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.
Honestly it was amazing to jump back into the world Gibson has created. This book was super short which will be my only complaint. But seeing how Moira and Rhys marriage came into fruition was an absolute delight. Seeing their struggles and trials over their concerns of their marriage made me love them even more. The pictures this book held were gorgeous and worth reading this book.
Overall a solid addition to the Summoner’s Circle series.
4 ⭐️
Thanks to the folks at NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for an ARC of this book. Y’all are the best. My review is a honest reflection of my feelings towards this books

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for this ARC Copy!

I really enjoyed Evocation so I was excited to see a glimpse of where the characters were coming from. I really enjoyed seeing Rhys and Moira's relationship growth and how they were able to find each other through the trials that they experience in this Novella. I hoped to see more of why the relationship with David was so strained at the start of Evocation but I still got a lot more answers than I had before so I am happy. My only real complaint is it was not long enough and as always I just wanted more.

4.5*

I love Gibson's work, and have done so since reading Dowry of Blood.

Odd Spirits was the perfect hold over after devouring Evocation and I wait impatiently for the next installment.

This deeper glimpse into Moira and Rhys gives an added level of understanding to their relationships later on, and it was a perfect balance of haunting and beautiful.

Just like Evocation, the world and characters are amazing and highly enjoyable. While I find something about Gibson's writing odd that doesn't allow me to feel closely attached to the characters as I would in other books. This however doesn't take away from how good her writing is.

I really enjoyed the story. It was fascinating to learn about Rhys and Moira's conflict with David, as well as how they first met and developed their relationship. The ghost story aspect added a fun twist and provided more context for Evocation.

This was such a cozy little novella!
I loved getting to revisit Rhys and Moira, and seeing a bit of where it all had started. I enjoyed that Gibson showed us real and raw emotion through characters and the challenges they face being vulnerable in their relationships. Which with the added magical element makes it the perfect spooky read.

Thank you net galley for the arc!

First & foremost, thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with how things unraveled at the end. I was left feeling unsatisfied. I expected more out of this book, especially with how intriguing the summary alone was.

I will say I kind of went into this book blindly, and it turned out to be not what I was expecting - a poltergeist therapy session with the help of an ex-lover….

Moreso, I wasn’t a fan of the underlying slurs in regards to race and gender identities… I typically do not gravitate to liking these types of books bc I try to refrain from being engaged in such social/political warfare… so that really defined the low rating for me. There was a point in the middle of the book, where I was super interested and so excited to find out what this “odd spirit” was, but was left utterly cringed with how this “tulpa”was born from the ashes of two magically gifted people filled with anxieties and the failure to effectively communicate with one another.

I recently realized this was the prequel to Evocation, and I had it on my tbr, so I thought maybe reading this would get me excited to eventually read that book, but sadly I’ll be taking it off my tbr at this time.

I loved the first book, so going into this novel I was excited and not disappointed! I loved being back in the world of Rhys and Moira! I apparently missed them! This book is a bit different than many I have read on the relationship side because so many books center around how a budding relationship goes through some difficulties whereas this book was a married couple encountering (not so usual) challenges. If you enjoyed The Evocations, then you'll definitely enjoy the ride with Rhys and Moira!

I loved Evocation and I loved even more have a glance to the Moira , David and Rhys of the past. It was a fun , hunting and quick read that had me fall even more i love with the characters. Plus ,can we stop and talk for a second about the gorgeous illustrations?!

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of receiving an eARC of Evocation, which I absolutely loved. So, I was thrilled to dive into the prequel novella Odd Spirits. The story explores Rhys and Moira’s relationship—how they first met and are now grappling with the complexities of early married life. A volatile entity further complicates their struggles, leading them to seek help from Rhys’ friend and ex-boyfriend, David. The events that follow shed light on what caused the rift between Rhys and David, a key tension in Evocation.

Odd Spirits is a wonderful slice-of-life prequel that adds depth to the Summoner's Circle series without being essential to the main storyline. It gives more insight into the dynamics between Rhys and Moira, particularly their contrasting magical systems—Rhys’ ceremonial magic and Moira’s folk magic—which was fascinating to explore. While not crucial for understanding Evocation, this novella enriches the world and the characters' relationships, especially the growing strength of Rhys and Moira’s marriage. Their trust and understanding, which fully develop in Evocation, begin to take root here.

The novella deepened my affection for all the characters, especially David, whose storyline resonated with me even more after reading this. I’m eagerly awaiting the physical copy, with its beautiful illustrations, to fully immerse myself in again. Odd Spirits has certainly made the wait for the next Summoner’s Circle book a little easier, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. I’d love to see more short stories that focus on other characters in the future.

This series delivers the kind of magic I was always hoping to read about in a story. A big thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the early copy—I devoured this story!

I love S.T. Gibson’s writing and this is no exception. This short little novella is a little back story into Moira, Rhys, and David.
I wanna thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this early and for approving me to read another ARC for S.T. Gibson. I can’t wait till my Waterstones edition arrives!

I absolutely FLEW through this novella and am already craving more. The writing is utter perfection and I found myself completely drawn in to each of the characters for all their flaws and imperfections. The occult and wiccan aspects were so expertly woven into the story I found myself wanting to learn more and constantly intrigued to turn the page to see what we would discover. Combining this with the relatable marital dispute it was the perfect read. I look forward to reading many more titles by this author and will be recommending to everyone I know both in person and on social media. Truly five stars.

A short and sweet novella. I’m glad to revisit Moira and Rhys in this story, I felt like we got a good insight into their relationship before the main story in Evocation. Seeing their progression as a couple and the trials and tribulations they went through brings them to life and makes them relatable! If you’re gonna read or if you’ve already read Evocation you should definitely read this novella as well!

