Bumpy Oak Books

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Keezy Young’s award-winning debut queer YA graphic novel Taproot receives a new edition through Oni Press. Taproot follows Hamal, a gardener who can see ghosts. Hamal has always seen ghosts, but has recently become friends with a particular ghost called Blue. When a reaper comes to call, Hamal and Blue must work together to address disruptions in the balance of the life force.

Taproot is absolutely gorgeous visually. The color palette and art style is so whimsical and inviting. I would absolutely love to have prints of some of the scenes for my walls. Somehow Young’s style manages to be both clean and have lovely detail that emerges the longer you look at a page. It is absolutely appropriate that Taproot is being published by Oni Press, the same publishers who produced The Tea Dragon Society.

On top of that, the story of Taproot is easy, sweet entertainment. The “spirit detective” style plot of Yu Yu Hakusho meets a queer romance and the result is utter serotonin.

I am so happy to have received a review copy of this work and eagerly look forward to future works from Keezy Young.