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.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one quite as much as I did.
But it was actually quite wonderful!

It's about family bonds , myths & legends, the everyday struggles of life, and magic.

The story follows two very close sisters and each chapter alternates between each of their points of view.
The chapters by Tru happen in the present and take us on an adventure across America where we'll face dangers, hunt monsters, and uncover family secrets.
Od's chapters tell us about the past; how the two sisters grew up, the real truth about their family history and what happened to Od when she was sent away from home and her sister.

I was expecting more magic, myths and monsters in this book if I'm honest, but I'm actually not mad about how it turned out.
There was just enough enchantment, folklore and mythical creatures to keep me interested, but the story was mainly about family, the love the two sisters share, overcoming adversity and being brave enough to carry on when life throws you a curve ball.
I really enjoyed learning about the girls' family history and the truth behind Od's tall tales.

I loved both of the sisters fiercely!
They were both so vastly different from each other, but equally strong and brave in their own way.
Tru suffered from Polio as a child and, as a result, one of her legs has withered and is unusable. She gets around with the help of a cane or wheelchair, but doesn't let this stop her from living her life and having adventures! She is delicate, quiet, smart, strong and brave.
Od, on the other hand, is a bit of a wild-child. She loves adventures, stomping around the woods following monster tracks, and looking after her sister. She suffers through quite a lot as she grows up, but her vivid imagination and thirst for magic always stays strong.

It's a fantastical adventure into dark family secrets, impossible stories and the unbreakable bond between sisters.
And could the magic be real after all?!

I've always loved Winter's stories. The pure imagination that goes behind them as she merges both a historical feel and a paranormal element to every tale she weaves. Her latest, True and Odd Tales has to be one of my favorites yet.

Told in both Tru and Od's point of view as it weaves both through the past and present tenses, this story magical unfolds as each girl comes to find out not only about herself and their family secrets but about their past as well and what it means to be a Lowenherz and the legacy that was left for them.

I love that this story isn't just about hunting monsters, in fact it isn't really about that at all. In truth it is a story about growing up and dealing with the situation and circumstances that both Tru and Od have to go through as they get older, grow up and really learn about their family secrets. It's about Tru dealing with being crippled by Polio and Od's adventures, heartache, and having to deal with being the older sister and everything that comes with a family that isn't all that it seems and has secrets not only from the girls, but from each other as well.

This was a fabulous coming of age story rip with intrigue and mystery and just enough of a touch of the maybe paranormal to get fans of both genres interested and curious and eagerly turning the pages.

Odd & True is a mysterious journey. It's a story told in two parts by two voices, a story about family, about journeys, about truths and lies and secrets. About monsters, those fantastical and those hidden in our own past.

Trudchen is a little lonely, a little lost. Left behind by her father, mother, and later her sister, she's had to become practical. After the polio that almost took her leg, she's had a hard life. Struggling to get around, struggling to be seen as anything other than crippled. But now Odette's returned, ready and eager to whisk Tru off on a dangerous mission, to continue keeping people safe from monsters and demons. But it's hard for Tru to trust her sister, now that she's older and finds it hard to still believe in such stories. Od's voice is like a voice from the past, a voice who has seen, has suffered, and now knows what to do. She's the keeper of secrets and truths, the holder of knowledge, and at times it seems odd that there's only so much she'll share with her sister.

This is a curious tale, one I expected to be full of monsters and rescues, demons and creatures that lurk in the shadows, and two sisters continuing a family tradition. In some ways, that's what it is, and in some ways it isn't. It seems to be about people, their memories and their secrets, their lives and their journeys. It's about the things we hide and run from, the things we run towards, and the things we do in order to save others. I imagine fans of the author's previous books, historical tales with a dash of the ghostly and the impossible, will enjoy this, as might fans of historical stories and complicated but well-meaning sister relationships.

