Od and Ed - Shanti Leonard
3⁄5
One of my goals this year is to read more indie books/seek out less hyped books. So when I saw this one on NetGalley and it caught my attention I was like “okay lets read this one.”
I love a haunted house story. And what was cool about this book was that it wasn’t your traditional haunted house book. Now I can’t say HOW it is different than your typical haunted house because that would be a mega spoiler. You’ll just have to read to figure that out.

The reason this book was only 3 stars is because at times it felt like a YA book, and at others it would say things typically found it an adult book. I also felt like it ended a little abruptly.
What I did like about this book was the brother sister relationship and the creepy family we got to learn about.

Od and Ed is unlike anything I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Think Stranger Things meets Pet Sematary.

Ed's soul has been scared out of his body and wanders The Pale while his flesh sits, unresponsive, in the graveyard. His sister, Od, goes to extreme lengths to get her brother back, even digging up the body of a young girl in the hope that Ed's soul will somehow attach itself to her. The plan is simple. Take the corpse back to the house, tell Ed to possess it, drive back to the graveyard and Ed's soul will 're-attach' itself to his own body. But things are never that simple, are they? Certainly not in this story.

Shanti Leonard's novel is humorous and clever. It has a comedic gore level that is almost reminiscent of Pat Pollari's work, but just enough horror to be truly dark. A thoroughly enjoyable read with plenty of twists and turns, culminating in a haunting finale that leaves the reader wanting more.

Sci-fi/fantasy and horror are genres I always say I'll check out but never do. I'm glad I stepped outside my romance only comfort zone - this book is so good!

It's a dark fantasy/horror akin to a mix of Stranger Things and Stephen King, Pet Sematary in particular - supernatural small town in the late 80's? Check. Child's perspective with a straightforward, minimal stream-of-consciousness narrative? Check. Souls stuck in a parallel universe, re-animated corpses, multiple spiritual possessions in one person? Big time check. (Bonus check for kick-ass cover art!)

This borders more on dark fantasy with horror elements (and much needed, genuinely hilarious dark humor), so if you're a wuss like me and can't handle medium to extreme gore and disturbing imagery, you'll be fine. The narrative has a slow, wandering start but once it gets going after a few chapters, it's hard to put down. The ending is a bit rushed, but still satisfying and surprisingly touching. I could see this expanding into a series, but it'll do just fine as a stand-alone.

My only qualm is a storytelling choice that might just be personal preference - some of the explanation heavy dialogue felt too on the noise, giving the reader (and characters) the answer without letting them figure it out first. Those moments awkwardly stuck out and made the pace momentarily stumble. Granted, this is told from childrens' perspective so it makes sense to have straightforward explanations rather than realizations from inner monologues. I would've preferred context clues instead of blunt explanations but, again, probably just a personal preference.

4.5 / 5 for me! It's a unique, well executed story by a debut author and surreal, memorable reading experience that'll live in my head for a long time. I look forward to Shanti Leonard's future works!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Shanti Leonard and IBPA for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!