Taproot is a cute and queer story about a young man (Hamal) who is accidentally setting off the balance between life and death, and the ghost boy (Blue) who falls in love with him. Or at least it was what I thought it was supposed to be. At it's base, that is what the story is about but the story doesn't actually really happen. When Hamal and Blue get a visit from a reaper, Hamal is told that he is a necromancer, and because of his powers and his gardening, he's been accidentally using death to create life. The reaper then tells him he needs to restore balance.

There is NO STORY after this!!! He ends up using blue as a way to ease the imbalance by essentially finally putting him to rest, but the reaper decides to give Blue his life back because of romance??? or something??? It doesn't really have much substance. It's cute of course, but I wanted to read a cool story about a gardening necromancer and his ghost bf getting into hijinks and solving problems and mysteries.

I won't go too much into the rest to save from spoiling too much, but this really was a let down in the plot department.

The art is cute and vibrant and there is great detail to the foliage and fauna parts which I love. The rest could have been a bit more polished.

I really thought that this book was rather cute and similar vibes of Heartstopper. I would say that the story went way to fast as I love a medium paced gathering of character in graphic novels with a bit more depth. I didn't really feel connected to the characters. I liked the interpretation of the reaper in this, I thought it similar to Death Note, but a bit more friendly. I did like the ideas behind it, but I would have liked a tad more explaining in terms of the necromancy powers that they appear to have but doesn't quite get explained why. I would recommend this to readers of the cute one shot graphic novels, as well as Pumpkinhead. It did give me the same vibes, though I did not get emotionally attached like I expected. It was a very quick read as the pacing was very fast, didn't take me very long to read it at all. I would have liked more story in it, but I don't know if this is going to be a series or not.

This book was unbelievably beautiful. The art honestly blew me away with the details and the colorwork. I am a huge fan of comics that really utilize dark versus light and this booked an amazing job of that. Not only did the book look stunning, the storyline was very sweet. I'm a sucker for a good ghost story and this definitely lived up to expectations.
The romance was sweet and wholesome and beautiful. I also loved the ending and having a few a little short snippets after the main storyline was a great idea! Not only was this a pretty quick and fun to read, it felt very unique and interesting. The story and plot felt new and fresh.
Highly recommend this book for people looking for a cute LGBT comic!

I really, really wanted to love this but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. This was of course a speedy read, as most graphic novels are. Usually, something being a quick read is a positive for me, but not when it comes to graphic novels. There was no space for an actual story and the progression of the romance was literally 0 to 100.

Taproot was super cute but also felt super rushed. Any problems that occurred were dealt with in a ‘dues ex machina’ style and it really took away from the experience for me. Now, this has technically been around since 2017 so I won’t shy away from spoilers. Blue who is a ghost suddenly becomes alive again even though the story suggests that the sacrifice he is making should mean he ceases to exist. I actually think it would have been a better storyline to go with that option, but I suppose the author wanted this to have a happy ending. Fair enough. That ending did come around pretty soon though and honestly this felt all over the place.

The story had a lot of potential; a gardener falls in love with a ghost, sounds amazing and definitely intriguing. Unfortunately, there was little to no story or character development. It seemed like you should already have an idea of what is happening in this world when that couldn’t be the case as this is a standalone story.

The art style and character design are what bumped up my rating. I LOVE this style and especially the colour palette. I'm a huge fan of more muted colours in graphic novels, well I can go either way really, but the palette suited the story very well.

If you want a sweet, quick read you should definitely check out Taproot. It wasn’t for me personally, but who knows you may love it.

I am so excited for this book to be published again. I have had this one on my To-Be-Read list for quite a while and I cannot wait to finally purchase it in its physical form in June.

Taproot is a beautifully written and illustrated graphic novel that readers of any age could fall in love with. This graphic novel explores queer love and fantasy in a way that has clearly influenced many texts since its original publishing. I look forward for this publishing as it will allow more queer stories to be told in a positive light, something that is so important to readers nowadays. I love being able to see queer love represented in graphic novels; a genre typically dominated by cisgender and heterosexual narratives.

I will definitely be purchasing Taproot when it is published in June, and I will be recommending this title to anyone who is looking for a fun, queer, magical story.

Alllll the vibessssssssss! What a delicious queer romance I stumbled upon with Taproot- 10/10 would recommend.

A cozy, charming, and emotional adventure of life and death- and everything in between. There were some HARD hitting scenes- this is not a light and fluffy graphic novel (but it's still cozy!). The artwork was magnificent and atmospheric.

Ghosts, gardening, reapers and romance galore - grab your favorite drink and snack of choice and settle in with Hamal as he and Blue form a unique relationship that defies reality, explores fate and second chances.
What would you do to save the people you care about? Would you risk it all?
(I'm a sucker for a lot of things but fun tidbits at the end of a unique book THRILL ME. The afterword by Keezy on how Taproot was created was genuine and gratifying- SOOOO WAS THE ARTWORK PROCESS! I'm an artist myself and LIVE to dive into the minds of other creatives to see how they operate)

This was my first graphic novel- EVER, and Keezy Young ensured it won't be my last.

This graphic novel was visually STUNNING. The colors, the drawings, AMAZING.

Queer ghosty gardening love story? Yes please. I really loved Hamal, what a good person.

My one complaint would be I wanted it to be longer. I know graphic novels tend to be on the shorter side, but I would have loved to be in this story for more time.

4 ⭐

This was so beautiful I loved it. I loved the art style, the story, it was stunning and definitely reignited my enjoyment for graphic novels.

This was a really wholesome read. The art is absolutely beautiful, with rich, earthy colours, which worked perfectly with the gardening theme of the story.