I was very excited to see a new book by Cat Winters available on Net Galley as I really enjoyed In the Shadow of Blackbirds that I read during the Big Library Read. Cat again takes us on a historical and supernatural journey with the tale of two sisters who just might be a bit more than they realize. My first thought was that this seemed like a turn of the century Supernatural tale only with sisters instead of brothers, which was ultra appealing!

Of necessity this review may be a bit spoilery, so if you don't want to know more, just know that I enjoyed this tale, and recommend it if you are interested in mystery, sister relationships, past events shaping personalities, and that wonder of supernatural things that might be real, even though you think maybe not, but then maybe, but you're not sure.

Od and Tru are sisters, that for reasons we aren't sure of yet, live with their aunt on her farm. It opens with Tru imploring Od to tell her a favorite tale, which Od obliges. This tale is a special one that Od has crafted with love for her little sister, to give her a life full of magic and mystery, to spare her the hard life truths that she's already experienced, and that are still to come. As the girls get older, Od continues to hold to these myth's of their family, that their mother was a monster hunter, that each family member has different powers, that they are special, and have a duty. Even through leaving home for a few years and coming back one night to get Tru to leave the farm with her, she clings to these ideas, to the point where Tru is beginning to believe that her sister has gone crazy.

A last second leap of faith leads Tru to run away with Od for an adventure, though she's still not entirely sure of her sister's sanity. Tru has seen some signs of her own that give her that push she needs, and away they go on a train to they aren't immediately sure where, following their childhood dream of monster hunting.

The chapters alternate between Tru's current telling of events, and Od's recounting of their lives to that point, so we slowly find out the truths and the disappointments that have made Od into who she is. She's far from crazy, but she is brave, and loving and determined.

This story is very much a study of personality and being shaped by your past, also by what you are told at a young age, and what you are not. Od and Tru were at once too sheltered, but also neglected in important ways by the adults in their lives. Tru, kept in a childlike role from her illness and not allowed to make that move into adulthood, and Od being thrown into adulthood without being prepared and then punished for the mistakes that resulted. Through it all, their love as sisters remained a mainstay for them.

This is a story with so much heart, with an interesting historical backdrop, and that keeps teasing you along, never quite giving you that final answer, is it real, or not? Cat Winters has definitely shot up on my list of authors to keep track of, and I look forward to catching up on her previous books as well.

This is an odd story of two sisters named Od (Odette) and Tru (Trudchen). They grew up collecting stories of monsters and believing they came from a long line of Protectors who fought supernatural beings and saved their communities. They are raised by their aunt and have very little to no contact with their mother, father and uncle. Tru suffered from polio when she was two years old and as a result one leg is shorter than the other. She has to rely on braces, a cane and a wheelchair to get around. This does not stop her from doing things however. Od left home when she was 15 and has been gone for a couple of years, exiled for an unknown reason. On Tru's 15th birthday, Od returns from exile to take Tru on an adventure. They are off to fight monsters and find their mother. They journey from Oregon to Philadelphia.

The story is told through alternating chapters. Tru narrates the present adventure and Od tells the story of the past. I personally enjoyed Od's story a lot more than Tru's. While I did appreciate the fact that Tru is disabled, but still very capable, her story was a bit boring. It was basically the sisters traveling across the country and trying to get to know each other again. Tru seemed really naive to me and a bit gullible. Od however spoke truth and revealed secrets in her telling. Her story was much more compelling and made you question the validity of the current day story. I couldn't wait for each new secret truth to come out in her chapters. By the end one is left wondering what the truth is.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher.

When I asked for this book I had high hopes. I just loved the synopsis and I was dying to read it! This book was absolutely fantastic. It gripped me right from the start and I just wanted to know more about Od and Tru (Isn’t it so clever how the book was named?!) and all their fantastic tales!

The characters in this book were amazing. Trudchen and Odette are sisters and they have a very strong and beautiful bond. I was fascinated with Odette and her way to see the world. True was a very strong and interesting character as well. They are very different from each other and their lives have also been very different, but they love each other and they would do anything, literally anything for each other! I loved it!

