Hooky is the tale of two twins who get lost on their way to magic school. From the first page, Hooky hits the ground running with gorgeous and engaging art and adorable, relatable young protagonists. I love the limited color palette, especially for our main characters, who are distinct but still match as a set. Hooky will appeal to young readers who love fantasy adventures, but also to teens/young adults who love the Howl's Moving Castle cozy witch aesthetic (or the feel of Witch Hat Atelier).

Dani and Dorian, twins, are excited to start the new school year. There’s just one problem: they missed the bus, and the location of the magic school is top secret. Instead of going home, they decide to stay with their aunt and have her teach them magic all year. Things seem to be going well with their aunt until things take a turn for the worse when they get dubbed as traitors to all witches. Hunted and on the run, they find themselves studying under a soothsayer and befriending non-magical folk their parents always forbade them from being in contact with. With the help of their new friends, can their clear their names and see their family again?

When I picked this up, I was expecting a cute story about witches. What I didn’t expect is that the characters would be so well developed that I was sad when I reached the final chapter. Initially, we follow Dani and Dorian as they find themselves in a bit of a pickle in the magic community. As the story continues, more characters join them, so we also follow a princess, an orphan, and a popular boy in town. Their personalities clash, but they quickly grow to become close friends running headfirst into adventure after adventure.

One of the things that I love about the story is that none of the characters are perfect. We watch each of these characters struggle with their insecurities and focus on their flaws rather than the good. As the story progresses, we watch them form a strong bond and begin to focus on their strengths. We also see them start to realize that they’re stronger as a team, so they need to stop trying to leave each other behind. I loved watching how each of them developed as characters and the messages it sends to young readers.

All in all, this was a truly magical read. I’m looking forward to checking out the author’s other works in addition to seeing more of their beautiful artwork.

Cute graphic novel about witchy siblings and all of their mishaps and adventures. I thought this was really fun and can’t wait to see more.

At first, I thought this was just a weird, almost nonsensical story of magic. A couple of trainee witches having misadventures and causing chaos. And that's a lot of it. Random things happen. Some get resolved, others carry into other chapters. There's not especially clear explanation for any of it. It took a while to realized that something bigger was building under the surface, a more complicated plot of betrayal evil and so on.

A little too long, and a little too busy for me personally, but the art style is very cute and the story is fun!

This was very cute. The art style is perfect for getting lost in and I found myself smiling while reading it. The sibling relationship is charming, as well, and I liked watching their personalities collide and mesh. Really precious!

The story was so memorable and the art style was amazing, reminded me of the art style some manga use. The characters and story arc were all so interesting. I loved the witchy aspect of the story, the prophecy, and the other characters who got involved with the twins.

Super entertaining. The illustrations are adorable and kids are going to clamor for the next book. As cliffhangers go, this one is really solid.

For Libraries: A solid middle grade graphic. NOTE: One use of the word "damn."

I read half of this book and DNF’d. Honestly, this could have been split into 3 books. It was far too long for a kids graphic novel. I liked the story, but it could have ended multiple times.

ARC REVIEW:

Webtoon turned physical book. Would definitely reach my webtoon fanatic middle grader patrons.

I originally started this series on WEBTOON, and I was super happy to see it come to book form.

I love the story concept and the artwork. I really enjoy all the characters as well. It makes for a great, quick read. I can't wait to read more!

Thanks to Clarion Books (formerly HMH Children's Books) and NetGalley for the ARC!

This isn't the complete series, and I feel the need to emphasize this since I was ready to throw hands when I realized that I was being left on a cliffhanger.
Also it took me way to incredibly long to realize how the title reflected the story.

This is incredibly cute. I really did enjoy reading this. I will definitely be continuing this series, because that is obviously the only option. Especially when it's available on Webtoon for me to dive into immediately.

Read this! IT IS SO GOOD.

This is one of the most complete feeling graphic novels I've read in recent memory, and it's only volume one! Bonastre Tur did a great job in making the characters feel real and deep, and the world feel rich within just this one book.
The art style is absolutely adorable, and the character designs are unique and expressive. Fantastic job with utilizing the space available and making the most of every page.
I would absolutely recommend to any age range really, from middle grades to adult!

This book was sent to me for review through Netgalley, but in no way impacts my review.

This is the quintessential PERFECT graphic novel to me. I loved the characters, there was enough going on in the storyline/plot to give it depth, the artwork was absolutely gorgeous. Just all around amazing. I've already bought the book because I loved it so much.

If you're looking for a fun graphic novel in the same vein as kiki's delivery service, scooby doo, or any other cute/ya type spooky then I highly recommend this book.

In Hooky we are following a set of young twin witches, Dorian and Dani. Dani is our athletic witchy girl but does struggle with performing spells. Dorian is a bookworm, a bit antisocial, clumsy, but absolutely phenomenal with magic. We meet them on the first page missing the bus to magic school which you can only arrive at/know the location of if you are on the bus. Thus, they go on the quest to find a magical tutor.

Throughout their time, they soon learn that the witches are turning against humans and will kill the king to replace him with the "king of witches" (should be monarch of witches or something because they often refer that it could be a female as well, but you get the gist). It is announced that Dani and/or Dorian are highly likely to be this monarch, even though they appear to be good.

