Oddity Woods

by Kay Davault

Based on the webcomic of the same name, this spooky graphic novel mystery from the creator of Misfit Mansion follows a kid detective whose search for her missing father leads her into eerily enchanted woods full of strange, otherworldly creatures.

After her father’s sudden disappearance, thirteen-year-old aspiring detective Marietta travels to where his trail went cold, the town of Perdita, to ask for help. But with nobody believing her claim that something paranormal is to blame, her questions go nowhere. Determined to find out what happened—even if she has to do it alone—Marietta enters the nearby woods, where people are known to have vanished.

Armed with a peculiar magnifying glass that has the power to reveal lies and a mysterious letter containing clues about her father, Marietta stumbles into the alternate world hidden in the woods. There, she meets a friendly spirit who leads her to a phantom train where the Conductor says he’ll help Marietta find her father—for a price. With the help of Wyatt Weiss, a mysterious boy with his own secrets, Marietta escapes without bargaining away something she can’t afford to lose and finally learns where she’s ended up: the Oddity Woods, an endless forest where monsters and ghosts roam freely.

Marietta and Wyatt work together to navigate the woods but become increasingly lost. A search for magical keys and solving a puzzling murder offer them ways to get home, but Marietta has yet to find her father…and the Conductor hounds her every step. Can she get what she came for and make a clean getaway, or will the woods claim another victim?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mystery, Graphic Novels Comics, Horror, Ghosts

384 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 2025

About the author

Kay Davault is a graphic novel author and illustrator. She enjoys drawing both cute characters and terrifying creatures within colorful worlds.

UPCOMING BOOKS:

ODDITY WOODS BOOK 1 (2025)- Kid detective Marietta tries to solve the sudden disappearance of her father in a dark woodland realm inhabited by ghosts and monsters. Based on the 2016-18 webcomic.

MISFIT MANSION 2 (2026)

ODDITY WOODS BOOK 2 (2027)

Reviews

[Cody Roecker]

as someone obsessed with over the garden wall this feels written for me I love love loved it and cannot wait for book 2

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

First half - 3.5 stars
Second half - 2 stars
Final score: 2.5 stars

Pros:
I loved the colors and art style.
The story was complex and the characters nuanced.

Cons:
About 2/3 of the way through I completely lost the plot!!
The characters started to all look the same. Because they are drawn in this cute chibi way, it's hard to tell them apart and to determine who's a kid and who's an adult.
We introduced WAY too many new characters too far into the story. Many of them seemed unnecessary. I think they might play a part later in the series, but in this book they only served to confuse the reader.

By the end I was hopelessly lost. I just finished the book with no real idea of what happened or why. :(

[Jaimes_Mystical_Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great middle grade graphic novel. I loved the art style and vibrant color palette used for the illustrations. This book has an intriguing mystery as the main character, Marietta, searches for her missing father. Overall this was a fun quick read and I look forward to the next volume.

Thank you to @simonkids for the gifted copy.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky, terrifying, I loved it! I can’t wait for the next one!

But, seriously though, this book was so sad!!!! Owen, Wyatt, no!!!!!! The next one better come out fast.

[gray (my.rainbow.bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun time! This gave big Over the Garden Wall vibes, and I can't wait for volume 2 :)

[Jo Egan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man I so wish I was still in the target age range for this. It started coming out when I was in 8th or 9th grade and it was my very favorite series I was so devastated when it was taken off of webtoon. Now I’ve aged out, still its sweet and charming. I’m glad I was able to read it, I’m looking forward to the next one

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing artwork, graphic novel size (number of pages), and storytelling. Humorous, 5 plus for me. The adventure takes us to solve the mystery of the disappearance of her father. I love the main character so much. I will continue to recommend it.

[Kailly Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing this review for my 9 year old (she received an advanced copy for Instagram contest):

It was amazing! I enjoyed the characters and learning about them and the different settings. I couldn’t put it down. My favorite characters were: Owen, Marietta, Wyatt, Whistle, and Lawrence. The best moment for me was when Marietta found out her dad was alive. I was shocked when Sylvia turned on them all. I would want to live in this book it was so awesome. If I could jump into this story the first thing I would do is help Marietta on her mission. The ending was shocking! I can’t wait to see what happens next!

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your time in this world is up.

So much fun!!! There is a LOT of story and lore packed into this volume, promising a long and varied series as we continue. Super cute (and oftentimes cuddly-looking) characters, lovely art, and an original world. All centered around a compelling and satisfying mystery. I picked this one up on a whim and was not disappointed.

Its origin story compels me, too. Started out as a solo webcomic project in 2016, but had to shut down because of the time and resources it demanded. I'm glad it got a second chance in 2025. A good example of how indie creators can't create on clicks alone, and sometimes great stories have to leave. Thankfully this tale had a happy ending :)

[Cuchillo Lope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the biggest compliment I have for this is that it feels like a JRPG I would have played when I was a kid. The cute characters and intriguing world beg to be translated into sprites. It takes a bit of Over the Garden Wall and pinch of Gravity Falls illustrated beautifully through a Squaresoft pen.
My kid loves this book and begged me to read it and I did enjoy it. It had just enough of this darkness, a la Labyrinth, that makes it sit above a lot of the YA graphic novels I’ve read on my kids request. I’m actually stoked for the next one.
The Conductor is such a menacing character I love him.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down it was pretty addicting. It’s also pretty dark and deep for a middle grade graphic novel, I would say about the same as Harry Potter. Overall, I think anyone whose a fan of an adventure mystery in a world set in between the death and the living with a cast of fun but also deep characters who learn from one another and bring out the best in each other would really like this.

I cant wait for the 2nd book! That ending ahhhhh! 😖

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish the next book was out already! I loves this book so much! The art is beautiful and the colors are amazing!! I love the mystery part of it, how she is trying to find her dad and now she has seen all of those missing kids too. The ghost pup is adorable! I love the use of technology and all of the different species in this book. I hope we get to see more gadgets, creatures, and characters in the next book. The conductor is spooky for sure.

[Jen Nishi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this GN. I enjoyed the concept and plot. I got a little confused sometimes but it didn’t really affect my reading experience too much. The colouring and the art are well done. I can see my students really enjoying this one.

[Kat Ice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omggg I LOVED this graphic novel!!! The story line was amazing and pulled me in so much! The artwork was great! I wish there was more! I thought this was one of the best graphic novels I’ve ever read!! If you like witches and magic and storytelling… you will love this!!

[David Moralishvili · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! I remember reading the original webcomic, so it was nice getting to revisit this story with the art! The characters were just as delightful as I remembered and the art was very adorable! I'm really excited to see where we go from here!

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! Lots of fun adventure, spooky and interesting characters, and an exciting mystery. I loved the art and colors, too. I'm looking forward to the next volume.

ARC from Edelweiss.

[miki larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

*screams in cliff hanger*

[Meg]

Kay Davault uses the color palettes of my dreams

[Jennifer Fenn]

Bought it for my 8 year old. She read it in one sitting and immediately inquired about a sequel.

[mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

a GREAT remake of a great story!! super excited for the next one :-)

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it, feels like Over the Garden Wall meets Professor Layton!

[BookLoverLily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was kinda creepyyy, especially at the prologue!!

[Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable spooky and mysterious graphic novel. I’m game for volume 2!