ODESSA is a graphic novel about 3 siblings looking for their wayward mother in post-apocalypse America. While the premise alone was enough to make me eagerly request, the plot itself was actually lacking. I really enjoyed the artwork, but the dialogue was stilted and the only truly multi-faceted character was Four Dollars. Ginny, who was supposed to be our fearless MC, came across as very cold and hard-hearted and that never really changes throughout the story. I normally really like Ice Queen characters, but Ginny was just plain mean to the brothers she helped raised and was even worse to her "best friend".

I also wasn't feeling the thrown in diversity. Ginny is supposed to be Vietnamese-American but if it hadn't been stated explicitly on page, I never would have known, and right at the end there's a "Hey, this character is actually LGBT" without any follow-up. The ending made it seem like there's a sequel coming, but I honestly don't know why this book wasn't just shortened and the second book wasn't added in. There was no reason for this one to be 300+ pages long.

This book was just okay. It took a while to get into and was a little confusing at times. When things started to pick up, it got a little bit more interesting and I wondered where we would go next. But when I hit the end, I was upset. I had no clue this was going to be more than one book and it felt like I had read all that for nothing to get resolved and things were left so open ended.

Odessa is a heartwarming story of three children searching for their mother in a post-apocalyptic type world whilst encountering all kinds of dangers. I felt as though the story was good and I did enjoy the story, although it felt really hard to get hooked on this book. I did read it all in one go, but I had to take a short minute or two every few chapters to recompose myself and almost force myself to read more. The art style however is absolutely adorable and I really loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this post-apocalyptic journey through earthquake-ravaged Oregon and California, following siblings Ginny, Wes and Harry as they battle bears, gangs and mysterious roots that turn people into cannibals, as they search for their long-gone mother. Intricate yet stark artwork, in only black, white, and pink, really adds to the dystopian atmosphere, and the side characters like TK and Four Dollar are great too.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world that has been devastated by a large earthquake, Odessa tells the story of a group of siblings who set out to find their mother.

I'm really sad that I didn't enjoy this graphic novel as much as I thought I would. The premise was super interesting and I loved the fact that Virginia and her brothers are Vietnamese American. However, the author doesn't go into their cultural identity and if it wasn't for the plot description, I wouldn't have known they were Asian at all.

This graphic novel was honestly just meh. The characters felt dull and unlikable, especially Virginia. She seems so selfish and wishy washy at times, and it made it really hard to root for her. However, I did enjoy Four Dollars and his character development. I also like the lgbt representation within the novel. Even though it's very brief it's still there and I'm hoping Hill will explore this theme more!

I feel like things only picked up for me at the last 30 pages of the book. Everything else just felt so uninteresting and I wasn't really into the plot. However, I do really like the art and the color scheme! Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but nothing truly memorable about it.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this eARC

I am still new to graphic novels so am getting use to the shortness of them. I found this story to be quite engaging and by the characters. I read this in one sitting and was sad when it finished

I like my comics fast paced- like superhero comics. I would say this has a medium pace. At some points it feels long.

I also enjoy likeable protagonists, and I dont understand why the protagonist was grouchy for a majority of the story. However I loved her younger brothers; they were cute and nice and funny! I'd keep reading this series for them.

The post-apocalyptic setting was pretty sweet. It had vibes of Mad Max and The Man in the High Castle but with its own unique elements.

Overall 3.5 stars for this graphic novel. I liked the idea, but felt like it was overly drawn out. This graphic novel didn’t need to be 382 pages. I like a good quest as much as the next person but it seemed like some wasted space on pages and it made the story drag a bit for me. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Wow! What a clever story! Odessa takes the concept of the post-apocalyptic wasteland and weaves a fascinating story from it - one that had me hooked from the beginning. I loved the world-building that took place and how it was revealed very naturally and I absolutely LOVED the way the fantastical edge to it. Super clever. I thought that Ginny was a really compelling main character and I loved seeing her relationship with her brothers develop. It had the best sort of sibling dynamics. The plot, centered around Ginny's quest to find her mom is really well done and I enjoyed every twist and turn in the story. I also loved the art and thought it did a great job of conveying both the setting and the plot in a really meaningful way. Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel and I absolutely can't wait to see where the story goes beyond this. I'd highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed the art style. There were a lot of great details and I feel helped get me into the mindset of this "destroyed" world. I did not expect the story to be as violent but it felt true to the story. The relationships between the siblings felt honest though Wes and Harry didn't seem that different in age despite one being 14 and the other being around 8?

I didn't anticipate this being a series so a bit bummed to not get the resolution I wanted but interested in reading the next ones to see where the story goes. Also as someone you is half-vietnamese I appreciated the vietnamese rep though I'm not sure I would have known if it hadn't been part of the synopsis.

