Hooky by Miriam Bonastre

In our world, missing the bus means a tardy on your attendance record, but not for Dani and Dorian Wytte! Hooky by Miriam Bonastre is a webtoon-turned-graphic-novel about twelve-year-old twins, Dani and Dorian, who miss the bus to magic school and embark on a journey to find a mentor to teach them that is-- until they realise that they have been blind to a deep rift between the worlds of magic users and non-magic users where people fear those who wield wands, and witches are burned. Soon enough, the twins find themselves suspended between the political conquests of their family and the crown. With both sides of the conflict chasing them down, the twins are marked traitors and directly involved in an all out war. With no family to go home to, the two create their own-- a group of unlikely friends: a wizard, a witch, a baker, an orphan, a princess, and a prince. They all come from vastly different walks of life, but there are two things they all have in common: they love each other, and more than anything, they want to see a world where the magical and non-magical can live in harmony.

Hooky is an epic fantasy tale with dragons and spells, but it doesn’t shy away from the political implications created by events in the story while being heartbreaking, hilarious, and suspenseful. Despite the occasional heaviness (especially in the second half), Hooky is presented in a digestible manner with its graphic format. The humor is never untimely, and the romance is naturally developed. One of the things that makes Hooky such a joy to read, though, is the drawing style. The pastel color palette, the fun character design, and the cottagecore aesthetic makes every page feel like a work of art in its own right. It’s a perfect story to get cozy with for the spooky season.