Maggie Stiefvater

"Swamp Thing created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson."

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches

Sarah Sammis

While I found the story interesting, I found the artwork off putting. The character designs looked like rejects from Beevis and Butthead. The artwork was distracting enough to pull me out of the story numerous times.

Siblings	Wild lands	Maze	CC99CC

Callisone Dozier

** spoiler alert **
           This graphic novel was nothing like I was expecting. I was thinking since Maggie Stiefvater wrote it, it would be similar to The Raven Cycle, but nope. However, I did not mind being taken down this creepy, slightly dark road.

The things I liked:
Alec. The brother who didn't people very well. The one who felt closer to plants. I was rooting for you from page one. His struggle to relate to peers, his fight with his twin, and love interest were all believable and heart breaking. 

The science. Alec's experiments in extracting plant memories was super interesting and the scientific parts of the novel were some of my favorite. They break-up from the story to give a little insight didn't distract from the overall story. In fact, they added flavor and color.

The artwork. Morgan Beem's art was perfect! It was atmospheric and the perfectly creepy. From Alec's "ironic band" shirt to the dogs-turned-plant, I continue to return to this novel just to study the pictures.

The thing I didn't like: 
There wasn't enough!
Not enough info behind Alec's experiment. Not enough info on the things that became plant. Not enough Alec. Not enough Walter. Not enough Abby. I just want pages and pages of more.

Thanks to DC Comics and Netgalley for sending me this for my honest review.

Lauren Tabor

I enjoyed the art and the story but because it was a graphic novel I felt that it was lacking. The art is beautiful and the story is interesting but I needed more details for me to feel fully devoted for this. I felt that the brothers both had such interesting personalities and I would've liked to learned more about them and their character and relationship to each other. I think over all it went by way too fast. I didn't really have time to get attached to anyone or really feel for the characters or the story. I was left wanting more!! 
But Maggie Stiefvater has such a way with writing magical stories so I loved that aspect. Also, just getting something new from her is always exciting to me. I just wish it was longer and more fleshed out.

Mahogany Skillings

A love story wrapped up in a tale about plants. Brothers Alec and Walker are different as night and day, but they are tied together forever as twins. The summer before college changes them forever when Alec's experimental plant research accelerates.

Mica

¿Trama? No hay. ¿Personajes? Muy meh. ¿El estilo de dibujo? En los fondos es muy lindo, pero en cuanto a los personajes y las expresiones se veía bastante raro. 
Creo que la historia podría haber dado para mucho más, pero no la aplicaron de la mejor manera.

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

Heather Killeen

Rating: 4/5 thoughtful plants

Format: ebook. I’d like to thank DC Comics, Maggie Stiefvater, Morgan Beem, and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To sum up: 
This story centers around two twin boys. Walker is the life of the party, but Alec is withdrawn and would rather be alone with his plants. When they go to stay with their rural cousins for the summer before college, their paths start to diverge in new ways. They have always been inseparable, but what they find in the wilds of the swamp will change them both forever. 

What I enjoyed:
Full disclosure, I haven’t read a Swamp Thing comic before! That being said, I really loved this comic. First off, it very much feels like a story Maggie Stiefvater wrote. This story is really about two adolescent brothers who are growing and happen to be growing apart for the first time. Their diverging personalities are written with such beautiful detail, they felt very real and vivid to me!
 
Second, I loved how Stiefvater incorporated scientific topics into this story. As a scientist, I dislike when authors use hand-wavy explanations for why their sci-fi thing works the way it does. I really appreciate that Stiefvater must have a basic understanding of plant biology and genetics (and the microbiome!) to write this story the way she did. That being said, the story didn’t in any way feel bogged down with scientific details. I think she handled the balance of science-ish and supernatural really well.

Lastly, I love what the story had to say about both plants and people. Alec very clearly relates to plants better than people for many reasons, so seeing this story unfold through his eyes was really beautiful. Being very introverted myself, I couldn’t help but relate to Alec’s obsession. My brother is much more of a Walker so I also felt for him and his efforts to continue to connect with his brother as they started to drift apart. 

What was meh:
The only minor issue I had with this story was that the art was a little jarring. I like the coloring used, but for some reason, I found the face shapes really odd, which made it hard for me to connect to the story until about halfway through. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this comic! I have a feeling that I won’t like the original Swamp Thing as much because it’s not about two moody teenage boys just trying to love each other and grow (classic Stiefvater lolll), but I will definitely give them a shot! I also really want to know what happens next because this one leaves us at somewhat of a cliffhanger!

Yasmin S.

A gem! I just love Maggie and her whimsical soul.

Leonie

[First impression: What the hell was that?!]
The only thing I liked at all about this book was the colour scheme.


[I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.]

Solange Bello

Thank you to DC & Netgalley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for a review  

Read this in one sitting mainly because I loved the MC so much 

As a plant lover my heart definitely feels for him 
The story progression in this comic felt well done and I wouldn't mind a second part to this
I also really enjoyed the art style in this comic

Jéssica Canais

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle series) and artist Morgan Beem unearth the primal power of memory and how it twists the bond between two brothers. Twins Alec and Walker Holland have a reputation around town. One is quiet and the other is the life of any party, but they are inseparable. For their last summer before college, the two leave the city to live with their rural cousins, where they find that the swamp holds far darker depths than they could have imagined. While Walker carves their names into the new social scene, Alec recedes into a summer school laboratory, because he brought something from home on their trip—it’s an experiment that will soon consume him. This season, both brothers must confront truths, ancient and familial, and as their lives diverge, tensions increase and dormant memories claw to the surface. Swamp Thing: Twin Branches is a story of shadows, both literal and imagined—and those that take form and haunt us.

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches

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