Taproot follows a gardener named Hamal who can see ghosts. In fact, his best friend Blue is a ghost. As Hamal builds up his nursery that he works at, he also spends time communing with ghosts that frequent the shop. The thing is that Blue may be in love with him and trouble is brewing in the community as someone finds out about Hamal's ability to see ghosts.

The art in this book is unbelievable. I would buy so many prints of this to hang up all over my house. The blues, greens, and moody overall tone of the art is amazing. I also love the speculative aspect and queer love. However, the plot didn't make a lot of sense to me. But I didn't mind because the art, atmosphere, and characters were so lovely.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. This has not affected my rating.

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.

Cute, creepy, sweet romance between a young man who works in a flower shop and the ghost only he can see. This story has all the things I love to see: sweet cute LGBTQ+ love, not-so-creepy ghosts, magic, a sarcastic and slightly more creepy reaper, and gorgeous illustrations.

Taproot is an adorable, tender, and gorgeously wrought piece of queer supernatural sweetness, let down by pacing that can be a tad too speedy. Despite that, the character designs are all top notch, especially for the main monster character, though I wish we spent more time with the supporting cast. It's sure to delight fans of cozy fantasy, or those who enjoy charming lgbt+ tales.

I received an eARC via NatGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have seen this graphic novel around vaguely on Twitter and Goodreads, but I knew nothing about it. The cover seemed too cute to pass up on, so I was excited to get a copy from NetGalley!

Keezy Young’s Taproot follows a gardener named Hamal and a ghost named Blue. The two become best friends, but Blue soon develops feelings for Hamal. Their usual routine is disrupted when Blue and other ghosts begin temporarily fading to a creepy forest. In this forest, Blue discovers that Hamal’s ability to see ghosts is putting him in danger and has caught the attention of a reaper. The two together must find a way to protect Hamal and restore order.

This graphic novel was such a quick read. It was a very cute story and I loved the art style. Young does a great job at making it feel atmospheric. I appreciated the use of colors in each image and how that was balanced with some darker moments.

I really enjoyed the ghosts and magical aspects to this story. I wish a few moments were expanded on a little more though. I was not too invested in the characters or their relationship, so I think more build up or plot itself could have improved the reading experience as a whole.

Thank you to publisher, Oni Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was such a sweet graphic novel! I don’t think I have ever read a romance between a human and a ghost, so that was a first for me. I really enjoyed how it was portrayed in this story, both of the main characters were amazing and I loved them together. There were some creepy moments as well, of the supernatural variety, and that made me enjoy it even more. The only thing that I didn’t enjoy about this graphic novel was the pacing. I wanted more build up to their relationship, I wanted to see them bond. I would have loved this story even more if we got more moments from them, prior to the relationship. Basically I wanted it to be longer. Also, I really loved the fact that one of the characters was a florist. Taproot was adorable, with beautiful art and an amazing story. I definitely recommend it!

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really cute graphic novel, filled with plants, ghosts, hints of found family, and queer love! I especially really liked the second half with the necromancy and the reaper.

Not amazing, but still a quick, cute read! Thorn between rating this 3⭐️ and 3.5⭐️, so going to give it the higher one atm.

Taproot is a cozy, queer ghost story featuring plants, a fed-up reaper, and a pining couple split by life and death. I enjoyed the story but wish it had been more fleshed out because it felt like it was a little rushed.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

I really enjoyed this short graphic novel. It had really beautiful illustrations, but also a very compelling and interesting storyline that keeps you engaged. I really enjoyed that it began by putting you right at the center of the story. I will be on the lookout for any future works by this author/illustrator!

A sweet, warm graphic novel. I love characters that are kind of just, effortlessly queer. A love story with a ghost? What's not to love?

I read this at 4am in the midst of a restless night and it was the perfect, wholesome, strange, sweet bedtime story to read while wrapped in cozy blankets.

The artwork in this book is excellent and imaginative, which really brought the story to life (well, except for the ghosts and reaper but you know what I mean). Mmm and that wonderful queer + BIPOC rep? Love to see it.

