I thought this was cute with a really soothing, beautiful art style. My main problem with it was the pacing; the story feels split into two distinct parts. As it's a pretty short graphic novel, neither "part" truly had the time to be fleshed out and explored. Everything was a little too easy and quick. I think there's plenty of other cute graphic novels I would recommend before this one, but if you're dying for one, I wouldn't dissuade anyone from picking it up.

This book is cute with very pretty art and a fun little storyline. That's...kinda all. The characters are nice but don't seem developed enough to really connect with. That's true of the protagonists as well as the side characters. The overarching concept of Taproot is nice but I don't think the book does justice to what the idea could be. It feels very surface level, which is fine! That's a way to write a book. My favorite part by far is the illustrations, they feel very cozy and cute, which what I expected from the cover alone.
The main relationship seems like it just happens with no introduction or background. I can't tell if they've been dating since the beginning of the book or if they just suddenly have one moment halfway through and then they're together? It doesn't elicit any emotion in me and I'm not particularly invested in the relationship or the characters.
Overall: Good art, good concept, subpar character and narrative execution.

This graphic novel is a queer story about a gardener who can see ghosts. They like to hang around him so that they feel less lonely. But trouble comes knocking one day when the reaper tells the gardener that the balance has been upset. This was cute, but I didn’t love it. It was very colourful but I felt the story lacked the depth it could’ve had.

This made my heart so happy! I loved everything, the illustrations, the characters, the dialogue! Can't wait to get the physical copy!

Queer Love, Gardening, and Supernatural Elements. Could a more perfect combination exist? The answer is no. Taproot is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that feels like a gentle hug. I was already a fan of OniPress’s The Tea Dragon Society series and this graphic novel from that publisher did not disappoint. I will adamantly recommend this to everyone and may have to buy a copy for myself to reread when I need to feel warm and fuzzy inside.

a lovely exploration of connection and the power of love. taproot is beautifully created to evoke feelings of comfort in the gardens with hamal and blue, unease in the forest with the reaper and hope throughout. i love how the characters clearly adore each other and have made their own little family despite being ghosts, and how it's love that saves them -- not scheming or fighting or even strategy, but just pure love.

This is really sweet and beautifully illustrated. I did feel like some of the story was rushed along and could’ve been fleshed our slightly, but I enjoyed it and found the idea quite original.

Taproot is an adorable LGBTQIA+ graphic novel featuring a gardener named Hamel who can see ghosts and a ghost called blue who begin to in love with each other, together they will face some obstacles that will test their relationship.
I thought the plot was engaging and easy to follow throughout the book, taproot, to me has been an original experience I have not seen within other books before which made for a very enjoyable read especially if you love plants!

I loved the setting of the book and the characters, the artwork is adorable with cute colour scheme.

I do think the book could have had chapters to easily separate parts of the books as at times it would feel that the story made quite a change that I felt the book has not been given enough pages to be told a more in depth story with the emotions of characters and plot explored to a fuller extent to create a more full-filling and rewarding story for the reader.
I would have liked for the progress of the relationship and the obstacles they faced together would have been expanded upon in further detail as it felt like it progressed very quickly that the heartwarming moments were less impactful.

Overall I think it was a really great graphic novel and would be perfect for Halloween time if you are are looking for a heartwarming read with a few creepy aspects.

This was absolutely adorable, I‘m glad I picked it up!
I haven‘t read that many graphic novels yet, but I loved this one and I want to read more soon.
Taproot is about a gardener called Hamal who can see ghosts, including the spirit of the ghost Blue. They hang out together and Blue falls in love with Hamal, but he doesn‘t know it yet. When the reaper shows up to track down a necromancer, they find out that Hamal‘s ability to see Blue and other ghosts might get them in trouble and the peace in their lives is shaken up.

I adore the vibe and the atmosphere this graphic novel creates. Plants and ghosts are so dreamy! And in combination with this amazing art style, it was even better. It fit the story so well. The colors were chosen so well, I love to see a lot of green and it had the vibes of a cozy video game which was so nice and pretty.
And the queer paranormal romance was so good too, even though I was sceptic about the romance between a human and a ghost at first. Hamal and Blue are so cute!! I also loved the side characters. The reaper was so funny in the end tbh and I also liked Chloe and the other ghosts a lot.
Looking back, the only thing I have to criticize a bit is that I wish it would have more moments where the relationship progresses, but that is nothing that should keep anybody away from reading.
I would recommend this graphic novel to everyone who‘s looking for a quick and easy read, cuteness overload, queer romance, lovable characters and the paranormal with ghosts.

The premise of this graphic novel reminds me of "Under The Whispering Door", which is what made me want to read it, so maybe my expectations were a little high 😅

The colour palette and background illustrations are beautiful! Of all the characters I think the reaper was visually the best.

Story-wise, it kind of felt like a first draft. The pacing was too fast, the set-up needed more time and there were times the conflict and the solution happened in the space of 2 pages.
Also, it lacks coherence sometimes, the story makes jumps in logic that aren't explained.

Finally, there's no plot to speak off. Things just happen, one after the other with no real connection
I'm disappointed because this had the potential to be a great story.

