I absolutely adore this graphic novel. The characters are so fascinating, the spooky, mystical elements are so fun, and the little romance is so so so freaking sweet. I'd love to read a more in-depth version of this book. It's only 130ish pages, so I can definitely see the story as a more fleshed out graphic novel. I'm really excited to read more from Keezy Young. I love the art style, colors, and story.

A beautifully drawn comic book about life, death, and, of course, love. I found the story of Hama and Blue to be cute and entertaining, if not a little rushed at times. The pacing of the comic felt off at times, moving from one concept to another rather quickly, but I'm not a huge reader of comics so it could be a norm that I am not aware of. Despite that, I can't deny the art is gorgeous and had me hovering over several pages just to soak in the beautiful cool tones and intricate details.
If you are looking for a cute little LGBTQIA+ comic, check this one out for sure.

This was a sweet graphic novel with some rather beautiful artwork. It kind of reminds me a little of Mooncakes so if you enjoyed that then I'd definitely recommend this! At times I felt like I was missing bits cause it would skip from one thing to another without development but overall it flowed quite nicely!

What a cute little novel! The artwork is gorgeous and the storyline is wholesome. There is found family, characters that are easy to love, plants (always a bonus), and queer, paranormal romance.

Can I just say here that the Reaper is the best and needs a spin-off.

This is a quick read, but unfortunately I feel, too quick. There were little gaps that I found a bit jarring, and the reason that I knocked off one star. This story deserved to be longer.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy.

This was the warmest and loveliest story I could imagine, and I loved this so much! There was so much loveliness packed into this, I only wish it was longer!

Taproot is a story about Hamal and Blue. Hamal is a sweet, kind gardener, who cares about his plants and is just the loveliest person ever. Hamal can also see ghosts - like Blue. Blue is a ghost, or an in-betweener, who is friends with other ghosts, and also in love with Hamal. While their relationship can't be what a "normal" relationship is, they're so lovely together. But their peace is disrupted by a reaper, who's looking for a necromancer who's making things unbalanced. As balanced must be restored, the characters might have to face some truths they don't want to face.

Now, don't let me scare you - this story feels like a ray of sunshine right when you need it. This is not a sad story per se, but it is emotional. The art in this novel is amazing - I loved it so much. The cover is what initially pulled me to this book, and I'm so glad it did. The landscapes are so magical, there are a lot of plants and nature, and it all seems so whimsical, so alive. It feels very soft and delicate, the color palette is mostly warm and it feels like a sweet, familiar dream in a way.

The characters are also lovely, and they are the focal point of the story. Besides Hamal and Blue, there are a few other characters, and while we see less of them, that doesn't make them less good. I enjoyed reading about all of them. The interactions between the characters are also great, and I loved learning about their connections and relationships. I only wish this was a little bit longer, because I wanted more, more of the side characters, more of Hamal and Blue's relationship.

I cannot say much without spoilers, but this book left me feeling warm and fuzzy and just overjoyed. This is definitely going to turn into a new comfort read for me, I already see I'm going to be coming back to this book a lot, and I would highly recommend it!!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute but (without spoilers) slightly confusing graphic novel at the end of it with the mystery girl.
It reminded me a lot of Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune, so if you enjoyed that book, then you should definitely check this one. I was not a super fan of the illustrations but it was a quick and cozy read and it is nice to have some queer representation for teens and young adults so a big plus for that!


Thank you to Netgalley and Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group for this e-copy!

A really wholesome story about love, acceptance, death and friendship, also kinda creepy at times. Really enjoyed it and will be looking into the author more

This has been one of my most anticipated reads in a long while, so I'm thrilled to have been able to check it out! Beautiful art style and sweet story, this did not disappoint! A lovely little book!

I was so happy to get a chance to finally read this graphic novel, it's been on my TBR for quite a while, and it was worth the wait! The artwork and atmosphere really set the tone for such a cozy and heartfelt story. The reaper character was a really fun inclusion, as well as the twist I won't spoil here. Both main characters are likable and you root for their them, their dynamic is so cute! It's a fun little ride to take with a happy ending that I thoroughly enjoy.

I don’t typically read this style of book but I really enjoyed it! It was a quick, fun, wholesome story with beautiful artwork! While fairly short, I quickly connected to the characters and would love to read more about their adventures!

Taproot is a short, queer, paranormal comic that follows a gardener and part time necromancer named Hamal, and a ghost named Blue.

I really enjoyed the concept of this story and the art was seriously stunning and so aesthetically pleasing, but i do wish that it had been a little more fleshed out. I would have loved for it to have been a little longer and gone into a bit more depth with the story and characters because it definitely has tons of potential.

This comic was incredibly wholesome, queer and such a fast read. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to read something short and sweet!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this eARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Keezy Young and Oni Press for providing me with this graphic novel. Everything written below are my own thoughts on the novel.

I downloaded this book today, thinking that it would be a short and cute read, and I was right. This book revolves around Hamal and his life with a bunch of ghosts, one of them being Blue. I enjoyed the graphics, though I did not fully understand the context/plot because of the lack of (many) pages of the arc I downloaded via NetGalley. Despite that, the scenery and the author's illustrations were spectacular, embellished with the use of a lively palette and many species of flowers.

Taproot is a mixture of a cute and uncanny graphic novel about Hamal; a gardener who realises that he can communicate with ghosts, and Blue, who is a ghost that followed Hamal back to his home. Their relationship does not develop slowly but rather quickly. It kind of felt like this was the sequel of the first book and not the first book of a series. Which was disappointing because it had a potential.

