The art quickly drew me in. I was eager to read this story of this gardener and a ghost. From the cover, I couldn't wait to see their story and I was not disappointed.

This was a short story, but it still managed to give us a good feel for their situation and the characters. It was easy to fall in love with them and be developed in what was going on with them.

Even though I was able to fall in love with them quickly, I did find myself a little upset with the shortness. Everything happened so quick and sometimes I would have liked it to linger on a few things to give more importance, build up and just explain things a little more.

The epilogue was cute, but because the story was as short as it was, it felt almost like a part two rather than an epilogue.

Overall, this was a cute graphic novel that warmed my soul. It's a nice fantasy story that was a quick read.

This is a lovely graphic novel that approaches themes of death and grief with compassion. It’s also a bit of a love letter to queer relationships with characters showing that love is love, and diversity is normalized and celebrated. The artwork is incredibly beautiful and the concept is unique for readers of all ages to enjoy, with more serious themes older readers are more likely to connect with but presented in a way that younger (midgrade, YA) readers could identify with as well. Had the plot/worldbuilding/lore been developed and expanded upon more I would’ve given it 5 stars but it's still a nice, quick read!

Oh my god, this was so damn cute! I loved it. This was an adorable love story and I loved the ending, I thought it was going to be sad, but it has such a happy ending! I am in love.

I liked this short novel. I mainly liked the romance between Hamal and Blue, the plot with the ghost/necromancer aspect and the colourful and beautiful graphics of the characters and the scenery.

A short and highly sweet story with a touch of darkness that might speak even deeper to those obsessed with plants and blessed with green fingers.
The story itself went by entirely too fast, almost a sketch of a story rather than a full one, but it was very enjoyable nonetheless. I would read a sequel or a longer, more fleshed out version of it any day.

Blue is dead. It’s a shame, but what you do? Death has been much better since he met Hamal: a gardener and florist who can see and speak to ghosts. And, ok, so he’s hopelessly in love with him. But that’s not an issue, ok? It’s not like anything can really happen between them anyway. Right?

This graphic novel is charming and optimistic. It had exactly the balance of comfortable affection and eerie drama that I was looking for. It’s relatively low stakes, and surprisingly cosy considering there are grim reapers and eerie otherworldly forests involved.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Slice of Life
LGBTQ+ Representation: MLM
Trigger Warnings: Death, minor self-sacrifice, minor body horror
Would I recommend this? Yes
Would I read a sequel? Yes

Not only is this graphic novel visually stunning but the story is cute, queer, and engaging, making you fall in love with Hamal and Blue almost instantaneously. This fast paced graphic novel kept me engaged the entire time, and I think I can say without a doubt that I could look at Young’s illustrations forever. I read a fellow review that described Taproot as ‘’heartstopper’ with a dash of ghosthunting’ and I think this is the perfect summary of this graphic novel! The ghost-hunting/necromancy storyline made this story so unique and added an eeriness to an already visually stunning graphic novel. I hope this story becomes a series because I would love to see where Hamal and Blue’s adventures take them next! Pick this up if you want to engage with a visually stunning, wholesome, queer story, fall in love with Hamal (a gardener who can see ghosts) and Blue (a ghost himself) and see how Young pieces this story together to keep you wanting more!
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for my review copy!

I got this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Meet Hamal, a gardener with a very special group of friends. They're ghosts!

This was such a sweet story. The details and colors of the illustrations are gorgeous! Some of the artistic choices got me a bit confused, especially in the scenes of the forest. I still don't know what was happening there.
Loved the relationship between Hamal and Blue, and how the plants are such an important part of the story.
I felt like this was a cozy queer romance that could evolve into a supernatural detective series. And I'd buy that!

The story about a ghost and a gardener, simple, beautiful, extremely cute and full of meaning about life and death and love. Beautiful queer love story, I will be getting a physical copy if this for sure.

Love love love this graphic novel. It was so cute and wholesome and well-illustrated. The color palette drew me in immediately and I fell in love with the main characters, especially Blue.

Hamal, the human gardener can see and take to ghosts, including Blue. The m/m romance made my queer heart sing and I would love to see more stories from Blue and Hamal. I took one star off because while I loved the set up and character development, the plot seemed a little rushed. I wanted to see their relationship play out a little long and in more depth, but I truly loved this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Keely Young for the eARC!

