Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Odd & True
    Unavailable
    Odd & True
    Unavailable
    Odd & True
    Ebook363 pages4 hours

    Odd & True

    By Cat Winters

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    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.
     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherABRAMS
    Release dateSep 12, 2017
    ISBN9781683351443
    Unavailable
    Odd & True
    Author

    Cat Winters

    Cat Winters's debut novel, In the Shadow of Blackbirds, was released to widespread critical acclaim. The novel has been named a finalist for the 2014 Morris Award, a School Library Journal Best Book of 2013, and a Booklist 2013 Top 10 Horror Fiction for Youth. Winters lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two children.

    Read more from Cat Winters

    Related to Odd & True

    Related ebooks

    YA Historical For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      “Wicked Fox” Is An Engrossing – If Convoluted – YA Fantasy

      Aug 22, 2019

      Kat Cho’s debut novel “Wicked Fox” is a little complicated, but the poignantly rendered family relationships and fantasy drama are worth the ride.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Dark Side Of Buffy

      Mar 24, 2022

      Dark Side Of Buffy
      2 min read

    • Article

      Yara And The Witch Queen

      Oct 1, 2019

      I knew the dangers of witchcraft. My parents had told me about the time before I was born, when magic plagued our desert kingdom of Bahati. Untrained witch doctors trying to cure warts ended up paralyzing their patients or turning them into crocodile

      10 min read

    • Article

      Estella’s Fate

      May 17, 2023

      Estella’s Fate
      7 min read

    • Article

      Estella’s Fate

      May 17, 2023

      Estella’s Fate
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Postmenopausal Fairy Tale

      Feb 4, 2019

      The Postmenopausal Fairy Tale
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Thin Place

      Nov 16, 2020

      We looked out of the window at the torrential rain. We’d booked tickets for the Castle’s Halloween event. The Castle was famous for being haunted by the ghost of its last court jester and made the most of this reputation every October, hosting a fair

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Way Back Home

      Apr 30, 2022

      Morning light in Sydney has a quality of powdered gold, spilt celestial talcum. It gets up the nose. The streets seem to have nothing to think about other than parking and shopping, violence a concept from another hemisphere. The calm seems deliberat

      6 min read

    • Article

      Alice And The Jabberwocky

      Apr 10, 2022

      ‘Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe. Once again, Alice found herself in her bedroom, feeling rather mimsy indeed. Every day now, at two o’clock, she would sit at

      18 min read

    • Article

      The Nightingale

      May 1, 2019

      The Nightingale
      10 min read

    • Article

      A Thousand Embers

      Aug 13, 2023

      The old man’s grave hung like a mist over the whole of the wops. The world was still and soundless. Even the owl that watches over this place had ceased to call its name. Ru-ru. And though it wasn’t cold, an eerie chill possessed us, our breath visib

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Governess

      Dec 30, 2020

      The Governess
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Governess

      Dec 27, 2020

      The Governess
      10 min read

    • Article

      100-WORD-STORY COMPETITION Winners

      Aug 16, 2022

      We’ve been delighted by the huge response to our 100-word-story competition. The entries have flooded in thick and fast during the past few months, but while we’ve enjoyed reading every story, only a few can come out on top! You, our readers, voted t

      5 min read

    • Article

      If Sheep COULD FLY…

      Aug 3, 2022

      If Sheep COULD FLY…
      6 min read

    • Article

      I Am The Tooth Fairy

      Nov 1, 2020

      I Am The Tooth Fairy
      6 min read

    • Article

      Merry Christmas: A Reading Of Holiday Classics By Monitor Staff (audio)

      Dec 17, 2019

      A dive into venerable old writings can add to the warmth of the holiday hearth. Even more so when they’re read aloud.

      12 min read

    • Article

      Witching Hour

      Sep 7, 2023

      Witching Hour
      3 min read

    • Article

      Six Poems

      Feb 28, 2023

      Dear C, At first Virgil’s poem is quite dull; equivocalnames of products at The Container Store: Elfa White Medium Drawer, Mesh NarrowRolling Cart (Medium Solution), Narrow Classic Mesh Box and the number of pirouetting starseach product attained. An

      5 min read

    • Article

      Excerpts From The Works Of The 2024 Whiting Award Winners

      Apr 10, 2024

      The 2024 Whiting Award winners were announced Wednesday night. Below are excerpts from their work.

      19 min read

    • Article

      A Southern Christmas

      Nov 1, 2023

      A Southern Christmas
      7 min read

    • Article

      I Am the Tooth Fairy

      Nov 14, 2019

      I Am the Tooth Fairy
      7 min read

    • Article

      Magnets: Carried through time, lovers seek their purpose.

