Review by Ian Keogh

Here’s a surprise about Hooky Volume 3: it’s the final volume, although Míriam Bonastre Tur hedges her bets at the end by noting she may return to the cast later. For now, though, she’s following the maxim of always leaving readers wanting more. Three years have passed since Hooky Volume 2 ended, and there has been some change. Dorian is missing, Dani is withdrawn and Monica has been studying witchcraft. Those three years remove a slight uneasiness about relationships between young cast members, although this has always been innocently portrayed by Tur.

It’s strange to look back and consider that when Hooky began it lacked plot, as this is the thickest volume and everything is very much led by the plot. It begins with a search for Dorian, as some have never given up hope that he’s alive, and then looks into the background, dealing with the fears of the Wytte family. There’s never been any concern about the characters, who’ve been excellently treated from the start. In a substantial cast very few are unlikeable, and although their personalities are thin, they work for Tur’s needs, and motivations are always clear. Even moving three years forward people remain essentially who they’ve always been. The lack of depth and engaging set-up can lead to a feeling of children playing out a game at times, but there are other places where things become very dark, especially where Dani is concerned. Dealing with that is the book’s centrepiece.

Just because the plot is so engrossing doesn’t mean we should forget the art, which has been so accomplished from the beginning, and now makes masterful use of darkness, and darkness broken with flashes of bright colour. The cast have their customary charm and allure, and although it’s only rarely seen, there’s some beautifully drawn scenery. To pick a single artistic highlight, for many it will surely be a scene where everyone dresses up the way they were three years previously, which Tur plays to great effect.

Everyone’s who’s read the previous books will have their favourite person and know what they want for them, and although there are a few deliberately placed stumbling blocks no-one’s going to be disappointed. The quality shines through at the end when Tur ignores convention for a solution not requiring a battle. The charm survives until the final page and you’ll really be praying for Tur to revisit her world someday.