The book is divided in different POVs and jumps in time a lot, but it’s very easy to keep pace with it and although it’s slightly slow in the beginning, it gets so fascinating and gripping! Basically, since children, Od always told amazing and fantastic tales about monsters, magical creatures and how their mom hunted them, to Tru. She believed that they were destined to do the same one day. There was a time when both believed it. But things are not the same anymore, especially when Od goes away.

Until one day, she comes back and pushes True into an adventure. It’s believed that there’s a monster prowling around a city and they are supposed to fight it and protect the city from harm.

I loved how they united each other to do that, how their relationship although changed with time, was still as strong as when they were little and how much I got to know about the characters. They were incredibly well described and it made the book really emotional and somewhat heavy and deep.

This book is more about inner demons than real ones. It’s about family, relationships, and loss. It has a lot of mystery in it that it’s done in a totally different way from what I’m used to, and I absolutely loved that! Especially how the Leeds Devil was incorporated for the historical fiction aspect.

The writing was also really different and captivating and I am definitely going to try more books from the author – I’m especially interested in In the Shadow of Blackbirds.

I have so much more to say about this book! But for now, these are the main things. I loved it and although this is not the type of books I normally go for, this is for sure a book that I will not forget easily.

This was simply wonderful and incredibly unique! And that end… it was everything I needed from a book! It just took my breath away! I loved this and I would definitely recommend it if you like historical fiction with supernatural in it.

Clearly I’m in the minority, but I didn’t love this. It’s a well written story that’s highly character driven. It wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought it would have a stronger fantasy element to it and a bit more action. The magic was so slight I wouldn’t even call it paranormal. Most of the book was spent revealing whether Od knows magic is real or is delusional and thinks it’s real.

It alternated between Od and Tru’s POV. Although they were sisters there was a lot Tru didn’t know about her family. Tru’s POV was necessary but very boring. Practicality does not make an exciting character trait in a main character. The problem with Tru was that I didn’t care about her one way or the other. Od’s POV was better. What she experienced in life was difficult. It was the magical element she brought to everything that annoyed me, and yes I know that is the point of the book. It was clear early on about what was really going on with Od.

Most of the side characters weren’t interesting. I liked Uncle Magnus. He was the only side character who really seemed to care about Od and Tru. In the end he disappointed me a little. I flat out didn’t like any of the other characters. They were self absorbed or more concerned with propriety than being descent people.
I liked this book enough that I wouldn’t mind reading another book by Cat Winters. I’ve had some on my TBR list for a while. This story isn’t something that will stick with me for a while. Honestly it’s surprising I even bothered to finish it. To be fair I’ve been in a book funk and have had a hard time getting into almost any book.

Bittersweet and captivating, <i>Odd & True</i> was a wonderful story about stories and sisters. It's definitely more of a slow burn of a book, so if you're looking for an action-packed adventure I wouldn't recommend this, but it does have some mystery to it, as you're wondering what's real and what isn't along with Tru. At its core it's about family - particularly sisters - and dealing with tough situations. As I was reading, I was a little surprised by how sad this book made me - not in an Adam Silvera, I'm going to tear my heart out, kind of sad, but a bittersweet sad, as I wanted these sisters to have everything they wanted (which was mostly to be together and to go on adventures). I highly recommend this for fans of Winters' previous books, as well as anyone who likes their historical fiction to be character driven with a bit of the supernatural.

This book ended up being different than what I expected. I though it would be creepier and full of monsters, but in actuality it's was a novel about the bonds of sisterhood. That being said, the book was good. I think the characters were genuine and strong. I enjoyed the relationship between the sisters and the storytelling was good. On the downside, I wish there was a bit more action.

Odd & True is told in parallel “modern” (the main storyline is set in 1909) and past accounts. The modern is told from younger sister Odette’s POV, while the past is from Trudchen’s. Cool, we get some history and get to find out how it is they come up against the Leed’s Devil (you may know it by it’s more popular moniker, the Jersey Devil), right? I mean, that cool cover has to come into play at some point, right? Well…yes and no. Yes, in the sense that we do inevitably have the MCs facing off with something, but it takes
way
too long to get to this point.