Oh I absolutely adored this! Seeing how Rhys and Moria came to be was so lovely, I loved how we got to see how they met and how they became the strong unit we see in Evocation. I particularly enjoyed the fact that we saw their vulnerable sides in this one, they felt pure and genuinely real, completely relatable yet totally magical too.

Actual Rating : 3.75/5

Following two main characters from the Summoning Circle Series - recently married couple Rhys and Moira are going through it. Rhys would rather hide away in his study all day in between the pages of books and Moira, a successful witch, can’t find the words to voice her feelings. When a dark entity starts to wreak havoc on the house Rhys and Moira must look into themselves and trust each other enough to rid themselves of the dark entity haunting them or put an end to their marriage all together.

I really enjoyed Evocation and a large part of that was due to the relationship between Moira and Rhys so getting to see more of their story made this an enjoyable novella for me.

I loved seeing the healthy and real relationship dynamic Moira & Rhys have. You can tell through their actions in this story that they care and respect each other deeply. I loved seeing them work through their problems and communication skills and come back together in the end.

I also really liked seeing David again and his role in this huge event that affects the plot of Evocation. It was interesting to see his relationship with Moira especially before the events of Evocation.

Overall, I thought this was a fun read. I liked seeing more of Rhys, Moira and David interact. Learning more about the study of occult the characters specialize in was interesting and I loved seeing the relationship between Moira and Rhys go through changes.

Thank you Angry Robot Books and NetGalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Overall: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️💫 3.5/5
Cover Design: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 4/5
Plot: ⭐️⭐️💫 2.5/5
Reading Time:Engagement Ratio = Moderately High <i>(i.e. I read this quickly and was engaged most of the time)</i>

I <b>LOVE</b> S.T. Gibson with a passion, so when I was given the opportunity to read an early release of Odd Spirits, I screamed!
"Odd Spirits" is Edgar Allen Poe meets H.G. Wells. Gibson's "Odd Spirits" did a phenomenal job articulating the realities of marriages and the <u>struggles we could face when marrying young.</u> Rhys and Moira are not perfect, and I so appreciated how Gibson laid out their <i>"ugly side"</i>--for lack a better phrase. In marriage, sometimes our worst side is brought out and Rhys and Moira's marriage is no exception.
I do wish there was <b>more smut</b> and the haunting plot events were more terrifying, like in some of Gibson's other books. However, The Summoner's Circle series is <u>one of a kind.</u> With that said, I wouldn't classify this as "Romance" and it's more of a modern fantasy because, while there are magical elements, spirits, and demons, the religious details, tarot talk, and crystal wazzoo <i>(which is difficult for me, personally, to get through)</i> overpowers the <u>fade-to-black sexy scenes</u>. I always expect more from STG's sexy scenes and this series has been <i>leaving the crumbs</i> on the <b>smut-omoter</b>.

Overall, this was a good, quick read and If you loved Rhys and Moira in "Evocation", read this too!!!

*Thank you Angry Robot for an early release e-book of "Odd Spirits"*

I cannot begin to explain how excited I was to receive this ARC from Netgalley and Angry Robot Books after how much I loved Evocation. It was so nice to be able to spend some bonus time with these characters during what feels like the longest wait everrrr for the next book in The Summoner’s Circle series!

There’s an event involving David, Rhys, and Moira that took place before the start of Evocation that is alluded to but not exactly explained. Whatever happened, it caused a major rift in Rhys and David’s friendship, so we know it was something big, and in this prequel, we finally get some answers.

While it was certainly an important and dangerous event, and I’m happy that I now understand what happened, I was a little disappointed in the reasoning behind Rhys and David’s falling out. The two men weren’t besties or anything, but Rhys considered David a friend at the start of the book, and the point where he changed his mind felt very lackluster to me. I was expecting something much worse. But I’m sort of torn on whether or not it’s bad thing that I got less than I expected. It actually feels pretty believable that a friendship would end over something so silly.

This novella gives us more than an answer to the Rhys/David friendship question, though. I loved the glimpse into Rhys and Moira’s life before the events of Evocation, when their relationship was extremely new and was very pleasantly surprised to find that S.T. Gibson included the story of how they met, which I thought was very cute and fun.

There’s also some beautiful art throughout the book I had to stop to really take in and stare at before moving on. It was really lovely and totally unexpected - I had no idea there would be any illustrations!

Odd Spirits reads a bit differently from Evocation in that it kind of feels like reading a parable. There’s a clear moral to the story that ties it all up rather nicely. It can certainly be read before Evocation, but personally, I really enjoyed reading the prequel and having questions answered afterward. If you want to go into Evocation knowing everything, read prequel first. If you like a bit of mystery, read Evocation first.


***I will update with social media review links on October 1!***

This was cute. A little on the nose, but cute. I love how this world is full of the occult, and it makes me want to pick up my tarot cards again. That all being said, this novelet felt a little too short to really feel substantive. This story could have been a subplot in a larger story, rather than just on its own.

Also, why are these absolute babies rushing into marriage so fast?!

Thank you to Angry Robots and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cute prequel novella (that can definitely be read before Evocation) following the early marriage of Rhys and Moira as they discover that marriage isn't as easy as they first thought.

I really enjoyed being with these characters again and seeing glimpses of their early relationship, as well as seeing David still as an arsehole. The plot was simple yet effective and the writing style is just like Evocation. Was good. Plus the illustrations are lovely, I'll definitely be taking a peek when I come across a phisical copy!

Summary: 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."

Review: After reading Evocation, this just makes sense. It's moody, bit dark and luscious. If felt so good to be back. I LOVE this characters and their journeys. I will never tire of them.

Also, the respect shown between the main characters and how they finally solve conflict it's something to de admired. Once again S.T. Gibson delivers some flawless work.

#OddSpirits #NetGalley