This has to be recommended as a very good dystopian road trip comic, for the teen and adult audiences. Our plucky heroine, stuck in a remote cabin with her father and two younger brothers, suddenly gets a birthday present in the post from the mother who vanished and turned her back on the family, about the whole time the world went tits up with mahoosive earthquakes. This inspires her to risk all and try and seek out either her mother, or at least her uncle Hank, the only other family she remembers from the good old days. Without giving away any spoilers, she doesn't end up making the journey alone – and at times the "them again – but how?!" response is a bit too great a flaw. But it's a very good journey to witness, with the suitably wrecked western seaboard of the USA peppered by earthquake-damaged landscapes, and even more damaged people. I can see the last few scenes not being to everyone's tastes, but before then this has to be called quality. The black and white and dark pink only artwork is a success in such a counter-intuitive palette, and the artwork and direction are really strong. Also, for all the high drama and heightened circumstances of the piece, it does remain about family and responsibility, and characterisation and dialogue is strong (although you'd have seen a black cloud in a speech balloon above my head for the number of times anger is shown by, er, a black cloud in a speech balloon above someone's head). This is four and a half stars all day from me; it was impressive stuff.

I appreciate the overall story idea, however I had to force myself to follow it. I say it with pity, but unfortunately, it was a boring read.
The book also has some technical problems, such as different font styles all of a sudden, as well as some pixelated pictures.
2/5

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this book for exchange for an honest review.

Odessa takes place after a massive earthquake that ruined and forever changed the Western half of the United States. Ginny, short for Virginia, receives a letter and package from her long-gone mother for her 18th birthday. Deciding to make the long quest to find her, Ginny leaves her brothers, friends, and her father behind as she heads to San Fransico. Along the way, Ginny's group grows and she meets people who will say they will help her on her quest. However, things don't always go as planned.

I'm not totally sure what to think about this. I didn't know this going on but apparently this is only book one of a series so my feeling about the ending partially come from lack of conclusion. I loved the art of this book and greatly enjoyed the colour palette. The book was definitely heart-warming and a wholesome story about a kid looking for her mother. There was also a nice LGBTQ+ surprise.

However, overall, it fell kind of flat. The characters are a little basic, Ginny is the typical big sister who is just "trying to do what is right" when it clearly isn't always right. I really enjoyed Four Dollars, he showed a lot of character development from his stated past and through the novel. The plot itself was ok, it kind of felt like not much had happened in the over 300 pages. Like I said before, maybe if I knew going in this was part of an unfinished series maybe I would felt better about the end but it could maybe have been shorter. I was also left a little shocked about the fantastical elements of the book, it maybe could have been done without.

As of now, I'm torn on if and when the sequel comes out if I will read it.

Odessa is simple yet stunning with a clean black, white, and pink color palette. The worldbuilding was fascinating, the plot engaging, and the characters loveable and distinct. I loved the Vietnamese American rep and the focus on sibling/family relationships. As a first book, Odessa offers a lot of potential for the future, but is also equally satisfying on its own.

Rating: 3.8 stars.

I liked the art style in this graphic novel and I really liked the story as well. It's a story where years after the siblings mom left the oldest gets a package on her birthday and wants to find her mom. It's the journey of going to find her.

Odessa is visually compelling and emotionally rich. I loved the work this graphic novel conveyed in terms of character and storyline.

I would give this a 2.5-star rating.
I want to start this review by saying that the final third of this graphic novel is pretty good, and made me more interested in the story, the world, and relate more to the characters. Before that point, however, I didn't really care at all about the characters and felt a bit confused about the world-building. I wish we just had more. More scenes where we got to see more depth to the characters, their relationships, and what is happening. The story jumps from one thing to another for large parts of this graphic novel, which improves at the end. I liked the story, but it lacks the execution in my opinion.

During lockdown, I have enjoyed reading dystopian novels, and Odessa fulfilled this brief. This was my first graphic novel and I found this an easy read. Odessa was full of tension, exploring the human condition and the ties that bind us.

Whilst there is some violence in this novel, I believe this would be suitable for 14+ whilst the vocabulary and the story line would make this an easy read for reluctant readers.

This is my first graphic novel and I wasn't sure what to expect. I like fantasy and sci fi, so I suppose it was about time I tried graphic novels. I do though want to empathise this was my first one, so I only have novels or non-fiction reads to compare it to.

I liked the story, and it moved at a good pace. To me it felt more like watching a TV show with subtitles than a book, but maybe that's the point?

The dialogue is a little simple on some pages, but the story and relationships were developed well. I also liked the development between the siblings. This seemed realistic and not cliche.

Overall I am not sure graphic novels are for me, although I did find this entertaining and appericated vewiing something different.

Odessa is a wholesome as fuck graphic novel set in a dystopian future where three siblings travel across the country looking for their mother. Beautiful art and a beautiful story, I am so excited for the next volume!

I loved everything about this book. The characters were amazing and the banter and relationships between the siblings felt so real. The art style is so unique and beautifully rendered in shades of pink really brightens up the really dark setting of a post-natural disaster world. The story is dark at times, and devastatingly sad at others, but it's so heartwarming the whole way through.

I'd recommend Odessa to anyone! I think it would be both a really good place to start for people new to graphic novels, but also offers a great adventure story with unique art and developed characters that makes graphic novels so so good. Out the 3 November 2020 from OniPress, so still a long way to wait, (and an even longer wait until volume 2 for me!)