The precious love story had me swooning, and I want Blue and Hamal to be my friends!

4/5 stars

This was a really cozy read and I finished it months ago but never got around to writing my review for some reason. I fell in love with this from the cover and then I kept being recommended to read the arc so I picked it up and it was just such a sweet and enjoyable time.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this digitally via netgalley but my review is still 100% my own thoughts and feelings.

This graphic novel was an absolute delight! And the perfect way to finish off the spooky season because it had a ghost as the main character 👌🏻 And a spooky forest, and a reaper, and necromancy!

I absolutely adored the colours and illustrations in Taproot! Give me ALL the green tones and I’ll be thriving. It kind of reminded me of a Ghibli movie because Ghibli loves their green 😹

The story itself is kind of in two different parts but I equally enjoyed both of them. I really liked the main character, Blue, and Hamal as well 🥺 Their romance was incredibly soft and sweet.

I won’t speak much on the second half as it gives away too much of the first but expect a little ghostly mystery and a touching story.

All in all I really enjoyed Taproot and recommend it to anyone looking for a soft, queer, and slightly spooky graphic novel 🙌🏻

This was just *chefs kiss*. It was sweet, it was funny, it was diverse, the romance and friendships were amazing. It had amazing banter. really the only downside is that it was short, and therefore felt a bit like it was rushed, but I'm just going to reread this many many times. Please read this.

i really adore this art style and the colors, and this graphic novel gave me all the gentle and soothing vibes with humor, a cute romance, and a nice portrayal of friendship. it's just such a sweet story. i wish it were longer, since some parts felt rushed, and the characters were so lovely i wanted to spend more time with them.

I adored the art style and the general world, but the plot just became so jumbled and confusing around the mid-way point. This would benefit from either being longer or a series, to give it more breathing room. Will absolutely still keep an eye out for Keezy Young's work, but the narrative itself of Taproot just wasn't coherent enough for me.

Taproot combines great art with an interesting concept that drags you and, if I'm being honest, leaves you a little high and dry at the end. This felt somewhat incomplete, perhaps because the last bit felt so incredibly out of place. I enjoyed it immensely in spite of this, however, and would be happy to read more by this author and in this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Coziest queer graphic novel! I loved it so much!
It is so good to have great stories. The art style was amazing, so beautiful.

Such a sweet little graphic novel, Taproot. I particularly enjoyed this tale of ghosts and youthful love because there aren't enough queer paranormal tales. Blue and Hamal had fantastic chemistry, and the pals to lovers storyline was handled incredibly effectively. The magic was without a doubt my favorite aspect of the narrative. I thought this narrative did a fantastic job of illuminating the fascinating topic of necromancy. I thought the opponent was excellent and that we had seen more of them. There seems to be a lot of room for the tale to develop.

While the imagery was occasionally stunning, the story occasionally felt awkward. Without any actual resolution, it would merely abruptly switch to a different moment. This undoubtedly would have become a new favorite if it had been more developed. The longing and the romantic romance are my favorites. Without a doubt, I'd suggest it!

I really liked the art style and the premise, but i felt that it was a bit rushed; especially during the middle. It was an interesting read.

Taproot is a charming story about love, loss, and cherishing the people we hold dear.

We follow Blue, a ghost, and Hamal, a gardener who can see ghosts, as they navigate friendship, love, spooky forests, and the vast chasm of incorporeality. Conceptually, I loved everything about this; I only wish the story and characters had more room to breathe and develop.

Artistically, Taproot is a canvas of gentle vibrancy that complements the underlying themes of the story beautifully. However, narratively, it felt a little too rushed for me to fully sink my teeth into. There are some truly delightful concepts here that I wish were explored deeper, but the story only scratched the surface of where I wanted it to go.

Overall, if you're looking for a sweet story with spooky paranormal elements that you can binge in an afternoon, this might be the comic for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for sending me a digital ARC of Taproot in exchange for an honest review.

This is a short but hauntingly beautiful read. I requested it based solely on the cover, and the art throughout is just as gorgeous and the story itself is very touching.

Thanks so much for the review copy!