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.

I ADORED Evocation so I was delighted to find out that there was a prequel. While it sadly did not have enough of David, it was still a very interesting exploration of love and marriage in a way that really explores themes relevant to my own life. The novella does something that only a VERY good fantasy story can do -- explore nuances of interpersonal dynamics by literally making them into fantastical manifestations. Odd Spirits navigates how not addressing the very real ways gender, race, queerness may divide a couple, especially when they think their love is greater than all of that. It was all very sweet and raw and kinda nice to see the beginnings of one leg of my favorite throuple. Kinda hope we get one for Rhys and David as well. I'm a little baffled by the biphobia criticism from some reviewers so unsure if the story has gone through some edits for the audiobook release, because I didn't pick up any of that, unless my opinion is colored by first having read the sequel which is emphatically NOT biphobic. So to clarify, this is a review of the Netgalley audiobook ARC, not whatever version was out there already before the release of Evocation

First of all, thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for an advanced listening copy of this book.

I have absolutely adored everything I’ve ever read by S.T. Gibson, and she once again delivered with this stunning novella about our favorite little spooky polycule. Though short, this story dug deep into the early years of Rhys and Moira’s courting/marriage and the trials that can sometimes befall a young couple (though I would argue that they are much more mature for their ages than most). Throw in a little help from Rhys’ ex, David, and it made for some added layers of drama that I was here for!

This was an easy five stars for me, and I loved the narration by Joe Hempel. I would highly recommend reading this in conjunction with reading Evocation (could be read before or after, but chronologically it takes place before the events of Evocation). I can’t wait for the next installment of this series now!

Short and nice addition to the series. Actually, it's exactly what I lacked in Evocation. After reading it I felt as if the focus of the story was on the relationship between Rhys and David, and a chunk of Rhys and Moira's backstory was missing. And here, in this novella, I finally got a good glimpse into their relationship, loved its cozy, domestic and surprisingly relatable nature.
Still, David is my favorite, and it was a pleasure to meet him again, to learn a bit about what kind of person he was prior to Evocation. By the way, the narrator of the novella was as good as Oscar Reyes in Evocation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the arc of this audiobook.

This was an absolutely lovely and heartwarming addition to the Evocation series!

This little novella addresses a difficult time in Moira and Rhys’ marriage, one that was nodded at in Evocation. It mostly focuses on their difficulty with communicating, mainly because their styles of communicating and overall personalities are so different. In this case, they face paranormal consequences of it, and it made the entire story both more relatable AND I caused a dose of the fantastical that we know from this series so far.

I love these two and their relationship so, SO much. They have very real problems, but always tackle them with such grace and love. Listening to this immediately and constantly gave me the warm fuzzies, even when they weren’t getting along just because I KNEW how beautifully ST Gibson would pull it together.

The narrator of this is also really wonderful for the most part, the only difficulty I have is with his portrayal of Moira in some sentences. This is generally something I struggle with with me narrators and female characters; though. Thank you to Tantpe audio and Netgalley for this early copy!

What an intriguing adventure to watch strong magicians work through things, especially Rhys and Moira after suddenly things change incredibly quickly into a different way! It is such a wonderful way of seeing how communication is key, how magic comes in many forms and that sometimes even our thoughts are not always the safest thing to us.
Absolute delightful read and wonderfully portrayed by Joe Kempel reading the story to us, readers.

This was a cute little addition 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

I don't normally look at length when selecting a read, only if its a standalone or not. This is a good little read if you are needing something short, I was able to listen to this in one day. There is two sex scenes that aren't graphic enough to be called smutty, but defiantly something you shouldn't read outloud.

However I can summarize the book in two sentences:
Magical couple discover the strongest form of magic, communication. Oh, and make it slightly sexy.

Great precursor to Evocation. This novella really gives insight into who David is and his side of the story. Hearing from him how the relationship between him and Rhys came and ended really gives perspective! The story is rapturing and keeps you wanting more! I look forward to more from S.T. Gibson

I thought this was super well written but I’m confused if it’s really nessesary to set up the first book in the series or if it’s just a money grab novella? The narrator was VERY GOOD and I can see myself absolutely seeking him out for other audiobooks. I’m hoping to pick up book one in the series in order to better review the content of this novella.

*I read Evocation first and that will impact my view of the book


Loved being able to look back on characters and see their personal history. It was fun getting to look into an event that was referenced in Evocation, but the characters fell flat. I didn't feel like the characters were as strong as in Evocation and their personalities were a bit more sterile. If I had read this first then maybe it would have felt different. Overall, I did enjoy getting to see them in the past and it put in perspective an event that was referenced.

Overall, if you read Evocation I would recommend this because it was a nice little look into the characters past but I don't think it added any value.

The audiobook was great, and I think it made a positive impact on how the characters were perceived.

This was a nice short novella set before Evocation. Mostly about Rhys and Moira learning to communicate, with a little bit of David thrown in. I like Moira a LOT so it was great reading about her again. And I love the Boston setting! Overall a nice, if simple, addition to the Evocation world, and a good audiobook.

🌈Queer rep: bi male main character. Secondary gay character, lesbian character, mention of a FF couple.

Oh how I wish I would have read this before Evocation, because I would have rated it higher!

I flew through this novella! I loved getting to see how Rhys and Moiras relationship started in the flashbacks, and their slice of life in the first years of their marriage. When I read Evocation, I was disappointed because I didn't feel like I had any attachment to the characters, there was just something missing...well the verdict is in, THIS WAS MISSING!

I also just loved the story and found alot of meaning behind it. If you harbor secrets and aren't transparent about your fears and feelings in your marriage, it will eventually turn rotten with resentment.

I'm on my way to raise the rating on evocation!

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR the advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review 🥰

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.