Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc!

I loved Evocation, so getting to see a glimpse of the beginning of Rhys and Moiras relationship was everything I needed.

S.T Gibsons prose is magic - there is no other explanation for how a 92 page novella can make you cry.

One of my biggest dislikes in books is the miscommunication trope, however the way this is written feels so human - hiding little parts of yourself that you may feel ashamed of from loved ones so much so that they build up into every day life and affect your mood. It felt like a relief when Moira and Rhys finally broke down and discussed their feelings, just like it does in real life when you finally talk things out.

I am very much looking forward to the continuation of this series, and honestly anything else S.T Gibson writes.

Thank you to the publisher for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

After I finished Evocation, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue the series. Then the novella was announced, which is a prequel. This put me off initially because that meant David was his old self, the one I didn't like. But the focus of this story was on Rhys and Moira. I finally got what I wanted from Evocation, more tarot, magic, and supernatural elements. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Evocation.

I just love this series and its characters! I recommend this series a lot, and I know it will be an instant buy for me. I'd like to quickly point out that this is super unusual for me as it isn't a genre I would usually pick up, but after having S.T. Gibson speak beautifully at the bookshop I work at I was intrigued. I'm super glad it happened, because I know this will end up being a favourite series of mine. I am very impatiently waiting for Rhys's book!

S.T. Gibson has such a wonderful way with words, her writing is so readable and flows well, meaning I stay up until 2am finishing this novella in one go. The characters are fleshed out and relatable (I am Rhys, Rhys is me) and I was rooting for them the whole way through. I missed David, and it was interesting to read about him with no jumping into his head to remind me of his inner dialogue/why he behaves how he behaves like we get in Evocation. I think this really developed the readers idea of why him, Rhys and Moira are in the position they are in at the start of Evocation, which I think is helpful information regardless of the order you read these in. The artwork inside is beautiful and perfectly fits the tone of the world, I can't wait to see it in person.

3,75 ✨


“The love is real, even if we haven’t been tending it well for some time. And I hope every day it’s enough too.”

“If this is entrapment, I’ll happily let you put the manacles on my wrists and the collar around my neck.”



• This was a fun little novella to get to meet our main characters, Moira & Rhys and kind of get into their dynamic of a newly-wed couple whom are still trying to find balance in their marriage. There was a lot of miscommunication which was frustrating to read about but when they finally solved it in the end, it was very sweet and you sense that they evolved as a couple. I feel like this was a great introduction to the next book in the series, Evocation.

Odd Spirits gives us the lil snippet into Rhys and Moira's relationship. One of the issues I had with Evocation was that we were dropped into a story with all the relationships established and I needed something extra to feel more connected to the characters and care about their plights.

This definitely delivered on that for Rhys and Moira and I enjoyed reading about how they met! It was a cute little story about relationships and communication. It is a short novella, but had lots of magic, drama, and seances.

Not to mention the book has beautiful illustrations and the cover is just ugh *chef's kiss*!

2.5 stars
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.
I loved the writing in this novella and that's about where the love stops for me. 
I will do my best to write this without spoilers.

I read Evocation before this as an ARC and absolutely fell in love with the three main characters in the storyline, so to say the way they were written in Odd Spirits completely broke my heart is an understatement. The only one that felt true to Evocation was Rhys. Odd Spirits goes into Rhys's way of thinking, why he is the way he is and that he is obviously neurodivergent. Rhys was possibly the only character that was saved in this book on a personality plane. Because he does a lot of awful things in this book as well. David, who is more cold and has a wall up in Evocation was ruthless in his over the top discourteous ambitions this time around and Moira who is a firecracker in a good way was absolutely rude, quick to anger and uncalled-for in this book. 

