Loved this prequel novella! It’s the perfect addition to the summoners circle series. Gives you a better under Of Rhys and David

I loved it and can’t wait to see what comes next

(4.25 stars)

This novella is a nice addition to The Summoner’s Circle series.
It takes us back in time to before the events of Evocation and helps contextualize the place we find our protagonists at the beginning of the main story.
Rhys and Moira, recently married, witness strange events happening in their house. Their magical expertise proves useless against the intrusive presence and Rhys resorts to reaching out to his Society brothers for help. David enters the scene and exposes the root of the problem, leaving Rhys and Moira rattled.
This is a novella about how magicians would rather face a supernatural presence than go to couple’s therapy. It also reveals the reason for the rift between Rhys and David, and how unsaid words fester and ruin relationships.
S.T Gibson’s writing, in the continuation of Evocation, paints a vivid and compelling picture of love, friendship and magic. All in all, a very enjoyable read and a good companion to the main series.

I very much enjoyed this novella! Overall, I think this is an excellent addition to the Summoner’s Circle series and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I love S. T. Gibson’s writing! She paints a vivid picture of scene and the inner lives and struggles of her characters. It’s challenging to create such a strong sense of world in a novella and I think it’s done very well here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC. This review was posted september 21st on Goodreads.
I was very happy to get this ARC as I could wait to try a book by this author.

This book was interesting, I don't feel like I hate it, but I didn't love it either.
I was very confuse while reading this book because there was elements I loved and other I hated but nothing in between, which is probably the first time that it ever happens to me. I'll go a little more in details about it after the more global part of my review.

I was really thinking this book would be more heavy on the "haunting house" trope, I feel like it was secondary kind of. I'm still confuse. This was technically a big part of the plot but it didn't feel like it. This book was more about two people with a lot of problem in their marriage. Like a lot of people, as I could see in other reviews I've read, I didn't really like the characters. I don't think they're bad characters as they are but they don't work well together. And their problems were resolves in like less than 10 pages which felt really rushed for all the stuff they were dealing with.
In whole I thought I would read a haunted house book and ended up reading about to magic people in need of marriage counseling.

But as I said there was also parts that I really liked : the depiction of Rhys anxiety was really good and I really liked it. I also enjoyed the writing a lot, it was easy to get, beautiful and very atmospherical as well as the world building around magic. And as much as I didn't like the dynamics between Rhys and Moiria, I really liked the metaphor that was used between their problems and the house.

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for the arc!!!

1) if you’re seeing bad reviews please note the date of those reviews. This is an EDITED REPUBLISHED novella so this little guy is different from what people from years ago read :)

I read Evocation first and really loved it. This novella is the perfect supplement to it as I’m nosy and want to know everything between these 3 beings. I think it’s interesting how I had assumed David had done something MUCH worse but actually it was him poking holes in this relationship when it was needed. This was well done and I loved it. It’s not meant to tidy up anything but give insight into a very complicated relationship and characters.

Thank you so much to the Angry Robot and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review!

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4,5 stars - Saint Gibson, the writer that you are. I am once again on the floor with a heart full of love and tears in my eyes.

“He was a sorcerer, and she was a witch, simple as that.”

Evocation is one of my top reads this year, and ever, so it’s no surprise that its prequel meant a lot to me as well. Reading this book felt like coming home from the very first paragraph, and I had a good time through the whole story. It is funny, warm, spooky and emotional. Perfect for autumn!

“Falling in love had been easy, so she assumed married life would be as well.”

I really enjoyed getting more of a look into the pasts of the characters, how they met and their first impressions of each other. I also loved getting to know more about how Rhys’ and Moira’s relationship works, and getting to see how hard they have worked to get to the loving future they share.

“...but to simply be looked at and known, perceived in all his strangeness, was electrifying.”

As all of this author’s books, the writing style feels at once grand and quiet, and the religious imagery woven throughout really drives that feeling home.
The book is also filled with stunning illustrations that really added something special to the experience of reading it!

“Perhaps she was being unfair. Or perhaps Rhys was being an ass. And maybe two things could be true at once.”

Odd Spirits - S.T. Gibson

Release Date - 8th October 2024

I cannot tell you how happy I am that Moria, Rhys and David are back! Oh, and, Odd Spirits is illustrated!

