Well, I hope you are ready for the most adorable, witchy graphic novel that has ever existed. Mooncakes wowed me from the beginning to the very end. I adored this fantasy story about friendship, family, love, and self-acceptance. The pages are filled with vibrant colors, which sketches a well-developed and mysterious plot, spooky and vivacious scenes, and most importantly, the artwork allows the characters to fully come to life throughout the pages.

In addition to a world of witches, werewolves, and demons, Mooncakes depicts a cozy little bookshop in a small New England town. Melded into this setting, the graphic novel provides intriguing (and tragic) backstories for both the two main characters, Nova and Tam. As the characters pursue a spell to battle dark forces, demons, and their very own internal struggles, Nova and Tam are also exploring their past friendship and new relationship. With the most adorable female/non-binary love story I have ever read, this fantasy graphic novel is swoony with a dash of eeriness. It is definitely the perfect graphic novel to pick up during the season of autumn.

Mooncakes is the perfect story for this time of year. It has witches, spells, and a werewolf. Add in some teenage angst, a budding love story, and friendship and I think that covers it all. I wasn’t extremely fond of the story line. It felt lacking in a way, but it is cute and has a good moral. 3.5⭐️

The plot was interesting, totally enjoyed the mix of characters in this. The fact it was set in new England was cool, the way the pronouns are used/corrected I enjoyed.
I did not get paid for this arc review all thoughts are my own.

While I really loved the queer, trans, Asian, and deaf rep in this book. I don't think the story and the characters offered anything very special. I did like the art style and do think this is a very cute story.

Mooncakes is one of the most satisfying stories in the comics industry in 2019. I say this as someone who has been a fan of both Wendy and Suzanne for years from following their work on twitter. The letter to the readers in the beginning sketches out the history of this book: “Mooncakes began on the eve of separation, in spring of 2015, as Suzanne was preparing to move back to Chicago and Wendy remained in New York. Our creative partnership became a way to keep our friendship alive and thriving, the space where we could connect across the country”. This graphic novel is a reunion for the two and a project that thrived under circumstances that kill most relationships: friendships even. With that being said The world that Walker and Xu have made…from seeing their earlier versions…To that end, opening this book up feels familiar, it feels like home. For new readers and new fans, I’m quite certain that this one will be greatly loved and bookmarked after settling in for a chapter or two.

Mooncakes was everything I love and more. With a narrative that focused in on Support systems, defining family it was paired up nicely with the magic, witches, werewolves and other supernatural bits. I especially loved the deep emphasis on how being different doesn’t and shouldn’t set you apart from being loved, protected, befriends, validated. The artwork came across with a warmth you feel just a few page sin. There's a love of territory to cross with all the supernatural beings and witchy stuff yet its pages to be in awe of and even somethings that are wildly terrifying stalking the woods at night. Mooncakes Is a Heart Warming, Spell Binding Magical Read that is a win for the Ya community that loves graphic novels and unique characters dealing with problems of love, life and purpose that we can all relate to! A win for LGBTQAP representation in comics and a win for friendships, love and magic!

This witchy diverse fall read follows a witch and a werewolf reuniting after many years apart in order to defeat evil while also trying to overcome the walls that kept them apart. This was cute and quirky, supernatural without being spooky. I loved the inclusion of a hard of hearing main character along with a non-binary character and both are easily accepted without judgement or exclusion. Spot on.

What I liked :
The art was really beautiful – This is an ARC so the last few pages weren’t in full color, but the rest of the book was, and it really made me appreciate the artist’s work ! The use of the colors in the story is captivating and helps understand a lot of details.
This is a very diverse book, but it never feels “forced” or badly done – the characters feel pretty authentic and it was easy to relate to them while reading, and understand their motivations.

What I didn't like :
I felt like it was lacking a bit in the plot department. For a book marketed towards Teens and YA, I was expecting a little more complexity in the intrigue. It stays enjoyable, of course, but feels a bit too simple for the themes it tries to talk about.
I love anything and everything magic. I would have liked to get to know more about the promising magic system that Mooncakes’s cover let me hope for, but it is mostly left unexplored through the course of the book, the author focusing more on the rest of her story than on explaining her world-building to the readers.

Conclusion :
I’d give this book a solid 3 stars – not bad at all ! I overall enjoyed reading this and took my time to appreciate the art. I would maybe suggest it to an audience a little younget than the one currently reading YA, though, as the story itself isn’t one of the most complex there is.

Still, I’d definitely recommend this book if you have teenagers, or for something like the new acquisitions display of a school library !

Mooncakes is an adorable graphic novel! The artwork in this is so beautiful, the story is so touching. I absolutely love it and found it so cute! Completely recommend it.

💖 <strong>"Mooncakes was such a heartwarming story full of found family, strong friendships, witchcraft, werewolves and a cute friends to lovers couple that stole my heart"</strong> 💖

<strong>Mooncakes can be described in one word: heartwarming</strong>. Don't get me wrong, the book deals with a few heavy topics such as recovering from losing a loved one and running away from abusive parents, but it was such a positive force as well. I flew through the graphic novel and would still consider it a great comfort read, because there were so many loving dynamics in the story. Here is a quick list of things that I really liked about the graphic novel and that you could end up enjoying as well!