As you proceed through the story of two young adults who fell in love too fast and ran with it, you start to see that they truly don't understand one another let alone want to until it becomes unpleasant for the both of them. Then it becomes a 'need to know them' and not them wanting to know who they actually married in the first place. Their whole relationship was based on love at first sight, jumping quickly into marriage when one had just broken up with their ex and the other doesn't quite know if they want to settle down just yet. It leads to constant fighting and no communication because they both unfortunately don't know how to handle each other, fear it will make the situation worse and don't want to open up to one another. It ends up leading to a circumstance that is completely ruining what little they have of the marriage left, which is basically nothing to start with anyways. You basically get no back story on Rhys and David's broken apart relationship other than them both yelling at one another that this is why they broke up, or Moira getting upset that Rhys is in a group with his ex, as well as letting the ex into their home. So with the absence of backstory, it leaves Rhys seeming like he hates this man (Which if you've read Evocation that is clearly not the case) and it would have been nice to see at least a little wanting from the two of them, over whatever the hell that Odd Spirits had exposed between the two of them. 

Also three things I hated the most other than Rhys and Moira just NOT communicating is for some odd reason is one, Moira was upset that Rhys hangs out with his group of friends and constantly hates on them when they have (other than David) been civil with her. Two, Rhys went out of his way to 'hopefully' hurt David. Which could have ended far worse then what had actually happened to David. Three, Moira continuously blames Rhys for everything. She blames him for the presence in the home simply because he asks her if she's possibly allowed something into the house and from there it's her always pointing the blame at him. Moira asking him to figure it out and then when he tries she gets after him for it, that he's never around and locks himself up, that he wants to invite his magic society into their home to help because he can't figure it out and lastly that he just won't ask her to help him like she hasn't been getting aggravated and judgmental with him this whole time.

The whole story is a mess. If one of them just would have communicated from the start, as you do in a marriage, everything would have been fine but the both of them are just too worried that the other finds their magic practice laughable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-Arc of Odd Spirits!

This was short and sweet. I do think it’s too bad we didn’t get to see more of Moira and Rhys (I’m obsessed with them!). Glad to have gotten a David appearance.

I do wish we got to see more of the marriage and also what happened before, how they met, how they got engaged, their wedding etc. Unfortunately this did feel like there was nothing mentioned that I didn’t know already.

However, I love S.T. Gibson and will read whatever she writes. The way she writes magic and atmosphere is absolutely unmatched. She could write a ten page grocery list and I will happily eat it up.

I’m just happy to be here!

I ADORE S.T Gibson and absolutely loved evocation, so the excitement to read Odd Spirits was RIFE! I did enjoy this! I feel like I could read anything from S.T Gibson / about Rhys and Moira and would undoubtedly love it... but with Odd Spirits, I was expecting more tension, first encounters and them falling in love. This was definitely different than what I expected but with that being said, I will still be reading absolutely everything else in this series!

Loved, loved, loved this book!! Short and sweet, with the perfect spooky witchy vibes to get me ready for Autumn! I fell in love with Evocation when I read it, and it made me so happy to get to see the beginnings of Rhys and Moira’s marriage!

S.T. Gibson masterfully weaves an atmosphere of suspense and tension of a haunted home and a relationship that's struggling past the honeymoon phase.

In Odd Spirits we meet Moira and Rhys, a recently married couple who have an entity in their house causing more issues than things going bump in the night. As the witch and sorcerer try to figure out just what is in their home, their relationship is put through the ringer.

I have to admit, I have yet to read Evocation but this is a wonderful introduction into the relationships between the characters, their thoughts and feelings and how Rhys and Moira met and got together. S.T. Gibson has conjured a vivid world of secret societies, witches and spirits and expertly combined with complex characters to make it the perfect starting point for The Summoner's Circle series.

Thank you to AngryRobot and NetGalley for the ARC

After reading Evocation, I was excited to see that Angry Robot was also publishing Odd Spirits. Rhys and Moira are both very interesting characters and I couldn't say no to reading more about these two. I have to say I'd recommend this edition just based on the stunning illustrations incorporated throughout the story.

In Evocation Rhys and Moira are already a married couple who have been together for a few years, but in Odd Spirits we also learn how they met and ended up together. I actually really enjoyed this aspect of the story. They had me smiling quite often while reading that part of this novella. In Odd Spirits they seem to have an entity in their house that's causing problems. As they're trying to figure it out, their marriage is put to the test.

