Taproot: A Story About a Gardener and a Ghost Paperback – 26 Sept. 2017

OMG the art in itself is a masterpiece and it together with the narrative ❤️❤️❤️❤️ no words.This comic book have everything that I love, cuteness, romance, ghosts, plants.

I loved so much about this graphic novel. From the characters to the illustrations.The author/artist really did a fabulous job creating the characters. I liked how they weren't glamourised; they had noticeable flaws, wether personality wise or looks. Which was one of my favourite things. It made them come alive on the page. Not everyone is perfect.I was pleasantly surprised to find this novel to be hilarious. I expected it to be rather serious and yes it had some serious vibes but the author doesn't over do it. I can tell the author had a lot of fun creating the graphic novel. It shows by the amount of effort taking to create each scene.I have one issue involving the plot. It could have been fleshed out a little more. I have some questions that went unanswered. But other than that I honestly can't complain.Overall, A really great 4 star read. I'd defiantly recommend this and I may even buy it when it comes out in paperback.

To keep things short and sweet, this graphic novel was really cute and gay.The art style is what appealed to me on NetGalley as I really love art that centers on flowers and plants so I couldn’t stop myself from downloading it (yes its available to download on NG if you’re interested).I’m so glad I picked this up.Hamal works in a flower shop and loves his flowers. Blue hangs around as Hamal is the only person he knows who can see him, and other ghosts. The relationship between the two is adorable from the get go. As is how Hamal interacts with the other ghosts whilst trying to maintain a normal life.But things aren’t going right in the ghost world. The ghosts keep disappearing. A dark spooky forest keeps stealing them away. And a reaper wants Blue to lead him to the necromancer causing this mess or maybe Blue will be lost forever.But can Blue do this to the one he loves?I can’t really talk more about the story progression as it would be spoiler-ific but whilst I liked this and was really pleased with its ending I did feel like it was a little underdeveloped in a few areas.but with it being a graphic novel its also a lot easier to forgive for this as so much more was able to be portrayed with the adorable illustrations.Basically I just think I wanted more.Another element I did like though, is during the second part, is how Hamal embraces his skills and powers to help others as a part time job. Its really sweet and a little spooky.I’d be 100% down to read more stories of these characters. Please Keezy, please grant my wish.Please note, it took me 3 minutes after finishing the book to add a pre-order to my shopping cart, another 3 minutes passed and my enjoyment of the book had been sprouted to my book club and another member had purchased a copy too.

Loved everything about this: the artwork, the gentle romance, the paranormal story.Suitable for teenage/YA readers.

I really enjoyed Taproot - a lot more than I thought I would, initially...I thought it was going to be obscure - a ghost and a living person falling in love - and I thought we were missing some context in the beginning... but all will be revealed!The art style works so well with the story and it was a pleasant, quick read!

This graphic novel was a creepy yet wholesome story. There wasn't much writing but I did enjoy the story and I love how colourful the art is. The characters are adorable. The little extras at the end in the design progress was really touch.

In TAPROOT, ghost boy Blue is in love with his friend Hamal, who is very much alive and can somehow see Blue. With disturbances in the local afterlife becoming more frequent, Blue must protect his friends and reckon with Hamal’s strange ability.(content warnings: entomophobia)The romance between Blue and Hamal is the primary focus of TAPROOT. Hamal and Blue are both well-drawn characters who feel genuine; it was easy to like them and root for them. Blue is more of a focal point, with complicated feelings about his afterlife and being in love with a boy who he can't even touch, but I might've loved Hamal just a teensy bit more. I absolutely love the character archetype of a gardener who interacts with the undead, and with his warm personality as a bonus, Hamal won me over. The connection between the two of them is so sincere, and it's where the story's heart sang. The only downside of the romance being the primary focus is that few secondary characters get a chance to shine. The Reaper is an unexpectedly cool character, though.The artwork is lovely, atmospheric and in places dreamy, with the depiction of nature an especially strong suit. The overall tone, influenced by the wistful lines and blue-toned palette of the artwork, is quiet and melancholic. While I liked it, the tone meant that the story overall lacked tension. This also meant that the ‘One Year Later’ epilogue felt more tightly plotted than the plot than the main story. Everything else I loved about this story was so enough to make it for it, and I would love to see more self-contained ghosty stories about these characters in the line of that last section of the story.(A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

I am obsessed, this was so good! The art style is utterly stunning, I really liked some of the character designs, especially the reaper. Are we getting more cause I need more!

I love how the author brought the concept of nature, life and death in the story. Beautiful work. Blue became flesh when he received the soil and the roof. He became the tree but somehow he came to Hamal as a flesh human. I tried to understand what it meant. Interesting.

Yes. Beautiful art and vibes that are immaculate.

If you’re a fan of webcomics, then Keezy Young’s name and art might be famillar to you. I’m familiar with her Yellow Hearts webcomic running on Sparker Monthly. Once upon a time Taproot was a webcomic, and it has evolved to its final form, Young’s first graphic novel — an LGBT character driven drama that you should pick up. Having read the earlier version of this work and reading this newer, updated version I can assure you this version is even better than the original: remastered and ready for new fans to read and love.While describing Taproot, I’d hate to pidegonhole it…this comic is many things: it’s a queer love story, it’s a story of growth, of the transitions in life (AND after) and maturity. Before I forget — it’s also a ghost story! Blue is in love with his best friend Hamal, who is good with his hands and works with all manner of plants and things that grow out of the earth. It is Hamal’s calling. His gift. Blue is very much dead and Hamal can see ghosts. Yup, that’s Hamal’s other gift.There’s a strange and very dark phenomenon happening that’s unsettling the inbetween-ers like Blue and starting to seep into the physical realm where Humans reside, and it is something connected to Hamal. Good natured, sweet Hamal who is as generous with his time with folks who are flesh and blood as he is with the many ghosts that haunt the area. Blue isn’t one hundred percent sure of who or what it is, this void, this dark place that is overgrowing but when he learns Hamal may be affected by it he steps out to attempt to do something about it.Young’s art is fluid. Blue, Hamal, and the world they inhabit is gorgeously illustrated but not overpowering or seeking to overwhelm you. You can easily pick up visual clues to who is who and who belongs to what club: supernatural or human. Panels that are less detailed that may include a comedic moment or where someone is being cheeky don’t ease into the background. The use of color can’t be underestimated here: the majority of this book is more or less brightly colored and when it’s not it’s a visual clue that something isn’t right, something is out of sync and it leads the reader to new dilemmas and fears.I think back on the story: I think about how loving someone can make you fearless, make you selfless. What is it about love that makes you want to protect the one you adore even at the expense of yourself? Even when you have no clear guarantee of what will happen to you afterwards? These are just a few important questions woven into the comic that should resonate with readers.Perhaps you could draw parallels with Blue being stuck in one place for so long with being complacent, being comfortable but choosing to give all that up for someone. Someone he loves. Being courageous in the face of the unknown. Perhaps Hamal’s life is one you could see more of yourself in: choosing to make lemonade with the lot he’s been given in life and finding out he’s been granted something, no someone far more precious than he’d ever thought he’d be allowed.The emotional weight is surely heavy here: how will love change you? How will love center you to accept the things you have no control over? How will loving someone mature you to take the steps to stand and become the person you need to be for the one who love most?Originally, Taproot wasn’t long–the first version clocked in under 100 pages. I never minded because Young wrapped it up so well with an ending that I didn’t see coming. Here with pages redrawn and with an super fun epilogue that wasn’t in the original–it shines with a remastered look and feel. I can’t stress enough how much I loved this book.I’m a sucker for romance, characters that have dealings with the supernatural and circumstances that aren’t black and white — when things are clearly so far out of our hands. Taproot is a beautiful tale of how love can power us in all the best ways, make us selfless, even seek to right the wrongs and heal what’s been wrecked.

A beautiful story with a very unique and sweet feeling to it. I adore the art style, loose and colorful. The use of bright but still soft colors really create an environment that feels both familiar but different enough from our own world to feel distinctive. It is easy to get lost and wish you lived in a town like this. Hamal and Blue, as well as the side characters, are all very likable. An adult who enjoys comics and a kid looking for a short, fun story can both find things to appreciate here.

I really enjoyed this - it's a sweet and simple story about Hamal and Blue (the subtitular gardener and ghost), who have feelings for each other that are somewhat complicated by the fact that one of them is dead and strange things are happening in town. I don't want to spoil too much about the story, but I'll say that I quickly grew to like both of them, especially Hamal; the story really does a good job at condensing the ups and downs two people can experience together, and features a more satisfying conclusion than you generally get in fiction.The art is beautiful, too - Keezy is a great illustrator, the characters are all very expressive, and the plants in particular are drawn lushly and lovingly. Also, funniest grim reaper I've encountered in fiction ("I texted you a grimoire" - that really got to me!). All in all, this is a cute and affirming story with great art, and I definitely recommend you check it out!