Review :: Odd & True by Cat Winters

I tend to do a lot of reviews of new books – it’s just the nature of working with publishers I guess – but I’m so keen to read and share my thoughts on some back list books that I’ve been meaning to read for a while. I originally received a review copy of Odd & True by Cat Winters via NetGalley back in 2017 (that’s 6 whole years ago now – I’m mortified). I picked it up a few weeks ago, and just wished I’d done so earlier!

What is Cat Winters’ Odd & True about?

Trudchen grew up hearing Odette’s stories of their monster-slaying mother and a magician’s curse. But now that Tru’s older, she’s starting to wonder if her older sister’s tales were just comforting lies, especially because there’s nothing fantastic about her own life—permanently disabled and in constant pain from childhood polio.

In 1909, after a two-year absence, Od reappears with a suitcase supposedly full of weapons and a promise to rescue Tru from the monsters on their way to attack her. But it’s Od who seems haunted by something. And when the sisters’ search for their mother leads them to a face-off with the Leeds Devil, a nightmarish beast that’s wreaking havoc in the Mid-Atlantic states, Tru discovers the peculiar possibility that she and her sister—despite their dark pasts and ordinary appearances—might, indeed, have magic after all.

My review of Odd & True by Cat Winters

I’m sure most book-lovers have had the experience of finally reading a book that has been on your shelf for too long and just kicking yourself for not getting to it sooner? This was the case for me with Odd & True. I was so drawn to the cover when I first saw it and I just should have trusted my instincts and read it then because I absolutely adored it!

Od and True were fabulous characters, both sort of quirky and brave – the entire vibe of the book felt a bit weird and it had a sense of unease that really worked for me. I love a story that has a bit of mysterious magic, that might or might not be actually real, and this book really delivered on that. We heard about the past from Od’s perspective and the present from Tru, and I thought it was a really clever way to bring the narrative together.

This was a fun. kind of creepy, quick read, and I definitely think worth picking up.

xo Bron
***

Odd & True by Cat Winters
On Goodreads
I received a free copy eCopy from ABRAMS Kids (via Netgalley) for review (thank you!)
Find Cat Winters online here
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