Today’s review is about ODD SPIRITS by S.T. Gibson, a prequel novella to The Summoner’s Circle series. This standalone novella provides a more intimate story between Rhys and Moira, two main characters in the series. Newly married, they find their relationship strained between failing communication and a paranormal entity that set up shop in their home.

Author: S.T. Gibson
Series: The Summoner’s Circle, #0.5
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Angry Robot
Publish Date: October 8, 2024
Print Length: 200

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Odd Spirits Synopsis

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.

Odd Spirits Review

I received a complimentary finished copy of this book from the publisher. My review is my own and reflects my honest opinion about this book.

ODD SPIRITS is a prequel novella to EVOCATION, the first book in The Summoner’s Circle series. Although EVOCATION was published first, it’s not necessary to read it prior to reading ODD SPIRITS. The novella stands alone and is a great introduction to Rhys and Moira, two main characters in EVOCATION. In ODD SPIRITS, recently married Rhys and Moira realize they’ve become distant with each other. To complicate matters, a sinister entity begins to haunt their house. And it seems the only way to get rid of it is to call in a favor with David, Rhys’s ex, increasing the tension between Rhys and Moira.

While I enjoyed EVOCATION, I found I resonated a little more with the intimacy of ODD SPIRITS. It’s still a contemporary urban fantasy set in the Boston area. But the stakes are lower and the focus is on the origin and present-day relationship of Rhys and Moira. This allows the reader to connect more with a small subset of the cast.

Although not a long story, EVOCATION offers enough background detail so the reader can understand why communication slipped between Rhys and Moira. They come from very different backgrounds–Rhys is Irish Catholic and Moira is a Black southerner. Because of this they each have their own insecurities, which take trust to communicate and overcome.

Since Angry Robot published EVOCATION before ODD SPIRITS, I read the former first. However, I recommend reading ODD SPIRITS first. It’s not entirely necessary, but it provides the whole story that Rhys, David, and Moira reference several times in EVOCATION. I recall feeling a bit confused about said argument while reading EVOCATION, so I’m glad to now have that backstory.

Overall, this is a fast-paced, easy-to-read, slice-of-life novella set in The Summoner’s Circle world. It offers a more intimate story between two main characters in the series paired with a relatively low stakes paranormal mystery.

Rating: 3.75
Content warnings: blood, sexual content
Reading format: Hardback