Odessa is a very heart-warming graphic novel about a sister and her two younger brothers on a journey to find their mom.


This graphic novel is set 8 years after an earthquake wrecked the world. Life changed for everyone, including Virginia Crane, who’s mother left shortly after the incident. When on her 18th birthday she receives a letter from her mother, Ginny is set on finding her and goes on a journey throughout post-apocalyptic America with her brothers.

Starting off with the things I liked: the art.
I loved the illustrations.
The way Jonathan Hill portrays this post-apocalyptic world in his drawings just amazes me.
Being able to capture the essence of this sort of world in three colours just amazes me.

While I can’t say this about most of the other characters, I also really liked Four Dollars. While he is a changed man, there’s still a part of his old life he can’t seem to shake off. Four Dollars stood out to me the most and his conflicting motives and loyalties made me appreciate him as a character. His dialogue was also my favourite out of all the characters, and the way he interacted with Ginny and her brothers really warmed my heart... except for when they first met him and he almost scammed them out of all their money but that is besides the point.

I could not make myself feel anything for these characters. Ginny had nothing else going for her except being a heroic bigger sister.
Wes was just another one of those kids who wanted to grow up, and Harry was just a simple kid to be honest.

One good thing I can say for all the characters is that I do appreciate the representation of Asian-Americans and queer characters in the novel,

Overall, if you’re looking for a nice graphic novel to pass the time during quarantine, you might want to give this one a go. Maybe you’ll enjoy it more than I did.

•Character development- 2.5☆
• Story Plot- 3.5☆
• Side characters- 4.5☆
• Flow of the story- 4☆
• Overall - 4☆

I was personally very excited to read this graphic novel after seeing the summary, and was not disappointed once while reading, as every element of the book works perfectly to create this wonderful story. Most noticeably, Jonathan Hill's illustrations lend themselves fully to the mood of the story, which feels like a blend of bleak and hopeful perspectives varying in intensity throughout. Odessa follows three siblings in a post-natural disaster world on a journey to find a missing part of their family, though they encounter more than a few obstacles along the way. I found each of these plot points exciting, as well as the overall story arc, and really enjoyed the pacing of the story and timing of some of the bigger moments. Though it seems to be marketed as YA, I would be inclined to recommend this to even younger readers, as I think they may enjoy the adventure aspect, and learn even more along the way.

It has been eight years since Ginny’s mother left, and eight years since the earthquake that ended the world. Ginny has spent those eight years taking care of her younger brothers while her father scavages for items in the rubble to trade. When Ginny receives a birthday package from her mother, she decides to run away to San Francisco to find her. Unfortunately, her brothers follow her, and all three must work together to survive everything from a bear to rival gangs.

I absolutely loved the two-tone art style of this book. I really enjoy this style in general as I think the limited colors draw your attention to the images more, specifically their use of shadows. With Odessa, I really liked the use of pink tones as that is not a color I would normally associate with the end of the world. I felt this was especially powerful in the scenery panels and helping show what the world looks like now. The contrast just made every scene feel more intense. While I found the plot intriguing, there were a few places where I felt transition panels or background information was missing, but nothing that ever made me feel completely lost. When I picked this up, I wasn’t aware this was going to be a series, but I will definitely be continuing on with the next one!

Unfortunately, I lost this copy and can't read it. I'll rate it high due to that I feel like this can be a new favorite of mine.

This book was a delight to read. A road trip in a post-apocalyptic world where the center is however in family. How it can give you everything and take it all away.

I no longer have access to this book so unfortunately I am unable to give an adequate review and rating regarding its contents.

Odessa, written and illustrated by Jonathan Hill, tells the story of three siblings who set off on a quest to find their mother, who after being absent for years, has suddenly set a letter. The story is set in a post-apocalyptical setting, in a world where a giant earthquake has ravaged the United States, leaving people desperate and scavenging.

What drew me to Odessa initially was the use of color on the cover. The whole book is drawn exclusively in black, white, and pink, and it makes for an interesting overall look. The drawings themselves are a little cartoony for such a dark story, but they work fine overall.

