spirits is the prequel novella to Evocation. While it doesn’t push the plot forward from Evocation, it gives a backstory to Rhys and Moira's relationship such as how they first met and the challenges in their marriage when a strange entity takes over their home. On their quest to reclaim their house, they turn to everyone’s favorite character, David! (NGL, they did David so dirty here when he was just trying to help, lol!)
I absolutely adored the writing style, the pacing, and the beautiful details like the endpapers and tarot card illustrations in every chapter.
Overall, this was a quick, fun read that added depth to the characters and makes re-reading Evocation even more fun the second time around. I highly recommend picking up Evocation if you enjoy stories filled with generational curses, supernatural forces, and secret organizations.

Thank you to Angry Robot Books for the E-ARC and the gorgeous finished copy!

What a perfect little companion piece to Evocation, getting to explore Rhys and Moira’s relationship while we wait for book 2. Very sweet and added depth to relationship while obviously not moving the major plot forward, exactly what a novella should do. The appetiser between courses.
I enjoyed it, still adore Moira and can’t wait for book 2.


Thank you netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review

While Evocation wasn't my favorite book by this author I really enjoyed this little novella. It was nice to read more about Rhys and Moira from when they first met and were married. Moira is still my favorite character by far.

Many thanks to Angry Robot Books for the gifted copy for my honest review!

I absolutely adore this series so seeing a bit more into Rhys and Morias relationship was really lovely to see! It helps develop more of an understanding on their marital issues which were touched briefly on in book 1.

Overall it was a sweet and quick read and really helped me understand the characters more before the events of book 1!

Cannot wait for book 2!!

This a sweet and creepy prequel novella to Evocation. It is not mind blowing but it offers a deeper look into the early days/struggles of Rhys and Moira’s marriage. As always S.T. Gibson writes amazing relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book. I'm not sure if can fairly rate this book because I think I have a problem with novellas. If they're good, I wish they were longer and if I don't like them, I wish there was more space in the book to flesh out the character development, plot, etc. I feel like this book suffered from the first problem. These characters were so great and I already loved them, so I felt myself wanting more throughout the book. I wanted more angst, more passion, and more pettiness and bickering with David. I feel like this book will definitely have a place in the series, and I'll probably include it in a re-read before the next book comes out. I just wish it had been about 100 pages longer. That being said, I love S.T. Gibson and will automatically read anything they write. I feel like her signature writing and style came through clearly in this book and I loved returning to this world and these characters (although I wanted more David). I loved the gothic spiritualism with religious undertones, the magic systems, and of course Rhys and Moira. I would recommend this book but maybe after Evocation so you actually get a good grounding in the world and magic and so a lot of the character motivations and actions make more sense.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

While Gibson's is an excellent writer , I have to finally admit that novellas just aren't for me. There just isn't enough story for me to dig into! I didn't find myself reaching to continue reading this book and felt no connection to the characters or their situation.

i really enjoyed this! it can be so difficult to adequately capture a marriage on the rocks, and even more difficult to have that couple meaningfully reconcile within a short number of pages, but this book does just that.

this was cute but i’m going to be honest it didn’t add anything and i wish it would have added some more actual background on david and rhys?? like it just felt a bit useless in terms of expanding the characters

This was such a fun little read. Evocation was one of my favorite reads earlier this year and I had a lovely time going back to Rhys and Moiras's life and how they came to be. This book shows that they weren't always as communicative or in a healthy relationship. Seeing their struggles and how they navigated them to get to where they are now was very refreshing. I did have a little bit of a hard time with Moira throughout this book and the biphobia presented. Other than that, I enjoyed being presented for tidbits of their everyday lives and seeing what they were dealing with everyday, from ghosts to The Society. The novella didn't do much for me, but I am still so excited for the second book after Evocation!

Overall, Gibson is a phenomenal writer and this book was a good read even if I didn't feel strongly about it.

