Rating: 3.5/ 5 stars (rounded up to 4/5 for this review)

If you like beautiful illustrations, a low-stakes plot, nature/gardening, diverse characters, ghosts, and an adorable queer couple then this is the perfect cosy-read for you!

I hear a lot of people talking about cosy fantasy stories, as they can really act as a pallet-cleanser after reading something with heavy subject-matter which is often seen in fantasy literature. This story not only helped me unwind from a few high-stress reads, it was also quite healing both through the beauty these characters bring and the illustrated environments in which this story takes place.

Plants are near and dear to my heart, and the theme of love, life, death, balance and processing was so wonderfully tied into this story.

Even though this story is short (I think it was >1 hour read for myself), there were many parts I cherished and favoured. The characters are so lovely and it’s wonderful that they get to have a happy ending for the readers to enjoy. I appreciate that the author created a story to fill the void they felt in their youth (as a fellow reader) with vibrant characters that happen to be queer, but are not used as a plot-device for suffering and loss.

The pacing of this story is pretty quick and I can see some readers becoming confused during certain moments just with the narration approach, though I was overall very pleased with my reading experience.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc of this book.

2.5 stars.
This was very fast paced, a bit too fast paced in my opinion... It made it a bit difficult to fully connect to the characters. When sad moments happened, I didn't really feel much... Which would have been different if it wasn't so fast paced and short.
Still very cute tho! The art was pretty nice as well. The plot was a bit hard to follow at times, but I got the gist of it.

I've had Taproot by Keezy Young on my TBR list for so long and i'm very thankful i finally got to read it!
It was as heartwarming and lovely as i had hoped, I love queer stories that don't necessarily revolve around the characters' queerness, but rather have it very casually and naturally be a part of the story and i think this graphic novel did that very well. I loved seeing Blue and Hamal's relationship blossom, it was super cute and i appreciate how they were already so familiar with each other.
The art style is gorgeous and right up my alley, the color themes made the book feel very cosy in a way and i absolutely adore the scenery in the forest and especially the design of the reaper's scythe.
One thing i really appreciate is that even though there were some more serious topics of discussion at hand, the book didn't take itself too seriously and had some very fun scenes in it. The epilogue is probably my favorite part of the book, i neeed more of Blue and Hamal going on fun paranormal investigations.
My one wish probably is that this was a bit longer and we had more time with these characters, hopefully this isn't the last we'll be seeing of them!

Taproot is a YA graphic novel about Blue, a ghost who is in love with his still living best grind Hamal. The storyline is sweet. The artwork is beautiful. It's amazing to see these stories being so accessible to young people, encouraging love, and expressing personal goals and beliefs.

4.5 stars | CW/TW: death
This was so cute! A queer, green thumb, necromancer graphic novel with a funny and sassy reaper…say less

I loved how this story dealt with the cycle of life and death, and how death wasn’t this big scary thing. The story wasn’t super intricate but the art style was; this had the perfect ratio of writing to art. You could just get lost in the details (it’s truly beautiful drawings), I loved the nature and colour palette used to play off the story, it was a very cozy read with an adorable queer romance, blue and Hamel were so sweet and adorable

Reading this book felt like getting cozy in a hammock with some nice tea or something in the forest, in the best way possible!

Blue is a ghost and he is in love with his best friend, Hamal, a gardener who can see ghosts. But the sudden appearance of a dark forest unsettles the local ghostly population. When Blue realises that Hamal’s unique ability is putting him in danger, he must find a way to protect Hamal, even if it means saying goodbye.

This is a new edition of “Taproot” that was originally published in 2017. Taproot is an adorable graphic novel by Keezy Young about 2 queer characters who fall in love with each other, but it is also about life and death.

The story felt rushed at times and could have been better developed if there was more space. The relationship between Blue and Hamal is delightful, but like, how did they fall in love?

There was also no background for the characters. How did Blue die? What was his life like before? For Hamal too. How and when did he come to be able to see ghosts? Or was it an ability he’s had all his life?

Some of the scenes felt a little disjointed and the flow could have been better. I had to do a bit of guessing and put things together.

The artwork, however, is absolutely gorgeous! I love the use of earthy and muted colours, which made me feel very comfortable and charmed. While I really enjoyed that plot twist at the end, I also felt that it was a little too abrupt and could have been more drawn out. But I loved that there was an “epilogue” of sorts that gave a wonderful closure to the story. Despite the rushed plot, this was still a very cute queer paranormal romance with enchanting illustrations. 3.75/5 ⭐️

Thank you Oni Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Rating 2.5 Honestly, this was all over the place for me. It started out interesting but the plot moved way too fast and everything was over in a few pages. Not a fan
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was gifted a copy to NetGallery, but my spoiler-free review is my own.

This edition of Taproot is a re-release from the original story back in 2017. My friend mentioned this graphic novel a few times, but I just never got around reading it until I got this edition of the arc, and oh boy, was I missing a LOT. The art style, the story itself, I might have dug around the internet looking for photos to make my wallpapers because I needed Young's art in my life. It's absolutely beautiful.

I really love this book. Not even halfway in, I added it to my wish list because I knew it would be a book that would have to be on my forever shelf. Honestly, if you are the type to forget about books, and just never get around to them, give this one a solid chance, because within the first five pages I believe you would love it.

It has Hamal whose a queer man whose a gardener and a dead queer boy who is a ghost and is completely in love with him, what more could you want?

“There’s nothing evil about death…but it’s a balance. You can’t force life without taking it from somewhere.”

Ahhh!!! I loved this little graphic novel. TAPROOT is a gay love story about a lingering ghost who takes care of younger spirits and a gardener/accidental necromancer who sings to his plants, with a bonus appearance from a snarky reaper who likes romance novels. It’s a brief, heartfelt story about life, death, and hope, with absolutely stunning artwork that made me want to dive right into the pages. Thanks to Oni Press for the eARC! The updated edition is out 6/28.

