Odd Spirits is a prequel to Evocation, and this version is the final, fully edited version of the story. We follow Moira and Rhys, a witch and a sorcerer. The newlyweds are experiencing a haunting that threatens their happiness and their marriage.

God it felt good to read something that I was excited to pick up. It's a world I know, a cast that I already care about and it was just so easy to read.

As a prequel, I think it's pretty good. It's plot stands as it's own thing, and we get more insight into Rhys as a character, and some interesting backstory. If you loved Evocation like I did, it's a fun, quick read.

This book is a must read if you have read or want to read Evocation. I am not just saying this because it's good, it gives you vital information about the characters' shared history that you need to understand their dynamics.

I reread Odd Spirits when it became traditionally published, in case there had been any significant changes. To my knowledge this was not the case and I can't say that you need to reread this book if you have read the original self-published version.

Overall Odd Spirits is a charming little novella that uses the occult to tell a love story, much like its sequel Evocation.

I have fallen in love with S. T. Gibson's writing this year and I will read whatever they publish. This was not exception and I honestly wish this was released before Evocation because that would've made me so much more hyped and interested in reading Evocation.

I think is a perfect prequel to a series, and I think you should read this before reading Evocation. Because you are introduced to two of the main characters that are in Evocation, and you learn more about their backstory and their relationship and marriage. I wish I had all the knowledge I gained from this book about Moira and Rhys' relationship/marriage because it just would've made me so much more intrigued on how it would be developed in the sequel.

So, to make this short, read this before reading Evocation! You can read it in a day, and it is the perfect little novella which explores relationships/marriage, how to deal with exes, haunted houses, and different ways of practicing magic!

I loved this little novella, this is a prequel story, to the book Evovation, and this story is hinted at in Evocation, but never really explained there. So I am glad we get the full story in this novella, In this story we also get to know Rhys and Moira a little better. We learn about how they met and how they dealt with their creation, This is such a fun story and it also includes beautiful illustrations. that makes the story even more appealing.
I would suggest starting with this story before you read Evocation if you have the chance!

This is my second read by S.T. Gibson. I read A Dowry of Blood a few months back and absolutely fell in love with everything about it. The writing and the storytelling, the immaculate vibes - it had me go and mark multiple of Gibson’s books as wanted reads. So when I saw Odd Spirits pop up on here, you bet I ran to apply for it.

However, reading it.. I felt a little bit underwhelmed? I knew, going in, that this was going to be a prequel novella to The Summoner’s Circle series and I imagined I was doing myself a favour reading it, before diving into Evocation. Having read Odd Spirits now, I genuinely think I should’ve waited. I don’t feel that you get a proper grasp on the characters in the novella and their backstory, and I caught myself rereading a lot of bits and pieces. What I did get to know about the characters (and the plot of the novella) was intriguing and I still look forward to diving into the series as a whole.

Overall, the writing is really good and I do enjoy the way S.T. Gibson writes and tells a story, there’s no question about it. I’ll probably go back and reread Odd Spirits once I’ve read Evocation (at least), and maybe it’ll change my opinion on it.

As much as i devoured “a dowry of blood”, and loved getting to see carmilla and laura in a whole new vein of dark academia through “an education in malice”, i simply couldn’t get past Moira’s biphobia.

I would’ve understood if it was a character arc and growth for her, but i didn’t see that. Maybe it gets worked on in “Evocation”, which i haven’t had the pleasure of reading yet.

Short and sweet is the best way I can describe this novella. I really enjoyed a glimpse into Rhys and Moiras lives before evocation. I think it was a fun short read. Thank you to NetGalley and angry robot books for the opportunity to read this arc for my honest opinion.

What happens when a warlock and a witch marry and move in together? Well, sometimes nothing, wouldn’t that be a short book? 😉

Odd things are happening in the lovely house of Moira and Rhys. Cupboards slamming, mirrors falling. Things disappearing.
In the beginning, they are brushing it off. Uncanny things happen every day in their house.

