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mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
A story about two boys. A love that cannot happen as one is dead, the other is alive. Or is there a way for them to be together after all? (I can tell you I was shipping these two like crazy, and I just wished they would be honest about it for once. Come on dudes, everyone can see you are crazy about each other! Just figure something out, I am sure you can do it, love conquers everything! Go go!)
I loved seeing all the other ghosts, and boy, there are quite a lot. I liked that the illustrator drew them all in the same colour. You could easily see who was human, and who was a ghost. I am quite interested in each of their backstories, but I guess that would make the book too long and then it would lose the focus on Blue x Hamal. Eh, I can still imagine some form in which it would work.
The reaper, the forest, the dying plants? It was all very exciting, and I was curious what the Reaper’s plans were for the necromancer, and why she just wouldn’t do it herself (lazy reaper?).
Of course I knew who the necromancer was from Blue’s reaction. But what I couldn’t figure out is how x was one. One generally just doesn’t become one like that, or is one without knowing. At least the books I read with necromancers either had them trained, or had them known about their powers from childhood.
I loved Hamal’s reaction when Blue told him about the Reaper and about the Necromancer.
“Oh no.. oh no, Blue I hate zombies.” “Are zombies real? I mean, I assume if ghosts are real then zombies might be, too?” and “Do you think we could hide in the garden? The walls are thick, but can zombies climb?” And then Blue’s reaction to that, and that Hamal could start a vegetable patch, immediately distracting Hamal from the zombies. Those two are just too adorbs.
I was a bit pissed at the reaper when she explained all that stuff. How do you expect him to know all that? How do you expect him to stop doing it, if he doesn’t even know it from the start? I found her quite mean. Yes, I can imagine that you heard the story before, but really the guy didn’t have a clue what you were talking about. No one ever told him, or taught him.
Aww, dang it, I cried tears at THAT scene (I am sure those of you who read it know what scene I am talking about). Gosh, that was just beautiful, but also heartbreaking. sniffles some more On the one hand I was cheering, finally it happened, but on the other hand… I knew what would come afterwards and my tears came back in full, just now in sadness.
And then I cried again some pages after that. Good grief, this book. I need more tissues.
Though I do think it would have been better to end it after x happened. Now we have another case for our Necromancer, and I just felt it didn’t fit that much. The last 2 pages of that story were good though.
Blue states that: “I guess I’m pretty much all blue now, so it still counts.” when asked about his name by Hamal. I am guessing blue hints to the fact he is dead/not happy? Or his text bubbles? Because it can’t be the colour of how he looks. When asked that question his colour is grey/lilac. But then again, he seems to adjust to any colour? Most of the time he is green (during the now parts), but there are also parts were he indeed is blue. Sorry, I am probably just overthinking it, but it just stood out.
The art is pretty and gorgeous, I love how the characters are drawn. The use of colours is beautiful (soft, but also bright and colourful).
All in all, this is one book I would highly recommend. You will cheer, you will ship, you will need a ton of tissues.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
A story about two boys. A love that cannot happen as one is dead, the other is alive. Or is there a way for them to be together after all? (I can tell you I was shipping these two like crazy, and I just wished they would be honest about it for once. Come on dudes, everyone can see you are crazy about each other! Just figure something out, I am sure you can do it, love conquers everything! Go go!)
I loved seeing all the other ghosts, and boy, there are quite a lot. I liked that the illustrator drew them all in the same colour. You could easily see who was human, and who was a ghost. I am quite interested in each of their backstories, but I guess that would make the book too long and then it would lose the focus on Blue x Hamal. Eh, I can still imagine some form in which it would work.
The reaper, the forest, the dying plants? It was all very exciting, and I was curious what the Reaper’s plans were for the necromancer, and why she just wouldn’t do it herself (lazy reaper?).
Of course I knew who the necromancer was from Blue’s reaction. But what I couldn’t figure out is how x was one. One generally just doesn’t become one like that, or is one without knowing. At least the books I read with necromancers either had them trained, or had them known about their powers from childhood.
I loved Hamal’s reaction when Blue told him about the Reaper and about the Necromancer.
