Book Review: Odessa by Jonathan Hill

Disclaimer: I received a free cop of this book from Oni Press (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: Graphic novel, young adult

Release Date: November 3 2020

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Synopsis:

Eight years ago an earthquake—the Big One—hit along the Cascadia fault line, toppling cities and changing landscapes all up and down the west coast of the United States. Life as we know it changed forever. But for Vietnamese-American Virginia Crane, life changed shortly after the earthquake, when her mother left and never came back.

Ginny has gotten used to a life without her mother, helping her father take care of her two younger brothers, Wes and Harry. But when a mysterious package arrives for her eighteenth birthday, her life is shaken up yet again. For the first time, Ginny wants something more than to survive. And it might be a selfish desire, but she's determined to find out what happened to her mother—even if it means leaving her family behind.

Sarah's Review:

I'm pretty new to reading graphic novels, so I was really excited to receive this one! I was instantly drawn in by the cover and the synopsis. The art in the book is gorgeous! I love the monochromatic color scheme, and I'm excited to see if the next installment is the same color or if it changes. I wasn't expecting this to be a series as I thought this was a standalone, however I am excited the see where the story goes. I will definitely keep an eye out for the next book.

When the book first started I really sympathized with Ginny. I felt that she was very motherly and I understood her need to find something for herself and take a break. My love for Ginny was pretty short lived. As the book went on I felt like she had a horrible attitude, and she treated people horribly. Then towards the end, I found myself liking her again.

Wes and Harry are the best little brothers ever. While I don't have little brothers, I do have little sisters. Wes and Harry are the embodiment of little siblings. They are annoying and constantly pick at each other, but at the end of the day you know they care for Ginny!

Four dollars was by far my favorite character in the book. I think he definitely had the most development and backstory of all the characters. He is just a fantastic addition to this book!

Since this is the first book in a series, I would have liked a little more world building. While we saw some of the new order of life, I definitely wanted to see more. So hopefully we get more of that in the next book. I also really liked that we had Asian/American representation, and LGBTQ+ representation. Overall I really liked this book, and I'm excited to see where the series goes!