I love the idea of therapy being a method of getting ghosts to release their spirits. Sam and Dean could have learned a heck of a lot from Dorian. This story was complex and entertaining throughout. I really enjoyed the art style as well.

I truly enjoyed this read. It was a bit hard to read on screen, with all the text and details, so I would like to read it again in printed form.

The overall story is easy to follow, but the important part of it is the way you handle grief and depression. How helping others can also be a help to yourself.

Loved the artwork, the relationships, the whole thing. We even get a little love story and I always enjoy those.

Thank you for the chance to read this!

/ Denise

In addition to being about ghosts and grief, this graphic novel targets issues of boundaries, burnout, and healthy relationships. While there is a romance between the main character and his partner, more time is spent on what family and friends owe (or DON'T owe) each other.

As a kid, I would have loved the creepy horror elements of this story, although I do think this book walked an odd line between cute-and-softness and dark aspects. The storyline meandered a bit, and I felt that the narrative could have had a bit more depth in places. Overall, this was endearing and sometimes silly, but also tackled heavier topics relating to autonomy and rest. Dorian really struggles to establish boundaries, and his sense of self-worth is tied to his productivity for much of the story, until his friends challenged that notion. I think that's a great message for younger readers, and frankly know/am some adults who need to hear it, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Pro-tip for any Netgalley readers/a note for Netgalley — this book is UNREADABLE on the kindle version, so I’d strongly suggest using the Netgalley app.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! I wasn’t feeling this book at first but I’m so glad I stuck with it because I really enjoyed it. Dorian is a great main and I appreciated learning more about him and his backstory. The lore was interesting and I appreciated how the book walked that balance of giving us enough lore to understand the world while also not feeling the need to explain each and every single thing. There’s a great theme in dealing with grief and establishing boundaries in this book, in a way that’s palatable for a younger audience while not insulting their intelligence and still managing to be meaningful for an older audience.

This book could easily be a one-off, but I also think there’s a lot there that would be cool to see in a sequel book. I definitely would love to read more from this book universe again!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

The art and the story of this graphic novel were both incredible! I enjoyed it immensely. I loved the idea that people who are revived from death are able to see ghosts. I thought that this would be a cute graphic novel about therapy ghosts but it actually touches on a lot of heavy subjects. The characters were really fun too and I was glad to see how everyone came together in the end to help Dorian with the ghosts instead of weigh him down. It was a really good ending to a really good novel.

The Ghostkeeper is an amazing tale that revolves around grief, healing, and moving on.

First, I just want to mention how much I enjoyed the art style. The art was gorgeous and I enjoyed how the ghosts in particular were depicted.

My favorite part of the graphic novel was Dorian. Our ghost therapist was one of the kindest and most selfless characters I’ve ever read about. He tried so hard to help the ghosts deal with their issues so they could move on and find peace, that sometimes he would neglect himself. I liked seeing him learn to set healthy boundaries with the ghosts and take more time for himself.

I briefly want to mention the the romance. It wasn’t the focus by any means but I adored seeing Dorian and Brody together. They were very sweet with each other and Brody was so supportive of Dorian and his work.

I highly recommend The Ghostkeeper and can’t wait to read more from Johanna Taylor.

I thought this book was very cute. The story is sweet and understandable for a young adult audience, and also provides a book in more paranormal subjects for non-superhero comic books, which isn't as often explored. I also thought the depictions of mental health in ghosts was so relatable as well as the depictions of burnout.

Ever since a near-death experience in childhood, Dorian Leith could communicate with ghosts, and has made it his mission to ease them into the afterlife. Basically, he’s a therapist to ghosts, and especially focuses on anxiety. But, to the rest of the world, ghosts are nuisances to be exorcised. If he wants to save the lost souls of his new town, Dorian must keep the dead AND the living calm enough to restore order to the afterlife.

Oof, as a caregiver, this one hits HARD. Convinced that he’s the only one who can help, Dorian takes on too much, and you spend most of the book watching his slow deterioration. Tired, malnourished, and even losing connection with a romantic partner, Dorian ends up seeming closer to Death’s Door than the actual ghosts!

The worldbuilding is quite interesting. With humans aware that ghosts exist, exorcists run a brisk trade, but these aren’t religious practitioners. It’s more another branch of extermination, and business is kept booming with secret formulas. But the more scientific bent of the exorcists doesn’t mean there isn’t a mythology here. The ghosts flow between the living world and an afterlife, and a larger mystery, central to the story, lies at the far reaches of that other world.