Odd Spirits is the prequel novella to Evocation (The Summoners Circle series) taking place in the early days of Moria and Rhys marriage. If you’ve read Evocation, you’ll know that there’s tension between the three main characters, and Odd Spirits delves into the root of that tension. I devoured this in pretty much one sitting. I really enjoy Saint’s writing, you’re fully immersed into the world of the summoners circle.

In Evocation, David was my favourite character, and whilst he is in Odd Spirits, the two POVs are Rhys and Moira. I warmed so much more to Moira in this novella, you really get to understand why she could be really cold to certain people in Evocation.

Although this is the prequel, I would still recommend that Evocation is read before! After the events that take place in Evocation can stand alone, I really appreciate digging more into their backgrounds after seeing what happens, and I feel like David’s character is an important part which you really understand in Evocation.

Thank you NetGalley, publisher Angry Robot and author S.T. Gibson for an eARC of Odd Spirits in exchange for an honest review

Odd Spirits is just as beautifully atmospheric as the other S.T. Gibson novels I have read. It seamlessly blends magic, romance, and the complexities of relationships. The story follows Rhys and Moira before the events of Evocation. They are a couple whose magical backgrounds and practices collide when a malevolent entity takes up residence in their home pushing their new love to the limit.

Gibson’s writing is lyrical and lush, capturing the mystical essence of the world while maintaining a cozy, magical feel that I found perfect to read whilst everyone is talking about spooky, witchy books in the lead up to October. While both stories stand strong on their own, reading this after finishing Evocation not long ago gave me a perfect little way back into the world I loved so much adding extra layers and context. You could probably enjoy these In any order however I found it perfect reading it in the way I did.

Even though Odd spirits is short I still found it filled with depth and I especially loved exploring my personal favourite character Moira more. This book also has stunning illustrations throughout that I absolutely loved. At this point I don’t think St Gibson can do wrong for me as everything I have read by her so far has been perfect for my reading tastes.

Aaah this was so so good! I started this minutes after finishing Evocation, so I was deeply invested in the characters and just coming off the high of that book. This novella did not disappoint.

I loved the opportunity to explore Moira and Rhys’ early relationship more, and all of the references from Evocation were a lot of fun.

The ending of this book was super cheesy but in the best way possible. I had a stupid smile on my face as I was reading it.

My biggest complaint is that I wanted it to be longer, but that is the blessing and the curse (pun intended) of the novella format!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Having read and enjoyed Evocation, I was very excited to receive an arc of Odd Spirits.

As a prequel, there is a very clear delination between the 'before' of Odd Spirits, and the 'after' of Evocation.

I would say you can see the development of S.T. Gibson's writing and ability to make you root for a character. There were some frustrating moments in this novella where I just wanted these people to COMMUNICATE - though I suppose in the end, that was the point.

Despite it being a story about their relationship - I was getting rather annoyed by both of them at times, which sometimes made what should be a short read a bit of a slog.

I did really enjoy the paratext of Rhys and Moira's initial meetings and the development of their relationship. It was lovely to have a reminder of how they fell in love, especially amid rife issues.

It is very much a character-centred piece, with the occult as more of a background for the story to unfold. It feels more set-dressing than focus, although it is pulled back into touch at about 75%.

The copy I read also had beautiful artwork and a lovely dedication. Would recommend to anyone that loved Evocation and it's characters, as it really works as an enrichment of their characters and stories.

This is a delightful novella! It's an excellent follow-up to Evocation even though it is technically a prequel. I personally enjoyed it more reading it second. The dual time line between the past (when Moira and Rhys met) vs present day was very satisfying and although a shorter story I feel like by having the dual timelines Gibson was able to pack a lot of plot into the pages. Honestly I may have enjoyed this novella even more than Evocation. If it sounds like this review is just me gushing about how much I enjoyed the novella that is because it is. I really have nothing to be critical of or any suggestions of improvement. It was a solid read that I am confident I will be reading again.

Back into the world of the summoners circle💜. Oh my gosh I loved it. I was so happy I got to see more of my witchy girly Moira! I was always curious about the spirt they mentioned they had to deal with in Evocation. It was so fun and to see their initial interactions with David before evocation made so much sense! I can’t wait to have a physical copy of this book!

I really enjoyed this novella especially after having loved Evocation.

It felt like the perfect fall spooky, atmospheric read but also covered some deep topics and even in the short span of the book there was a lot of character growth shown.

