'Odessa' with story and art by Jonathan Hill is a graphic novel about a young woman in search of her mother.

In west coast world forever changed by a big earthquake, Virginia Crane survives with her father and brother by foraging for debris and selling it for subsistence. When she gets a letter from her long departed mother, she decides to go find her, despite having little knowledge about where she is or the dangers of the trip. Her father and best friend are against the idea, but Virginia is determined, and with the help of people she meets along the way, she just might make it.

At 328 pages, it's a long story, and it's not even complete in this volume. There are lots of worldbuilding ideas, a few of which come to fruition in this volume, but it feels like more story than it needs to be at times. The characters seem to be engaging enough, although why complete strangers would risk it all for this child is never really explained. The art is pretty good and the book is done with minimal color. I liked the idea a bit more than the execution, but it was an interesting diversion.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Melancholic and bucolic, Odessa is the next great graphic novel. In the vein of Craig Thompson, Jonathan Hill has created a memorable world within these pages.

Odessa is another entry in a dotted landscape of post-apocalyptic stories. In it, a world-destroying earthquake ravages California and most of the Western United States. There are rumors that anything East of the Mississippi River is relatively untouched. For her seventeenth birthday, Virginia receives a package from her mother, who left the family eight years ago. The package sparks a fierce need in Ginny to set out and find her mother. While her father would much rather leave it all in the past, he begrudgingly understands Ginny's need for answers will take her on this journey. Ginny sets out on the dangerous journey south into the gang-torn California Straight, with some unwanted taggers-on as well. Ginny's two younger brothers, Wes and Harry, decide that she doesn't get to be the only one who wants to know what happened to their mother. The three undertake a perilous journey full of scavenging, biker gangs, jinxed-up cannibals, and plenty of scoundrels.

There are parts of this story that are hauntingly beautiful. Any with abandonment issues will see themselves clearly in Ginny, who can't rest until she understands why her mother left. There was a little bit too much convenience in finding exactly who they were looking for so quickly in San Francisco, but on the other hand, I don't know how much more time I would have wanted dedicated to searching a city full of derelicts. I found that the last character to come back into Ginny's life was wholly unnecessary, so hopefully, this becomes more of an integral part of the plot in the next story (oh yes, there's going to be more). Overall, this was a story that pervaded my subconscious and stayed with me long after the book was closed.

Hill's art style is unique, and the use of predominantly pink in coloring sets the stage as a post-apocalyptic story. I appreciated the backgrounds becoming white with pink outlines to give depth and to not detract from the foreground.

Oni rates this title for Teen. There is some violence and bloodshed, attempted cannibalism, and some overall darkness that comes with post-apocalyptic stories.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

This review was made possible with a digital reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel went on sale November 10, 2020.

I've been trying to read more graphic novels this year, but this one didn't really do it for me. The art style was a bit jarring, the dialogue and storyline were sort of hard to follow, and the shading made some of the panels difficult to discern. Overall, I think this novel wasn't terrible, just not what I wanted it to be.

Being a huge lover of graphic novels, I was initially drawn to Odessa, especially with its post-apocalyptic premise. However, the story fell short for me. There were moments where the story was exciting, and on some parts too dragging for me. Sorta wished there was more excitement to it, and while the art style is unique, I kinda felt like I wish there was more to it, together with the plot. Overall, this was an okay read, if given more polishing. :) 3 of 5 star rating. Thank you NetGalley and OniPress for giving me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Odessa is a really sweet post-apocalyptic graphic novel that portrays a small group of siblings searching for their mother across a completely destroyed America. I enjoyed the story, and the drawing style, but often found myself asking 'why' as I read it.

Three Vietnamese-American siblings live with their Dad is what is left of Western America. Following a massive earthquake that tore the continent apart, their live has been one of make do and mend, and of survival. They live in a relatively sheltered village, but the world beyond it has torn itself apart.

Virginia Crane has assumed that her mother, who left the family shortly after the Big One, is dead, or missing. Since then, Ginny has been taking care of the family. But when she receives a birthday present and a photo from her, she decides to search for her. The problem is, she doesn't know where to go, but she does know where to start.

I really liked the setting of this graphic novel. I love a post-apocalyptic story, and this one had weird creatures and plants, rival gangs and an America completely torn asunder. This backdrop is perfect for a graphic novel too, and Hill has done a super job of drawing out recognisable scenes, big architectural destruction and smaller scale emotion in a very simple three colour palette and exaggerated features. Certainly a style I enjoyed.