      Feb 6, 2014

      Moon Colony B, 2213 Former Ponzi-schemer Mary Pillar digs through a trashcan. It smells like rotten eggs and milk. She is elderly and homeless, living in an alley between two eco-efficient skyscrapers. Dust particles dance around her. She has lost ev

      11 min read

    Reviews for Odd & True

    3.5/5

    30 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This book actually found its way into my dreams, I was so absorbed! A wonderful work of fiction for older teens and young adults. A perfect fit for fans of creepy and a little fantastic period stories.

      Give us more, Cat Winters! I need more of your stories.
    • 4/5
      Goodness gracious, this was another fantastic read from Cat Winters. Odette and Trudchen Grey, two sisters, whose childhoods have been spent shrouded in mystery, entertained by stories of monsters and of the ancestors who fought them. Were these stories true or just the products of wildly active imaginations? Together, they set out on a quest into the Pennsylvania woods to discover the truth of a legendary monster. I formed a connection with these two girls early on in the book because they were so much like me as a teenager. Fascinated by legends of monsters and determined to discover the truth, no matter the obstacles they face. They also reminded me of how strong the bond of family is, even when separated for years. The deep love these sisters had for each other really came through and leaped from the pages into my heart. This is what I love about Cat Winters. Many of her books are centered around strong female characters who are fighting battles both outwardly and inwardly, showing amazing growth, courage, and determination that many readers can really relate to. I would really love another story about these characters. One of my favorites from Cat Winters.
    • 2/5
      Trudchen grew up hearing Odette's stories of their mother as a monster hunter and later Odette's own stories of carrying on her mother's legacy. Now that she's grown up a bit, she's not so quick to be fooled by her sister's stories. Because of a childhood bout of polio, Trudchen is disabled and in constant pain. She lives with her aunt after her parents died as did Odette until she abruptly left with no explanation. Odette is back after two years and eager to get Trudchen out of the house and on adventures while Trudchen remains reluctant. The Leeds Devil is terrorizing a town and Odette is convinced they can beat it. Trudchen ends up going, but will she live to regret it?The book is told in alternating narration between Trudchen in the present and Odette in the past. Trudchen was my favorite character because she was a genuine, nice person being manipulated and lied to by her sister. I felt for her the most and it was clear that her sister didn't really care about her health or wellbeing. Trudchen, being the younger sister of the two, doesn't remember all the hardships of their childhood, but Odette chooses to lie to her and keep her in the dark about their past instead of being honest.Odette had a hard life and remembers more than she'd like. She tells lies about everything or tells half truths or omits information altogether. I felt for her tragic story, but nothing justifies lying to her sister and whisking her away where she doesn't seem to keep in mind her sister's safety or comfort. Shes seems to care more about her egotistical need to have Trudchen witness her accomplishments than actually building a relationship and spending time with her. Odette, the least likeable, dominates the story with half of the narrative and the dominating aspect in Trudchen's. Trudchen has small moments of independence and power, but it's not enough for me.Other aspects of the novel are annoying as well. Based on the cover and the synopsis, I expected the sisters to fight monsters and bond over it. Unfortunately, about 200 pages go by without any indication if monsters are just another Odette lie or if they are real. I'm guessing it was for suspense, but waiting for an aspect to show up that I expected to be a fundamental part of the book feels like being lied to, just like Trudchen. Very disappointing. Cy is Odette's love interest. However, he's manipulative, takes advantage of Odette, and doesn't listen to the sisters when they express opinions. Not good characteristics in a love interest. Other than that, the book had some merits, but I found it a huge let down. I would read another Cat Winters book, but if this is going to be a series, I'm done with it.
    • 2/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      Odd and True is brilliantly written! I was kept on the edge of my seat always wondering what was going to happen next, if the monsters were real or not. This story gave me the whole “what is hiding around the next corner” feeling. It was tantalizing to my spidey senses. When I chose to read this book, it was because I really wanted a fast and furious monster hunt with maybe even a little gore. That is not what this story was about and I will admit I was disappointed. What this story really is about is the bond between two sisters, their love for each other and what family really means.As children, some of us are told fairy tales and clinging to those ideas of magic and mystery as a child is wondrous. As we grow though, we realize that life is not made up of fairy tales and monster hunts, that is of course unless you are Odette and Trudchen Grey. They grew up their whole childhood being told they descended from monster hunters. They believed that their mother and her siblings were great monster hunters and that their legacy was to continue hunting those very same monsters. I thoroughly enjoyed all the ways the sisters would try and stave off the monsters they knew trying to get to them.When Od & Tru were little, the sisters would go around collecting tales of monsters that terrorized their local neighbors. Writing down