An interesting piece of work, with lots of appeal, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. which is made up of a collection of three stories about hauntings of various kinds. In the first story we travel great distances in time and space and learn about healing, there is a clever little twist in this tale that made it particularly enjoyable. However the second story, Wallpaper was probably my favourite and featured some beautiful illustrations of patterns, from the obvious wallpaper of the title , to the more surprising pizza. The final story is probably the saddest, dealing with the gradual disintegration of a friendship due to time, distance and simply growing up. Each story adds something unique to the collection. Overall I found it an enjoyable and interesting book, and it felt like I was reading something that was personal to the author, but would have resonance with many readers. While the artwork was not always to my taste, the illustrations in Wallpaper truly were outstanding, in their use of colour, and the way they made the mundane special and interesting.

loved the concept of this graphic novel.
Our main character called ghost meets three people, three people who represent her past, past experiences and things she lost which in turn make her reflect and challenge her life perceptions. These experiences were illustrated well and the messages strong through the art work but the stories felt incomplete and could of been expanded on slightly more. However, I don't regret the few hours spent on following ghost's reflections and it made a nice change to my usual books.
My thanks go to the author, publisher and Netgalley in providing me with this arc in return for an honest review.

This one was not for me, unfortunately. I felt drawn in by the cover, but the stories didn't hold my attention. In ghost, it seemed too derivative of A Christmas Carol, but didn't add any value to the plot. I appreciate all the effort in the artwork. That's a tough task!

*thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC

The graphics in Ghost Stories were lovely. The story that used wallpaper was particularly beautiful.

I worked at understanding the threads of the different stories, and I felt the effort was well worth the reward. The stories provide a kernel of an idea and In every story I searched for a ghost of a feeling, of a childhood, of a wilting friendship.

Ghost Stories is a quiet graphic novel that carries a message with a punch.

Yikes. I am so unbelievably confused by what I just read! Moving past the title 'Ghost Stories' as being a bit misleading, I had so many issues with this book! Firstly the stories themselves. I'm so confused as to what they were about and what they actually mean. They felt more like a stream of consciousness than a well-structured, thought-out storyline. Especially in 'Wallpapers'. I didn't much like 'Ghost' because I felt that the character didn't really learn anything from anyone that she met, it was more like a lesson on what that person believed and taught and I could get that from reading their books, explained to me in a much better way too. 'Makers' was also disappointing as it dragged on, the dialogue felt stilted, and there was once again no point to the story. I wasn't totally on board with the religion bashing either.

Sad to say, what could have scored this book higher would be the art, but I really didn't like it. I found it very juvenile, some of it not coloured in properly and rough, and it was like looking at the work of a child most of the time. It was so disappointing! Especially as the cover for this book is gorgeous! Whatsmore, I became VERY agitated with the mistakes in spelling and language. 'Me and ' for example. Or the joke about lunacy, referring to the moon as a planet? How on earth did any of this get through editing? It gave me the vague notion that someone had approached with a hand-drawn notebook of ideas and it's immediately been put into print! Weird, nonsensical, and I spent the entire reading experience trying to find a way to make sense of it all...I failed.

This wasn't for me. I hoped that the artwork would be similar to the gorgeous cover, but it was more sketch-like and simplistic, coloured in felt pen, and I found it quite ugly. I don't mind that the stories weren't traditional ghost stories in that they weren't creepy or scary, but I hoped that they would explore the meaning of ghosts, what they represent to us etc. – but I didn't get that. Basically it's a sketch-like, semi-autobiographical comic, which isn't a genre I particularly enjoy. My search continues for beautifully drawn comics about ghosts...

*thank you to Netgalley and Rosarium Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

1.5 stars.
What was that?
This was kinda an odd book and I'm left without anything to say about it. It wasn't a bad book, just not for me. The drawings weren't very good which was a bit distracting. There were 3 seperate stories all up but, well, I don't have anything to say about them. A positive though, I do like the cover.

Quick read.
This was a pretty little book that I initially thought was going to be creepy; however once I started it I soon realized it wasn't going to be creepy in the normal sense but in some of the topics it would try and talk about e.g. death, growing apart from someone who was close to you, etc.
The art style is not my favourite but it was nice to look at, quite sketchy.

