I read this in one sitting! I'm not usually a fan of graphic novel but this was compared to Neal Shusterman and Scott Westerfeld so I knew I had to request this immediately. I really enjoyed this, it was heart warming and heart breaking at the same time. I thought the drawings were nicely done (even though it was 3 colors only) and I love the cover. I also enjoy the end of the world settings. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for this advanced copy!

3.5 stars

Odessa takes place eight years after a serious earthquake that left the west coast of the U.S. utterly destroyed. Virginia “Ginny” has gotten used to living without her mother in this post-apocalyptic world, but when a mysterious package is mailed to Ginny, indicating that her mother might be alive, she sets out on a journey to find her. Just as she’s sneaking out, her two siblings decide to join her, leaving their dad at home as they start their trek through dangerous territory.

I would definitely say that Odessa is entertaining. The kids experience quite a few obstacles on their journey and meet some interesting characters. I also loved the art style and color palette—something about the contrast of the soft pink coloring and the idea of a dystopian land was appealing to me. The font was pretty and easy to read.

However, I did feel like something was missing from Odessa. There was this great dystopian world laid out and it just...wasn’t explored as much as I wanted. There wasn’t much background offered and the depths to which this earthquake affected the area wasn’t delved into as much as it could have been. The pacing was also a bit strange. At some points I felt like things were moving way too fast (especially at the beginning), and at other times I felt like the story was dragging. Furthermore, the ending felt a bit too abrupt. There’s nothing wrong with a cliffhanger, but something about the ending felt too unfinished—like the author decided to quit right there and said “alright, I guess I’ll just make a sequel when I figure out what’s going to happen next.”

Overall, Odessa certainly wasn’t boring, but I felt like it was a bit lackluster considering the fact that the premise had so much potential. I think I would still recommend this to someone who is looking for an easy-to-read graphic novel, but I wouldn’t say it was anything groundbreaking.

4.5

3.5

*Thank you to the publisher for sending me an e-arc through Netgalley, this does not affect my review.*

The premise of this sounded so intriguing, 3 kids going on an adventure through a post apocalyptic world to find their mum, sounds fab but something was missing for me.

The characters were really not likeable at all and half of the book was just them bickering, which I completely understand is something that happens between siblings (I have 3 siblings, trust me, I get it) but, it's not fun to read about.

I would have liked a little more backstory on the world and the gangs, what are their motives? What are they fighting for? There wasn't really any explanation which meant I didn't really care.

I felt it was slightly longer than it needed to be which led to it feeling like it was dragging however, I really enjoyed the art style and I loved seeing the f/f romance.

Overall I think it's pretty average but I would be open to reading the continuation.

So good! Excited to read the next installment!

This was fine. I really liked the coloring, pink was an unusual choice for a dystopian world but I think it worked. The story has too many weird deus ex machinas that feel unnatural.

Boooo. The usual “over-reliance on mysterious backstory of an annoying AF main character so you can’t possibly GAF to figure it out”