I devoured this in one sitting. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the author’s next release!

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.

Thank you Netgalley, Johanna Taylor, and Penguin Young Readers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 🥰🫶
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First off, I had issues with the formatting of the eARC where two graphic novel pages were counted as one “page” on my device so I had to zoom in on each page to read, which definitely made me read slower. 😔
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I really enjoyed the concept of this book as our main character, Dorian, can see ghosts (after having a near-death experience) and uses his gifts to be a ghost therapist and help trapped ghosts pass on. This story definitely deals with grief in many forms as well as learning to place work/life boundaries for oneself and other mental health aspects. All of this was balanced perfectly between all the main cast of characters and we all got to see them have their own grief journey and it didn’t feel like too much. One aspect I really loved was the relationship between Dorian and Brody, as it wasn’t a perfect relationship. It took time to get to a good place and a lot of this was due to mental health and learning to care for oneself first before pursuing a relationship. The book is set in a historical setting and all the illustrations and coloring are absolutely gorgeous! 😍 All the supernatural elements are so well drawn they seem to be coming off the page! 😱 I also forgot to mention this book has Achillean and plus size rep! I really enjoyed the ending of the story and LOVED it! I will definitely be reading it again! I can’t wait to get a physical copy! 💕

I really wanted to read this title, unfortunately having the upper and lowercase letters written all Willy nilly and out of proper order was to big of a distraction to allow me to finish this book. Therefore I cannot give an honest review.

Thanks to Net gal let and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC in exchange for and honest review.

Such a good graphic novel, and I'm not usually a graphic novel person.
This book is about a man who is a therapist, for ghosts! Ghosts need someone to talk to also, right?! This graphic novel speaks a lot on mental health, and mental health issues, and the ways they solve them can even be used in your real life.
This book also is LGBTQIA+ friendly which we love to see in 2024!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC of The Ghostkeeper in exchange for an honest review.**

This was a very good graphic novel, and I loved the way it explored grief and healing with the use of ghosts. The main character, Dorian, is the perfect example of a hero needing to complete his journey, and I may have shed a tear or two at the end.

Incredibly sweet. These characters are lovable, even all the ghosts. Muffin is a stand-out star and I’m so glad she kept appearing through out.
The relationship between Dorian and Brody gave me the warm fuzzies. Dorian is a loyal, kind, and selfless person and I wish he had taken more time to care for himself and his own needs sooner.
I also really loved the depiction of Morrigan at the end. But honestly, a graphic novel about ghosts was going to be a big hit for me no matter what.

All ghosts are stuck on Earth because the key to death's door has been stolen. It wasn’t intentional, but little Lucy was scared of the three-eyed beastie she glimpsed behind that door. As a ghost therapist, Dorian’s job is to help the deceased work through the issues that are keeping them from resting and removing the rot of fear and regret that frequently infests their non corporal bodies. He takes a quick likening to Lucy, partly because she reminds him of his sister, and does his best to help her cure her rot and return the key.
Things in town have gotten even worse for these ghosts though because the exorcists are ‘killing’ the spirits with toxic gas and the doctor of the apothecary has formulated a new mixture that will prevent ghosts when entering a home.


I had the opportunity to read a digital early release copy and I would love to see the final copy in print. The images on my screen were just a tad blurry but I love the design. It reminded me of a Disney movie.

5/5

THIS BOOK! I adored this book. The way the ebook is set up isn’t amazing, its set up in a 2 page view so I had to read on my laptop that is the only downside thing to this. But this book was good. I keep talking to my wife about it and I want to cosplay these characters so bad.
Dorian can see ghosts so it starts out with him helping different people with their ghost problems and then the key to deaths door goes missing so ghost can’t cross over so Dorian takes upon himself to get the key back and help all these ghosts but its taking a toll on him.

This story not only is LGBTQIA+ but its also a really heart hitting story about grief and loss. It also like stated before is a love story. The illustrations in this book are amazing and I really want to see more from this author and illustrator. I will be purchasing this book when it comes out to add to my graphic novel library. If you like ghost and graphic novels I don’t see anyone not liking this book.

A very moving story that deals with the macabre, but ends on an uplifting note. Almost akin to a fable, where the lesson the story leaves the reader with is almost as important as the rest of the story itself.