Since they know it is not themselves, they sort of place the blame on the other. In the beginning, it is just annoying, and then they get scared. Which I imagine takes a lot when one is used to spirits visiting in the first place.

I found the book almost like a love story. We get to know how they meet and fall in love. And I think they are adorable. I can understand that they do not want to bother the other with their ‘stuff’. Then, when we switch over to the current day, it gets almost scary. OK, the reason I say almost and not actual scary is that I am used to having these entities being around.
This might be a little scary for those who are not used to such entities. It might give them the "heebe jeebes"?😂 (I probably didn't spell that right).😂


Another thing I enjoyed was the artwork. There are a few illustrations of scenes in the book. I love that, I felt I got to know them better. In addition, there is a tarot card to every chapter.

Thanks so much to Angry Robot and Netgalley for the arc!

I loved this soo much!
I loved the insight we got from Rhys and Moira´s life together. The way they move through their insecurities and emotions is so powerful. It really resonated with me and made me quite emotional. To be able to be so vulnerable with someone else is such a magical thing. (even without using actual magic :) ) To be able to understand where the other person is coming from ans showing empathy. Not giving up and knowing when it´s worth fighting for.

I liked Evocation and was interested to see where the series is going, but Odd Spirits made me a fully-fleshed fan of the Summoner´s Circle. And i can´t wait for the next book in the series, Ascension, to come out next year!!!!

Thank you for the early copy of Odd Spirits. I enjoyed this short magic book novel; the artwork was so beautiful. It was nice to see how all three characters interacted with each other before the event of Evocation happened. Thank you for this wonder book.

This was a cute little edition to The Summoners Circle series, but it was only ok for me. I usually really enjoy S.T Gibsons writing but this was just the miscommunication trope as a novella. We still get lots of cute Moira and Rhys moments, and I enjoyed reading about their origin story. I think its a pretty true characterization of what the early part of a marriage, or any relationship, can be like. I did find myself yelling at the book at times, and parts of the book can be a bit redundant. Maybe it would have been better to read before Evocation because there’s a lot of crossover. I could see how some people would enjoy it, I didn’t find it really added to the plot line of the series so I’m glad it was a short one

Thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robot for providing me with a free e-ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Fresh off the enjoyable read of Evocation, Odd Spirits was a wonderful little look into the history of the world and characters of the world of Evocation by S.T. Gibson.

This short but sweet Novella by S.T. Gibson is a prequel to Evocation and ties into the same world with a focus more on Moria and Rhys with zero of Davids POV, making it a way to more center ourselves with the leads for the upcoming books in the series. This look back at the fracture of the relationship between David, Rhys, and Moria gives us more details on Rhys and Morias marriage, Davids relationships with them both, and the mess that caused them to all be at one another's throats at the start of Evocation.

The writing follows the same style as Evocation, being more modern and interpersonal focused then some of S.T. Gibson's prior works but with a heavy focus still on the world and fleshing out a beautiful and deeply evocative world for the setting of the story. The entire novel feels slower paced but that is most likely to-do with it being both a prequel and part of a much larger series.

I would recommend this to you if:
- You enjoy modern fantasy
- You enjoy reading about diverse relationships and characters
- You care less about magic systems and more about the outcome
- You want to read Evocation or have read it
- You enjoy character-based novels with the plot being tied to them

I received an advance review copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased.

me loving the entire summoners’ circle series with my whole heart 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

this was a wonderful novella to chomp down in a day. rhys and david and of course the beauteous moira are absolute forces of characters. seeing more of their origin story mixed with a tale of demonic problem solving was such a delight. i could read no plot just vibes about these three for days.

absolutely feral waiting on book two, ascension 👁️👁️

A nice little slice-of-occult-life novella about Rhys and Moira's relationship. It's not required reading for Evocation, but if you, like me, found the characters and the way they interact with one another to be the standout of that book, then this is a little extra treat in that vein.

