This book pleasantly surprised me. A therapist for ghosts. It is such a fun concept. Dorian is such a wonderful character. I love how he tries to do the best and see the best in everyone, even when it is clear they could careless. Dorian also functioning between the living and the dead, as the character grows throughout the whole story, man I would love to read more stories like this. It is so unique and beautifully written. If you love ghost stories and graphic novels, read this one for sure!

An absolutely beautiful book that touches on how grief can consume us and grow. The books does a wonderful job explaining grief and the healing through it in the context of the ghosts and their interactions with Dorian. Truly a touching book, with skillfully done illustrations.

Absolutely loved this graphic novel! The artwork inside is absolutely beautiful and very well done. The colors are vibrant and I love how the ghosts look compared to the living, it really adds another layer of spooky atmosphere to the story. The story sucked me in immediately and kept me wanting to read on and on, I sat and devoured this story in one sitting.

I found The Ghostkeeper to be an absolutely beautiful graphic novel, with fantastic are and three-dimensional characters who you really root for. This story also does an incredible job at showcasing the detriments of giving too much of yourself, and the importance of mental health. Both engaging and thought-provoking, this book is definitely worth a read.

Beautiful art (like truly stunning). Interesting concept that I think needed a few more pages to really immerse me in the story. I think there were a few things that felt rushed (the romance especially. I know that wasn't the focus of the book...but still)

But it's wonderful to see queer stories like this especially in graphic novel form. There were heavy moments, but it was really poignant. I hope we keep seeing more graphic novels like this in the future.

I liked the illustrations a lot. They were beautiful to read through. Would love to read more graphic novels from this artist.,

After a brush with death as a child, Dorian Leith could see and speak to ghosts. He listens to their problems and helps send them to the afterlife. However, this gift has made him an outcast in town. There are plague doctors who want to get rid of the ghosts using potions, rather than helping them find peace like Dorian does. The local bookshop owner is the only person in town willing to help Dorian. One day, the key to Death’s Door is stolen by the ghost of a young girl, which prevents any ghosts from passing through to the afterlife. Dorian must find a way to retrieve the key before the ghosts rise up and destroy everyone in town.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I love stories about people who can communicate with ghosts. This story had a Victorian style setting, which is one of my favourite book settings. There was a lot of tension and heartbreak around the ghosts. Some had quite tragic endings, such as the little girl who stole the key. There were some positives with the ghosts, though, like Dorian spending time with his grandmother’s ghost since he didn’t know her when she was alive.

The Ghostkeeper is a great paranormal graphic novel!

Thank you Penguin Teen for providing a digital copy of this book.

Content warnings: death, death of child, death of parent

The Ghostkeeper is a fantasy graphic novel following ghost therapist, Dorian, as he attempts to help ghosts accept their deaths and move into the next world. While the townspeople keep their distance from the strange man who can see spirits, Dorian’s business of helping ghosts seems to be going well until a newly dead scared little girl steals the key to death’s door. Now the spirits are stuck on earth, and a dark fungus is turning them less human with great speed. With the help of his ghostly grandmother, a cute (though entirely normal) book store owner, and the ghostly thief herself, Dorian must figure out how to help the ghosts, fend off the exorcists, and return balance to the town.

This story is one of grief and moving forward, for both the living and the dead. The characters are complex, each has their own grief that drives them, though most don’t know or won’t recognize that motive at the start. And each character finds that they need something different to acknowledge and overcome their grief and keep moving forward, to life or to death. The graphic novel also has wonderful illustrations and great coloring to show off the creepier aspects of the story: glowing mushrooms and the deep dark depths of purgatory. People who enjoy scary stories and found family will love this book. Plus there’s a very cute ghost cat, to add a nice bit of levity.

I recently read The Ghostkeeper by @johannamation and I fell in love with it. The Ghostkeeper is such a beautiful graphic novel, both in the illustration and the story. It follows Dorian Leith, who can see ghosts ever since he almost died as a child. Now he works as a medium to help reluctant ghosts be able to move on to the afterlife. His gift, or curse depending on who you ask, also keeps him an outcast from others.

He does find a companion in Brody, a friendly bookshop owner, and love interest. Dorian’s deceased grandmother also follows him around. He is trying to make a living helping the ghosts in town move on, but his methods are not the quickest solution. There is another group in town that is performing exorcisms, however this is painful to the ghosts and keeps them from passing on to the afterlife. One case leads him to the ghost of a young girl named Lucy. She has stolen the key to Death’s Door, and therefore trapping all the ghosts in the world of the living. With the ghosts piling up, Dorian has to race against time to find a solution or risk all of the ghosts becoming exorcised and also lose the people he cares about.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The story flowed easily and the art was fantastic. You really get to know the characters and feel for them. If you love graphic novels and like reads with a gothic vibe, I think you’ll love this graphic novel as well.

