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brianne_k's review
1.0
*1/5*
There wasn't anything I really liked about this book at all.. hence the almost 3 months it took me to read it.. forgettable plot, forgettable characters..
There wasn't anything I really liked about this book at all.. hence the almost 3 months it took me to read it.. forgettable plot, forgettable characters..
christinareadsalot2022's review against another edition
I just didn’t have a desire to pick it up!
sturmykins's review against another edition
3.0
This wasn't quite what I expected it to be, but I really enjoyed it, nonetheless. It had a Big Fish/Borden Sister's feel to it. Definitely recommend if you like Victorian dramas and monster hunters.
thebookishunicorn's review against another edition
5.0
"In the world of grownups, you see, practical thinking is king; dreamers are fools and madmen. How ridiculous that is."
Actual rating 4.5 stars
Actual rating 4.5 stars
rynflynn12's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
justlily's review against another edition
5.0
This book took me a hot minute to get into. For the first 150 pages, I was dragging. I enjoyed what I read but it didn't compel me to pick it up and go any farther. But there was something about it, mainly the sections told from Od's perspective that kept me coming back.
Between the fantasy Od makes Tru believe and the truth we slowly find out in Od's writing, there is this constant question of what is real and what is childhood fantasy covering up hard times. Are the monsters real? Do the charms work? Is this devil they're hunting a real creature or just Od desperately trying to reconnect with her little sister?
But the last half of the book saved it all. The last 50 or so pages especially were just brilliant and touched my heart. I thought about giving this one star less due to the slow start but it just doesn't seem right for how much I continued to think about it after it was finished.
I DNF'd a book by Cat Winters a couple years ago but this one has convinced me to give her a few more chances.
Between the fantasy Od makes Tru believe and the truth we slowly find out in Od's writing, there is this constant question of what is real and what is childhood fantasy covering up hard times. Are the monsters real? Do the charms work? Is this devil they're hunting a real creature or just Od desperately trying to reconnect with her little sister?
But the last half of the book saved it all. The last 50 or so pages especially were just brilliant and touched my heart. I thought about giving this one star less due to the slow start but it just doesn't seem right for how much I continued to think about it after it was finished.
I DNF'd a book by Cat Winters a couple years ago but this one has convinced me to give her a few more chances.
owlyreadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
Odd & True had its creepy moments and supernatural dealings. It had me wanting more though, since the first few chapters promised so many more creatures and hauntings. Even with only a few spooky characters, it didn't take away from the chills that I felt when reading this novel. Like the story of "La Llorona" (The Weeping Woman) being told and having the wailing sounds fill the pages, or the spine-chilling entity that appears to crawl upward in one particular tea cup without stop.
Then we have the sisters, who really make this story what is and the kind of bond they have in the midst of it all. Odd is the best kind of sister to have, even if she confused Tru a little as she was growing up, she did it all to keep their minds from the truth and to protect her sister Tru from all the chaos that was soon to come. It's what makes this story even better and much more captivating than just having the mystical side of it involved.
It's all made even more mysterious when the rest of the family is introduced, when the backstories of how they came to be and what they've had to go through resurface. There really are things that go bump in the night, that follow once steps when walking the streets all alone, that crawl up windows to wreak havoc but get stopped by magical mirrors. If that wasn't enough for the sisters to have to deal with, there is a physical impediment that could possibly make things a lot worse for them.
This novel reminds me of different stories like those written by the Grimm brothers and the adventures that Sam and Dean have on Supernatural. I couldn't stop reading Odd & True! Even though there wasn't always a scary scene going on, everything else they went through, and what the were trying to accomplish on their journey, made it a great read. It's definitely a book I would recommend reading in October and will be adding a copy to my shelves.
***I received this copy from Amulet Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
Then we have the sisters, who really make this story what is and the kind of bond they have in the midst of it all. Odd is the best kind of sister to have, even if she confused Tru a little as she was growing up, she did it all to keep their minds from the truth and to protect her sister Tru from all the chaos that was soon to come. It's what makes this story even better and much more captivating than just having the mystical side of it involved.
It's all made even more mysterious when the rest of the family is introduced, when the backstories of how they came to be and what they've had to go through resurface. There really are things that go bump in the night, that follow once steps when walking the streets all alone, that crawl up windows to wreak havoc but get stopped by magical mirrors. If that wasn't enough for the sisters to have to deal with, there is a physical impediment that could possibly make things a lot worse for them.
