TW: parental death

Oddity is not only an apt title, but an apt description of this book. As I was listening to it, talking with a friend, I just kept describing it as odd. Our main character Clover is the daughter of doctor, in a land where the Louisiana Purchase failed. The nation, especially the south are really worried that Napoleon will send his troops over to conquer and take the land that that was up for sale. Napoleon is a constant fear in the back of most people’s minds.

The world is not as we pictured it. There are “oddities” in the world. These are everyday objects that have “power”. For example, the wine glass that is never empty, the ice hook that is always cold, the gun that never misses, and the doll that walks, talks, and creates havoc. This is just a sampling of oddities. There are also vermin – animal parts cobbled together and given new life. Clover’s dad has always warned his daughter to beware of oddities. They may seem great and interesting, but they can cause great damage. However, due to her father’s death, her place in the world, and her heritage, Clover cannot stay away. The “American” troops are on a hunt for an oddity that can stop Napolean, for they fear he has an oddity of his own that ensures he always has troops. so Clover, ever curious, and wanting to help people, is in the middle of it all.

I picked this book up because it was supposed to be a middle grade western. That might be a bit of a stretch. It does feel more western in the second half of the book as Clover heads west on the search for her mother and the oddity to end all oddities. This is historical magical realism that is done so well, the reader is just enveloped in the story and does not want to leave. Saying this book is odd, is a compliment. There is nothing else like it out there, it stands on its own two feet. While the book cover matches the story, I think the book cover is why this title is a sleeper. If it would have had a more modern cover, a cover like Rick Riordian Presents, or more colorful and comic like, I think this would fly off the shelf more. But give it a try. It is entirely worth it. This book was a lot of fun, had a lot of heart, and had an amazing concept. It will live in my mind, and be on my recommendation list for years to come.

Oddity is a story that jumps right in with action and never quits. We are introduced to a wide variety of characters, each with a unique flaw that influences the plot. Some characters overcome their flaws, others embrace them. The moral issues that the characters confront are more subtle than we often see in middle grade fiction. I might have liked to have explored the oddities themselves, their nature and source, a bit more but there's room for a sequel that could achieve this end. The story is exciting enough to keep us reading through to the end with enough thought and heart that it has the potential to spark conversation after reading.

I am sad I was unable to finish this one before the deadline. The story is extremely imaginative, especially for the time period in question. The narration work is strong and I look forward to more by Eli Brown in the future.

Good middle school read. Definitely would recommend to younger audiences that enjoy whimsical and historical reads

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Loved this book! Loved the characters, the fantasy world and just everything! Will reread.

I wish I knew this was set in the American West, as I tend not to like this type of setting. And sadly this one did not do it for me.

I loved the characters and the narrator, as I read dit in audiobook format, but the writing style and the setting felt a bit off for me which took away from the whole reading experience.

An enjoyable read but nothing more.

This book is marked as age 11 -14 year olds, but I really enjoyed listening too it! It is set in an alternate version of the 19th century. It features the main character of Clover Elkin, a thirteen year old girl who's rather has just been murdered. Clover risks everything to protect the one thing her father left behind...the oddity . This book takes us through the dangers of the war between USA and France , where Clover uncovers secrets from her past and her parents past.

This book is powerful , full of adventure and intruigue. The characters come alive through the novel with the help of the authors wonderful way with words, the book has depth too it that makes the reader get lost in it and want to keep on reading.

Throughout the novel it flows gracefully , it doesn't go off on a tangent and lose track of the storyline. I was luckily enough to have the audiobook and it flowed elegantly through the book, the narrator kept hold of your attention and kept you interested in it. I would personally recommend it for anyone aged teens upwards. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

DNF @ 42%
Oddity is such a cute book and I definitely know some friends who would love it, but it was not the case for me.

What I disliked about this book:

-it felt flat
-some characters were written to be “quirky” but in reality, they were just annoying
-nothing was happening but at the same time everything was happening
-i listened to the audiobook so perhaps if I read it physically I would've enjoyed it more?? I didn't really like the narrator

What I liked about this book:

-the side characters!!! they were really interesting
-the oddities!!!!! such an interesting concept that I would love to see done more
-the feeling that this book gave me(even though it didn't last for long), it's like a warm cup of tea on a rainy day

So, if you like:

-interesting characters with interesting personalities
-wonderful magic system
-cutesy middle grades

Then I recommend picking this book up!

*Many thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for providing me an arc of this book!*

DNFed at 76%
I just couldn't go anymore.

This is a cute book, but I have to stop fooling myself that I enjoy children's books anymore.
But that wasn't the main problem. The main problem was the narrator - (I don't know a proper English word for it but) an adult woman who is trying to sound like a little girl. I wanted to slap her until she stops speaking forever! Disgusting!
She can sing, I'll give her that, but she's overdoing it all too much!

As for the book, it is a cute story with adventure, magic, mysteries, hidden secrets and much, much more. I am sure that many kids could enjoy it.

I just couldn't go on. It is a wonder I went this far with Suzy Jackson's idiotic reading.

I was hoping to like this book but it all felt like it was trying to hard. The constant reminders that the characters were "quirky" did not help either. If I need to be told time and time again then the characters are not quirky. The same thing goes for the world and magic! The constant reminder that the oddities are rare seems to fall flat when the main character keeps finding them within the first little bit.
Overall this just did not work for me. It was boring and repetitive. This may be the book for some people but its just not for me.