Content warnings: death, grief

Taproot is a beautifully drawn graphic novel that tells a couple of snippets of the life of a florist, Hamal, and his undead friend turned something more, Blue. The novel follows the moment in which the two make a step forward in their relationship and a big revelation for Hamal.

I really liked the concept and the basic vibe was solid. However, the plot is incredibly rushed and so starkly disconnected between the two parts. Hamal and Blue are not particularly interesting characters, although their story was very pleasant to read.
In my opinion this novel can be a very solid start to something interesting, but it falls flat as a single instalment. It suffers from the split into two parts, and I personally would have liked it more if the first section (the two moving from friends to more) was the entire focus of the first volume, if there is any sequel to come.
There is a cast of secondary characters that are all very interesting, although not really expanded upon or even given much "scree time". Then again, this was a very short little story, so I did not expect a big fully-fleshed out cast.
The drawing style, on the other hand, I absolutely loved. I think it fits very well with the atmosphere of the story and it delivers emotions and actions wonderfully.

I do still recommend this graphic novel to people who enjoy a cottage core vibe with a soft and quick story that includes spooky and dark sub themes.

Adorable; both the story and the illustrations. The backmatter will certainly interest young illustrators and readers alike.

“Taproot” by Keezy Young is a graphic novel that follows Hamal, a gardener and Blue, the ghost who is in love with him. This graphic novel originally released in 2017 and is being rereleased in June 2022.

This was so heartwarming and beautiful. The color palette that Young uses for their artwork absolutely pops and makes for beautiful panels. There are subtle conversations about grief and moving on, sacrifice, and what it means to be alive. I found myself smiling numerous times reading this despite the fact that it’s a very short book. The characters were compelling and adorable.

We have LGBT and race representation in this which I love seeing in graphic novels that are as accessible as this one. You don’t have to be a fan of reading graphic novels to get something from this story and that is just a testament to how the themes in here are things every one experiences through their lives.

If you enjoyed The Tea Dragon Society, this has the same heartwarming feel.

AMAZING!! I couldn’t not see these characters as Lance and Hunk from Voltron (they have the same dynamic and features) but that didn’t change my enjoyment in the slightest. This book ticks all my boxes of niche likes :
- ghibli feelings
- lots of sprawling plants
- sarcastic ghosts x necromancer
- spooky mystery in the background

I can’t recommend this book enough. So beautiful, really. :’)

A quick and thoroughly enjoyable story about a gardener and a ghost falling in love ❤

It's heartwarming, humorous, and a page-turner. I think if you're feeling a bit blue (forgive the pun lol), this graphic novel will definitely pull you out of that funk. The characters are the highlight of this comic, but the artwork and color direction are stunning. Despite the story centering around death, it is also very much about life because as the author points out in the afterword, they "couldn't write a story about death without life, too." Young created a wonderful queer romance story about ghosts, plants, and the circle of life (and death).

I love this graphic novel! The art was so beautiful and unique. I could stare at the pages for such a long time, examining all the little details.

My favorite character is probably Blue. He was so quirky and you can tell he felt his feelings so deeply. He was so selfless, even in death.

The reaper was hilarious. I thought she was going to be some big scary character, but nope! Amazing!

This was such a sweet graphic novel, with the most gorgeous illustrations - I mean, seriously gorgeous, the artist is so talented. I enjoyed the story, but it was confusing in some places, leaving me feeling like I had missed a few pages when I hadn't, and with some of the conflict not feeling like it was resolved even when it was? However, I still liked the concept and the illustrations were really the best part of it for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this graphic novel.

If I could give this graphic novel 10 out of 5 stars I would. The art style is wonderful and fits the story really well, the magical realism was well done and I feel this book could be for a wide range of ages.

The story was cute, intriguing and well paced. I often have issues with comics/GN’s where the filler pages with no text are bland or serve no purpose, but I can confidently say the filler pages added context or helped to develop the world.

I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone and I have immediately pre-ordered a physical copy for my shelves.

I ADORED THIS GEAPHIC NOVEL!!!!!!! It’s just the right amount of cute queers mixed with adventure and i loved every second of it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Taproot is an adorable queer graphic novel centered around Hamal, a beloved gardener who just so happens to be able to talk to ghosts. Hamal is such a sweet main character and I wanted to just hug him the entire time. This story had everything that I love; queer romance, gorgeous illustrations, and an incredible story. I do wish the ending wasn't quite so rushed as I felt the resolution to the problem was due to the author wanting to end the story on a happy note. I am a sucker for a happy ending and while I do think the author made it work somewhat, I feel like maybe it could have been fleshed out more. There were still things that didn't quite make sense to me by the end of the story. Though, as I am typing that I have the reapers reminder that reapers don't have to follow the rules. Either way, I did really enjoy the characters and the story a lot and though the fix to the problem kinda confused me, I think, perhaps, I would have just liked to have this as a series so we could get to know all the characters, Hamal and his journey as a gardener and necromancer instead of a standalone. I still loved this story and would absolutely recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley and Oni Press for a copy to review - I gather this has been around a while but is just now getting a physical print. The blurb said something like "a gardener falls in love with a ghost" and I was THERE. The story and art were a supernaturally cottagecore delight.

It's a gorgeous graphic novel with vibrant landscapes, diverse characters, a cozy queer relationship that is so soft, and a quirky grim reaper who stole the show for me. Taproot doesn't have the tidiest narrative and it does move along at a breakneck pace (imagine the drawing labor to make it longer, though, come on complainers in the reviews), but that all worked for me. It was a nice, quietly charming read that only took me a bus ride home to get through.