Red Threads: A Graphic Novel

by Ila Nguyen-Hayama

In this manga-inspired YA graphic novel, Tokyo schoolgirl Hana Suzuki’s life is changed forever when she is chosen to attend Japan’s premier magical academy

Fifteen-year-old Hana is bored by her humdrum existence in Tokyo—there must be more to life than cram school and chores. After she rescues a crow caught in a net by her house, a mysterious visitor arrives at her door, offering her the chance to enroll in the most prestigious magic academy in The Benten School of Esoterics.

Hana jumps at the chance for adventure and life at Benten is everything she ever dreamed of—magic, mystical creatures, and making a new best friend in fellow new student Yoomi. But before long, Hana’s dream becomes a nightmare. Something is haunting the halls, and a series of horrifying attacks leave everyone is Benten cursed? Will the legendary school have to close its doors for good? If Hana and Yoomi want to save their new home, they’ll have to unravel the mystery or die trying!

A magical story of friendship and new beginnings, Red A Witch’s Tale is perfect for fans of Magic Fish, Beetle and the Hollowbones,and Spirited Away.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Comics, Mythology, Middle Grade

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2025

Reviews

[Emily Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the story, but the narrative felt a bit jumpy to me. It was a bit hard to follow with large time jumps.

[Emily]

From the rights report: "In this magical boarding school story set in Japan and drawing on Asian myths and folklore, an ordinary Tokyo girl discovers her powers and her best friend, a Korean fox spirit, battles prejudiced suspicions as they hunt the evil spirit attacking students."

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

When the cover, setting, world-building, representation, title and synopsis all hit the right notes and appeal to you... but the story is just mid. Also not the easiest to follow at times.

The pacing was inconsistent and felt rushed at times. I wish the characters, especially the two female leads, had been been developed more. We don't really get much insight into their personal lives and struggles outside of the main conflict. The book also tries to explore issues such as racism but in a half-hearted way because it never really goes deep enough.

There were so many things going for this graphic novel, but alas.

[Megan Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I thought it was really interesting and tied in so much mythology. I thought it had weird pacing in a few places, but other than that, I liked it!

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After rescuing a crow, a 15 year old Japanese girl named Hana is offered a scholarship to a magical boarding school where she meets and befriends a Korean red fox and ultimately saves the school from an evil spirit whose stealing shadows.

It sounds very Ghibli and feels that way too while you’re reading it. I definitely read it imagining what Miyazaki could do with the story and how it would play it.

In a story about a girl becoming a witch, we got to read about quite a few folk tales, as well as were introduced to many different Asian gods. I love books that bring so many stories together to create such a magical world.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

[RaspberryRoses · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun reading this one, but it did feel a bit under-developed and oddly paced. I loved the worldbuilding and would be happy to return to this universe in another book, though.

(Also, we are Told that the Ohohohohohoho mean girl is always given slack by the teachers and she can get away with anything. But... that's never shown to us? Twice we're shown teachers berating her for being wrong. And it's just such a weird note to obviously contradict your storytelling like that. I don't think she needs to be beloved and coddled by teachers for her character arc to work! Make it so she's from an elite family, but ultimately not very talented and thus criticized by teachers - and she takes out this frustration by being mean and racist. Or remove the scenes of teachers berating her and show that she can get away with anything. Just make a decision one way or the other?)

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun ride.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"But working on this book has taught me that humans are generally nice and that together we can make nice things." p. 250

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, magical girl learns she’s magic and goes off to magical academy. A tale as old as time, esp in Japanese comics. But this my dear friends I believe is an American comic written by an Asian American author set in Japan. Not a bad thing, but there is nuances to this in the way the book is written and mythology explained for a non Japanese audience.

I think middle grade and young adult readers will enjoy this. The first part of the story could definitely use a bit more clarity when our FMC learns magic is real but the author really found her groove by the end of the story. I ended up putting this down three times and having to come back to it but once things picked up with the school mystery I found things trucking along.

[Zephorah Dove · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story we get to follow Hana, a “magicik-less” student, who gets enrolled in the Benten School of Esoterics, Her new school is full of adventure and typical high school shenanigans. Hana bonds very quickly with a friend she meets on the train and by the end of the story, they’ve cracked the mystery that’s been surrounding the school for months.

I really enjoyed the emphasis that Hana placed on not taking anyone’s crap anymore and stepping up to classmates. When she called out other students during lunch for their lack of taste buds, I howled. It was such a good comeback. All of the teachers were very cool and accepting of Hana and they seemed to strive to treat her the same as other students who had more of a background in magic.

I’m really curious if this will be a standalone story or if the writer intends to expand on the story. The setting and buildup of the school/staff was very interesting and I found myself wanting to know more about the schools history.

Overall, this was a very cute story about new beginnings and forming new friendships. I can’t wait to reread this when it comes out in full-color!

Thanks so much to the publisher for the DRC!