Thanks #netgallery. I loved this bokm. So fun and unusual. Great story for adults and young readers.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
This book was, well odd, but in a beautiful way. Clover's story unfolded in a really organic and interesting way. It's rare that the main character is as clueless about their own story as the reader and It was great to go on that journey together.
The world building of a place that holds oddities was really well done, but some of the other "historical" points could have been further developed.
I thought the duality concept was excellent. That an oddity isn't innately good or evil it depends on who and how it is used.
The audiobook version was well read and we'll edited, serving to enhance the story.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advance readers copy.

Clovers world is turned upside down when thugs come for his father. They are the brink of war with the Indians and French, Clover knows something is going to happen but her father taught her to focus on the patient in front of her. Now she has no living patient, but a mission that she promised to her father, keep his medical bag and the oddity inside of it safe. She is bound and determined to keep her last promise to him before his death. Clover is now flung into an adventure that she never thought imaginable. With the help of her odd friends that she finds along the way, she has another mission: Stop the impending war that is looming.

I’ve seen some reviews that refer to this book as “middle school” reading level. Mostly I would agree with that. There are some hard to understand world building, but nothing too difficult. There are some magically parts to his book, but it does seem like it was spun to be more towards children. An example of this would be one of the top war sergeants being a chicken (which I LOVED btw). There is no romance in this book, which honestly was a refreshing take. I really liked the character of Clover and her determined self. I think the story was beautifully written and she learns a lot about herself along the way.

I really don’t have anything negative to say about this book. I thought I was a great read, and I would highly recommend it to someone who is just getting into the fancy world. It was a mix of fantasy and history (which I loved) so if you wanted to dive into a deep new world – this is not your book. It is based in the US, but the Indians are still standing in their tribes (WAHOOOOO!!) and the French have invaded. I really liked this alternative reality to our past and the twist of magic that this book held as well.

Downloaded audio book and then saw the books has illustrations. Didn’t want to listen without seeing the illustrations.

DNF

Interesting and well developed, likeable characters. Strong female lead. Sometimes it rambles a bit, but very enjoyable read

DNF @ 27%

I listened to audiobook for this book and as much as I enjoyed the audiobook production and the narrator's voice (Suzy Jackson), the book itself bored me to death...

It saddens me because I was really intrigued by the oddities and the beginning of the book made me think that it was going to do something interesting with this idea but unfortunately it quickly changed my mind about it. The first 1/4 turned that idea into boring and unoriginal and there was nothing that compelled me to continue this book. Also, this novel made me realize that I don't like books set in the West.

Thank you to RB Media for an early audiobook. I need to check out more books narrated by Suzy Jackson because I really liked her narration style.

This book was......odd. Not bad, though not spectacular.

Oddity is a middle grade magical realism novel that follows Clover as she is thrust into a world of wonder and adversity after the sudden loss of her father. It is set in the real world, with states and wars being mentioned, but it is a magical and altered timeline that was hard to place for a while. I found the oddity aspect of this novel to be interesting, but aside from that, I was not particularly impressed by anything here. The plot follows a predictable path, and the prose is nothing too flashy. I think, for the middle grade audience, this novel would be enjoyable, but fails to land much beyond that.

Suzy Jackson does an excellent job in her narration, as always!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the digital ARC.

I don’t know if the actual book would have been better, but I couldn’t go through the audiobook.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the book for me and it ended up as a DNF. I’ve read other middle grade fantasy that have been great, but somehow this just didn’t match up. There are also languages here that should be updated for this time and age.

I'm conflicted about this book. Perhaps I'd have enjoyed it more physically but I just felt a bit flat.. In terms of plot, it felt very middle grade - which is fine, except it felt like it was trying to be more "sophisticated" or something and it lost the magic and fun of middle grade.
One thing I struggled to get over was the fact this was "alternate history" though bar the occasional mention of napoleon it was really just like 1800's America with magic and the consistent calling Indigenous people "Indians" bothered me. I'm not Indigenous, so it may very well be that in this context it's seen as okay but as I see Native people online calling out that term it didn't sit right with me. And while you could argue "it's accurate to the time period" it's an alternate history so there is no need to have people utilising a term considered derogatory - especially when there was no movement to challenge it or address the concerns people have with it.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audiobook. In exchange, I am providing my honest review.

This story is an absolute delight that I wish I had been able to cherish as a child. It's the kind of book I could imagine myself curling up on the couch with in lieu of watching TV. In fact, I almost wish I had been able to enjoy a physical copy of it now. This isn't to say the audiobook wasn't good - it was. I just wish it was something I could set aside for a moment so that I could pause and enjoy the really magical moments it gifts the reader with.

As a teacher, this is a book I would gladly use in my curriculum. Not the audiobook, but definitely the book itself. I think the fact that it is an alternate history allows for students to think about history through a different lens than they normally do.

I also enjoyed the clever characters, and the notion of oddities, rare treasures that could exist in the world without you even noticing them. (Susannah was my absolute favorite, and I would gladly take her on as a chaotic roommate.) I loved Clover, and it felt gratifying to watch her grow in confidence. The decisions she faced were tough ones for her to make, and all of the stakes were so high, making the story one that was hard for me to put down.