I received an ARC of this graphic novel through NetGalley in exchange for feedback.

Odessa is an action-adventure graphic novel centered on Ginny, a seventeen year old girl, and her two younger brothers as they travel across dystopian California in search of their mother. I really enjoyed the art style, especially the two tone coloring. The scenery gives the reader a great sense of the dystopian American landscape, although the exaggerated character designs of the brothers are a little distracting. The story drags a bit in the middle, but the action picks up again towards the end and I am interested in seeing how it continues in the next installment. Some of the plot points are predictable or feel unnecessary, which might have been remedied by making the book shorter. I think a lot of readers will connect with the sibling relationships in this novel and their longing to find the mother that abandoned them. Fans of anime such as Trigun and Cowboy Bebop would probably enjoy this book. I will most likely be ordering it for the Teen Graphic Novel collection at my library!

not my thing

3.5 STARS

I received a free copy of this book on Netgalley, so thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Odessa by Jonathan Hill is a young adult science fiction dystopian graphic novel that explores the lives of Ginny (Virginia) and her brothers Wes and Harry as they travel through the United States but not one that we know. About a decade before the narration in this book, there was some form of massive earthquake that destroyed half of America and made strange creatures and mutants appear, so there is definitely a big dystopian vibe coming from this book.

I think this is going to be a series as it ended on “to be continued” and I think I might continue it because although I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I was expecting, I feel like it has a lot of potential and I’m intrigued to see what will happen to the characters next.

If you are not a fan of seeing vivid depictions of violence, death, cannibalism, abuse, murder, destruction, and a very realistic dystopian setting, then I would steer clear from this because it is fairly vivid and although I don’t mind any of these themes, I could see that it was quite violent at times.

I have to say that I found the drawings of the landscape and cities so amazing, I really loved the pink, white and black tones, I thought it was such a beautiful combination and I hadn’t ever seen this in a graphic novel before. I am more of a fan of realistic drawings of people though, so I found these ones a bit… rushed maybe? I don’t know I just thought they didn’t go with the landscape and that bothered me a bit because I just thought it didn’t go together and it was a little jarring to me.
The story was good, I wasn’t that hooked because the drawings of the characters were not my favourites, but I did enjoy the ending a lot more and I think it is a nice set up for more volumes in this series.

Overall, this was a really fast, intriguing and enjoyable graphic novel. I loved the drawings and colour combinations of the landscape, the setting, the cities and I struggled a little bit with the characters, finding them a little bit immature at times, but I am hoping that book 2 will look more into them and I’ll find out more.

The premise is a really interesting one, I liked the setting and I think there is still a lot to learn about this world. I know graphic novels are short and sweet and don’t usually have massive plot twists or a lot of intricate detail, but I feel like this one is going that way, so I am interested in reading more.

If you like graphic novels with dystopian settings and you don’t mind some gore, violence, blood and destruction, then I think you will like this book.

Spot on calling this good for Scott Westerfeld or Neal Shusterman.

For me, the story wasn't as satisfying as the art -- and the palate of pink and black is awesome -- and perhaps because it felt like there were too many fight scenes and not enough emotionally-hefty scenes. WHY is Ginny so invested in finding her mother? Why does her father ultimately let her go? What compels her to bring the younger brothers? I felt like those got a bit overshadowed by the warring factions in the post-apocalyptic world.

Not having noticed this was the first in a series, I found the ending disappointing. I think there were places it could have been cut and the continuation carried through in one volume.

I do love a disaster read, and this one follows eight years after "the big one" earthquake destroys San Francisco. But, again, I wanted more of that emotional arc and less of the who-fights-who that emerged. Readers who like more action will be drawn in, as will readers eager to see a story with a Vietnamese American lead by a Vietnamese American creator.

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.

Beautiful book, interesting premise. Sometimes the story-telling felt a bit sudden, and I didn't like the cliffhanger ending, but absolutely worth a read.

Review to follow closer to publication on November 3rd!

In the meantime, find my other reviews on https://www.urlphantomhive.com