Odessa is a slow burn graphic novel about the aftermath of a huge earthquake that literally splits the US in half. It follow the story of Virginia, Ginny, and her quest to find her long lost mother. I loved the artwork and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Overall I liked it. It had ups and downs - started a bit slow to get into and then I disliked the ending. Since this is just the beginning of a series I felt rather let down at the end. I really liked the coloring style throughout and the world building was interesting. A lot of open endings, would be interested to see where it goes in the next one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a huge fan of dystopian Graphic Novels, so I was excited to pick this one up. Odessa tells a tale of a family's journey through a post-apocalyptic world and the dangers they face.

The artwork in this is simply perfect. I love the single tone colouring used throughout, it evokes just the right mood and fits the linework beautifully. and I adored the set-up and the characters from the very beginning. The plot builds well, and it is nicely paced. It even has a small nod to an LGBTQ+ relationship, so credit for that too.

I do feel there were a couple of issues here too. The story was enjoyable while reading it, but it isn't all that memorable so it doesn't stay with you, and my biggest pet peeve was the ending - there wasn't one. Nowhere on the front does it say this is volume one, so the cliffhanger ending is thoroughly unsatisfying. I'm all for a multi-volume GN series, I love them, it lets us build a complex world and allows for character development - neither of which do I see all that much of here, and for the first volume of a multi-part series, that's a bit of a letdown.

Overall I did enjoy the reading experience, and I do think there is real promise here, but I definitely wanted volume 2 to be available, so I could see that promise fulfilled!

3 stars from me.

(Review published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 16/07/20, to be posted on other third party sites on the date of publication)

Thank you NetGalley for a review copy

When I heard this book was going to be a post major earthquake that tore America apart I was really happy. It did weave a great word but I felt like some parts just fell flat as well. One big thing was I wish there was a map, to just show the divide and how the states looked now so we could get more of a sense of the world. While the story was good I felt annoyed at times with the brothers. There was too much fighting between then, and they also look almost like a second thought with how the pair was drawn. The story seemed to just a lot as well.

Overall I do believe it is a good story for middle school or younger ya fans. I would pick up the second book just to see where the story goes.

This slow-paced graphic novel has beautiful art and coloring, but the story wasn’t my favorite as it took me a long time to get into the story. I’m sure it will appeal to many others though.

Odessa, like last week’s Eden, leaves me in a difficult spot, it’s enjoyable but largely forgettable. It tells the story of an America that’s literally been torn in two by an earthquake, and within that is the story of a family in search of their Mother, though things end in this volume before they find her.

When Virginia Crane turns 18 she receives a parcel from her mother, whom she’s not heard from in a number of years. After reading the enclosed letter and discovering she is still alive, she makes the decision to leave her home and the responsibility of helping her father look after her younger brothers, to trek across a now very dangerous landscape to look for her. Her father is obviously hurt by this, not only has he raised the family alone since his wife left, but he needs her help to watch her younger siblings whilst he scavenges for scrap they can sell in exchange for food. However, he realises he is powerless to stop her and writes her a note saying that her brothers are now of an age that they can start to care for themselves whilst he is away. So, one night, she sneaks away. Unfortunately for her, her brothers have figured out what she’s doing and follow her.

It’s a fairly typical story set in a fairly typical setting as I said, it’s largely forgettable, that’s not a bad thing, not everything is going to always stick with the reader. But it does have a few things going for it, one is its art style, which is almost like a more realistic Gravity Falls (I do so hope that Hill doesn’t find that insulting), played out through a variety of pastel reds. As you can see in the header image, it’s pretty striking. The character of Four Dollars was pretty cool too, I won’t say a lot more other than out of everyone he shows a lot of growth and depth, despite not really appearing in the book until about the halfway point, he certainly felt the most fleshed out amongst the cast we’ve met in the story so far. There’s also a fair amount of representation here, the three siblings are Asian-American and there’s the beginnings of exploring one character who is gay, but unlike a lot of media who are trying to write gay characters, it’s not a character trait, it’s just her sexual orientation, though it does play a huge part in the biggest decision she makes.

Also, being fair to it, I’m totally on board for the journey all of these characters are on, by the end of the volume the core cast had lost someone who they were beginning to become attached to, had a couple of big revelations with others and grown in both their numbers and their maturity to the situations that were presented to them as shown in the way they handle the big confrontation towards the end of the book.

Lackluster. I felt like things were happening to our main characters but not really enough that it propelled the plot. The premise really had be intrigued but it just didn't live up. Not for me.

I feel extremely torn on this book. The relationship between the three kids is so well done, however the pacing seemed all over the pace. Also, I don't know how I feel about this being a start to the series. The art is really nice, though!

