Taproot

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

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.

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.

Taproot is a queer, feel good, beautiful work of art. I instantly fell in love with Blue and Hamal. Hamal works at a garden shop and can talk to/see ghosts, Blue is a ghost and is Hamal's best friend. I felt instantly drawn into the world.

Taproot was just a breath of fresh air to read. Everything from the art style, colour choices to that ending!

I'd happily recommend Taproot to anyone looking for an adorable comic to read while snuggled up under a blanket with hot tea.

TW/CW: Death, Grief, Child Death, Car Accident, Blood, Bugs

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Every comic is ruled by art first, if the art is not exceptional most will not read it. The amount of mental gymnastics a reader has to perform to read a comic and the work a cartoonist has to invest to pair imagery to text seamlessly merits proclamations when done well. Taproot is such a piece. Keezy Young has created a visual feast with lush colors, expressive linework, interesting compositions, and characters. The storyline brings echoes of Cyril Pedrosa's "Three Shadows" combined with a dash of Taiyō Matsumoto sentiment. This comic is also joyously reflective of its time, LGBTQIA friendly and diverse cast of characters. This is a story about a developing relationship between a mischievous ghost and a kind gardner- or is it? "No spoilers please." Go, enjoy this beautiful work of art.

I absolutely ADOOOOOORED THIS BOOK

Think Heartstopper meets Cemetery Boys and that's what this simply immaculate graphic novel is!!

The story was great, there are parts of the art I'd hang on my WALL, it made me emotional, I'd recommend it to everyone!!!

This graphic novel was absolutely adorable and a pleasure to read.

Whilst being fast paced, the story held so much emotional depth and underlying narratives which were so beautifully orchestrated. It was simple and flowed so well because of it.

The story itself follows a gardener (and hidden necromancer) and his ghostly companion- together they go on a series of adventures and it is so so heartwarming. This is the definition of queer joy.

The artwork itself was beautiful, from the design to the colouring, to the layout of pages. Each page was a gift, and every new character was perfectly personified by the way they were drawn.

I loved this. It was so so cute. Go read it!

I think I made it to page six before I had to google how to get this book, because I absolutely need it in physical form on my shelf.

Honestly, I was in love by the first page and the rest of the comic didn’t let me down. First of all, the art-style needs to be praised. It’s stunningly beautiful! The creator has managed to create a lovely, vibrant world, where every page and panel is a delight to look at.

The story itself holds up too. Just the premise on its own is so sweet, and the story develops at a calm pace that’s perfect for when you just want to curl up in bed after a long day. Reading this book felt like being wrapped in a blanket and sipping tea; it’s simply leisurely, tranquil and lovely. If you’re a lover of Ghibli movies, this will hit the sweet spot.

Also really enjoyed the little ‘making of’ tidbits at the end

I absolutely loved this. The story is SO sweet and unique, and the art style is gorgeous. I would highly recommend this to anyone whether they read graphic novels or not.