Rhys and Moira were both really loveable characters, I found their relationship dynamic and how they learned to communicate with each other and fix issues they had early in their marriage was very admirable. You could see the character growth and mutual love for each other very clearly.

The plot itself was also engaging, I found their magical professions to be so interesting and loved seeing a bit more of that. The overall premise is that they are dealing with their house being haunted and have to navigate figuring out what is going on and how to fix it

Overall a really fun read, you don’t have to have read Evocation first to read but may be helpful to better understand their story

DNF

I couldn't even finish the first chapter .

I loved A Dowry of Blood but idk why this one isn't it .
It's a prequel novella so apparently I can still read book 1 and I will try but I'm still disappointed .

Odd Spirits was such a beautifully written novella. I haven't read Evocation, which I'm not sure if it would have been more beneficial to read that first or not, but the novella has me wanting to read it now. The writing style was clean and concise but so intentional. Having some background into their relationship was a really nice touch. The idea behind the thoughtform was really interesting and well done and the resolution was even better. I can't wait to read more about them and learn more about David.

Thank you so much for the eArc!

"Learn more about the characters from The Sunday Times bestselling author S.T. Gibson's Evocation in this gorgeously illustrated prequel novella to The Summoner's Circle series.

It takes a lot of commitment to make a marriage between a modern ceremonial magician and a tarot witch work, but when a malevolent entity takes up residence in Rhys and Moira's home, their love will be pushed to the limits. Brewing up a solution is easier said than done when your magical styles are polar opposites; throw a psychic ex and a secret society in the mix, and things are bound to get messy."

Don't worry if you haven't been drawn into S.T. Gibson's world yet... This is a PREQUEL afterall.

I was overjoyed to receive this eARC after loving Evocation last month. I am happy to say that this novella exceeded expectations even so!

After reading Evocation, I was obviously intrigued in learning more about the past situation between Moira, Rhys, and David. This novella perfectly explained the tensions that we see five years later in the first novel. Additionally, I felt like the character portrayals for all three of these characters were wildly detailed for such a short book, and I found them very truthful and realistic in comparison to later in the series.

The storyline of marriage difficulties, combined with the help of inner monologues by both Moira and Rhys, made this story stunningly touching. Though I have not been through a similar experience myself, I found it very realistic and easy to empathize with. In a less-realistic way, the metaphor behind the "spirit" was lovely in its resolution. This story being told through the beauty of ST Gibson's prose really touched me, and I fully intend to buy a physical copy of this novella.

Huge thanks to ST Gibson, Angry Robot, and NetGalley for an eARC of this novella in exchange for an honest review.

First thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Odd Spirits is a fantastic background novella for the happenings of Evocation. I do not think this is required reading for Evocation but I wouldn't read this on its own without reading Evocation. Gibson's lush prose is once again the highlight of the story. I do wish this was longer, though much of what I would want included in this story is already explored in Evocation. Overall 4.5 rounded up to 5.

Odd Spirits follows a married couple, Rhys and Miora, who both have a penchant for the supernatural. While Rhys takes a more rigid, academic approach to occultism, Miora practices is flexible with techniques handed down from generation to generation. These are also differences in their personalities and backgrounds that challenge their ability to manage conflict in their marriage. Their relationship is put to the ultimate test when a malevolent spirit wreaks havoc on their home.

Overall, I enjoyed the concept. It would be nice if unfriendly spirits forced us all to talk about our problems in real life but alas, that is what therapy is for. I expected to get through this novella in a day but I found myself losing interest so it took a few days to actually finish it. I didn't read Evocation so I am not sure if doing so would have made me more interested in the characters. The members and dynamics of "The Society" were more interesting to and added some humor to the book. I liked the tension between the couple and David, the medium ex-boyfriend. I am assuming this dynamic continues into the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for the e-ARC. This was a decent story and quick read. Being that it is a prequel, it likely sets up the character arcs that will continue in first book of the series. Recommend to anymore who intends to read other books in The Summoner's Circle series.

Ahh! I'm very happy that I was able to get my hands on this early! It was as charming and delightful as Evocation! Rhys and Moira are great together and I love their dynamic....and David, oh my god how I love that man, definitely wished I could have seen more of him in the story, but I understand that he is not the focus. The illustrations were amazing as well and quite the surprise!!