*I was given a copy of Taproot in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Oni Press and Keezy Young.*

Synopsis: 

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.

Review:

I really, really wanted to love this but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. This was of course a speedy read, as most graphic novels are. Usually, something being a quick read is a positive for me, but not when it comes to graphic novels. There was no space for an actual story and the progression of the romance was literally 0 to 100. 

Taproot was super cute but also felt super rushed. Any problems that occurred were dealt with in a ‘dues ex machina’ style and it really took away from the experience for me. Now, this has technically been around since 2017 so I won’t shy away from spoilers. Blue who is a ghost suddenly becomes alive again even though the story suggests that the sacrifice he is making should mean he ceases to exist. I actually think it would have been a better storyline to go with that option, but I suppose the author wanted this to have a happy ending. Fair enough. That ending did come around pretty soon though and honestly this felt all over the place. 

The story had a lot of potential; a gardener falls in love with a ghost, sounds amazing and definitely intriguing. Unfortunately, there was little to no story or character development. It seemed like you should already have an idea of what is happening in this world when that couldn’t be the case as this is a standalone story. 

The art style and character design are what bumped up my rating. I LOVE this style and especially the colour palette. I’m a huge fan of more muted colours in graphic novels, well I can go either way really, but the palette suited the story very well. 

If you want a sweet, quick read you should definitely check out Taproot. It wasn’t for me personally, but who knows you may love it.

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