This novel reminds me of different stories like those written by the Grimm brothers and the adventures that Sam and Dean have on Supernatural. I couldn't stop reading Odd & True! Even though there wasn't always a scary scene going on, everything else they went through, and what the were trying to accomplish on their journey, made it a great read. It's definitely a book I would recommend reading in October and will be adding a copy to my shelves.
***I received this copy from Amulet Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
lisawreading's review against another edition
4.0
I went into Odd & True with somewhat false expectations, based on early synopses and the cover picture. I definitely expected something about monster hunters! Instead, Odd & True is more complicated and nuanced than I would have thought, and ultimately conveys some lovely sentiments about family and belonging.
Od and Tru, when we first meet them, live in a plain Oregon home with their straight-laced, strict Aunt Viktoria and her husband William. Od is five years older than Tru, and has been Tru's protector since both their parents left them years earlier. Tru suffers terrible pain in her leg as a result of polio as a toddler, and to distract her from her suffering, Od tells Tru stories of their past. She tells her the story of the day of her birth, when she was born in a castle and her uncle the magician came to visit, stories about their mother setting out to battle monsters in the deep, dark woods, and stories of their artist father traveling the world to seek his fortune.
Tru believes it all, and grows up with no doubt that monsters exist in the world, and must be warded off by charms and amulets and spells, as well as by the special monster-hunting weapons in the family's special traveling case.
In alternating chapters, we get the sisters' views of their world... and once we start hearing from Odette, it becomes increasingly clear that the magical tales she spins for Tru are just a sugar-coated version of the darker truths of their childhood and their parents' lives.
As the story progressed, I became more and more engrossed in Odette's part of the story, and perhaps as a consequence, I found it harder to buy into Tru's view of life and her fantastical belief in myths and legends. Still, I really appreciated the sisters' devotion to one another, and the various threads do come together nicely by the end.
I had a hard time getting truly caught up in the story at first, but gradually it grabbed me, and I ended up liking it very much. I really admire the way the author weaves together the two viewpoints to create a picture of a family that's mired it its own myths.
Odd & True is the story of two young women who refuse to let their lives be dictated by what they "should" be and do. It's about taking risks and being brave, facing danger even when you feel weak, and not letting anyone put you into a box. It's quite a lovely read, and I think fans of Cat Winters, as well as those new to her wonderful books, will enjoy Odd & True very much.
Od and Tru, when we first meet them, live in a plain Oregon home with their straight-laced, strict Aunt Viktoria and her husband William. Od is five years older than Tru, and has been Tru's protector since both their parents left them years earlier. Tru suffers terrible pain in her leg as a result of polio as a toddler, and to distract her from her suffering, Od tells Tru stories of their past. She tells her the story of the day of her birth, when she was born in a castle and her uncle the magician came to visit, stories about their mother setting out to battle monsters in the deep, dark woods, and stories of their artist father traveling the world to seek his fortune.
Tru believes it all, and grows up with no doubt that monsters exist in the world, and must be warded off by charms and amulets and spells, as well as by the special monster-hunting weapons in the family's special traveling case.
In alternating chapters, we get the sisters' views of their world... and once we start hearing from Odette, it becomes increasingly clear that the magical tales she spins for Tru are just a sugar-coated version of the darker truths of their childhood and their parents' lives.
As the story progressed, I became more and more engrossed in Odette's part of the story, and perhaps as a consequence, I found it harder to buy into Tru's view of life and her fantastical belief in myths and legends. Still, I really appreciated the sisters' devotion to one another, and the various threads do come together nicely by the end.
I had a hard time getting truly caught up in the story at first, but gradually it grabbed me, and I ended up liking it very much. I really admire the way the author weaves together the two viewpoints to create a picture of a family that's mired it its own myths.
I've decided I'd rather be foolish than ordinary. I'd rather risk chasing monsters that might not exist, searching for [deleted spoiler] I'm not meant to find, than to believe we're nothing more than mundane creatures, steeped in ordinary lives... Please trust me when I insist that it is too soon for you to turn your back on spellbinding wonders.
