Lena appears to be some kind of spy. She's visiting people across Europe and Asia giving them something before moving onto the next object. My problem with the book is it's all set up. Lena just talking to random people before moving on. It's all very boring with a ton of pointless exposition. The only thing going for it is the art is good.

Really interesting setting and story. The illustration style was beautiful as well. I'm not the biggest fan of the genre so not sure if someone who enjoys's mysteries more would also enjoy it more than I did.

Really enjoyed the atmosphere and illustrative style of this visual novel. I was a little confused by the ending but perhaps was suppposed to be.

Unable to download before archived as my tablet was damaged and I had been unable to afford a new one until recently. Apologies.

Really well done mystery - all you know is that Lena, the main character is doing something super shady, and is maybe a spy. Ash she goes along delivering items from country to country and stranger to stranger you start to get a few more pieces of her puzzle, but the reveal at the end, which ties everything together into a neat little package works super well, doesn't feel rushed, and the hopeful ending is kind of heartwarming.

Proof that my theory of foreign comics – that the best get translated with more urgency than the naff – still holds ground, is this, that dithered about in French for fourteen whole years before appearing in English translation. And it doesn't work – it's a ploddingly wordy story, where a young woman who seems to wear a black dress, a black swimsuit, black knickers and vest, or nothing, travels around Eastern Europe for some spy crime thingummyjig, and never launders anything. The problem is that she doesn't know what she's doing, and neither do we – and this is also proof that you do need to know a bit about what is going on to have any interest. If this were to be a majorly different and successful new format for the spy book they'd all be doing it. As it is, the final third is more talking with the bloke who did know what she was doing and why, who finally tells her what will happen as a result – and lo and behold we have a surprise-free plod through just that as well. Zero thrills (unless you count here when she's at the wearing nothing stage), zero savvy, zero interest. They made this into a trilogy, as well.

A woman called Lena travels around Europe and the Middle East delivering small parcels. She meets different people who don't know her and she doesn't know them but they know they must act on the messages and parcels she gives them.

But who is Lena really and what is she up to?

This graphic novel is like a jigsaw puzzle with well drawn and brightly coloured pieces, and all the reader needs to do is to slowly allow the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place.

I enjoyed reading this and it had a lovely ending which in a way is left open to interpretation but was still a good one.

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This story is beautifully drawn and truly captures the atmospheres of the different places Lena travels. No character can be trusted and there's always a sense that you're not fully informed of the whole story. Just a head's up that there are a couple of drawings of a naked woman in this story. Also, maybe unimportant, but I want Lena's dress. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and accessible for anyone who's new to graphic novels.

A beautifully crafted and wonderfully illustrated graphic novel about a mysterious courier, Lena.
The story is about her secret mission to deliver a number of packages, designed as gifts to ‘operatives’ in various remote places. Avoiding air travel, trying to pass as a simple lone tourist and crossing many borders on her journey.
The writing is descriptive but sparingly in its text and explanation. More a travel diary with limits clues regarding the true purpose of her liaisons. Indeed, Lena only knows the contacts and their addresses; she isn’t one of their group but is professional and efficient.
I loved the political tension and intrigued each encounter builds.
The mistrust and wariness. It builds and ramps up the major event being plotted.
The detail and quality of the illustrations, shows the value of careful research that clearly places the action in each of these distinct countries Lena passes through.
I thoroughly enjoyed this journey and the twists along the way. Lena is an attractive character who carries the story with great strength and purpose. Her backstory is partly revealed and I hope future comics might build on her life and adventures.

It is second book of artist Julian that I have read recently.
First was Mezek.
His drawings have a certain grace and colors are sunny and nice to watch.
Alongwith wonderful illustrations, story of the book is strong.
It is told from first person perspective of main character Lena.
Writing is literary and many cities are covered starting from Berlin. There is flate of a travel book to it.
It is an emotional story melted into a thriller background.
Main character is strong and courageous.
Story binds the reader to itself.
At places captions are too long, but otherwise a wonderful graphic novel.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel because of its art style and entrenching plot. I would highly recommend this to fans of graphic novels and odd, interesting stories.

Well, I did not enjoy this as much as I had expected, but it's mostly because this type of graphic novel reads better in physical format rather than electronic format. However, I was quite intrigued by the fact that one of Lena's stops in her journey is Romania, so that's what made me curious to read this. Also the cover.

I enjoyed the art in the sense that it seemed very retro, and because it successfullyn captured each country and culture . It was a bit hard to properly enjoy and follow because of the e-book format, as I mentioned earlier.

The plot was also interesting, and full of intrigue and politics (which is not exactly my cup of tea but which I could follow and enjoy nonetheless). The ending was really abrupt and a little unnecessary in my opinion. This could have very well ended with Lena enjoying herself at the beach, basking in the sun. End scene. Anyways, I will not spoil anything, because the mystery of the gifts and the end of the journey were what kept me going, otherwise I think I might have dnf-ed it.

All in all, I hadn't read a graphic novel in a while and I enjoyed this, just not as much as I had hoped.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this e-arc!

Who is Lena? What is she up to? Does she even know her mission? I don't know cause i was too bored to care. The art was fine, a bit meh if i have to be blunt. She's also too passive for my taste. Yeah so she's a widow and she can speak arabic....there's nothing remotely interesting about her!

This was a good, fast read, although a little slow in the beginning. I felt there was too much narration that could have been shown to me instead of told, which is why I think the rhythm by the end gets a lot better, with more dialogues and more illustrations that tell a story themselves. In general, it is a worthwhile read.

From the villas of the former communist leadership in Eastern Berlin to Aleppo, Lena is on a bizarre mission that in the end we find out it has to do with the peace process in the Middle East. The suspense of the graphic novel has to do less with the aims, but with the ways in which the mysterious story unfolds: we have to follow Lena and her strange way to contact people in as diverse places as Romania, Hungary, Turkey, Ukraine or Syria, who are given unusual presents - marzipan chocolate, shaving kit, expensive perfume. Sounds very intriguing, isn´t it? You should wait until the very end of the story to figure out how those extraordinary gifts will be in fact used.

The suspense is all around and will continue until the very end of the story. Because Lena has in fact a different name and her personal history hence her presence into this story is more complicated than one of a adventurous globetrotter. Her Odyssey, revealed step-by-step is what keeps you reading this exceptional graphic novel in one sitting. It has the right combination between inspired graphics - by André Juillard - and the literary setting - by Pierre Christin - which for me makes the reading of such a genre as valuable as any other kind of literary product.

The book was originally published in French, but I´ve read the English translation.

I found Lena's journey to be mysterious with an added dream-like quality to it. Many frames of stillness as she travels through European and countries on a secret mission from Berlin to Eastern Europe, crossing the Danube delta, the Black Sea, and ending her mission in an Aleppo bazaar.
But what is her journey really about? I was fascinated by this graphic novel and following its mysterious heroine.