I adore this graphic novel, it is such a sweet story. Hamal is just the nicest character ever. I adored the romance and the friendship and the humour. Utterly brilliant!

My Rating: 4.5

In the story we follow Hamal who can see ghosts and works at a flower shop. Our main ghosts are Blue, Joey and April. We soon find out that Blue is in love with Hamal, and that Hamal is in love with Blue as well.
Blue and other ghosts keep being pulled into this dark-other-worldly-scary-forest where Blue meets a reaper that questions him about a necromancer new to town.
This necromancer ends up being Hamal who has been taking flowers to Blue's grave, therefore, making him a necromancer without himself knowing.
After the reaper makes them a deal: Hamal is to restore the natural order, because whatever he was doing was affecting the mentioned above, dark forest. It is implied he was taking life from it and using it elsewhere. So Blue is sacrificed and becomes this GORGEOUS tree and we get all sad and sappy thinking that he is gone forever and the author plays an uno reverse. Cuz our best friend, the reaper, brings Blue to life, therefore, giving him a second chance.
Then they have this sort of couple business where they ward off spirits and supernatural happenings. So happy ending!!

I really loved the art!!! It was so rich and beautiful, especially the greens and the trees.
It was a really cute, quick-to-read, sweet story.

Taproot by Keezy Young is a graphic novel that follows a gardener who can see ghosts. This graphic novel as a whole gives me very much Cemetary Boys vibes. And fortunately, most people that loved Cemtary Boys would 100% love this. This is a gay romance between a necromancer and a ghost it's such a sweet book that has a happy ending and I would 10000% recommend it. I rated this book 5 stars. Thank you, to NetGalley for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for an arc of the newly released edition! Really great graphic novel. I'm obsessed with this art style and the plot was really engaging. Very impressive how it got me attached to the characters with such a short page count. I have no notes.

Gentle gardener necromancer meets quirky playful blue ghost😆💙✨. I had my fair share of happy read with this one. It's sweet, heartfelt, adorable and very decently diversed!!

It teaches the need for balance, and sacrifices for the better good. The characters' golden hearts shine through their genuine interactions and touching dialogues.

Such a fulfilling short read, I'm glad this is available on Netgalley!!🙆🏻‍♀️🤍

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!