What's this? A queer romance comic about a gardener and his ghost? Sign me up!

This graphic novel was so good; the art was beautiful, the story (2 main plots) was cute as hell, and I needed more.

Our main characters are Hamal, a gardener working in a flower shop and, along with having a green thumb, can see ghosts. One of which is his best friend and our other main character, Blue.

I won't cover the plot as it's a fairly short read and mentioning it's a romance is already giving a lot away. 

So I recommend snuggling up somewhere with a hot drink and a blanket and giving this comic a read.

It didn't make me feel a thing. I wasn't surprised, saddened, hopeful, or happy-- the book was really bland for me. I didn't see how the two leads developed feelings for each other, and how Hamal could've been responsible for what was happening. I didn't feel like Blue deserved [to be revived, or why he was the only one revived. There were a lot of topics that could've been explored: their families, causes of death, and necromancy. The flowers could've been used as a foreshadowing element.

Art-wise, I was a bit bothered by the disconnecting lines that made it look like incomplete drawings. Still, I appreciate the effort that went through drawing every single panel! I especially love the colors. And the illustration "Blue's Banner" looked really good.

I'm rating this a 2 because the story is not as emotional as it could've and should've been (personally).

A sweet comic about gardening, ghosts and love. Taproot is a cozy story that celebrates life, death and everything in between. A quick read that I found quite cute!

i kept hearing about taproot shortly after watching heartstopper, and was pitched as another graphic novel with similar vibes. so when i saw that netgalley had it on their read now section (re-release?), i jumped on it. and i'm so glad that i did!

this was a sweet and short graphic novel about a necromancer boy, his garden, and his ghost boyfriend. while it was a bit rushed at some points, overall it held a beautiful little story. and not only that, but the art was stunning as well. oh, and the reaper was iconic and hilarious. overall, this was a beautiful little treat and i definitely recommend it if you want a wholesome, queer pick-me-up.

A digital copy of this book was provided by NetGalley

I really really love it ! it's a queer romance between a gardener and a ghost, it has a cute artwork :some panels are so beautiful, there is one that is breathtaking (you will know when you'll see it), i enjoyed this warming story surronding by plants and ghosts, I'm fond of the armony between the artwork and the plot, they work perfectly together, i recommend Taproot to anyone who likes cozy queer romances.

The art style is lovely, the color palette is really adequate for the story and the settings, specially because it has this green palette for all the “life” scenes and a darker more grayish palette for the “dead”, which helps with context.
Overall the story was incredibly wholesome and even though it’s quite simple it has various moments of felling and emotions you can clearly appreciate.

I received a copy of this via Net Galley, and it has become one of my new favorite graphic novels. Adorable and beautifully drawn. I would highly recommend this for my friends with mid-grade to teenage kids.

An adorable and bittersweet love story between a forlorn ghost and a gardener.

From the gorgeous illustrations to the lively characters and poignant plot, Taproot was quite the delightful read. I loved the contrast in the colour palette between the world of the living and that of the dead with seamless transition between them. I also loved how the characters were all far from stereotypical: for instance, the gardener, Hamal, was big and muscular with tattoos, yet, he turned out to be quite the gentle soul with a passion for flowers and helping out everyone in need. I adored Blue and Hamal's interactions, their easy dynamic, and the way both of them were prepared to go the distance for the other. My one and only qualm with Taproot was the pacing; I was repeatedly confused at multiple occassions and had the lingering sensation that I have accidently skipped a page, but that was brief and did not interfere with my understanding of the overall plot.

All in all, Taproot is a cute and heartwarming tale complete with a beautiful setting, lovely art, and diverse characters.

A cute and unusual graphic novel but would have worked better with a better developed plot.

Hamal, a gardener, sees and speaks to many ghosts while he is working. One of these ghosts is Blue, who is also nursing a secret crush on Hamal. Meanwhile, something strange seems to be happening in the in-between world because of which Blue realises that Hamal might be in danger. Will Blue be able to save Hamal forms the rest of the story.

Pros:
👍 Queer love story that is handled decently.
👍 Art style is stunning. The gardens and ghosts especially are stunning.
👍 Loved the afterword by the author.

Cons:
👎 Insta romance that is sweet but rushed.
👎 I didn’t like the structuring. The plot development is quite haphazard. The story began in one place and ended in a different place altogether. The scenes switch very abruptly. There is no background to the characters. There is a lot of random to-and-fro in the timeline.

If you want to try a queer graphic novel with great illustrations, you can still give this a try. It would have been a must-read had the characters and their back stories been fleshed out more and the kinks in the scene changes been ironed out. You might like it as long as you don’t overthink it. A “go with the flow” approach will work best.

3 stars.

My thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “Taproot”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This is such a beautiful, gentle story. I am such a sucker for a story where there are seemingly insurmountable obstacles to love, but then authors are kind and our protagonists get what they deserve and everything ends happily. But also with ghosts, necromancy, reapers, and unsettled spirits. You know, all the good stuff. Also, the art is GORGEOUS. I’m obsessed with it.