The idea of two young sisters living in the 1900’s, a time when females were considered – as well as treated as – the fairer sex, wanting to together go and fight monsters, was really a cool one. I had pictured in my own mind the different “monsters” or basically anything supernatural really, they could possibly battle before the Leed’s Devil case, but no, we get a lot of journeying to, and back-story. Oh my God! the back-stories really bored me to death! I feel like we could have been told, in lesser words, the sister’s history. Sure, a lot of what we’re told explains the sister’s current circumstances, but there was also a good amount that just seemed too…extra. Like I said, their history in lesser words, then we can be cool.

Moving on…

I liked the MCs well enough (yeah, even with my squabbling), and what’s always a plus for me, is that they weren’t annoying! Yay! I thought that it was really cool to see them in a field you just wouldn’t expect. At least, I haven’t read any books with characters like these, so I liked that about this one.

Finally, I haven’t seen any mentions of a sequel, and the epilogue seems to support that, but I feel like this book could really benefit from being a series, because there’s so many more monsters that could be highlighted in a book, and we can get to know the sisters more in “modern” times.

Really, though, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book, I did enjoy it for what it was, so that’s all I can say.

I had been waiting to get my hands on a copy of Odd & True by Cat Winters from the moment I knew she was writing this book. This book had such a wonderful feel to it and I can’t wait for everyone to read it. It is told from both Odette’s and Trudchen’s perspectives and I thought that helped tell the whole story. With that said, this review definitely won’t cover all the details as a lot happens and there are various things that I don’t want to give away.

Odette and Trudchen are sisters and I loved these two characters. They are both survivors and had such strength. Trudchen is the younger sister and she grew up on stories that Od told her about their mother and monsters. As she gets older, Tru begins to think the stories were just lies she told her. The more Tru learns about her mother and sister, the more she wonders who they really are. I enjoyed the historical feel to this book too.

As a child, Tru had polio and is now in constant pain and disabled. Living with her aunt, she wonders what she is destined for and whether she really has any magic in her like Od told her. I liked Tru – she was smart and it was clear she was looking for something more than just living her life locked away in her aunt’s house. When Od comes back after having been gone for two years, she jumps at the chance to be with her sister and attempt to find her mother.

Od hasn’t had an easy time of it while away from Tru. Heck, she didn’t have an easy time when she was a young kid living with her mother. She learns some difficult things early on about her mother and father. Now that she is older, when she was required to leave the farm and get a job, she finds herself in a difficult situation. Living with a family as a live in maid takes her away from her sister and she is introduced to a boy named Cy. It is clear that Od is lonely and when Cy starts to leave her books at her door, she finds him to be a comfort and an escape from the loneliness she feels during the day being away from her family.

When Od finally comes back to the farm for Tru, they jump back into their old roles but Tru has become a much stronger version of herself and while Od tends to direct them where they are headed, Tru gets her way and she wants to find their mother. They also decide they are going to find the Leeds Devil. When they run into Cy and some of his friends, they join his group to travel to New Jersey even though Od is definitely not comfortable with the whole situation. It is clear that Od is hiding something from Tru and Tru is motivated to figure out what it is. Turns out, there are a few things that Od hasn’t been completely forthcoming about.

The other characters we are introduced to add to the overall story and help to move things along. Their mother, their father, Aunt Vik, Uncle Magnus, and Cy…all played an important role in the overall story and I thought Winters did a wonderful job of tying their stories into Od and Tru’s stories.