I honestly don't think I would've stayed in my house with all of the creeping things that were happening in this story. I'm definitely too much of a scaredy cat. Rhys and Moira can't always agree about what the best solution is and when David comes with the society Rhys is in to help, things get complicated. Part of me still wishes we got a bit more of the world and even their history with David, but I consider this a great spooky time read.

Moira and Rhys are also an example of a realistic relationship. Even when you're married things can get complicated and it just shows us how communication, support, and love are two things that are very important. Odd Spirits has me even more excited for the release of Ascension next year.

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on October 26th.

This? Was great! Wow!

I normally don't go for books like this. But I saw this title floating around and got intrigued. And I am glad I read it.
This book is also beautiful. Like… the art that's in this? STUNNING!

This book covers the story of Rhys and Moira. A young couple that lives in a rather old haunted house. They both are freaked out by the odd spirit that is kinda ruining the living experience for them. And ask some kind of ghostbuster to figure out what kind of spirit is messing with them. And the story behind those spirits, might surprise you!

Odd Spirits
S. T. Gibson
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5)

The prequel novella to Evocation.

SYNOPSIS:
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 physic ex and a secret society in the mix, and things are bound to get messy.

THOUGHTS:
Let me prefix this by saying short stories aren't my favourite thing in the world. I like having a full story to be able to connect with the characters and get to know them fully. So while I did enjoy Odd Spirits and I feel like you do know the characters I feel like I had no attachment to them throughout. Although this is a prequel I wonder if I would have enjoyed reading this more if I'd read it after Evocation.

I really enjoyed S. T. Gibson's writing and the spooky atmosphere that she managed to create in such a short time. I liked the few flashbacks we seen of their relationship and how they met. However the miscommunication did annoy me at times. I also understand at times you do keep stuff to yourself for the peace of marriage, but as we learn that does not work. The resolution rounded it up nicely, but did get a little cheesy.

Overall it was a good short story with a great spooky atmosphere for spooky season.

Odd Spirits is the prequel novella to the Summoner's Circle series. I really enjoyed this short and heartwarming story about the early relationship between Rhys and Moira. I believe Odd Spirits is a fantastic introduction to the series. For me, S.T. Gibson is an author who writes more character driven stories, and reading this prequel novella is a wonderful way to get to know Rhys and Moira. If you enjoy this book, there will be more to read. Also, the illustrations are amazing. I can't wait to see them in person. Thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robot Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet and short novella I thoroughly enjoyed. I have to admit I went about things a bit backward as I have not yet read Evocation but I do believe this was a very nice, spoiler-free introduction into this universe.

I genuinely had a good time reading this Novella and getting to know Moira and Rhys through this story, their dynamic and them as a married couple, mixing the few flashbacks we experience about how they meet and the main story, also introducing David, who obviously makes the characters experience strong emotions playing into the plot quite well. This Novella made me want to read Evocation and get more of those characters whom I found endearing and, even through their flaws, deeply interesting. The pace was strong and S.T. Gibson didn't fail to deliver an entertaining story, even if short.

I simply enjoyed my time while reading this book and even if you do not plan on reading Evocation I would recommend giving it a go nonetheless! And if you've read Evocation already... you should definitely read it too.

I. Loved. This. Book!!! I’ve adored S.T Gibson ever since Dowry of Blood, and have inhaled all of her works with a fervour bordering on obsession. Odd Spirits is a prequel to Evocation, and is an intriguing story which explores the origin and early relationship / marriage of Moira and Rhys, alongside early interactions between Moira and Rhys. The characters are introduced and developed well so that you can read this before or after Evocation and still follow the story and become engrossed with the characters with ease. The narrative flicks between Moira and Rhys, and Gibson crafts their personal voices with ease.

This is just the most wholesome lil tidbit of Rhys and Moira’s life, and revisiting them made my heart ache in the best way. Evocation has long been a favourite of mine, so I’m thrilled to have this novella looking into where our trio (kind of) began. Seeing them work through their insecurities and have many a chat about their occult practices I imagine will be healing for many, it’s honestly as if the story itself is a little magic.

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.