the tales and illustrating them was how the girls were planning on identifying the monsters that they would someday slay. I loved reading about how the girls spent their time together planning how they would have grand adventures where they would help those in need. They spent every day together until for reasons unexplained to Tru, Od was sent away by their Aunt Vik. Without her sister’s unfailing faith, Tru slowly began to question if everything that they had been told was true.After she left, Od would write letters to Tru detailing her adventures but Tru always felt that something was missing. It was not until Tru’s fifteenth birthday that Od came back to see her by way of Tru’s window. Od had returned to get Tru so that they could go off on a grand adventure, together, as it should be. The adventure that they embarked on was something wondrous and miraculous but at the same time misconceptions were revealed and neither girl would ever be the same.Although this story was not what I desired I appreciated it all the same. The relationship between Od and Tru was funny, endearing, and frustrating. I felt that the writing was captivating and creative. I was brought into the world of Od & Tru and it was a place of wonder where the lines between reality and fantasy blurred. There was heartbreak, monster hunts, and this story is character driven. The pacing can slow down at times but when you finish this story you will find that it was not what you thought it was going to be but that it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.This review is based on a complimentary book I received from NetGalley. It is an honest and voluntary review. The complimentary receipt of it in no way affected my review or rating.
    • 5/5
      I have read all of Cat Winters books and I have to say this one ranks up there with A Steep and Thorny Way (which was my favorite book of hers to date). I enjoyed this so much more than her previous book, Yesternight. I really enjoyed this Cat Winters book about two monster hunting sisters. It's an interesting story that is as much about the hardships of growing up, as it is about hunting down a monster. I enjoyed the idea of these monster themed stories driving a lot of the characters' lives.This was a unique read in an interesting setting. I loved the close relationship between the two main sisters, Od and Tru. Despite all of the chaos (or maybe because of) they support and help each other in a way that is admirable and sweet.The story ends in an excellent place and I absolutely loved it. I would love to read more about Od and Tru. The story ends up having more of a magical realism tone to it than paranormal or urban fantasy. By the end you are not really sure what is real and what is not.Overall this was an excellent story about hardships, growing up, monsters, and myths. I would recommend to those who enjoy paranormal stories set in the 1920's (or thereabouts in this time period). I can’t wait to see what Winters comes up with next!
    • 3/5
      The marketing of this book makes me so angry. Picked it up expecting a girl-power monster-slaying adventure based on the cover and the back cover blurb. NOPE. It's actually a very well-written story of a family in shambles in the early 1900s, with the smallest hint of the supernatural in the last chapters. Go in knowing this, and you'll enjoy it. As for me, I feel duped yet glad I read it.
    • 4/5
      I came into Odd & True expecting a fantasy story, but what I got was mostly historical fiction instead. Don’t get me wrong — I think it’s a fairly good book, but I probably wasn’t the right reader for it.When Trudchen was little, her older sister Odette told her stories about how their family was magical. Their mother was a monster slayer, their uncle was a magician, and the sisters are destined to follow in their mother’s footsteps. But when Odd reappears after two years, she still seems to believe these stories, and Tru worries that she hasn’t grown out of their childhood dreams. Odd tells Tru that as Tru’s now fifteen, she’ll start attracting the attention of monsters, and that Tru needs to come with Odd for her own safety. Although she worries her disability (a shriveled leg from childhood polio) will make travel difficult, Tru decides that Odd needs her. As the two girls cross America, Tru begins to believe Odd’s claims of monsters and magic, and Odd’s mysterious two-year absence is slowly unveiled.The book switches back and forth between two narrative strands. One is Tru’s perspective on the current day. The other is a series of flashbacks from Odd’s perspective, starting all the way back with Tru’s birth. Odd’s stories show the reality of the sisters’ lives, and its not a pretty one. It becomes clear that Odd felt the need to embellish their story to make it bearable. But does she believe the stories she tells? And is Tru growing past her skepticism?As I mentioned earlier, if you’re looking for a straight up fantasy story about girls who slay monsters, that isn’t really Odd & True. This is one of those stories where it keeps you guessing: are there actually monsters? Or… is the true monster the patriarchy?Odd & True is a feminist story, addressing the sexist inequities of the early 20th century (some of which still persist today…). A lot of this comes in through Odd’s flashbacks, which often highlight the particular vulnerabilities of low and working class women. However, feminist themes can be found in Tru’s sections as well, since people tend to immediately assume that the two girls can’t possibly be monster hunters. In Tru’s case, they also make assumptions about what she’s capable of because she’s disabled. One of the things I appreciated about Odd & True was Tru finding her own strength and confidence, and how she was able to share some of that confidence with other disabled girls.While Odd & True wasn’t what I expected, I did enjoy the ride.Review from The Illustrated Page.