Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

S.T. Gibson is one of my favorite authors and Evocation is probably my favorite book by her. So I was quite excited for Odd Spirits. I had a good time reading about these characters before the events of Evocation but I will say, I missed the chaotic energy that David brought to the mix in Evocation. I like how the author showed that Rhys and Moira had their struggles long before David added to the mix.

We got to see more of Rhys and Moira's traits and saw how different they are. I like how their different occult practices, a witch and sorcerer, would butt heads often and yet their different expertise ended up helping one another.

I can't wait for the sequel of Evocation! Reading Odd Spirits made me miss this world even more.

Tropes:
Haunted House
Witch Magic (Sages, Spells, Tarot)
Marital Struggles
Secret Society
Summoning Circles
Psychics
Poly Rep

A short story of how secrets and not telling your partner can tear apart your relationship.

There are two magicians and they get married at a young age. Each has their own resents of each other and it being a spirit to life in their home making their lives miserable. They talk it though then end up having sex and the spirit goes away because they resolved their issues.

Unfortunately. Over all I found this one a bit boring. It was short with not much of a story. You had a hard time telling when they were going back in time and telling that story. Flip flopping from present day to past was not clear and a bit confusing.

Absolutely loved the narration of this audiobook. I’m obsessed with most things S.T. Gibson lays their hands on. So it’s no surprise that this is one of my favorite audiobooks I’ve listened to in 2024. I can’t recommend it enough!

Odd Spirits is a prequel novella to the story Evocation. This novella focuses on the malevolent entity who has taken residence in Rhys and Moira's home. Together, the couple has to determine what is wreaking havoc on their home and how they can end it. However, the longer the entity remains present, the harder Rhys and Moira find it to work together.

Moira and Rhys were two of my favorite characters in Evocation, so I was excited to learn more about how their relationship developed prior to that story, and it was a blast to see some other characters make their "first" appearances in the series. However, overall, I felt that the overall story arc and character development in this novella was lacking compared to just how impressive and powerful the characters' relationships came across in Evocation. This is not a necessary read to understand the actions or story in Evocation, but for someone who wants more insight into these characters overall, this novella was a fun addition to the story. The narrator was impressive as well!

3.5 rounded

Thank you to S.T. Gibson, NetGalley, and Tantor Audio for an eALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC of this novel.

Full disclosure, I read this before Evocation. I did a little bit of research beforehand and saw that this could be read as a standalone. In retrospect, I would have read this after Evocation. There were no spoilers or anything, I just felt like it jumped straight in to the characters. I would have loved to have a relationship with them prior to starting this.

I enjoyed the narration on this! I do listen at 2.0 speed and did not feel that the narration hindered my ability to enjoy it at the speed. The narrator used different accents for different characters which I always enjoy.

The story itself was refreshingly short and plays heavily on miscommunication. I do appreciate the resolution, but I find miscommunication tropes tedious to follow. The characters were interesting and engaging. I will still be moving ahead with Evocation following this.

In Odd Spirits, S.T. Gibson tells a fantastic ghost tale in a small package. We meet a couple experiencing some marriage turmoil and being tormented by an angry spirit. Concise, yet I wasn't left wanting more, Odd Spirits was a fantastic story.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator(s): ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes, etc: Marriage in Crisis, WOC FMC, Bisexual MMC, Secret Society, Magic
POV: Dual, 3rd Person

Brief Summary: Rhys and Moira start experiencing strange supernatural happenings in their home. Both are quick to blame the other for the presence of the spirit, but there’s more to the situation than meets the eye.

The Praise: ST Gibson’s writing style is always a hit with me. I loved the flashbacks to when Rhys and Moira met and fell in love. I also enjoyed the illustrations; they’re so beautiful!

The Critique: I read this after reading Evocation and I feel like it sort of made me like Rhys and Moira less as characters. The events of this book are referenced in Evocation and I think that maybe it should’ve been left at that. If anything needs a deeper explanation, it’s Rhys’s past with David, not Moira.

Audiobook Critique: This narrator was fine. Nothing to write home about, BUT miles better than the narrator for Evocation so I count that as a win.

Final Thoughts: Overall, this was fine. The illustrations are beautiful, the writing is well done…I just don’t think it was really necessary for the series.

Odd Spirits by S T. Gibson is a prequel novella to Evocation. After loving Evocation I had high exhaustion for this. And it did not disappoint! I love the author's writing style so much. I love these characters so getting more detail about they relationship was so much fun. This is perfect for anyone wanting a little short, witchy fun. And the audiobook was spectacular. It added so much emotion to the story.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free advance audiobook copy. All opinions are my own.

I just love Rhys and Moira so I was so ecstatic to get this early audiobook copy. It was short and sweet. I listened to the whole thing in a day. The narration is great and I highly recommend the audiobook.

I absolutely loved diving deeper into Rhys and Moira's relationship. This world and these characters are so interesting and complex and I can't wait for more.

A pair of newlywed magic users must fight for their home and, ultimately, their fledgling marriage, in Odd Spirits, a cozy fantasy novella that's a prequel to ST Gibson's new Evocation. Rhys is a sorcerer, serious and academic, often distant, and he has serious Society aspirations, the magical society here in Boston. Moira is a witch, bright and vibrant, less ceremonial but much warmer, and she's beginning to think that a marriage might be too limiting for her. When a malevolent spirit seems to have attached itself to their new home, they're going to have to pull all the stops to survive this.
It's short, sweet, and an unconventional piece of romance. The magic is interesting, and the characters are even more interesting. It served to get me way more excited for Evocations.