Thank you to @penguinteen for the eARC copy to read and review! I loved it so much I had to buy a copy of my own.

I think this story was a good combination of magic, discussions about grief, and family.
Our main character is a kind of therapist for ghosts, and works to help them make amends and crossover into death. We see how he gained this ability as a child, and how it's affected his life.
The story starts off with the gates of the afterlife being closed off, and how he'll try with help from ghosts, family, and a love interest how to get the door back open.

A heartfelt read and one I would recommend to many.

4.25 stars

In Ghostkeeper we follow ghost-therapist Dorian Leith as he helps spirits work through their issues and cross over to the other side to find peace. Dorian is willing to go above and beyond to humanize the ghosts and give them the respect they deserve in death. This novel isn't just a ghost story in fact it deals with heavy topics such as grief, loss, burnout, and coping mechanisms. We watch Dorian struggle with his own mental health as he takes on the burdens of his ghost clients. Some of the topics may be too much for certain young readers so please proceed with care. But I do feel It's a great book to help children express and understand the emotions that center loss. The artwork is beautiful and haunting at the same time.

Thank you to PenguinTeen for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

The art in this graphic novel is phenomenal! I fell in love with the characters, both ghost and human, and I loved the romance that blossomed. All of the characters had a distinct personality but I especially fell in love with muffin. I will definitely be recommending this book to library customers.

I recently checked out The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor. This was a really cool story.

Johanna did the story and the artwork in this book, and they paired very well together. This YA novel is perfect for anyone into ghost stories.

The Ghostkeeper follows the story of Dorian Leith who can see and talk to ghosts. He helps them try to move on to the afterlife by listening to and working with them on their problems. Then, the key to death’s door goes missing and all the ghosts are trapped.

How does Leith navigate being able to talk to ghosts, his best friend being his ghost grandma, and the cute boy at the bookshop without being completely ostracized by the village? Not too well!

Whenever I’m reading a book, I always think about if it could also work as a movie or a show. The Ghostkeeper would definitely work as an animated movie. It would be tremendous. The scenes with the ghosts could be colorful, beautiful, and frightening all at the same time.

This book is a lot of fun, and you should check it out.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is a fun YA graphic novel. The artwork is beautiful. However, do to the format of the ARC, I had difficulty following the story at times. The text is not with the pictures, and has alternating capital letters, which make it hard to follow. Of course, this will all be corrected with the actual edition. I will certainly have to give it another try with a print copy. What I can comment on however, is that the illustrations are beautiful.

The perfect Halloween read, it’s short but light and spooky enough to get through in one sitting. The art work was phenomenal. I read it on my tablet on the kindle app and I loved the colors. I will have to buy a physical copy just to have. I really loved the story telling and the relationship between Dorian and his grand mother. The lgbtq community is also represented in this book.

I thought that this book was amazing. I loved the concept of someone being able to see ghosts after nearly dying themselves and then using that power to help ghosts move on. There was so much more to it though, and it was a pleasure to read!

I really enjoyed this book. The art was vibrant and the characters were interesting. I like the approach of helping the ghost work through their problems as a way to help them move on. I also enjoyed the little mystery and how it was resolved.

Spooky enough for the emerging YA fans of gothic tales and humorous enough for all YA readers!

"The Ghostkeeper" follows Dorian Leith, who can see ghosts and see it his duty to make sure ghosts go where ghosts should go-- the afterlife. But sometimes they need a little guidance.... that's when Dorian comes in!

This graphic novel is gothic circus of bumbling ghosts who are in need of not-your-typical-hero, and readers get to to meet the unassuming hero Dorian save the day while also saving just enough time for romance.


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I rated this title 4/5 because I thought at times the plot stalled. Other than a few stalls this graphic novel is one to keep in stock for your YA crowd!

Thank you NetGalley, thank you author Johanna Taylor, and thank you Penguin RH for providing us readers with this gorgeous graphic novel.

I thought this book had an interesting premise, but it was a little too long and boring in some parts. I struggled to make myself finish it, but that may be due to the tiny format on my phone.

Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one! It was a lot of fun and such a nice break from the fantasy I'd been reading. I love a story you can get lost in and this is exactly what this did!