Beautiful Creatures: The Manga by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

 

Art by Cassandra Jean

 

Synopsis: Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.


My Thoughts: I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels or mangas but this one caught my attention. I enjoyed reading Beautiful Creatures, so I thought this would be a great way to get into the manga genre.

This was a very quick read since the story was cut down by a lot. The major points from the novel were there, but I felt that too much was cut. If I didn't read Beautiful Creatures before, then I would have a hard time understanding what was going on because the transitions were kind of choppy and there was little explanation as to what was happening. The manga did help refresh my memory though of what the story was about.

The drawings were cute. It was not the greatest artwork but I found myself enjoying them. I liked how Lena was represented but I was not too thrilled with the way Ethan looked. I guess I pictured Ethan differently. There were some drawings that I simply loved like this one:

 

I guess I'm a hopeless romantic.

 

Overall, this manga is loyal to the book even if took out many parts. The artwork was decent and it was a quick read. I rate it: