Keezy Young

"It's a pleasure to lose yourself in the beautiful artwork, and one of the loveliest queer romances I've ever read." — K. O'Neil, author of The Tea Dragon Society 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. Rainbow Book List Best Graphic Novel of 2017 Powell's Books Best of 2017 The Advocate's Best LGBTQ Graphic Novel of 2017

The Gardener and A Ghost

Taproot

Blue is having a hard time moving on. He’s in love with his best friend. He’s also dead. Luckily, Hamal can see ghosts, leaving Blue free to haunt him to his heart’s content. But something eerie is happening in town, leaving the local afterlife unsettled, and 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.

Estefany 

A nice graphic novel, no me encantó, pero lo disfruté. La historia en si, es muy bonita

ivan

Life and death is a balance - a message that Taproot touched on and executed beautifully.

The art is stunning, the color palettes between life and death really driving the point home. I'm a sucker for death as a character and it's no surprise the Reaper was my favorite character. It felt rushed, though, especially the end where I felt there was barely enough time for Blue and Hamal to process the events before having to say goodbye (and hello again). The epilogue/timeskip was nice though, as it explored more on Blue's duties.

There's a lot of potential for this to be made into a series, as I feel like there's a lot more that could be explored. 

 Big thanks to the publisher for providing me this ARC via NetGalley. This does not in any shape or form influence my review on this book.

Always a favorite reread 🍂💛 A lovely little ghost story that involves gardening. I look forward to rereading it next spooky season. 

Floofyflower

THIS IS SO FREAKING CUTE OMG 

"There's nothing evil about death." 

The writing is incredible and the art is 10/10. I feared for my emotinal well-being, and it opened a lot of 'Under the Whipering Door' shaped wounds. In the end, this could've been a really dark story and somehow Kezzy managed to make it light and wholesome, even with talks about young death. 

Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for this copy, it was the perfect read to star the weekend in high spirits.

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5 

Life and death is a balance - a message that Taproot touched on and executed beautifully.

The art is stunning, the color palettes between life and death really driving the point home. I'm a sucker for death as a character and it's no surprise the Reaper was my favorite character. It felt rushed, though, especially the end where I felt there was barely enough time for Blue and Hamal to process the events before having to say goodbye (and hello again). The epilogue/timeskip was nice though, as it explored more on Blue's duties.

There's a lot of potential for this to be made into a series, as I feel like there's a lot more that could be explored.


  Big thanks to the publisher for providing me this ARC via NetGalley. This does not in any shape or form influence my review on this book.

anna

rep: poc (Muslim?) mlm mc, mlm couple


  ARC provided by the publishe.


What I mostly want to yell about here is beautiful & pure & will restore your faith in love and humanity. It's also a huge spoiler though so I can't say what exactly is it. It doesn't even have to be the main selling point for the story tbh but for me, as a gay reader, it's definitely the most important part. Just believe me when I tell you, you will be overjoyed with the gay rep in this one.

Taproot tells a story of Hamal, a beautiful kind-hearted gardener who sings to his plants at night so they would grow better. He can also see ghosts. We first meet him as he's chatting with Blue at a flower shop where he works. Blue is one of the ghosts. And it would be just a cute little story of two boys flirting all the time if not for the Reaper that appears suddenly with a deal. Because it is a story about ghosts, what you're probably expecting at this point must happen - the balance must be restored in the world. 

The art is amazing. It's all warm colors and round lines, with no sharp edges & it somehow makes you feel safe. It also makes it seem like you've already known the characters for ages, like they're your childhood friends. Everything seems familiar, like a small cottage in the woods you visit every summer or your grandma's kitchen filled with all your favourite foods. It's a really magical experience and it works so well with such a soft, delicate story.

Oh, and another cool thing?? I'm pretty sure there was like... maybe one white person in the background somewhere... It's so refreshing to read something that's so unapologetically not catered to the white straight audience.

My mind keeps coming back to that plot twist which is a Spoiler but god!!! I don't remember the last time a story made me this happy!!! I know I will be rereading this a lot to make myself feel better. It's soft and tender in the most beautiful ways and I'm so very grateful it exists.

thank you to oni press and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Alice Hyman

Cozy romance about a necromancer gardener !? Queer Romance !? Cute drawings !? Lots of green !? What more could you want. Genuinely this is one of the cutest Graphic novels I have seen in a long time. Its like paranormal heartstopper. The art is amazing and matches the vibe of the story perfectly. A cute light hearted story about love and loss and emotions

Julia Morrison

** spoiler alert **
           Thank you to NetGalley, Oni Press, and Keezy Young for giving me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is absolutely adorable, and the illustrations are gorgeous. It really felt like I was reading something out of Studio Ghibli with the style and the light green color theme. 

The first half felt a little rushed and I would have enjoyed a little more time to develop the characters and their relationship, but I still feel really connected to the characters. When Blue kisses Hamal and says “I’m so in love with you,” I squealed and then almost started tear up as he began to disappear. I am glad I continued to read (and not immediately throw my phone and stop reading while I cried) because the beautiful imagery of the tree, and then Blue walking up made me very happy. 

ALSO, I really love the way this novel approaches death and the idea of supernatural beings around deaths (ghosts, reapers etc). I sometimes find humor in YA/NA books to be embarrassing, but this novel nicely incorporated the comedy in the boys’ interactions with the Reaper and other ghosts. 

Overall, really enjoyed this book and will definitely pick up again when I’m in the need of a pick-me-up book. 

5⭐️

Jennifer Merchant

Tiffany Robinson

I have been wanting to read this one for awhile now. I thought it was a quick read with a cute and interesting story. I would like to see more on where the characters go from here.

Taproot The Gardener and A Ghost

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