Hooky Review
By Nic Daniels
Hello audacious readers!
I hope your year is starting off well and the goals on your vision boards are off to an great start . Last month we explored the relationship between art and power in Grace D. Li’s Portrait of a Thief. This month, we’re following a witch coming-of-age story with Hooky by Miriam Bonastre Tur.
12-year-old twins Dani and Dorian Wytte can’t wait to grow up and become the powerful witches they’re meant to be. However, their plans get delayed when they miss the bus to school and getting help from their aunt didn’t go quite as planned. In a a misunderstanding (and a case of petty theft), they become fugitives in the witch community.
Doing their best to escape wanted posters, they find mentorship in Master Pendragon, a powerful wizard living among humans, and gain a few friends along the way: Monica, a headstrong but kind of clueless princess; Nico, a local, well-meaning troublemaker; and Mark, a stoic barista dragged along for the ride. As Dani and Dorian learn the basics, they also learn of rumblings in the world of witches. With tensions rising between witches and humans, there’s no telling how the situation will it. The only guarantee? It’s not going to be pretty.
Hooky gives me the same energy as a Studio Ghibli film. It’s lighthearted and bright on the outside but there’s some unexpected shadows. On the lighter side, we have the misadventures of Dani and Dorian. Their sibling relationship is fun, especially with their opposite personalities play off each other as Dani is a risk-taking extrovert while Dorian is an awkward, know-it-all. Dani is quick to make friends while Dorian struggles. Meanwhile, Dorian’s magic skills are far superior to Dani’s jink-like luck. Yet, watching them lean on each other and forge their own relationships while out and about in the new town is so much.
However, there’s also not-so-much fun happening in the background. Though never directly addressed as the story is set from the twins’ point of view, there’s a lot of bad blood mentioned between witches and humans, including witch burnings, witches taking over small towns, and there’s even early rumblings of a war. Dani often experiences the drawbacks of being in the middle, often being perceived as a threat. Dorian’s anti-social tendencies often shield him from the reality beyond saving Dani from trouble. Still, the harsh realities start to separate them by the end of the book.
It's tough because so many3 sides are valid emotionally and a lot of it is out of their control, it gives readers a lot to think about. That’s the hardest part of the book. The second hardest part is that it’s only the first half, leaving off at this big cliff hanger. There’s so much that is up in the air and so many questions that the reader—or at least me—can’t help but ask. What’s going to happen to Dani and Dorian’s relationship? Is Monica going to try and influence humans? So many questions that I won’t know the answer to until I read volume two (it is out, just so you know).
What did you think of Hooky? What would you do if you were a witch in this world? Do you think you would be more Dorian or Dani? Let me know and don’t forget to join the book club IG live, coming soon.
Until next, don’t forget to read audaciously!