I will never turn down a queer graphic novel and if you throw in grief in there I will be elbowing my way to the front. This had me sucked in from the synopsis, I was never gonna stand a chance.

Firstly, the art is beautiful. Chefs kiss to Johana the art was 10/10. I loved the balance of colors between life and death. I think there were many creative takes to illustrate death not always looking scary and I was obsessed with that aspect. When authors showcase death is scary and difficult but also show how grieving isn’t always pain and suffering that makes me go feral in the brain. Saw that vision with the art and I was never gonna recover.

The storyline was beautiful. There were a few things I wasn’t sure about but overall I was just sat back letting the emotions overtake me. Dorian was just so human and so sad that it had me emotional more than once. His grandmother yapping in the back 24/7 being overwhelming most of the time reminded me so much of my grandmother I nearly called her to tell her she was in a book.

Overall this was a lovely graphic novel. The grief aspect was done really well and I will be writing letters about it for the rest of life. Might have some tears in those letters but they will be written! The characters were so real and human that I will also write about how that destroyed me as well. Fantastic read.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Johanna Taylor presents The Ghostkeeper, a paranormal young adult graphic novel surrounding Dorian, a young man with ghost sight. Dorian does his best to help the ghosts with their fears and regrets to assist them to the afterlife. When Dorian puts too much of himself into his work, will there be anything left?

While this book is marketed toward the upper middle grade to young adult age demographic, I would argue that the messages and lessons conveyed would hit harder for an adult audience even if relevant all around.

This graphic novel has a cool-toned color palette with a whimsical flair on a historical setting. While the ghosts ordinarily are depicted as jovial blue spirits, the depictions of the "rot" can venture into mild body horror and takes on an ectoplasmic green tone that contributes to the urgency of those scenes.

I loved the casual queerness depiction with Dorian and Brody as well as the healthy nature of their relationship. I also really appreciated Brody claiming space for himself and his peace in the midst of all that Dorian was dealing with. Especially so because Brody having healthy boundaries did not stop him from being helpful or a friend to Dorian throughout.

Overall, this graphic novel was a joy to experience and I would be happy to have it on my shelves.

This was so good! I loved the artwork; it really brought the story to life. I also really liked the concept of the plot, and I loved the characters. I couldn't put the book down. While it was sad at times, the story was still full of adventure and friendship. It doesn't seem like there will be more books, but I would really love to read more about the characters and the town.

I'd recommend this to anyone that loves graphic novels, especially if you're interested in stories about ghosts.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and Penguin Young Readers Group for this advanced copy. You can pick up The Ghostkeeper on July 23, 2024.

What an astonishingly beautiful and heartbreaking story about dealing with loss and grief. I expected a fun, light-hearted Ghostbusters-type romp, and yet this book made me think about grief and death and how we process the things that happen to us and our loved ones. Dorian's character was incredibly relatable, and I empathized with his struggle to constantly help people (including dead people), even to his own detriment. His relationships with Lucy, Brody, Gran, and more just warmed my heart and made me emotionally invested in the story.

To my graphic novel readers looking for a heartwarming/heartbreaking story with great character relationships... this one's for you!

Johanna Taylor’s The GhostKeeper is a captivating graphic novel that masterfully intertwines elements of the supernatural with profound emotional depth. The story follows Dorian Leith, a young man who can see and communicate with ghosts, a gift that has isolated him from the living but endeared him to the spirits, including his grandmother. Taylor’s storytelling is both heartwarming and haunting, beautifully illustrated in a way that brings both the spectral and the tangible worlds to life. Dorian’s partnership with his grandmother to assist the spirits showcases a unique and touching familial bond that adds a layer of warmth to the otherwise eerie narrative. The character of the local bookshop owner also adds a grounding, human element to Dorian’s life, highlighting the theme of finding connection in unexpected places.

The plot intensifies when the key to Death’s Door is stolen, trapping the ghosts in the land of the living and setting off a race against time for Dorian. The sense of urgency and desperation is palpable as the ghosts begin to suffer from a creeping rot, and Dorian’s quest to save them becomes increasingly perilous. Taylor’s writing evokes strong emotions, and the depiction of the ghosts’ plight and Dorian’s determination to help them is both gripping and heartbreaking. The climax of the story, with its high stakes and the potential cost to Dorian, is particularly moving—I found myself in tears as I turned the final pages. The GhostKeeper is a poignant and visually stunning exploration of sacrifice, purpose, and the lengths one will go to for those they care about, living or dead.