"I didn't used to mind being dead. It was a little lonely, sure. You watch the world pass by but you're not a part of it."

(bestie, im not even dead but preach.)

It took me 40 minutes to read this graphic novel, because I love appreciating every little detail on each page but it might take shorter for others to read. I must say, the story was a little bit rushed. I have read graphic novels under 140 pages which told more of a story than this book did, so that was one less star from me. I could not connect with the characters and we didn't even have background context of some of the ghosts' lives which could've proved to be useful. We should also keep in mind that many of the pages were missing in my e-arc, hence, I cannot know for sure. Apologies if my review looks disorganised!! So is my life :')

"Heartstopper" by Alice Oseman meets Studio Ghibli.

"Taproot" is an adorable and yet creepy short graphic novel featuring a paranormal queer romance between Hamal, a young gardener, who is able to interact with spirits and Blue, a ghost. It manages to be intriguing and incredibly sweet at the same time, making the reader feel all cozy whilst also wondering what will happen next. I loved the drawing style and how all the characters are so unique, it's so important for graphic novels to be diverse. It gave me major cottage core vibes and made me feel all gooey on the inside.

I wish we got more of the story though, it would be so nice to read about all of Hamal's and Blue's adventures and their relationship; it almost felt a little rushed, but I understand this can often be the case with graphic novels. I would love to read more about the original story or even spin off stories of the other ghosts since we only got a little glimpse of them.

What a fun and whimsical graphic novel!

The art style and the storyline really hooked me and I adored the colour palette that was used. This was such a wonderful story to read and I love how well Hamal and Blue compliment each other and the way their relationship developed.

This story had a little bit of everything, and a lot of things I loved. There was spooky ghostie moments combined with a soft and wholesome romance that was beautifully queer, and all around was just stunning to read!

(Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.)

Thank you so much to Oni Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.

I am quite confused by this graphic novel. Upon finishing it I really felt like my copy was missing pages. Looking at some of the other reviews on NetGalley, it seems a few others felt the same, so I'm not sure if there's an actual issue here, or if that's how it's meant to be. This was super quick to get through, even for a graphic novel, which contributes to me wondering if there was something wrong here.

This story moves incredibley fast, and with no buildup. I often found myself confused when the scene would switch, because it felt like I missed something really important. The relationship is instant, we aren't given much background, and the problems are also resolved instantly, which just gives us nothing to look forward too.

The art style suits the story well, and I love all the drawings of the plants. The color palate is vibrant and interesting to look at. If the story was more fleshed out I feel like the art would really bring the story to life, and they would be good compliments to each other.

Unfortunately, when I finished this my first thought was, "Wait, that's it !?" It honestly feels like the most important parts of the story are skipped over, which just gives this book a feeling of nothing actually happening.

A really sweet queer graphic novel. The art work and pallet used for the art is really pleasing to the eye and well thought out, dialogue is easy to follow and clearly shows who is speaking or thinking.

The story lends well for a good series but in this issue I found the story telling a little jilted and jumpy, it seems to stop and start, things happen quickly them come to a sudden stop so there doesn't seem to be enough time to build tension or relationships and the story becomes a lacking of dept and emotion.
I really enjoyed the premise of the story and it has a lot of potential, particularly enjoying the connection to nature and how the author deals with grief but I think an extended version would lend to some good developments and depth.

Thank you to the publishers and neutrally for granting me an advanced copy to review

This was such a wholesome, enjoyable read! Loved the connection of earth and plants and flowers and bees in the world of the living as a reflection of a larger cycle of life and death in this realm and beyond. Loved the depiction of queer joy and learning about the author’s intentions in writing this included at the end. The artwork was beautiful too, enjoyed the art style and colour palette as well as the neat arrangement of text. Thank you for the reading copy!

Wholesome & unique 5 ⭐️

Captivating graphic novel. I adored the style of the artwork in this one—warm & cozy mostly but those spooky drawings gave me the chills! The queer m/m romance was sweet, first book I’ve read with a ghost / human relationship & loved how fresh this was! Was a bit choppy at times but honestly—the overall story & artwork made up for it.

Cant wait to share with students in our LGBTQ+ mini library & read more from the author! Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the ARC!

*Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the ARC of this book*

Cute graphic novel about a gardener who can see ghosts and how his ability to understand the importance of death for life to bloom makes him a good candidate to help ghosts move on.

The artwork has its charm, the color palette fits the theme perfectly.

This vibrant graphic novel is abundantly heartwarming despite two of the main characters being a ghost, & a reaper.
An unlikely longing forms between kindhearted necromancer Hamal & handsome ghost Blue. When a repear comes looking for Hamal, who has ended up entangled in an otherworldly mess, thing’s only get more unusual.
If the immediately striking colour palette doesn’t draw you in, the unorthodox line-up of characters certainly will. Filled with warmth & naturalistic beauty, this is a lovely fast-paced read. Although the narrative takes a hit due to pacing issues, the impressive array of lively art will leave you satisfied. Keezy Young dives visually into both creepy, gritty environments & comforting greenery. They notably excell at both, but the darker scenes are a lovely standout in their art style. The dialogue is uncomplicated & the world building isn’t really there, but I don’t particularly think it needs to be.
A sweet queer tale, with an unconventional story & a warm, fuzzy feeling left behind.