Young adults will be drawn to the colorful graphics, unique characters and dark comedic storyline. Overall, interesting, unusual, creative graphic novel. Stiefvater's creative storylines continue to impress.

Not knowing much about DC, I dove into Maggie's foray into graphic novels without realizing that it was an origin story for Swamp Thing - silly me. I knew nothing about the DC Ink project, and so many of my thoughts formed before I realized this; the context definitely helped after the fact. My only criticism? It's too short. This book could have been twice as long, because the ending felt so sudden (perhaps it wouldn't have if I'd known what was coming). That being said, Twin Branches is wonderful. Like any of Maggie's work, it hooked me from the start. I love her dedication to the bizarre, to the unexplained and inexplicable, to the underbellies of the world. Morgan Beem's illustrations perfectly complemented the eerie pallor of Maggie's words, casting the whole book in a sickly shade of green. The color usually indicates life - and it's not that it doesn't here, but it's a misunderstood life. A light with darkness underneath. Despite the book's length, the characters felt lived in and solid, and despite my lack of knowledge of what precisely the book was written for, it was still incredibly enjoyable. I hope this is not the last graphic novel that Maggie writes.

I picked this up because I adore Maggie Stiefvater's writing and work. Admittedly, I had never heard of Swamp Thing as a comic/superhero, so I looked it up a bit before reading just in case I needed some context.
I liked:
-- all of the green in the art, and the abundant plants! i liked the coloring
-- the diverse cast of characters
-- the focus on family/brothers
-- the facts about plants and how they were tied in with the plot/themes
-- the potential in the following volumes. where will the story go?
-- diabetes representation

I didn't like the art style as much in general, and the time jumps in the narrative could be confusing/seemingly irrelevant at times. Given that I only picked up the book because of the writer, and not the artist and the superhero's background, I think 3 stars is about right! I would recommend this to fans of the Swamp Thing character and comic book/graphic novel fans.

Worth a look! Liked the story & may have a little more appeal to teens than it did for me. I really did enjoy the science education that was incorporated with the story!

I was really excited to see a graphic novel/DC adaptation from Maggie. I have no previous knowledge of Swamp Thing, so it took me a little bit to get into the story and follow what was going on, but overall I liked it. Maggie’s writing style is so beautiful that reading her writing about plants was fun! The art was different from what I am used to seeing in YA graphic novels, but I really loved the coloring! This was an enjoyable graphic novel from an awesome author!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I loved this book. It is a story of a geeky, shy teen who is struggling to socialize with the dominant culture of growing up. It is different than my experience from 30 years ago, but the essentials are still true. Intelligence is made into outcast, strangeness is not tolerated, and as a bonus this book has great sci-fi/horror story. The art is evocative, the characters diverse and distinctive, and I really enjoyed this short read.

I love Maggie Stiefvater's novels. Her writing style is gorgeous and luscious and envelops me in her phenomenal worldbuilding.
...However gorgeous and descriptive writing doesn't really translate well in the graphic novel world. Although the story was fine, I often felt bogged down by text and frustrated. The art was fine, but felt like more of an adult style than the teen graphic novel styles I am used to seeing. I am sad to say that I don't think this one will appeal to the teens at my library the way Garcia's Raven or Anderson's Wonder Woman will.

It took me some time to really get into the groove and understand this story, but once I reached that point it was an enjoyable one for sure! I wish there could’ve been more of the twins relationship as a whole just to see their dynamic more as siblings.

I admire Maggie Stiefvater’s prose so much, so I was very intrigued to see how she transitions to writing graphic novels for the first time. Honestly, this is one of the better DC Ink books I’ve read; it’s still not fantastic, but the dialogue is actually good and the relationships had some meat to them. Maggie writing about plants in the way she does seems like a natural continuation of some of her previous novels, and you can tell this is something she finds fascinating. The art style wasn’t my favorite and the ending seemed way too sudden, but overall this was an interesting origin story for a character I previously knew nothing about. If you have to pick up a DC Ink book, this might be a good place to dip your feet in. 3.5/5 stars.

This was a rather bizarre graphic novel relating to DC's Swamp Thing. It took a little bit to get into the story with moving between the past and present, but overall it was an interesting take on the Swamp Thing and perhaps even the Green. While the art is a little rough, it fit with the mysterious mood and story aesthetic. Readers of Swamp Thing comics may understand and relate to this graphic novel more than those with only the barest knowledge.

The main character is diabetic, a fact that authentically adds to the story. The change of color pallet in the illustrations help bring a fantastical element that enriches the narration. That said, the pace felt off in that it felt awkwardly rapid in areas but also left me waiting (and not in a good way) for rising action. There is also a part discussing the protagonist's research and a teacher gives him a life lesson that feels completely shoehorned in. The relationship between the twin brothers feels kind of cliched.It's just not Stiefvater's best work.

I was so wanting to love this book, but it fell flat for me. I was super into it, given that Stiefvater's work is some of my favorite - but the story was difficult to get into, and eventually I was tired of trying. The color palette of the art was smart, given the botany/biology themes throughout, but it all just seemed more fantastical than needed? Not for me!

Equal parts disturbing and familiar, I really enjoyed this read. Cant believe I care more for plants now than I already did. Can’t imagine being able to fall asleep tonight honestly.

It's rare to find a novel with a diabetic character. It's rarer to find a graphic novel with one. As a type one diabetic, seeing the representation of diabetes in visual form was fantastic. Though I sometimes have issues with using diabetes as a plot point, I did not have that issue here. I loved the art of the glucometer and the port that Alec uses, as well as the fact that people sometimes do not understand what diabetes means. The port getting knocked out is a thing that happens a lot to diabetics.

I loved the dialogue of this graphic novel. It truly shone, and there were moments that I laughed out loud. I especially really loved the character of Abby, and was always happy when she showed up. The art portrayed people of varying shapes and ethnicities beautifully, which was great to see.

The ending, though I won't spoil it, made me so incredibly sad. I wish this had gone on for another hundred pages, because I wanted to spend more time in this world.

I had no prior knowledge of Swamp Thing other than that it was a DC character, so I wasn't sure what the expect going in. Thankfully, it certainly didn't matter under the deft handling of Maggie Stiefvater! Swamp Thing: Twin Branches is a must-purchase for libraries where Stiefvater is popular (which I'm guessing is every library).

Alec Walker is a plant researcher, planning his application into a top college program with his experiments about plant memory. The summer before his senior year in high school, he and his twin brother go to stay with some of their family in a small rural town. Alec brings his experiments with him, but due to others' negligence with his work, strange things start to happen with his plants as they interact with other life forms around town. The art style made the plants seem to come to life along with the story, and the abrupt ending sets up a promising series.

Great origin story for graphic novel fans. Beautiful artwork and a fresh perspective on a well told tale make this a fast read for all levels.

Swamp Thing is the perfect property for Maggie Stiefvater to adapt. Her “Shiver” series touched on these very themes. She was able to seamlessly adapt them to the Swamp Thing mythos. The art style works well with the story/text. I appreciated the diabetes representation as well.

Fans of comics and graphic novels will enjoy this title as Stiefvater brings her signature touch to the Swamp Thing origin story. The art is engaging and dynamic. Fans of the author who typically don’t read graphic novels will still greatly enjoy the story.

It's a clever take on the Swamp Thing lore! I really like the heavy botany focus. All in all, not a bad addition to the lineup.