I enjoyed this format which was like a collection of graphic essays or short stories. This short book was like finding a lovely gem in a sea of self-published comics at a local con.

Maybe I'm too old to read comics. I found the stories and they were good but I wasn't blown away.
If you are looking for something short to read maybe you enjoy this.

This is a moving collection of literary graphic stories—but not ghost stories. “Ghosts,” moves from finding meaning in the world (through visits with the ghosts of famous people) to finding it in the ghosts or demons of our past. It’s heart-wrenching and extremely appropriate to today’s news cycle. “Wallpaper,” shares memories of a new house and it’s remodel and loss. “Makers,” is a coming of age and growing apart story. The ghosts aren’t the spectral kind, but those people and times that haunt your memories or the fears that color our choices. I found it thought-provoking and poignant.

Ghost Stories by Whit Taylor

Available January 10th 2018.

"Ghost Stories is a graphic novel collection offering three haunting explorations. Granted the chance to meet three of her dead idols in "Ghost," the author’s cartoon-self embarks on a journey to remote and unanticipated landscapes, in a story of self-discovery and healing. In "Wallpaper," a child tells the story of a household move, remodel, and loss through the lens of flashbulb memory. And in "Makers," two girls with an unorthodox friendship make a rocky transition into adulthood. Throughout each tale, ghosts exist as past selves and remnants of past relationships that are met with inquiry, resolution, and personal rebirth."



This comic opens up to a young girl who is granted the ability to spend a day with three of her idols. The author's cartoon-self first meets Charles Darwin, who describes to her the process of evolution. He explains that the concept of 'survival of the fittest' is unfair, to which the protagonist agrees. Through this comic the author includes detailed explanation of scientific expressions, and throws in wikipedia page explanation of terms and people. I liked the way everything was explained, and how the story still flowed. We then meet Mary, a women I can connect with;

"Being alone had progressed from anguish, to loneliness, to a solitude she had not expected" (pg. 28)

This interlude scene quickly dissolves to the main character meeting her next idol; Joseph Campbell. 

"Myths were exhilarating, mysteical, and often cruel but always had a greater message" (pg. 38)

This comic becomes, not the main characters adventures with these ghosts, but the impact of the idols and their wisdom on the young girls behaviour and sense of self.

'Ghost' follows a character who is forced to live with a past trauma affecting her everyday life. This perception and accurate depicting of attitudes towards mental and physical health are described to a reader in a truly unique fashion.

The next segment, 'Wallpaper', resembles less a comic, and more a collection of diary entries, separated by pieces of wallpaper. The child's view of the world is simple, as he is slowly introduced to the intricate behaviour of adults. This piece was less description than the previous comic, so the reader has to force themselves to truly unravel what the author intended for this piece to be about.

The comic ends with 'Makers', the ghost in this story being a lost friendship. This was probably my favourite of all three; I connected with its portrayal of frustration, loss and letting go more than the rest. Just like the main character, I have also experienced the difficulties to trying to maintain friendships with childhood friends once moving on to further acaedemic studies, as well as moving to another city.

A lot of reviewers complained that this book didn't include ghost stories, but forget that this comic deals with the past. The ghosts of one's self and how they can haunt your future self if proper care is not received. There was only a very slight sense of incomplete-ness from these stories, otherwise they were a unique take on explaining the trivialities of life.





*Thank you to NetGalley and Rosarium Publishing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The art style was nice (simple outlines filled in with copic markers, overall traditional art instead of digital), however, the stories didn't seem that great. They didn't meet the expectations of the title. I feel like if the stores were better, it would've been a better read, but I did like looking at the illustrations.

I loved the narrative arc of this series and the illustrations but I agree with many other reviewers that most stories felt incomplete.

"Ghosts", 4.5/5

Warm, funny at moments, fully perceptive, wonderfully accurate. Although somewhat confusing at whole (I still can't get over the fact that Mary's story isn't continuing), it all made sense in the end. Confronting yourself from the past was a nice adding, although I think she could have chosen better than Darwin and that mythologist (never heard of him before) - but, those were persons who changed her own perception of the surrounding and the world itself in a way, and I can appreciate that. It was a little blurred, almost unfinished, some things left unexplained, but it touched a deep nerve inside me. Poignant and important it was, indeed.