I don’t want to say much more about this story as I want everyone to read this and see what happens on their own. Honestly, my review probably feels a bit sparse or choppy (at least it does to me) but I can’t help it. There is so much that I could say about this book but really don’t want to as I don’t think I would do the story justice. In the end this is about family and yes there is a paranormal / fantasy twist to this that only makes it that much more interesting. If you are looking for something a bit different from the other Young Adult books out there, considering checking this one out. This isn’t my first Cat Winters book and it will definitely not be my last. I really enjoy her writing and can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Od is the spunky older sister full of adventure and secrets. She’s honestly full of bad decisions and dumb ideas, then drags her sister along with her. Most of the things she does seems to have no rhyme or reason other than to further along the plot. The character doesn’t really have that much structure.

The younger sister Tru gets really whiney; something I can put up with in secondary or minor characters but don’t have much love for in a main character. She’s very reluctant to go with her sister, but has a surge of bravery; then seems to be drained of it all. For the rest of the book she’s mainly pushed and pulled along during the story until the very end.

The story itself is told in part truths and lies; bouncing from the present to different episodes in the past. It’s not all that hard to keep up with where you are in the story line once you get used to the format, but it also doesn’t quite work for me. The reader is shown a half-truth or a full out lie, then pulled into the past and shown what really happened. It leaves no mystery and no big revealing moments, just small snippets throughout the book. It doesn’t have much of a plot, and nothing interesting happens through 70% of the story.

The supernatural element of the book hangs in the air during the entire story; is Od just making it up or does the supernatural really exist? Naturally it’s revealed at the end of the book, but in a way that still leaves the reader skeptical of everything that took place.

Overall, I did not like this book at all. It had it’s moments, but the characters were flat and the pace was so slow that most readers will probably give up within the first few chapters. Historical readers may read through it for the setting, but fans of supernatural or adventure novels will be disappointed.

I have been a huge fan of Cat for years now, ever since before her first book came out. She always writes such amazing and stunning books, full of awesome characters. Odd & True was no exception. This book was truly incredible. Like I knew it would be. But yes, I am beyond happy that I loved this book so much.

It ended up breaking my heart, though. Because this story was so good. And the most heartbreaking at times. I'm not sure how I'll find the words to describe how much I enjoyed it all. But will try my best. The writing was so good. And I loved the characters as well. I'm giving this stunning book five stars. As I loved it so.

This book tells the story of two sisters. Odette and Trudchen. Od and Tru. They are both such stunning characters to read about. Sigh. It's also told from both point of views, Tru is present time, and Od in past time. I cannot begin to say how much I enjoyed that. Because the past was just as exciting as the present. This book takes place over a hundred years ago, which I love reading about, but oh, some of the things these girls were ignorant about made my heart hurt like crazy. Some parts of the book made me angry, some parts made me sad. But for the most part I was so happy with how much I enjoyed this story. Because it's truly an amazing book with a stunning story and awesome characters. This book also has monsters in it. Real ones and human ones.

Not going to mention the plot of this book too much, just saying a little bit. It's about two awesome sisters going on a sort of adventure to hunt monsters that they have known about their whole lives. They have always known how to protect themselves from every horrible monster out in the world. And figuring out if these monsters were real or not was all kinds of exciting. And just reading about their adventure was all kinds of fun. And sad too. I only wish that this book wasn't a standalone. I badly need more of them both.

I think my favorite parts of the book was reading about Od's past. Simply because it was so heartbreaking and I was dying to know what would happen next. So many surprises. So much heartbreak. Was simply stunning and so perfect. A lot of her past was when she was almost four, and when she was six years old. And oh, I cannot even tell you how much it broke my heart to read about it all. I wish this precious girl had had a better childhood. Aw. So sad. But written so well that I couldn't help but love it. My poor heart.

Another thing I loved very very much was the sister relationship between Od and Tru. It was stunning to read about. I loved how much they loved each other and cared for each other. Though all of that mostly happened in the past, as in the present, I felt like Od kept way too many secrets from Tru. Hmph. Which wasn't very nice of her and made me a bit upset with her. But I also didn't really blame her, because all of those secrets were horrible and oh so heartbreaking and evil. But still felt that Od deserved to know it all.