I didn't find it necessary or something that will stick with me, but I had fun reading it. Even though it made me think, justice for David as he was done dirty, something I never thought would cross my mind. (Honestly, Rhys and Moira were kind of annoying here.)

And a major shoutout for the art featured throughout - that is such a wonderful touch!

Thank you to the publisher, Angry Robot, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

Well, I believe this might be my final book from this series. I had such high hopes for Evocation, but it was disappointing. This book is not far behind; it's actually much worse than Evocation.

The characters don't make any sense, and the plot is mediocre. The storyline with David, however, is particularly annoying.

I don't want to give spoilers, but it basically went like this:
Rhys & Moira: David, please help us with something.
David *helps them and tells them what the problem is*
Rhys & Moira: OH MY GOD! HOW COULD YOU DO/SAY THAT TO US??? GET OUT!!

HELLO???? He was helping you guys...

Moira was my favorite character in Evocation, but here... it's like I don't even recognize her. Their relationship doesn't make sense, especially since they're married. How and why did they get married? It seems like they don't even know each other.  It appears that they met at the beginning of the year, dated for a couple of months, and then got married at the end of the year. It just doesn't make sense. Their lack of communication is frustrating. They don't support each other, and I don't see what they have in common.

Rhys is a coward who apologizes to Moira every second. Yes, we love a man who knows when he's in the wrong, but man, please say what you have to say and don't shrink away from anyone.

And David, dude... just go and find someone else. These two are a lot to take.

Talk about an excellent novella! I loved reading Evocation, so this was the perfect supernatural visit back to some of the most well rounded characters I've ever read. I adore Moira. This was awesome.

marriage in crisis hatessssss to see me coming, but they will also never not destroy me!!!!

i didn’t read evocation so this novella really gave me no context, but why do we love david 😐 like fuck off i don’t wanna drag someone’s EX BOYFRIEND into the marriage (i unfortunately know how this plays out but his characterization here was not it)

this was genuinely such a good take on fixing a marriage. not communicating can affect ANYONE and i love the way this was handled, i was emo like majority of these 100 odd pages

First of all I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

First of all I wanted to point out that the book is the prequel to Evocation. Now, I don't know if the author actually thought of reading it first, because it is probably better to read it after the first novel of this series. In fact, having read it as a prequel, I can't say much, being a novella and being that it tells very little about the characters of the story and the story itself, but I am sure that after reading it it is a perfect opportunity to reconnect with the characters of Evocation!

It was an absolute pleasure to return to our odd magical trio from 'Evocation', although I admit to finding this particular tale hard going in places. I was looking forward to Moira and Rhys working together in their new married (and magical) lives, but realistically this was always going to be challenging. These are in no way 'typical' characters; they're very real people, and defiantly individual. This means that 'settling down' easily wasn't going to on the cards (pun intended).

I loved how their problems were literally personified as part of their magical work, as this ties inextricably to who they are as people. You can't touch the Otherworld and not expect it to poke back, as we saw hints of in the previous book.

And while it does feel weird to say it: this is my least favourite of ST Gibson's books so far, but that's entirely because all of her others have been so superb!

A brief and beautiful slice of married life, with a gorgeous ending and a huge dollop of drama that had me so invested that the arguments hurt my soul - #TeamMoira all the way!

ST Gibson really is stepping forward in her world and I really cannot wait to see what the next stage brings. Wishing the happy couple/throuple all the best, no matter the inevitably speedbumps along the way.

Turns out that I love a novella as it's all I've been reading recently and the only thing I love more than that is a novella with gorgeously illustrated pages.

I've been really lucky to have had both Odd Spirits and Evocation as ARC's this year and have enjoyed them both massively. I love that this added context to all the relationships of Evocation and made the characters much more three dimensional (S.T. Gibson's writing is phenomenal so didn't need to become more three dimensional but I just really loved this novella)

Thank you to Angry Robot and Netgalley for another gorgeous S.T. Gibson ARC to enjoy.