I just didn't get on with this graphic novel and I'm not sure why. It's a post apocalyptic story set in west America after the biggest earthquake ever tears that side of America apart. Everything is ruined, society has changed. Ginny, the protagonist lives with her Dad and two brothers. The two brothers were really annoying and were drawn as tiny adults not children. It's Ginny's birthday and she receives a parcel from her mother containing a photograph and a necklace. Suddenly after eight years she decides to travel to the most horrible part of the world to find her mother who might not be there now, leaving behind her father who had loved and protected them. Not only that but her love interest who leaves days behind them, randomly appears on their boat two thirds of the way through the book. How did she know which direction they went? How did she get on their boat? Why did she not say anything?

Thanks you Netgalley and Oni Press for giving me the chance to read this graphic novel, I''m sorry it wasn't for me.

In post-apocalyptic US, a Vietnamese-American teenage girl sets off on a journey to find her mother who disappeared eight years earlier. Ginny just wants to escape from the responsibility of looking after her younger brothers but when they follow her she has to protect them and decide who to trust as they make their way to the ruins of San Francisco. En route they manage to get in between two warring gangs, meet a mysterious man called Four Dollars with a complicated history, and wake something dangerous in the deep.

Jonathan Hill's pink-tinted images are suitably harsh and gritty and his apocalyptic cityscapes are particularly striking. A compelling, poignant story about family and hope in a dangerous world.

Eight years ago, after a massive earthquake, Virginia Crane's mother left and never came back. Ginny had gotten used to a life without her mother, helping her father take care of her two younger brothers, Wes and Harry. But on her eighteenth birthday, when she receives a mysterious package from her mother, her life is shaken up yet again.

She's determined to find out what happened to her mother—even if it means leaving her family behind. What she doesn't expect, is to discover her younger brothers following her despite all her attempts to leave in secret.

The novel then follows the journey of the three siblings, as they search for their missing mother across a ruined America.

This was a quick read. All the main characters were good including Four Dollars. The art and illustrations were good but I felt at times the plot was slightly slow in between.

But I loved the way the novel ended. There are so many unanswered questions- What is the secret of Jinx Root? Is Harry okay? Do they find their mother?. It has already built up my anticipation for the next book in the series!

Thank You to NetGalley and Oni Press for this ARC!

"Things never end, they just change"

This book follows Virginia "Ginny" who just received a letter from her mother for her birthday 8 years after she left her and her family. So as she is thrilled to find out that her mother is still alive and cares about her, Ginny decides to set off on a journey to find her mom.

The first thing that I noticed about this book is that the art style of this graphic novel was very stunning. I loved all of the pink tones in this book and found them very beautiful. I enjoyed all of the characters and how sassy, clever, and fired up that they got. I found that the plot was very fast-paced. However, I feel that it was only fast-paced because of the fact that it is a graphic novel. Throughout this 300 page book, I feel that the characters went undeveloped. Even though I found it very fast-paced and there were a lot of adventures which definitely did contribute to the plot and my enjoyment. I feel that however a lot of the adventures were very similar and felt repetitive.

Overall I gave this book 3/5 stars I found it interesting and fun but the characters definitely could have been more developed. This is the first book in a series so maybe this will happen in future books.

* Thank you net galley and the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

An amazing graphic novel. After an earthquake has destroyed the West Coast, three siblings go off in search of their mother. The world has changed dramatically from the one we know, and there were several things that really surprised me. I loved the fantastical elements that were woven into the world, while still keeping the story grounded in a reality that is believable.

There are enough twists and amazing set pieces in the story to keep you turning pages, but the art ... oh man, the art. Often, I found myself just stopping at the pages that establish locations and drinking in the details. It's top-notch stuff and really makes it stand out amongst other graphic novels.

Yes, it ends on a cliffhanger, but not in a "stopped-right-in-the-middle-of-a-big-plot-point" kind of way ... more in a continuation of the story and the start of something big. I want to see more of the USA post-earthquake, and I want to see what happens with the characters. The sibling interactions, and how they relate to each other and their ultimate goal made me want to get my hands on the next volume RIGHT NOW. Recommended

Thank you Oni Press for the digital galley of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.



Odessa by Jonathan Hill is a post-apocalyptic story about a teenager’s quest for her missing mother. The story follows Virginia Crane, who together with her brothers and father, survived an earthquake, the Big One, eight years ago. On her eighteenth birthday, she received a package from her mother who left and vanished. Because of this, she was now determined to know what happened to her mother, even when it meant living the safety of her home and her family.

I really liked the premise with its the end of the world kind of setting. The pacing, in the beginning, was somewhat slow but picked up after a while. The dangers were that might really come during a post-apocalyptic setting were portrayed realistically. A lot of things happened to the characters because of bad decisions, and they encountered lots of characters during their journey. The violence and death scenes were quite shocking, but I think these things were expected given the nature of this graphic novel.

The art style and the choice for the color palette are unique. The pink, white, and black highlighted the chaos and destruction of what was happening in the story.