📚 review 📚
odd spirits - st gibson

it’s official - the summoner’s circle by st gibson is my new favourite series. odd spirits is the prequel to evocation, the first book in the series which focuses on a casual bit of demonic possession and everyone’s favourite magical thruple. odd spirits focuses on rhys and moira in the early days of their marriage and though i don’t think it matters which order you read
books 0 and 1, i found odd spirits really enriched my experience of this world - obviously, i don’t want to give too much away so i’ll keep this short:
read this if you want beautiful writing, a power thruple, magic and not so secret societies.
both odd spirits and evocation are perfect for spooky season and both are out now, so grab your copies now!


thanks to @netgalley for the early copy.

This book was a delight to read!

I already loved Evocation and absolutely needed to read the prequel novella, Odd Spirits. And S. T. Gibson delivered again. I love the setting, I love the characters, I love all the different kinds of magic that are incorporated in the book. I really liked the flow and the pacing of the story and the back-and-forth between present and past events.

I know, basically no reader likes the miscommunication trope but in this case I didn't mind because I knew that it was necessary for the story to make sense and because it was just for the duration of a novella and not a 300+ page book.

The only thing I had trouble connecting to was the degree to which Moira (and to a degree Rhys) were angry at David for pointing out that the supernatural occurence in their house had been created by the (communication) problems in their marriage. Yes, I get that this is a senstivie and shameful topic and their dynamic was an important factor as well as the situation and tone but none of that was explicitly explained on-page. It's just what I gathered from the subtext of the rest of the book. I would have liked those aspects to be fleshed out a little more. Because in the end, David was absolutely correct and I somehow would have wanted Rhys and Moira to acknowledge that in a conversation with David but that neither happened in Odd Spirits nor in Evocation.

Overall though, I really enjoyed the novella and in no way do I think that it's a fault of the book that it got me thinking and reflecting on the story. Anybody who liked Evocation absolutely has to read Odd Spirits. I will definitely get myself a physical of the book.

This is a prequel novella to Evocation in which we follow Rhys and Moira dealing with their first disagreements as newlyweds and how they deal with everything they decide not to say to each other for fear of breaking what they have. It’s an entertaining short story that, although it doesn’t contribute anything new to the series, offers the reader the opportunity to glimpse the beginnings of their relationship, as well as why at the beginning of Evocation they don’t want to have contact with David (although now that I have read said event, it seems to me that the couple was quite unfair to the medium).

Odd Spirits by S.T. Gibson gave me the look into Moira, Rhys, and David’s past that Evocation left me craving. Thanks to Angry Robot and Netgalley, I was able to devour this novella.

PROS:
🪴Kitchen witchery
📖Scholarly wizards
🪴Midnight tarot
📖Crossroads dirt
🪴Salt and pepper protection circles

CONS:
📖Bottled up emotions coming out in unexpected ways
🪴Miscommunication
📖Moira’s abrasive personality can be a lot
🪴The complaints about David being rude to Moira seem more like the couple looking for an issue outside their own marriage when they are actually the problem.

🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮 out of five Crystal balls stashed in desk drawers

Chefs kiss!

I adored these two in Evocation and I was not disappointed by this novella. I really enjoy S T Gibson's writing, there hasn't been a book I have given less than 5 stars.

I'll be waiting of book 2 to come out now

S.T. Gibson is one of those ‘can do no wrong and I will not accept criticism of any kind’ kinds of authors for me. I was so excited to receive a copy of Odd Spirits in exchange for an honest review. Evocation continues to be one of my favorite new fantasy books, so I really loved getting a novella giving more depth to the beginnings of Moira and Rhy’s marriage. Honestly there were so many parallels to my own marriage that I felt a little under the microscope: just without the magic. Relationships are hard! The brief whirlwind scene with David was everything he is as a character : over the top, hilarious and tragic. I loved the sprinkling relationship foreshadowing and I cannot wait for Ascension.

A short and interesting story in the Evocation universe.

I loved Evocation and enjoyed this insight into what Rhys and Moira’s relationship looked like before that story, and how it began.

The plot was simple but engaging, and provided an interesting concept for the wider world.

I look forward to seeing how the story progresses in the next book!

This was such a perfect novella prequel for Evocation. I loved the early look into the relationship of the main couple, and the backstory of David and Rhys. I also loved the deeper dive into the magic system of this world. I need book 2 in this series ASAP.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!