[Chelsea]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Red Threads by ila Nguyen-Hayama is an upper Middle Grade/lower YA contemporary fantasy graphic novel. When Hana saves a crow, she receives an invitation to attend an esoteric Buddhist school which is secretly a school for mages. But there's been supernatural attacks and the school is in danger of shutting down if someone doesn't find the culprit.

The story delves into anti-Korean discrimination in Japan first very subtly and then more overtly. Hana’s best friend at the academy is Yoomi and if a reader is unaware of Japanese vs Korean naming conventions, they might miss that she is of Korean descent. Yoomi is bullied by several of the more elite students from Kyoto and they get more and more explicit with it being because she’s Korean, she’s as say kimchi smells. This is an important topic to discuss, so seeing it in a book for kids and presented in a way that could indicate simply general dislike and then showing it is due to racism is a good way to teach young people about how things can look one way but it really is a systematic issue.

The ARC I got did not include color illustrations, but the publisher has stated that the completed version will be full-color. Because of this, I cannot comment on that aspect of the book or how color symbolism plays into the broader story, but I can comment on other aspects of the style. The story is manga and Japanese folklore inspired, but it’s not in the manga/anime-style as many readers might think of it aka Attack on Titan or Ghibli. It’s a bit closer to the Powerpuff Girls anime, I'd say, as it feels a bit like a blending of American and Japanese styles rather than going for a specific one.

I really struggle deciding if this is YA or Middle Grade because it's right smack in the center for me. It's a magic school book with no focus on romantic relationships, the main relationship is a friendship, and it doesn't delve into themes in the way I expect YA to. But it is also set in a high school and has a lot more moments of calm than I've come to expect from more recent MG. I'd say it's upper MG edging into lower YA.

Content warning for depictions of xenophobia and racism

I would recommend this to young readers interested in Japanese mythology and folklore and readers of graphic novels who also love magic schools

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tokyo high-schooler Hana Suzuki wishes she could go on magical adventures like the ones she reads about in her favorite novels. Instead, she is stuck in boring reality. But when she rescues a crow trapped in a net, an odd individual visits her house and offers her the opportunity to enroll in Japan’s prestigious magic academy: the Benten School of Esoterics. Naturally, Hana says yes. Even though she has no magic at first, Hana attends spell classes, learns weaponry from mythical tengen, and even meets her new best friend, Yoomi. Everything is going wonderfully until a student is horribly attacked, their shadows taken from them. Something sinister is stalking the students and hiding in the school’s halls. When the school threatens to shut down, Hana and Yoomi decide to get to the truth and stop Benten’s so-called “curse” so they can keep their magical dreams alive.

Red Threads is a mystical magic-school mystery based on Japanese myths and legends. The art is vibrant and colorful, with a manga-inspired style that highlights action and character expressions. The world-building is fun, pulling many creatures from Japanese folklore into new representations and using elements of Shinto and folk culture to create a unique magic system. The story, like most in the magic school genre, begins with the main character, Hana, being introduced to the new, enchanting world of the Benten School of the Esoterics and exploring its hallways as she cultivates her abilities. Then it becomes a thriller as Hana and Yoomi must find the source of dark magic before their new home is lost. Hana and Yoomi work well together, with Hana’s newbie but defiant personality complementing Yoomi’s socially awkward yet genuine heart. Everyone is Japanese, though students and teachers hail from many different regions of the country. Overall, Red Threads is a fun, magical, and paranormal graphic novel that most tweens and teens would enjoy. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook in return for a fair review.
3/5 stars
For fans of “magic school” stories, this may or may not scratch the itch. It has interesting ideas but ultimately ends up feeling quite rushed. A whole school year passes and most of that time is breezed over through time skips. We only get to see a tiny portion of what magic they’re studying, which is somewhat expected because they’re only first years, but I would’ve loved a bit more.
I think this book is a little bit misrepresented. Despite the YA tag, it really feels more like a middle grade book. It featured a 15-year-old protagonist, but she easily could have been 12. It felt far more like something for older middle grade readers.
I was excited about the idea of Hana being a non-magic student at a school for magic. I imagined the hurdles she would have to overcome, maybe some plot points related to finding ways to succeed even without magic. But despite one class snippet saying that most kids present magic at 3-4 years of age, once Hana is at the school, she suddenly has magic and is quickly quite adept at it. It didn’t feel like a challenge for her to overcome, just a tiny pebble to step over without even noticing. It was a lost opportunity for some interesting storytelling.
Ultimately, enjoyable, but not a story that stands out among all the magic school offerings.

[Wafah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5
Red Threads is a magical, manga-inspired YA graphic novel by Ila Nguyen-Hayama
Fifteen-year-old Hana longs for more than her quiet, ordinary life in Tokyo. When she rescues a magical crow, she’s given an extraordinary opportunity: enrollment at the prestigious Benten School of Esoterics.
Red Threads draws on Japanese mythology, which is thoughtfully explained for readers unfamiliar with the subject. While the world-building is necessarily concise, given that this is a standalone, I loved the subtle nuances of the magic system. I read a lot of reviews where the book felt too simplistic in its approach, but I actually enjoyed the simple storytelling approach, not that it didn't leave me wanting to know more and see more.