The story itself follows in much the same vein -- fine, sort of. It isn't a particularly innovative idea, nor is it done with any new twists. It's a pretty solid, if somewhat tired, dystopian survival story. Having younger kids in the story, rather than just teenagers and adults, adds a little interest, but it is overall surprisingly bland considering it is full of chase scenes and dramatic reveals.

The book leaves off right in the middle, so do not expect a finished story -- this is only part one. If I was handed the next in the series, I might read it, but I can't imagine going out of my way to find out what happens next, even with most of the mystery still unsolved.

Trigger/content warnings: parented/mother abandonment, death by hanging.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC!

I couldn't view this when I downloaded it - I seem to have had this issue with other graphic novels from NetGalley in the past too. So unfortunately I can't leave a proper review!

The characters were beautifully written and illustrated., I enjoyed reading and absorbing the art. I think the art style was unique too

Odessa is a gorgeous work that follows three siblings on the search for their mother. Virginia, Harry, and Wes must face trials as their look for their lost mother, and they must learn to survive along the way. As they continue on their journey, they meet many colorful characters that will either help or hurt them. Readers will be enchanted and intrigued by the story, the twists and turns, and the beautiful world Jonathan Hill has created. The art is stunning, and the story simplistic, but grisly where it needs to be. This world is not a kind place, and Hill's art shows us that--it feels almost like the Walking Dead at times. It is a brilliant and timeless work of ingenuity and I cannot wait to put this in the hands of so many teens in my community, who I know will love it just as much as I did.

#Odessa #NetGalleY
Living in a post apocalypse world and then going on a journey of self discovery.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a post-apocalyptic story of a group of siblings that go on a journey to find their mother, who abandoned them when they were little. This graphic novel had its good moments, but most of the time I did not find myself enjoying it. Some scenes were too long and didn't add much to the story overall. Also, I found some typos, so I hope they corrected that -it didn't really bother me but since this was an ARC, I found it worth mentioning. And lastly, it ended on a cliffhanger which is good if you liked this installment, but I wish I could've just known what happened instead of getting to read the next book.

Odessa follows three siblings after a earthquake breaks apart the United States as they try and find their mom.

Positives: The artwork and coloring is beautiful. The set up for the story is interesting.

Negatives: The sibling constantly annoy each other. I know this would be realistic but it is tiresome to read. It felt like nothing happened in the book and that this was just a set up for the second volume. There were some interesting reveals but everything in between was not interesting.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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3*
An action-packed dystopian graphic novel starring awesome Vietnamese spunky kids. Loved all the adventures, the strange new mutations and the new survival-based reality. However, it is emotionally-clunky and not fully immersive, while randomly introducing and abandoning characters.

“Odessa“ was an interesting read, but fairly long compared to other graphic novels. At some point the story started dragging.
I didn’t love the art style either.
In addition, I was under the misconception that this was a standalone, so not getting a proper ending for the story was an unfortunate surprise.
Overall I didn’t love “Odessa“ and probably won’t read the sequel.

Thanks NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC for review.
In a post earthquake America three siblings set upon a journey to find their mother.
The story seemed ordinary. The pastel pink, white and black pallet illustrations were soothing. It was an okay reading.

This book is set in a post-apocalyptic world after a earthquake ravages the world. Ginny, her dad, and her two brothers, Wes and Harry, are trying to survive in this world by scavenging and trading what they find at the local trading post for food and other supplies. On Ginny’s 17th birthday she receives a package from her mom, who has been gone for eight years. After that, she decides to set out on a journey to try and find her mom to figure out why she left them so many years ago. Unbeknownst to her, her two younger brothers decide to follow her. Now Ginny has to try and get across California to San Francisco to try and find her mom while protecting her two younger brothers. Can she find her mom and keep her siblings safe? Will she figure out why her mom left?
This was a really great graphic novel. I loved Ginny and her brothers. They’re all so different and they deal with the obstacles that they come across in very different ways. I liked watching Ginny make decisions and argue with her brothers. They seemed like a real family traveling together and trying to survive. I also really enjoyed the artwork. I loved that there wasn’t a lot of color; it gave it a very post-apocalyptic feel. Overall, this was a fantastic book and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next volume.

A bit of a jumble and not really what I was looking for. Very messy story and I didn't like the artwork. I don't think I care to see this one through.

'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.