“Oh no.. oh no, Blue I hate zombies.” “Are zombies real? I mean, I assume if ghosts are real then zombies might be, too?” and “Do you think we could hide in the garden? The walls are thick, but can zombies climb?” And then Blue’s reaction to that, and that Hamal could start a vegetable patch, immediately distracting Hamal from the zombies. Those two are just too adorbs.
I was a bit pissed at the reaper when she explained all that stuff. How do you expect him to know all that? How do you expect him to stop doing it, if he doesn’t even know it from the start? I found her quite mean. Yes, I can imagine that you heard the story before, but really the guy didn’t have a clue what you were talking about. No one ever told him, or taught him.
Aww, dang it, I cried tears at THAT scene (I am sure those of you who read it know what scene I am talking about). Gosh, that was just beautiful, but also heartbreaking. sniffles some more On the one hand I was cheering, finally it happened, but on the other hand… I knew what would come afterwards and my tears came back in full, just now in sadness.
And then I cried again some pages after that. Good grief, this book. I need more tissues.
Though I do think it would have been better to end it after x happened. Now we have another case for our Necromancer, and I just felt it didn’t fit that much. The last 2 pages of that story were good though.
Blue states that: “I guess I’m pretty much all blue now, so it still counts.” when asked about his name by Hamal. I am guessing blue hints to the fact he is dead/not happy? Or his text bubbles? Because it can’t be the colour of how he looks. When asked that question his colour is grey/lilac. But then again, he seems to adjust to any colour? Most of the time he is green (during the now parts), but there are also parts were he indeed is blue. Sorry, I am probably just overthinking it, but it just stood out.
The art is pretty and gorgeous, I love how the characters are drawn. The use of colours is beautiful (soft, but also bright and colourful).
All in all, this is one book I would highly recommend. You will cheer, you will ship, you will need a ton of tissues.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
sophia_noguera's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
zeldiecakes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sydmarie30's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
cats_n_plants_n_cats_n_plants's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
max_the_lesbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This book was absolutely adorable! The art style was so beautiful and the character's were all so charming - especially loved the Reaper!! My one complaint is that it felt a little rushed around the resolution with the forest. I feel like it could have benefitted from having another couple pages of explanation. Regardless, I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a sweet, queer romance for the summer.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this graphic novel!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this graphic novel!
max_the_lesbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This book was absolutely adorable! The art style was so beautiful and the character's were all so charming - especially loved the Reaper!! My one complaint is that it felt a little rushed around the resolution with the forest. I feel like it could have benefitted from having another couple pages of explanation. Regardless, I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a sweet, queer romance for the summer.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this graphic novel!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this graphic novel!
oracleofoaks's review against another edition
4.0
I have read Taproot twice now and it is still probably the most beautiful graphic novel I’ve ever read. Every single page is something I would print out and hang on my wall. From the beautiful spreads of flower shops to the dark illustrations of creepy forests, every scene was gorgeous. The character designs are diverse and unique and the entire color palette is calming and beautiful.
The story itself is also fantastic. I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 because I do think that the story needed a few more pages in certain sections to really make sense. There were reveals that seemed underdeveloped and I wanted a little bit more from. It seemed like the author spent less time on the plot and more time on the character motivations and relationships, but I think the trade-off was that those elements were wonderfully executed.
Blue and Hamal’s relationship was a very sweet friends-to-lovers romance. I loved how it was written and thought that part of the story was perfect. There was also a lot of development for Blue and his character. Being a ghost, Blue spends a lot of time thinking about what it’s like to be dead and whether or not he can even be in a relationship. In the end, I loved where the story went and it honestly made me want a sequel story very much!
The story itself is also fantastic. I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 because I do think that the story needed a few more pages in certain sections to really make sense. There were reveals that seemed underdeveloped and I wanted a little bit more from. It seemed like the author spent less time on the plot and more time on the character motivations and relationships, but I think the trade-off was that those elements were wonderfully executed.
Blue and Hamal’s relationship was a very sweet friends-to-lovers romance. I loved how it was written and thought that part of the story was perfect. There was also a lot of development for Blue and his character. Being a ghost, Blue spends a lot of time thinking about what it’s like to be dead and whether or not he can even be in a relationship. In the end, I loved where the story went and it honestly made me want a sequel story very much!