Things I loved:
Hana & Yoomi’s friendship
Hana’s unique ability to connect with spirits and adapt to magic in her own way—especially her use of threads when traditional charms fail
Hana's growth in gaining her voice and finding her place of belonging. (I wish we got to see more depth here, but I also know it was limited within the space of storytelling)

Even though we only glimpse the surface of Benten as a magical school, it felt intentionally teasing—leaving me just as eager to return to that world as Hana herself.

Thanks NetGalley and Abrams Books for my ARC. I definitely enjoyed reading this one.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Yoomi as she discovers her magical powers in thread magic, Red Threads is a lovely story of loyalty, friendship and magic that I think anyone whose in their magic school era would love and enjoy.

Though I think this story is a little slow to begin, when it does begin it really does hold your attention. The art really allows you to fall into the story of these two friends as they figure out whose behind the attacks at the school and the themes around friendship and loyalty particularly when defending from bullies is a really important message for children to have, and this does that well.

The art style is really cute and really delivers this story, with beautiful end of chapter pictures of flowers and fauna that really do highlight the skill of the artist in this comic. The characterisation of the classmates particularly our lead characters is done so well, with such expressive drawings that really highlight the emotion being conveyed.

It was a good story with moments that reminded of Natsume's Book Of Friends and a beautifully drawn novel that really shines a light on the feeling of these girls. I hope there's more stories from these characters.

(Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc for honest review!)

[Niche · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

A girl bored with the mundane saves a crow that returns the favor by getting her a scholarship to a school that turns out to be for teaching magic. It's a Japanese themed magical school with folkloric races also in attendance.

I wasn't sure if it was middle grade or not, given it opens with a murder scene, but the writing/plotting didn't feel older than MG. I'm always a sucker for stories about friendship and no romance, so that was nice. But the pacing felt a little to rushed and could have used some more breathing room to flesh out the characters, setting, and maybe be a bit more subtle with indicating the villain. That was the only thing keeping it from being at least a 4/5 or higher. I'd definitely read a sequel if it's still romance free.

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you ABRAMS Kids, Abrams Fanfare, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This is a middle grade story about a girl who gets accepted into a school of magic after saving a crow. Exploring the topics of friendship and new beginnings, the story alludes to many Asian folktales, is based on Japanese mythology, and is set in Japan. We also get introduced to many Japanese supernatural beings (aka Yokai). Overall, it was a nice read and I would recommend this book to those interested in Japanese folklore written for middle grade.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A richly textured fantasy school story for a middle school and high school audience that is about a magical school. Fifteen year old Hana is going to be repaid for a kind gesture toward a crow who shows up in human form to ask her to join The Benten School for Esoterics on scholarship. What Hana doesn't realize until she's on the bullet train speeding away from her family's home is that it's a school for magik and she'll be boated onto an island covered in mist to be hidden and learn these magik arts and earn friends along the way. BUT, of course there's a complication and that's that something is killing at the school and they have to figure out who or what it is.

It's a lesson in yokai, magik, Japanese history, and culture.

""En" or "Go-En". The knot of fate that leads one to opportunities and people."

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red Threads is a YA graphic novel/manga style book about a young girl, Hana, who is accepted to a school of esoterics. Here she learns about magic and the folk culture of Japan, including the various Yokai, or supernatural beings, from Japanese folklore. It's also a tale about friendship and is a cosy hug of a book. Even though I'm not the target audience for this book I think it will probably be a hit with a YA audience.

Thank you to @NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Red Threads.

[Elia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this, because I am a sucker for magical girl manga, but this is LITERALLY just Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets set in Japan like - to a T. There's nothing original here to speak of.

[Jennybeast · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very lovely -- the art is excellent, the school is fascinating, the cultural background is really cool. I want so much more from it, though -- more depth, more time with the characters, more story. It feels spare to the point of losing the narrative.

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

[rachel x]

"In this manga-inspired YA graphic novel, Tokyo schoolgirl Hana Suzuki’s life is changed forever when she is chosen to attend Japan’s premier magical academy"

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a standard magical school story, set apart by being set in Japan. Although the characters are fifteen or sixteen, this feels much more middle grade than young adult.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had potential, but unfortunately it seemed like every aspect of it was underdeveloped. I'd try more from this author in the future to see if there's improvement. The art was nice though.

[Tori O’Dell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was really good. I’m glad I read it when I wanted to instead of putting it on my list and reading it at some point or loosing interest!

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet sorta love story but almost forgettable as I'm writing this review about two weeks after reading it.

[Jen Nishi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid read. Nothing groundbreaking or earth shatters but a good read.