"Wallpaper", 2.75/5

Lots of symbolism and children anxieties and insecurities in this one, but it fell of flat for me and I didn't really get much from it. The artwork was fine, some better than another, and was a nice companion to the story. The child learns to free himself, forms bits of her own taste, observes wallpaper in different places, is a little afraid to let the past go and has to face the death of a Grandmother, the one she loved. Little of this is on the surface, you have to "dig" in order to find some deeper meanings and probably richness to the storyline. On the surface, however, it does seems a little shallow, and although these life vignettes know to be incredibly good, if they're written properly, these ones just... weren't.

"Makers", 4/5

Had potential to become my favorite of the three, but sadly it wasn't. Still, I'm giving it a high rating because it exquisitely explored the feelings of letting go, sadness, melancholy, struggling between the old and the new, teenage and adolescence periods, friendships that last and the ones that don't. No big twist, no special snowflakes, just pure, plain life. And it worked out really, really well.

Whit Taylor’s Ghost Stories is a graphic novel collection which is interesting and poignant, but it suffers from disjointed and wandering plots.

The first piece “Ghost” follows the author’s cartoon-self as she is given the opportunity to meet three of her dead idols. I found the art to be simple but different and cute. This piece is moving, relatable and makes you think. It’s an interesting concept but it’s also very fragmented and meandering and, therefore, the story is difficult to follow. Some of the art panels also don’t seem to fit at all.

The second piece “Wallpaper” is different from the first as it includes separate pieces of art and writing. We see a home renovation through a child’s eyes, but it is deeply intertwined with the themes of loss, death, growing up and family. The storyline is touching, and the art is vibrant and beautiful. This is my favourite graphic novel in the collection because it’s extremely poignant and manages to convey so much in such a small amount of words. However, some of the reflections could have been reworked to be more applicable and meaningful as they seem to exist without serving any purpose.

In “Makers”, Taylor tells the story of the growth and death of a friendship between two girls, Tessa and Hope. The story is a familiar one to anyone who has had to deal with a selfish friend and who has seen the slow dissolution of a friendship over the years as people and their priorities change. I really like how realistic and relatable the story is. I also like Taylor’s skilful use of the dialogue and art to fully flesh out Tessa and Hope. However, this graphic novel is a little disjointed and I felt like the plot could have been tighter.

Ghost Stories is moving, sweet, and sad. The art style is different and cute. However, the storylines are difficult to follow and could have been edited much more for clarity and effectiveness. Although I wouldn’t read this book again, it’s a decent and really quick one-time read. It is a little different from what’s out there so if you’re looking for something new, I would suggest that you give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rosarium Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the idea of this, but it was honestly very confusing and hard to follow.

Whit Taylor self-publishes some of her stuff, but this was published by up-and-coming company Rosarium who is dedicated to publishing multicultural stories. This comics looks self-published - it doesn’t have all the fanciness of professional publishing you might be used to, but the comic was entirely fascinating.

I’m going to pre-order it on Amazon just for the first story. And the first story is why I’m giving it 5 stars.

<i>What if the history of life parallels our life history.</i>

Mind. Blown.

I had to stop for a minute and think about that. It brings evolution into focus, and almost makes it more understandable.

But the first story in this anthology, <i>Ghosts</i>, was <b>deep</b>. The kind of deep that makes you want to pour yourself some coffee, sit on the porch in the morning before everyone wakes up, and contemplate life. It worked out well that I was reading this in the morning before anyone else was awake.

<i>Wallpaper</i> was great for the art.

<i>Makers</i> wasn’t quite as engaging as the rest, but it was interesting. And a bit sad.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and and Rosarium Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

This was a great, slow moving graphic novel with an interesting non-linear structure. The book offers different styles of narration, beginning with largely informational expository, then moving on to prose broken up with illustrations (much like "A Year Without Mom" by Tolstikova), then into a more traditional comic style that will resonate with readers who liked "Honor Girl." Readers who enjoy a more experimental, slow-burn graphic novel will appreciate this meditation on memory, trauma and friendship.

Meh, honestly this was not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting actual ghost stories... Not... this... The artwork was a bit... dare I say childish? Yeah I ended up skimming the last story because 1) I couldn't read the text on my tablet at all and 2) I had kind of lost interest. A shame.