A sweet graphic novel about a ghost in love with his living best friend, who works in a garden centre

Cozy romance about a necromancer gardener !? Queer Romance !? Cute drawings !? Lots of green !? What more could you want. Genuinely this is one of the cutest Graphic novels I have seen in a long time. Its like paranormal heartstopper. The art is amazing and matches the vibe of the story perfectly. A cute light hearted story about love and loss and emotions

First I would like to thank NetGallery and Keezy Young for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This graphic novel was a creepy yet wholesome story. There wasn't much writing but I did enjoy the story and I love how colourful the art is. The characters are adorable. The little extras at the end in the design progress was really touch.

Blue has been living as a ghost for a year when he meets Hamal, a beautiful and sweet gardener who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. Together, their friendship develops into something more, but being a ghost, Blue can never truly be connected with Hamal.

Normally I start my reviews with a summary of the plot, but by the time you would finish reading it, you could finish this entire graphic novel. The gaps in this story are striking, leaving the reader jolted and confused. I even put the book down to double check that this was not a sequel or the copy I received wasn’t missing any pages - the holes were that apparent. But no, this was the full volume. Because of that, I can’t give it any more than 2 stars.
HOWEVER, Young’s art style and the world she has built are simply magical. Part of the reason I am so upset about this novel is because despite what little I felt we got of it, I am captivated by the world she has created and am craving more. I want to have more Blue and Hamal and their love story. I want to know how this world of ghosts and reapers and necromancers work. I want to see more drawings of plants! To be able to build such a compelling world with such a limited storyline is very impressive and gives me high hopes for this artist. There are definitely elements of this story I will reflect on fondly despite everything else!
Thank you to NetGalley, Keezy Young, and Oni Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honesty review!

Taproot is a very cute graphic novel about two boys who fall in love from opposite sides of death. Blue is a ghost who fell in love with Hamal, a gardener who is very much alive. When all the ghosts start being sucked into a creepy forest, Blue meets a Reaper who is hunting for a necromancer, the one who is killing the forest.

The story itself was ridiculously adorable and the artwork only made it better. There were some moments in the plot where I was confused on what exactly was happening but you kinda just got to go with it because it’ll work itself out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review. Everything stated in this review is of my own honest thoughts and opinions.

This was an adorable and wholesome Queer graphic novel about a gardener and the ghost he falls in love with. I loved our sweet mid-sized gardener that just wanted to bring to life the plants around him and his best friend, who happens to be one of the many ghosts he sees. I loved how Blue just wanted Hamal to be happy, even if it wasn't with him. Taproot has a sweet happily ever after ending , I just wish it was a bit longer .

I loved this book. I rate this 5 stars for being so cute and lovey-dovey. Hamal and Blue’s relationship was so wholesome. I loved the art style, writing, and all the details that come with the characters. I will recommend this book to those who are looking for a paranormal/romance graphic novel. I want more of Hamal and Blue’s journey and relationship. I do hope that Blue and Hamal can have a happy ending. I will be rereading this again if I ever get into another reading slump. Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for allowing me to read this book.

Such a creepy yet wholesome story. Wonderful writing and stunning illustrations. The characters are adorable. I had the best time following them around. I recommend this book to anyone who seeks a short paranormal story.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group for my copy! 🫶🏼

I was delighted to see Taproot available to review.

I had the pleasure of first reading this comic a couple of years ago, and gave it a 5 Star rating, revisiting it again and I'm happy to say the feeling is the same.

"A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally."

I mean is there anything more dreamy than ghosts and plants? The specter of life and death woven together through a beautiful story of love and friendship. I think all any of us want is to be really seen by someone and be loved. There is something beautiful about a spirit being able to find that after they've passed.

I think one of the things I loved about this comic was having characters closer in age to me, not teenagers but adults navigating through life.

The artwork is colorful and helps tell the story really well.

This comic has strong queer characters without the story being expressly about that on the page. There's just a normalcy to the relationship that I love seeing, because the relationship is normal... As normal as a necromancer and Ghost can be.