Although the characters were all interesting, I was not able to connect to any of them. Virginia was impulsive and selfish most of the time. That’s why it made me so hard to root for her. I think the only character that was complex and a fleshed-out was Four Dollars. I like the younger brothers. I enjoyed their banters and they acted exactly for their age. Moreover, Vietnamese representation was a nice touch, but I think it would have been better if it were more of this rep was instilled in the plot. Also, there was a surprise LGBTQ+ rep!

Overall, Odessa was an interesting read. I didn’t know that this was the first part of a series, and because of the ending, I am curious about what would happen next.

3/5 stars!

Overall, this was a solid read. First of all, I loved the colour palette, the dash of pink was stunning. I really liked the art as well, there was something charming about it. The story was very unique, and isn't something I'd seen before in a graphic novel. I will say, I would've liked a little more information on how the world ended up like that. I know the earthquakes were mentioned, but maybe at the start there could've been a little part actually showing what happened to the world to result in it being so ruined. I really liked the characters, they were cute and had their own little personalities which I liked, however there was something preventing me from actually caring about the characters. I loved the little added touches like the jinx root, that was interesting.

I enjoyed this, it was a good graphic novel.

I'm pretty new to reading graphic novels, so I was really excited to receive this one! I was instantly drawn in by the cover and the synopsis. The art in the book is gorgeous! I love the monochromatic color scheme, and I'm excited to see if the next installment is the same color or if it changes. I wasn't expecting this to be a series as I thought this was a standalone, however I am excited the see where the story goes. I will definitely keep an eye out for the next book.

When the book first started I really sympathized with Ginny. I felt that she was very motherly and I understood her need to find something for herself and take a break. My love for Ginny was pretty short lived. As the book went on I felt like she had a horrible attitude, and she treated people horribly. Then towards the end, I found myself liking her again.

Wes and Harry are the best little brothers ever. While I don't have little brothers, I do have little sisters. Wes and Harry are the embodiment of little siblings. They are annoying and constantly pick at each other, but at the end of the day you know they care for Ginny!

Four dollars was by far my favorite character in the book. I think he definitely had the most development and backstory of all the characters. He is just a fantastic addition to this book!

Since this is the first book in a series, I would have liked a little more world building. While we saw some of the new order of life, I definitely wanted to see more. So hopefully we get more of that in the next addition. I also really liked that we had Asian/American representation, and LGBTQ+ representation. Overall I really liked this book, and I'm excited to see where the series goes!

“Odessa” by Jonathan Hill follows the Vietnamese-American Crane siblings as they journey across a dystopian America in the attempt to locate their mother, who left the family long ago. The earthquake-ravaged country has become overrun with gangs and scavengers, and it is in this landscape that the Crane siblings struggle for survival in the hopes of repairing their damaged family. The book hosts an interesting array of curious characters and rich environments, each of which is deftly illustrated. The narrative bears a hefty amount of backstory and I’m curious to find out how all the world building and character development will pay off in (SPOILER) the next volume.

Hmm, I picked this book up not really knowing much about the plot. Basically, it is about a girl and her two younger brothers searching for their mother in a dystopian world. Earthquakes have ridden America and now gangs run everything (depending on where you live).

What I liked: The plot was intriguing and I got an adventure type vibe while reading it (if that makes sense). It reminded me why I liked adventure stories. The relationship between the siblings was realistic.

What I didn't like: Personally, I was not a fan of the art style and the font was hard to read at times. It was a little slow.

Overall, it was enjoyable and definitely worth borrowing from the library.

Sadly I was unable to download onto my kindle due to formatting issues. The concept sounds amazing and I will keep an eye out for the physical copy in future!

Ehhhhh. This graphic novel just didn't do it for me. The premise of a journey through a post-apocalyptic world sounded fab, like a huge adventurous undertaking to follow along with (call me a mythology nerd but I literally thought "Odessa" was a play on the Odyssey...it's not). But it sadly ended up being a fairly mundane trek, full of handy conveniences of adults coming to save the day. Apparently the characters are sifting through a dangerous world of gang wars, but I didn't believe the motives behind any of the villain people besides them being overly angry about petty inconveniences. Sure, they could just be bad guys, but I like my bad guys to be believable.

While the art style really wasn't my thing, I will say it suits the rough-and-tumble style of the post-apocalyptic world. Also, bonus point for the beginnings of a F/F relationship.

Other than that, I'd have to say this was a complete miss for me. The characters were kind of annoying to follow, with them bickering throughout 80% of the book. There were some heartwarming moments thrown in, and I suppose you could say it's an authentic depiction of siblings, but the extent in which they were shown bickering vs actual progression of the story didn't balance out enough. It also felt far too long . This graphic novel is actually just the beginning of a series, meaning it acts largely as a set up for future plot lines. That being said, it's over 300 pages long, and I definitely felt that drag. Especially when the first half was so drawn out compared to the random - and seemingly unquestioned - events in the last chapter.

So...yeah. Not a fan I'm afraid.