We also have a few side characters that are so much fun. Princess Monica, Damien, Will, Mark, and Nico. We even get to meet a fire-breathing frog (Toad?) named Carlo! The characters are such a blast to learn about and I loved this book and need the next one IMMEDIATELY THANK YOU!

the graphic novel was very cute! I really liked the way the story went. The people doing witch burning to a little girl with no actual proof, was scary. I really liked how the girl was pretty much hopeless at doing magic, all her spells just went a bit wrong at the start and the results were funny. They created problems that they eventually solved which made a very good story. The plot did add a bit of mystery, the hints at the start that something was just not quite right with some of the characters was very good. I really felt that Dorian really came out of his shell throughout the novel. He really grew in his confidence as he developed his magic.
One of my favourite parts was the adventure was when they went off into the woods without the Master Pendragon's permission. It was a very exciting little adventure about the withes sabbath, and the Princess Monica finds a tower and the bonding that goes on there. The Floating rock was exciting as well, and I really liked the ending. Definitely would get this for my school library as I think the teens will really enjoy it.

I loved this story and the characters a lot. I loved Dorian, Dani, Nico, Mark and Master Pendragon. I found Princess Monica a bit annoying but she was really great also. I hope there is another book for them cause that would be amazing.

I'm always happy when an online comic makes it to print. Many of my library kids only have computer access here at the library, so print comics and graphic novels are the way to reach them best (also, they're here to do homework and play Minecraft and Roblox; reading comics online isn't always on their radar). Hooky is a compiled comic from WEBTOON, and follows twin siblings Dani and Dorian, who've missed the bus to magic school (no Whomping Willow here) and don't know the way there. Looks like they're going to miss that first year of school - and wow, will their parents be upset! They decide to search for a mentor, which leads to a score of amusing situations; cleaning up the Huntsman to "steal Snow White's heart" by making her fall in love with him is just the tip of the iceberg. But there's trouble ahead, and the twins need to find a way to clear their names and heal their kingdom when more complicated challenges arise.


Illustrated in manga style, this is going to be big with my middle graders and middle schoolers. They're manga fans, and finding graphic novels incorporating manga artwork is a great way to get them to stretch their reading interests and introduce them to new titles. Plus, it's fantasy, with some similar tropes, like magic twins, magic school, and bringing unity to a divided society; all familiar fantasy scenarios that readers will feel comfortable setting down with. The artwork has some truly outstanding moments, like Dorian standing atop books as he works in his aunt's library; the relationship between the siblings is relatable as it moves from affectionate to teasing to bickering and back again. This release of Hooky includes additional content you won't find on the WebToon page, making it even more attractive to readers. Give this one a look.

This was a delight to read for a second time I first read it on some webcomic site and it was just as sweet and comical as I remember

Hooky was a delightful story full of magic and hijinks, starting with two twin witches missing the bus for their magical boarding school. Determined not to let their parents find out, Dani and Dorian decide to set off on their own and find a tutor. Just as quickly as they discover new friends, spells, and adventures, so too do they get embroiled in the brewing war in their kingdom and the prophecy that will embolden the witches to rise up and take over.

This adorable story started out on Webtoon, so the pacing didn't translate perfectly, but I still really enjoyed this book. As I mentioned in my note, I believe the physical copy being produced only contains the first half of the story, so I only have that bit to judge off of. The tone seamlessly shifts as the twin's vignettes and magical mishaps give way to their struggles with magic and their identities, budding love, and the fracturing faultlines of their broken kingdom. I loved the art style, which was amazingly versatile! It was perfect for a fun, adventurous start but gave way perfectly to the darker ending. I can't wait to get to the last half of the story and see where the characters' journeys end!

❧ 3.75 ★

Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur is a graphic novel, based on a webcomic originally found on the WEBTOON platform. Hooky is in print format for the first time with exclusive new content.

Twin siblings Dani and Dorian who have missed the bus to magic school and scramble to find a mentor to teach them before their parents find out. They never thought they'd wind up declared traitors to their own kind! Now, thanks to a series of mishaps, they are being chased by powerful magic families seeking the prophesied King of Witches and royals searching for missing princes. But they aren't alone. With a local troublemaker, a princess, and a teacher who can see the future on their side, they might just be able to clear their names, but can they heal their torn kingdom?

Hooky is the start of a graphic novel series full of magic, suspense, and complex characters. I had not read the Webtoon version, so the whole story was a surprise for me. I liked getting to know the characters and their increasingly complicated friendships and connections. The dynamic between the witches and non magical people is not unexpected, and the intrigue and politics of it all feels very realistic, and the unfairness of it all seems on point with human nature- even when we wish is was not so common. I thought the story moved quickly in some moments, and a little slower in others, but it flowed nicely. I thought the art was well done and does a great job of capturing the mood of the story, and the details of the character's emotions and intent. As a who;e I was fully engaged in the read and enjoyed it. My only complaint is a common one, that the book ended with a solid set up for many possibilities but very little in wrap up or conclusion. I know there is more coming, but I need some more satisfaction at the end of a volume to make me really happy. That being said, I am still very interested in continuing on with this series.

Hooky is a great start to a series, and I think middle grade and older readers will enjoy it.