There were some nice touches in the story too, including the beginning of a young F/F relationship, but it is very barely touched on. The same with having Vietnamese-American protagonists - aside from the drawing style being slightly different to show these characters' faces, there is nothing in the text or drawings that otherwise draws any attention to this. I don't know whether that's a good thing or not ...

What didn't work was the questions I ended up asking myself as the story went along. Ginny has two young brothers, Wes and Harry, who are VERY young in the way they behave. They are constantly bickering, not listening to each other and basically the cause of genuine and frightening problems in the story. Having the brothers argue once is fine, but having it as a constant plot point, particularly in a world where they know it's dangerous, seemed a little odd. Especially when they seemed to wander off to look at toys?? Unfortunately it made the two younger boys confrontational and unlikeable.

(Seriously, having a stall of toys in a post-apocalyptic market just seems a bit creepy).

Finally, in some ways this felt like a very 'young' story. In a world full of apparently selfish and violent people, a number of adults seem surprisingly willing to put their own lives at risk to help these kids. In some ways it makes the young group seem even more helpless - Ginny is certainly naïve, but learns to be more discerning as the story goes on. But more than once they end up locked in a room whilst the adults attempt to deal with the problem.

Finally, if you think too much about it, the kids' actions seem really selfish. They have abandoned their father, who has looked after them for eight years, to go and find a mother they barely knew or remembered. Even worse, they don't actually know where she lives.

I did enjoy reading this and, now that they're out in the world, I'd really like to read the next volume. There's still lots to do and lots to discover.

Eight years ago a massive earthquake that changed the landscape and destroyed cities stuck on the west coast of America. Not long after Ginny’s mother left the family home and never returned. After Ginny receives a gift from her mother for her birthday, she decides to search for her mother and find out what happened to her.

I liked this graphic novel. Ginny was likeable and I was willing her along. The supporting characters are just the right balance of annoying and likeable. The artwork is interesting and I loved the pink accents. I think it was longer than it needed to be but I enjoyed it enough that I’ll look out for the next one in the series.

Thank you to Oni Press for this advanced copy.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The family dynamics were great, as was the story overall. I enjoyed the illustrations as well.

However, I was expecting something a little bit different so that was a surprise. And I do think that it was maybe a little bit too long.

Thank you so much to Netgally and Oni Press for this eARC.

This is a dystopic graphic novel about the journey of three siblings.
All starts when Virginia receives a letter for her missing mother. She decides to leave her father and younger brothers and search her mother.
West and Harry, Ginny's brothers, follow her. So the three of them starts their journey through a post-apocalyptic California.

OPINION
I enjoyed the book a lot. I wasn't expecting what I read but I liked it.
Ginny, Wes and Harry meet different people during their journey whom influence in their lives in so many ways. Some goods and some bads.

It's a story about family, love, survival and protect the ones you care about.

I loved the artwork. The pink theme is so beautiful.

I recommend the book if graphic novels are your thing. Also, if you wants to enjoy the journey of this beautiful siblings, this is your kind of read.

I felt that this book was very slow paced and the characters somewhat uniteresting, the art style I felt also just wasn't my cup of tea and lessened my enjoyment of the book overall.

After reading this book, I didn't really know how to review it. I think it is because based on the description, I was expecting something else and it didn't really live up to those expectations. Yet, with a better cover description, I think I may have enjoyed the book better. It's like expecting to drink juice, but you actually drink milk. Milk isn't that bad, but that's not what you thought you would be tasting. To be fair, the description did allude to a post-apocalyptic type of setting with a girl out to search for her mother. However because the description made a point to say that heroine was a Vietnamese-American teenager, I expected the book to actually cover something about her culture, which is what intrigued me. I have read my share of post apocalyptical plots, so I was intrigued by this angle. Yet there was nothing. Zip. Nada. No mention at all about her ethnicity. So, why mention it? Perhaps it will be relevant later.

With that said, I think the story has several twists and turns that will keep readers anticipating the next move. There is mystery and danger that have you holding your breath. Sometimes you can have a sigh of relief, while other times you are left grieving. The graphic novel is two-toned which helps with the harsh and severe setting of the destruction and despair in the earthquake ridden America. However, with the digital copy I had, it was sometimes difficult to make out the scenes depicted in the frames. Hopefully, this won't be the case for the color corrected print versions.