Get some of the history of Rhys and Moira. Odd Spirits gives us flashbacks to the beginning of their relationship while also showing us their first rough patch as a married couple. When the house starts acting weird, Moira wants Reece's summonings to stop but he is a little obsessive about his rituals and doesn't see the spirits he calls as "evil." They have to figure out how to juggle their spiritual lives and their marriage.

Listening to this novella was surprisingly domestic and we spend a lot of time seeing Moira resist the conventional wife role. Occultism is about as free from Patriarchy as the corporate golf course. Of course, David has to come to figure out how to get the unwanted guest out of the house.

I had mixed feelings about Evocation, but the strongest thing about it was the characters. I love all three of them and it was nice to revisit them again. Moria is still the GOAT.

I listened to the audiobook in an afternoon while I was catching up on some work. The narrator did a great job of intoning the personality of each of them and kept me interested in the mystery. It really captures the three of them arguing well- both the humor and the tension. It was a good listen, and it made me want to revisit Evocation, reminding me how strong these characters are written.

Thanks to Tantor Media for the ALC for review.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

I could guess what was happening in the story easily however I’m really glad they took that direction. I think you could call this magical realism that can actually teach you something great in a relationship. Short but enjoyable, I recommend.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 1st January and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of February

Thank you Tantor Audio and NEtGalley for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a nice little prequel novella, and I thought it was impressive how much relationship drama Gibson managed to pack into such a slim volume. It’s interesting to see how Rhys and Moira interact with each other pre-Evocation, though I don’t think this will stick in my brain for very long. It’s like a fun little side quest. On some level, I wonder if it would have been better if incorporated into a full length novel (Rhys’ is next, and surely after that Moira?) but it’s cute. I quite liked the narration as well, though it does mean I missed out on the illustrations (I have since obtained a physical copy, though).

So I have now read the republished and edited version of Odd Spirits that I was so eager to get ever since my ebay order of the original indie publication got lost in the overseas mail (I have reread the ebook many times before and after that). As announced and expected, many central points of this novella were changed to better fit in as a prequel to the paranormal series the author devised, but I don't necessarily see that as an improvement. The removal of the mild biphobia of a main character, which was central to the conflict in the original version, seems like pure window dressing to me, considering that the creator herself is (to my knowledge) bi? I hate to see writers get into trad pub and immediately tone everything down to appease any potential critics, no matter how unfounded their complaints would be in the first place. My 5-star rating still stands, as it pertains to my first read of this story.

Because I read “Evocation” I was excited for the opportunity to get a copy of this audiobook and get some more background on the relationship between Moira and Rhys! I found Moira to be a lovely character in “Evocation”, and I wanted to hear more about how they met. Moira was overall horribly unlikable in this book. She seemed harsh when she spoke to or even thought about Rhys, and like she was really just on her way to checking out of the relationship entirely. The narration of Moira’s Georgia accent was off-putting. (The narration of Rhys’ portions were ok, but it was sometimes difficult to distinguish what he was saying or thinking from what was just being provided as background because there was no real “voice” for him. Just my feeling). I understand that the turmoil between Rhys and Moira gave fuel for the thoughtform to be created and thrive, but I felt the novella was unnecessary to delve into that. The way it was presented in “Evocation” was sufficient explanation.

This was a short, atmospheric novella that gives us a deeper look into the early days of Rhys and Moira’s relationship before the events of Evocation. ST Gibson once again delivers beautiful prose, combining supernatural elements with real, raw emotions. The story explores the challenges of being honest and vulnerable in a relationship, and how ignoring problems can only make those problems grow.

Rhys and Moira's relationship feels so authentic and relatable. The witchy, magical vibes make this a great read for spooky season. Highly recommend, especially if you were a fan of Evocation already.

I love anything Saint writes, this included. It is a cute, fun prequel to introduce us to the characters, and I love how it explores a newly married couple. Definitely worth a read.

A short story about Rhys and Moira when their marriage was new and they were still learning to feel each other out and how they function as a married couple, the power of communication and how detrimental bottling your emotions can be. 3.5/5, rounded up

Audiobook Notes:
The narrator is competent, but not my favourite as his voice is rather flat with a fair amount of vocal fry.

Initially, I wasn't sure what a prequel to Evocation could actually offer BUT I found I enjoyed it even more than Evocation. This is a neat, self contained story about adjusting to a new marriage and how doubts are actually a part of strength. The 'odd spirits' were well woven in and the characters were more accessible. This was a lot of fun.

Odd Spirits is a prequel to Gibson's Evocation, which came out earlier this year. I really enjoyed Evocation, but Odd Spirits misses the mark. It is about early marital problems, but it lacks authenticity, feeling more like issues in a much more immature relationship. Perhaps that is because these characters are quite young. It felt much more underwhelming than the way the incident was described in Evocation, and this may also be the result of my disappointment with it not living up to my expectations.
The most egregious error that I hope was corrected upon publication of the audiobook is the narrator's pronunciation of each letter in RISD instead of the correct pronunciation Rizz-Dee. It was otherwise a fine narration, but that one felt like nails on a chalkboard.
I love S.T. Gibson as a writer, and I be will continue to read everything she writes. I'm looking forward to Ascension!
Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this ALC to review.