Odd & True is the story of two young women who refuse to let their lives be dictated by what they "should" be and do. It's about taking risks and being brave, facing danger even when you feel weak, and not letting anyone put you into a box. It's quite a lovely read, and I think fans of Cat Winters, as well as those new to her wonderful books, will enjoy Odd & True very much.
penniew79's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I found this book at a thrift store a few months ago and just loved the cover. It sounded like the show Supernatural, but with females and set in a much older time. It turned out to not be like the show, but something else all together as I read. Od and Tru are sisters. They’ve been through so many tragedies and you will find them out, little by little as you read along. It does go back and forth from present with Tru as the first person, and the past with Od as the first person. It is a bittersweet story. You have sadness and happy times on and off through it. I do hope to see a second book, because it does end in a slight cliffhanger.
hellomadalyn's review against another edition
This review originally appeared on Novel Ink.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I really want to like Cat Winters, you guys. I try so hard. Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and I especially love historical fiction with fantasy/paranormal elements. It would stand to reason that I would love Cat Winters’s books, but I’m starting to think her writing and I just don’t get along. I’ve tried a few of her books and not loved any of them, but Odd & True was the biggest disappointment of them all. The two main characters in Odd & True are two sisters, Odette and Trudchen– get it??? Od and Tru? ODD AND TRUE??? *insert me rolling my eyes for twelve years here*– whose family has told them all their lives that monsters exist and they come from a family of monster hunters. The paranormal elements of this book were just plain confusing, if I’m honest. Not confusing in that I didn’t understand them, but confusing in that they just didn’t make any sense. They seemed like a crutch the author used to explain away her characters’ motivations and to get the plot moving. The pacing of this story was incredibly slow, and I feel that it could have been cut down to a significantly smaller number of pages. Odd & True is told through alternating timelines (Trudchen’s perspective in the present, and Odette’s perspective in the past), yet somehow there wasn’t a whole lot done to differentiate the POV characters’ voices. Plus, like the main characters in Girls Made of Snow & Glass, both Od and Tru just felt so dull and lifeless, like cardboard cutouts instead of fully-fleshed-out characters. Like I touched on before, I simply did not understand their motivations or the decisions they made. They also read very young and naive– which I don’t have a problem with (I mean, they’re sheltered teen girls around the turn of the century, what do you expect?), but I know many people do, so just a warning if you prefer older YA. I will say, I did really appreciate how one (spoiler-y, so I won’t go into detail here) major plot point in Odette’s story was handled, especially the way that plot tied together in the end. Overall, though, this book did not impress me, and I don’t think I’ll be picking up any more of Cat Winters’s future books.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I really want to like Cat Winters, you guys. I try so hard. Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and I especially love historical fiction with fantasy/paranormal elements. It would stand to reason that I would love Cat Winters’s books, but I’m starting to think her writing and I just don’t get along. I’ve tried a few of her books and not loved any of them, but Odd & True was the biggest disappointment of them all. The two main characters in Odd & True are two sisters, Odette and Trudchen– get it??? Od and Tru? ODD AND TRUE??? *insert me rolling my eyes for twelve years here*– whose family has told them all their lives that monsters exist and they come from a family of monster hunters. The paranormal elements of this book were just plain confusing, if I’m honest. Not confusing in that I didn’t understand them, but confusing in that they just didn’t make any sense. They seemed like a crutch the author used to explain away her characters’ motivations and to get the plot moving. The pacing of this story was incredibly slow, and I feel that it could have been cut down to a significantly smaller number of pages. Odd & True is told through alternating timelines (Trudchen’s perspective in the present, and Odette’s perspective in the past), yet somehow there wasn’t a whole lot done to differentiate the POV characters’ voices. Plus, like the main characters in Girls Made of Snow & Glass, both Od and Tru just felt so dull and lifeless, like cardboard cutouts instead of fully-fleshed-out characters. Like I touched on before, I simply did not understand their motivations or the decisions they made. They also read very young and naive– which I don’t have a problem with (I mean, they’re sheltered teen girls around the turn of the century, what do you expect?), but I know many people do, so just a warning if you prefer older YA. I will say, I did really appreciate how one (spoiler-y, so I won’t go into detail here) major plot point in Odette’s story was handled, especially the way that plot tied together in the end. Overall, though, this book did not impress me, and I don’t think I’ll be picking up any more of Cat Winters’s future books.