I found it took me a moment to get into the story, as I felt it jumped straight in a little abruptly, so I couldn't quite work out what was happening. Once we got into the flashback to explain the ghosts though, I caught on quickly and was soon rooting for all the characters.

The love story was sweet and an absolute joy to watch unfold. I would have liked to see a little more from the other ghosts, as they seemed to disappear from the story quite early and did not have much to do.

A heartwarming, queer, paranormal romance.

Oni Press just does not miss. This book can be read in a single sitting, and in that time alone, you fall in love with these characters and their relationship. Even though the subject matter is about death, this story handles it with kindness and understanding, somehow making it beautiful while reminding us to treasure the time we are given with those around us.

[3.4~3.5] what initially enticed me to pick this up was the earthy hues of the comic's color palette, a very pleasing aesthetic that helped carry my eyes from one panel to the next.

for the most part, i enjoyed the brief look we got into the world of an unknowing necromancer and the ghosts only he can see, including the cute romance that erupts between him and a ghost named Blue. the general atmosphere and endless possibilities that come from their arrangement with the Reaper lead me to wish we had more content to consume in this universe.

the main reason i was wavering in rounding up was the whiplash rate at which the plot developed. i would've liked more buildup on the relationship front, and the occasional erratic jump in the story had me scrambling to keep up. but 3* feels too low, so 4* it is!

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review :)</i>

"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.

When Blue realizes Hamal’s strange ability may be putting him in danger, Blue has to find a way to protect him - even if it means leaving him."

I can't be the only one who wants to read about ghosts and gardeners?

Extraordinary! Beautiful, atmospheric art and an amazing story combined. I didn't expect to be drawn in so quickly into what turns out out to be an immersive world. This is a universe I would happily return again to, to explore different parts. Something else awesome: the characters are diverse and body-positive. There are other awesome things, which I won't say for fear of spoiling, but know this: tired tropes are not in use.

The graphic novel is shorter than you might imagine (it was originally a webcomic, so it came out over a much longer time frame). But I think, like the best short stories, it sets out to tell a specific tale and leaves you longing for more. I highly recommend.

Taproot is a delightful and emotional queer graphic novel. It follows Hamal, a gardener who happens to be able to see ghosts trapped between worlds, and Blue, one of the aforementioned not-quite-dead spirits. I read this in one sitting and it was worth it--the romance is adorable and the artwork is stunning.
I loved the concept of a necromancer-gardener, especially the life-and-death juxtaposition. However, the plot was jumbled and barely developed, so that everything felt rushed, from Blue and Hamal's relationship to the side characters' relevance to the immediately-resolved problem of the cost of necromancy.
Extending and more thoroughly developing the book might resolve those issues, but overall it was a great experience and these characters are now printed on the insides of my eyelids.

"Taproot" follows Blue, a ghost who falls in love with Hamal, a gardener able to see the deceased. At the same time their relationship is developing, a dark creepy forest starts manifesting and haunting the ghosts.

The story is simple which really helps since there is a short amount of pages. The art style is gorgeous, this book is worth it for the visuals alone.

Personally, I felt like there were two stories bundled as one. The first one is about Blue, Hamal, and the Reaper, whilst the second is about Blue and Hamal having an adventure. I wish they had used the full length of the book to develop the first part but the "one year later" trick helps to see the book has the potential to be a series.

Regardless, I loved the characters and that's why I'm willing to give it a pass and not get mad at the insta-love.

It's a cute little story that you can easily devour in a single sitting.

Already an all-time favourite and ABSOLUTELY going to need this stunning new cover in my collection !

The best sort of cute and cozy fall vibes, all wrapped up in a paranormal fantasy love story. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys hot beverages and warm sweaters, cuddled up by a fireplace, and fictional stories that feel like a hug! The art is stunning, the romance is heartwarming, and the overall story is a dynamic tale of grief and learning to live again.

(PS: for anyone struggling with that Post Heartstopper Hangover ... that is definitely a great story to pick up next!)

A queer a truely sweet graphic novel about life, death and in-between.
Following Blue (a ghost) and Hamal (a spirit viewer and gardener) as they share a budding friendship that shows death doesn't stop everything.
The colour pallet is rich and bright, the flowers and plants breathing colour and life into each frame.
A simple and stunning story with great queer representation, one I shall reread for sure.

This was an amazing story that discusses the fragile balance between life and death. Through nature and romance, the beautiful story is funny and honest. I loved every panel. The artwork is gorgeous and the story is heart warming.

(Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

I loved this graphic novel so much!!! The story was so cute and the illustration was so so beautiful. The characters were loveable and the romance was adorable though I wish we got to see more of the building of the relationship. The pacing of the plot was a little off at times and some parts felt rushed but I liked the overall story.

If you're looking for a cute, heartwarming graphic novel with amazing illustrations, I would definitely recommend Taproot!

This is a very sweet and cozy graphic novel about a florist employee with the Sight, able to see ghosts. Once the ghosts notice he can see them, they congregate towards him, wanting to be seen and acknowledged. In particular is Blue, whose relationship with Hamal, our gardener, is creating issues.
This was a queer, cozy, beautifully drawn graphic novel which has a slightly dark but ultimately hopeful plot which celebrates life, death, and togetherness. It was a little slow to start - the key plot points really only arrive in the latter parts of the book and are very quickly resolved also - but that's probably partly an issue of the format of a graphic novel, as well as a pacing issue in the tale itself. But Keezy Young has done a wonderful job of this gorgeous and warm graphic novel, and I look forward to reading more of their work.