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. (Goodreads)
Okay, so I first heard about this book at BookCon 2017 in the form of posters and bookmarks and other general promotion. I took all of the free swag I could; I knew this was going to be the story for me. I saw it for sale at this year’s BookCon, and I bought it and read it immediately. What can I say? I’m a sucker for cute LGBT+ romances, the supernatural, and plants. I knew I was going to love this book.
Taproot illustrates the story of Hamal, a flower shop worker who has a peculiar ability … he can see ghosts. In fact, he’s developed a relationship with this ghost named Blue, constantly talking — and flirting — with him (which makes his coworkers who can’t see these ghosts think he’s quite strange). This cute story about a gardener and a ghost would have been a perfectly happy tale if not for the Reaper showing up and demanding that the balance of the world be restored. Stupid worldly balance getting in the way of romance.
This book was everything to me. First of all, Keezy Young is an extraordinarily talented illustrator. Young’s color choices and style fits the feel of the story perfectly. I couldn’t imagine this story drawn any other way.
Second, the representation healed my soul. So much POC representation! There’s maybe one white person in this book. And the gay romance will make you swoon. I could read a whole series about the flirting and love between Hamal, the guy who sings to his plants at night to make them grow, and Blue, a ghost hopelessly in love with this gardener.
Overall, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you’re like me and you adore LGBT representation, cute romances, strong Plant Aesthetics, and some supernatural stuff, you will absolutely adore this book.
★★★★★
Have you read this book? Let me know what you thought of it!
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Ace of Books 