This graphic novel is absolutely charming and utterly adorable. The artwork marches the whimsical story perfectly and... THAT AESTHETIC! I can really imagine this being adapted by Studio Ghibli. Cozy queer romance between a ghost and a necromancing gardener - what's not to love? Deals with grief, loss and love in a beautiful way - I wish there was more! A Vol.2 perhaps?

I have a number of students that I will recommend this too - probably Yr8+.

The plot begins with Hamal and Blue in a garden where Hamal works at, and ends with the garden and it's ever existent view. The story involved our gardener and his ghost friend whom he has had feeling for in a quest to balance the world around them. It includes not only feeling to protect and secure but as well the feeling of letting go. The nature of the ghost is hindered as they lurk longer in the land of the living, fostering a darker forest growing in some part of the existence which can't be seen. Until it finally affects their life.
Set in a close neighborhood but mostly involving the forest and the garden, the story is set in a fictional location which appears very realistic. Not only that the idea of dark forest sprouting just like the gardens is so very beautiful. Here, I wish to thank the author for making a reaper have a heart and empathy of their own.
Summing it up,
a very fast paced graphic novel, can be read in one sitting and will leave you with a smile.
This is me first time reading a graphic novel.
I loved it, I really did.
The contrast and the sketch designs are superb, the color hues specifically. I loved the idea on how it was constructed with the male leads being softer and realistic. The idea of a necromancy in not a very brutal way that people often do, is a pretty nice approach, rather very unique.
The plot takes your through a garden and a city full of beautiful sky views, a dark forest.
It is really fascinating and I am not overexaggerating that this book comes like a warm hug.
No other words at all.

This story was very sweet. It felt like I was just getting my teeth into it as it was ending, so I look forward to reading more in the future. 3.5/5

What a sweet story.
All the characters were nice, I would love to see more of them, I wished the story was longer so I could spend more time with them.

This was an adorable, lighthearted tale of a gardener and a ghost who fall in love, and have to find a way to restore the balance between the living and the dead. The story deals with some heavier topics (life and death, grief), but does so in a lighter tone. It also features necromancy in a fun way. I loved the color palette, and the creative way the transition between the real world and the dark otherworldly forest were portrayed through the panels.

Taproot is absolutely spellbinding, but then again, a queer love story between a ghost and a florist was always going to be.

With an incredibly distinct art style that will certainly have me buying a physical copy to peruse through and admire at length. Its beautifully drawn natural settings and a heartwarming (if slightly peculiar) story put me in mind of Studio Ghibli for all the right reasons. Loveable characters in an enchanting world, and just a little bit of magic. What's not to love?

In as few as 122 pages I grew to adore these characters, including the big bad! Each character had a unique personality with their own endearing quirks and I found them to be positively charming, so much so that I found myself giggling at several points. Any story that manages to make me laugh out loud (especially when death is a key theme) is highly commendable.

The narrative itself was incredibly sweet, and the concept is a brilliant one. I do, however, wish that it had been expanded upon and given a little more depth. Some of the key scenes felt a little rushed which pulled me out of the story, where they should have been pulling me in.

Overall, I think Taproot is a delightful novel and will absolutely be recommending it, I only wish it could have been longer.

I have been seeing this on several bookstagram pages so I was eager to read it. Overall, the artwork is beautiful and the story is sweet. Blue and Hamal are adorable and I like the idea of a necromancer gardener. Super quick read you should try.

This new edition (and the eARC provided via Netgalley) gave me the perfect chance to finally read this graphic novel! It's a very sweet, somewhat quiet read, and would likely appeal to older fans of K. O'Neill's Tea Dragon Society series. Gorgeous, botanical, lightly spooky art and themes. The story element wasn't the strongest part for me, with many aspects feeling underdeveloped or too-easily-resolved, but it was still an enjoyable read. This new edition includes a foreword from the author, backmatter sketches and bonus material, and, of course, the gorgeous cover redesign.

I LOVED the art style, and the story was interesting enough to have me tearing through it. However, there were parts that felt a little confusing/ill defined and it was a bit on the predictable side. I really enjoyed it, I would recommend it to friends, but I can't say it's the BEST comic I've ever read.

Excited to see more from Young though! Worth the read :)

An adorable, beautifully drawn, wholesomely queer nec-romance. I inhaled this in one sitting.

Blue is a lonely, wandering ghost - until he meets the very much alive Hamal, who is somehow able to see and talk to him. The development of Blue and Hamal’s relationship is wonderfully sweet and gentle, with well-balanced humour and surprisingly fleshed-out character work for a book of 140 pages.

The element of angst, when it does appear, is deftly handled with just the right level of exposition - leaving an appropriate air of mystery instead of cramming unnecessary info-dumps into such a slim volume.

Keezy Young’s art is delightfully soft, and a perfect accompaniment for such a gentle storyline.

I honestly can’t recommend it more - just treat yourself.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for facilitating a digital ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This lovely Queer romance fantasy graphic novel is very cute. Its not always an easy read with some heavier subject matter but the art is very attractive and the vibes are very good. I would absolutely recommend it.

