Odd & True

I ADORE the cover on this one. Fabulous representation of the story. Great use of graphics. Great composition and title work.

What a delightful little book this turned out to be. I thought going into this one that I was going to get something along the lines of the TV show Supernatural just with two sisters that chase monsters. What I ended up getting was very different than that and in my opinion so much better.



This was a book about sisters who would do anything for each other. About the twists and turns their lives took. About one sister who spun these fantastical tales and about another sister who despite being disabled isn't afraid to forge her own path forward. The sister bond in this book was one of the best I have read to date. Told in dual POVs that jumps back and forth in time (usually, something that I find off-putting but worked incredibly well in this book) this story kept me captivated from page one. It was fantastically well written and paced. It was magical and heartbreaking. The characters were engaging and well developed. I love the folklore the authors weave into the plot as well.

Not much more to say about this one. I loved it, and if you are looking for a beautiful, unique, and magical book with strong females characters, then this one should be added to your list ASAP. Two HUGE thumbs up from yours truly.

Cat Winters is a treasure and I want to be bffs with all her characters.

Okay for real though. This is such a well-told story, with layers of meaning. It made me think about the way storytelling can be a way of dealing with trauma – i.e., a way of making sense of a world that doesn't always make sense. And about how, within families, both trauma and stories are retold, reenacted, and sometimes healed. About how the people you depend on can fail you, or how stories can become a lifeline when there's nothing else to hold on to. About how sometimes you have one person who protects you from the monsters – and that one person is enough. Even when you find out they are flawed, themselves. About how we choose between truth and beauty, and why, and whether that's okay.

Odd and True are both complex women with a complex relationship, and Winters isn't afraid to give that the space it needs to be messy. The plot jumping from past to future interweaves perfectly, deepening your understanding of events moment by moment, and always keeping you wondering “what really happened” – or if there's even one single answer to that question.

I love everything about how the story plays out; it's ultimately a story with so much compassion for the wounded, and so much hope of redemption. If you've never read a Cat Winters book this would be a great one to start with.