I think the intended teen audience will find the story line intriguing enough to quickly read through this book and be eagerly anticipating the next installment of Odessa.

Odessa was a very interesting read because while I really enjoyed the family dynamics in this novel and how certain moments warmed my heart - I found the novel to be longer than needed and didn't feel like a complete story on its own. That might be my own fault, or the marketing of the graphic novel, but I thought this was going to be a standalone novel, so I was disappointed when I reached the end to find that it ended on a cliffhanger. I did really enjoy the art style in this; it was simple and I think it definitely worked for a dystopian, post-apocalyptic narrative. I also really enjoyed the family dynamics in this. A lot of people mentioned that the constant bickering between the protagonists was annoying, but I found it extremely true to sibling dynamics (my sisters and I would have definitely been fighting regardless of the situation). I did enjoy the plot, but I found the novel to be too long for the plot, and I wish it was shorter, especially considering it was a complete story. Given what it was, it was a simple start to a much larger series, and I would be interested in picking up the next in the series to see how it unfolds.

a post-apocalyptic quest to find a long-lost mom... less exciting than it sounds :/

for how long this book was, it doesn't feel like there's much to say. the impetus for the plot feels underdeveloped and there were at least two deus ex machina utilized. for a book called "odessa," the reader doesn't learn anything about her; we don't even find out who odessa is until most of the way through the book, so there isn't much intrigue with regards to wanting to learn more.

furthermore, the character design feels incongruous with the highly detailed and more realistically rendered backgrounds.

ultimately, "odessa" was fine, but i have no urge to continue with any further installments.

thank you to netgalley and oni press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Set at an unknown time in the near future, Odessa tells of an American West Coast that has been left devastated by a massive earthquake. Many people died in the quakes and many more died in the dangerous wasteland of a society that is left behind. People survive by trading goods and scavenging in ruined buildings. Ginny is a young woman who lives with her father and two younger brothers. Ginny's mother left shortly after the quake, but when Ginny receives a package from her mom, she decides to go in search of her. She sets off south towards what remains of San Francisco.

This was an adventure of a book. Life is not easy in Ginny's world, with much of the west coast ruled by violent gangs. Ginny runs into many dangers while searching for her mother. The book presents a mostly realistic world but with some definite elements of fantasy thrown into the mix. The post-Earthquake scenario was a nice change up from the other "end of the world as we know it" books that I've read lately which have mostly been about climate change and rising ocean levels.

The book was written and illustrated by Jonathan Hill and he did a great job with both the artwork and the storytelling. The characters were a little flat but I still enjoyed the book. I liked that the color scheme was all black, white, and pinkish/peach. It definitely helped give the book a certain vibe.

I enjoyed the family aspect of this; I love a sibling story, but overall I thought it was slow and a bit boring at times. Also, I didn't realize that this was the first in the series (?!) and was expecting the plot to be resolved by the end, especially based on the amount of pages. I'm feeling a bit mixed because I am interested in seeing if the story picks up in the second part, but I'm not terribly invested in the characters to want to continue on this journey with them.

Odessa is a dystopian graphic novel following three siblings of Vietnamese descent on a journey through post-apocalyptic California in search of their mother. Eight years ago, a massive earthquake destroyed the East Coast of the United States, toppling cities and changing landscapes.

It was okay. I really wanted to love this story, however, it was just okay. The characters were okay. The side quests were okay. The art is okay. I did not feel invested enough to care about what was happening.

Furthermore, I was off the impression that Odessa would be a standalone story but it is not. Because I was expecting the story to wrap up, especially during the last chapters I wondered whether their mother would just pop up or if this graphic novel would indeed have a sequel.

A heartwarming story about siblings trying to find their mom during the post-apocalyptic period. The moments siblings have had really tugged on my heartstrings. Really a wonderful piece!

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! It has an apocalypse feel, and the art style was intriguing. I am looking forward to reading the second issue :)

An eerily beautiful description of the search for a parent and one's own growth. This is a lovely graphic novel to handsell.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Reader's copy.

I enjoyed Odessa! The characters and the world that was created seemed very realistic and easy to fall into. The graphics are all done in a pink shade which was an interesting choice considering the hard topics of the novel.

The ending though.... my god so much happen and it left little time for the reader to process and then BOOM its done !! and you find out there will be a second volume and you have to wait for it ! So now I wait for the second volume so I can find out what will happen to these characters and will they ever accomplish their goals!!