This was super cute! I absolutely adore the art work, and the little twist with the reaper was super cute. I will say there wasn't much chemistry throughout the story until te end, and I think if it would have been just a few pages longer it would have filled that gap, but altogether as a graphic novel I really enjoyed this and it was quick and fun to read!

There's no denying that this was a really sweet book. However, I also felt like there was no point to it? The relationship between Hamal and Blue was so rushed. There was barely any development. I would have loved to see how and why they fell for each other. Love is more than just proximity to someone, right? It would have also been interesting to explore Hamal's relationship with the paranormal world. I'm not sure I completely understood how Hamal restored balance the first time around. And then the second half of the book where Hamal and Blue hunt down that other ghost felt a little out of place. So, yeah, the pacing was a little disjointed and I couldn't really make sense of the message. Perhaps it was just meant to be a feel-good kind of book which is totally fine too! The artwork was GORGEOUS though so if you're in for a cute love story, this is definitely the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!


This was so utterly wholesome and also full of cute dead ghosts. A dead boy falls in love with a gardener, but when a dark creepy forest starts manifesting, they realise the gardener has a dark power he doesn't want. There is also a sassy reaper who literally calls them "dingbats". Plus Blue won't shut up and is so dramatic 😪 Hamal is a muscly but soft cinnamon gardener who loves flowers and is just really chill. Plus the ART. Blue's expression were the best!!

3,5/5

Ero molto curiosa su questa graphic novel, perché leggendo trama e guardando la copertina mi ha attratta fin da subito.
L’ho trovata adorabilissima, l'ho terminata in meno di un'ora e l'ho un po’ frettolosa, avrei preferito durasse qualche pagina in più-

Mi aspettavo un po’ di più a livello di trama, c'era tanto potenziale che purtroppo è andato sprecato. Essendo molto breve e non c’è stato dato tempo per affezionarsi bene ai personaggi. Personaggi che tra l’alto ho apprezzato tanto pur essendo la storia molto breve. Ho adorato il sarcasmo di Blue e la dolcezza di Hamal. Avrei apprezzato un po’ di approfondimento ,della loro storia d’amore.

Le tavole sono ben disegnate, lo stile di disegno è molto particolare e non credo possa piacere a tutti, ma come la maggior parte delle graphic novel credo che vada un po’ a gusto personale. Ho apprezzato la scelta della palette di colori, che ho trovato anche molto coerente con la storia.

La consiglio a chi piacciono le graphic novel LGBTQAI ed a chi piace il fluff.

3,5/5 stars, rounded up to 4.

This was just so cute! I inhaled this book in just an hour, then went back to it because I just couldn’t get enough of it! Which brings me to the point that this was painfully short. The issue is raised in one page, and two pages later, it’s just gone. The reader doesn’t get time to get to know the characters before they reach the last page, and everything is done already.

The art style is very cute, though not entirely my cup of tea when it comes to character design. However, still very sweet! Blue especially, in both forms, stole my heart!

I liked the plot, it was pretty solid, and a lot like the plot of one my absolute favourites, Under The Whispering Door by TJ Klune.
But again, nothing exciting was explored enough in my opinion. There is only one moment of danger, which is again resolved in just a few pages.

Is it short and more surface-level because it’s made for a younger audience? Maybe, but i think it still could be a lot more advanced that this.

Overall, a cute, short, easy-to-fly-through graphic novel.

Taproot is a cute story with adorable characters and heartwarming found family and romantic dynamics. It has a cozy atmosphere, with lovely artwork and friendly ghosts. It's a short graphic novel, so I think some of the things could be more developed. I also felt confused with some parts of the plot, but overall it's a cute comic perfect for anyone looking for something cozy and quick.

A cup of swissmiss. It was a pleasure to read. I feel I’ve brushed the surface of a very fantastical universe.

I had the desire to stay a bit longer over there, wishing it’d delved a bit deeper into character backstories and relations.

Perhaps I need to wander over to the webtoon, or happily await more updates.

Most impactful though, Hamal and Blue were rich in character, the color palette and attention to detail were phenomenal, and I was very taken with the way the story unfolded. I do wish I could go and visit.

that was just adorable. i really liked the art style and the color scheme. i think it works for the story, is cute and kinda creepy at the same time. i've read human+ghost stories before and i think it developed very nicely in here.

~thank you to the publisher Oni Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review ~

Tag yourself in the comic: I'm the reaper who was team HamalBlue. The reaper is a legend I fear.

Taproot follows the story of ghost Blue, and gardener Hamal as the fall in love. It was such a soft, cute,, paranormal queer graphic novel, that had me smiling ear-to-ear throughout at just how adorable it was.

There's something about the colour scheme that had the most calming effect - the pastel blues, greens and creams only heightened the 'warm hug' feeling I got from reading this. And I loved how the colours represented who Hamal and Blue were.

My only complaint (or wish, for my glass half-full people) is that I would have loved this even more if it was longer. As throughly entertained as I was, it felt rushed at times which is not surprising at the least given the short page count. I definitely would have enjoyed spending more time with Blue, Hamal and their friends. Here's hoping for a sequel!

3.75☆