I simply adored these two girls so much. What I loved most about Tru was that she had a broken leg, yet she was still so fierce and loving and trying her best to live her life the way she wanted to. I wanted all the best for her. Sniffs. And wishing there had been focus on her upcoming romance. How rude. But despite no romance, I still loved her to pieces and enjoyed reading about her so much. She was so brave and so full of love. I couldn't help but adore her. But yeah, I do sort of wish the romance had been in focus too.

And oh, Od. I cannot write too much about this girl. I simply can't. I'm not sure if I loved her or Tru more. But I do know that I loved them both like crazy. And getting to know Od was the best thing. But also the worst. Because getting her chapters broke my heart each time. More awful things got revealed, and it was so sad. Yet some good parts too, of course. I hated Cy, though. Like crazy. Awful boy. Hmph. Could not decide if I loved or hated Uncle Magnus. Think I did both. But oh, I loved Od an awful lot. So much.

There is so much happening in this book. About both sisters, together or not. Though they are together all the time in the present, they weren't always in the past. And oh, reading about their family life killed me a little. So sad, yet so interesting and exciting. I loved reading about all of it. So so many exciting moments. I'm having trouble thinking of anything to write, simply because I enjoyed this book so much. Sigh. And so I won't write much more, just that you really need to read this book. It is so good. But also very evil. Ahh.

Thank you so much to the lovely UK publisher for sending me this ARC to read and review. So happy to have my collection of books by Cat complete too, eee. And cannot wait to get my two pre-orders of this lovely hardcover as well. It's going to be so stunning. If you haven't pre-ordered this yet, then you really must. Because Odd & True was all kinds of perfection. It was everything I wanted it to be. Odd & True was full of mystery and monsters. Heartbreaking moments and a stunning sister relationship. Loved it so.

I always want to be reading a Cat Winters book. I loved the development of the sisters' relationship. Though Od is the one telling her sister fantastical, monstrous tales, the chapters from her perspective are grounded in harsh reality. Because of childhood polio, Tru uses a cane and walks with difficulty, and Winters effectively shows how that would impact her living on a farm, traveling across the country, and hunting the New Jersey Devil.

The world is a dark place and Trudchen - Tru to be short - know it really well. Her life is calm and empty, kinda depressing, but she manage to keep herself up. She manage to be happy, sort of. She manage to live day by day. Then her sister Odette comes back. And Od's worlds is far more dark.

Odd & True is a magic mix of American folklore and monsters, of sisterhood and family, of the will to fight for something more, searching for more, moving to dark place to another hoping to find what has been lost.
It's a beautiful novel. A dark novel.

If you think that you're going to read about to cheerful and mysterious monster hunter sisters, you're wrong. And right too. But mostly wrong.
Are you easy to get triggered? Don't read this book.
I opened it and I didn't expect to find so many shadows and such touching topics, showing a really gloomy reality for the women of the time.

Both sisters are amazing in their own way. Od is a chest of secret, of sacrifice, truths and lies. Tru is disabled with her leg, quite naive and yet so strong, facing even the darkest place just to stick to her own moral and prove herself how much she can be strong.
Writing that I fell in love with this particular story it's not enough.

Odd & True is an uneasy book, with a creepy feeling that run trough the pages, words after words, and it suits perfectly the story. It's something different and new, with a lovely twist and the brutality of life that move between the two realities and lives of the sister. It shows every piece of them, from past to present, and every chapter manage to build up details and a complex story that will break your heart.

I love the protagonists, I love their different types of strength and how they fought with kindness and a brave heart against whoever dare to laugh at them, to dismiss them because of their gender and role.

The bittersweet message of the books is a little pearl that made cry a bit, totally worth even the not so fast paced parts, and the amazing reading experience. The only critique? I appreciated the ugly truth but I needed more monsters.

Trudchen "Tru" Grey grew up believing her sister Odette's bedtime stories: that their mother was a monster hunter, that the various charms and mirrors kept around the house warded off demons, and that one day they would grow up to hunt monsters too. Almost 15, Tru has grown out of such silly tales. She's resigned to a life helping her aunt Vik at their filburt farm in Oregon as best as she can with her crippled right leg. Then Odette returns after two years away in the circus, still believing in monsters and magic . . . and there just might be something to those tales.

I read this thinking I was getting monsters and magic, and instead, I got something so much better. It's about growing up and seeing through the magical stories weaved about childhood, seeing the adults in your life as who they really are, and realizing that there might be magic in the world after all. I can't say more without spoiling it, but Cat Winters certainly does it again with her ability to spin different ideas--polio, early 1900s America, growing up and monsters--into a beautiful story of two sisters rediscovering their love for each other and their family.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

(I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

A beautiful book about the in-between place of childhood magic and adult realities.

Odette and Trudchen are monster-fighting sisters in this tale woven of perspectives, memories, and magic. Each girl faces her own challenges, but their loyalty to each other is unwavering.

This review will be short, in reality, because I feel there's very little that can be said without spoiling anything. It is a novel featuring fierce women who make tough choices, and detailing the consequences of those choices. Set in the early 1900s US, it vibes late Victorian/elegant pioneer.

A good read for a high school library.

I was given this ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
With all Cat Winters’ books, I read them in one or two sittings, trying to swallow them whole and then mope that I have to wait for her next book to be published. <i>Odd & True</i> is no exception, I loved every page of it.
The main characters, two sisters are very different, yet joined together in a fantastical adventure that has the reader question what is reality and what is myth.
The author’s talent and skill creating not only two very interesting young women to follow along their journey, but also a setting that suits this story so well is a great treat for every reader looking to get lost in a story of monsters and historical fiction.
Just like all of the author’s other works, this one is a gem that can be read in one sitting, but stays with the reader long after. I highly recommend this story to anyone, looking for suspense, strong female leads and a thin line between what is and what could be.

Cat Winters has a way with words and in Odd & Tru she uses her skill to weave a story of loyalty, protection, and what the truth is depending upon the person telling the story.
The book is told in alternating chapters and time periods. The current day ones are told by Tru, the more reserved and younger of two sisters.
Tru was a brilliant character. While she started out a little dull, I think a lot of that had to do with her Aunt Vik trying to stuff as much "reality" and mundanity into her as possible as a methof protection against what Vik saw as familial madness. There was also the matter of Tru's disability and chronic pain: her right leg is two inches shorter than the left, causing constant pain and rendering her paralyzed for many years before allowing for limited mobility. For a long time she saw herself as a cripple, a word here she used to describe herself, but a word she begins to move beyond with the encouragement of her sister Od.
The other point of view is told from the past in voice of the elder sister, Od.
Od was fascinating and mysterious, easily that cool aunt type character that I'd have looked forward to seeing as a child with her wild stories. She's fearless and she doesn't let anyone or anything, especially the expectations of society and her Aunt Vik, get in the way of following the path she sees as the right one. Her determined selfworth is matched only by the enormous amount of energy she puts into making sure Tru doesn't languish away on a family in Oregon, similar to how their mother suffered for years on their father's California estate.
Of the two, I preferred the stories in Od's chapters, but I really liked seeing them come through in Tru's current life, such as when she begs for the story of her birth, which we hear in the present only to later hear a tidbit which reveals the truth about where Od got the information to weave the tale.
For the longest time it's difficult to say who is telling the truth and who is not lying, exactly, but perhaps coloring the truth rather more than one might expect in the every day. Are the monsters real as Od and the girls' Uncle Magnus say? Or are there members of this German immigrant family that dabble in debauchery far too often and are on their own, as Aunt Vik vehemently states when Od shows up at the Oregon farm?
To reveal the answer would be to ruin the journey and the adventures that Od & Tru have. Suffice it to say that I think you may find yourself questioning more than one person before the end. The answers come slowly, but worth the experience of the slow burn read.