➡ The <strong>art style is SO cute</strong>!! I wasn't sure if I was allowed to include a sample page, but just the cover gives off the vibe of the graphic novel: aesthetic, very atmospheric and very cute. Exactly what spoke to me.

➡ I loved how the <strong>book explored the two main characters</strong>. Both characters are Chinese American (and in love). Nova is a hard of hearing witch and dealing with the loss of her parents and figuring out where she belongs as a witch. Tam is a nonbinary werewolf running away from an abusive household and coming to terms with who they are.

➡ The<strong> romance was adorable</strong>. Tam and Nova are very cute together, they used to be friends before Tam went away and now that they're both reunited, we see how much they meant to one another. There's a lot of respect and caring between them, it's just plain adorable. They'll quite literally melt your heart.

➡ <strong>Found family</strong>!! Tam is basically adopted into Nova's family and gets a lot of support from <strong>Nova's two grandmothers</strong>! In general, there is lots of family love, because Nova has such a close bond to her grandma's, as she lives with them since her parents died. Her grandmother's also kick ass, they are super cool, I love them!

➡ I was also a big fan of Nova's <strong>best friend Tatyana</strong> becoming part of things later on. She could have been a bit better integrated into the story, but I like the unlikely friendship that we got to see.

➡ <strong>WITCHES</strong>! I love witches in books, so seeing the witchcraft and a rogue horse demon on the loose was a super interesting premise to read about. I also liked that Tam being a werewolf was connected to magic as 'wolf magic' that was a nice original twist on the species.

<b>In the end:</b> <i>Mooncakes</i> could <strong>have made for a fantastic graphic novels Series</strong>. Sadly, that wasn't the case, so I was a bit disappointed that we only got this one story. It could have had a less predictable and more complex storyline that better connected internal and external conflict if we would have gotten a bigger amount of page time with these characters. That's why I ended up giving the book 4 stars! ⭐

This book follows Nova, a witch, and Tam, a werewolf, and their romance as they try to stop a demon. Nova and Tam are the cutest and I really appreciated how accepting of each other they both were. There is a lot of really great representation in this graphic novel which was another plus. Another aspect to this story was the unexpected family drama that both Nova and Tam have. This is just a really well done contemporary story with a lot of witchy, magical elements thrown in. The pacing of this story was also really well done because the author, Walker, did a great job of balancing the magical elements of this story with the more realistic parts. 

The majority of the arc that I read was in color and I adored the art style. It is not as whimsical as  The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill but it was equally as cute. I loved the colors and way Nova and Tam looked at each other. Such a sweet romance and I hope we get more from these two in the future. Also, the side characters in this story added so much to the different layers of the story. I really liked Nova's best friend and her Grandma's. I also wouldn't mind a story based on the Grandma's when they were younger. 

Definitely check this out for a fun, sweet, cozy fall read. Mooncakes has all the elements for the perfect (non scary) October read.

This was a great love story full of magic, what family really is all about and with a diverse romance

The story of two childhood friends that meet again years later in a mission to destroy a demon and the love they always had for each otehr resurfaces

Fantastic coloring and great characters. Can not wait to see more from these authors.

A charming story of friendship, love, and family, with gorgeous illustrations. Really enjoyed it. The magic systems are very original and it's the perfect read for a cozy autumn day.

My thanks to Lion Forge for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘Mooncakes’ written by Suzanne Walker and illustrated by Wendy Xu in exchange for an honest review.

From its creators introduction: “Nova and Tam are many things. They are both Chinese American, queer, and from unconventional families. Nova is hard-of-hearing and Tam is nonbinary; they each have their own form of magic. But these aspects of their identity don’t make the story.“

Nova lives with her grandmothers, who run the Black Cat Cafe and Bookstore. They sell books on witchcraft and related subjects. Nova goes to the woods one night to investigate reports of a large white wolf and discovers Tam, her childhood crush, doing battle with a horse demon. They rediscover their feelings for each other while fighting against dark forces.

This was such a sweet story, beautifully illustrated and full of adventure, magic and love. The magical creatures within the woods were delightful. Nova’s extended family is so amazing and I would have loved to learn more about Cousin Terry’s story.

I plan to buy its hardback edition in due course.

Highly recommended.

Such a magical story. I was immediately attracted to the cover, but it didn’t really tell me what the book was about. When I requested the book it was mostly because I kept seeing it on Instagram and it had a gorgeous cover. I didn’t know about the plot and I was so glad I went into it without knowing it. It was a great surprise!

I loved the magic, the characters, the story, the drawings. I liked how the story developed. Only flaw I’m thinking about is that some things seemed pretty rushed. Things that maybe could’ve developed in a couple pages were done in just one. I would’ve loved to see more, know more, wait more. I can be patient, but I know that with graphic novels things have to happen fast, and besides that, I loved everything else.

I wish there was more but the ending left me satisfied, grinning. I will definitely have the author and illustrator on my radar right now. Gotta love a queer and diverse fantasy graphic novel. I will recommend it to everyone.

My first graphic novel review and it is definitely a must read! A fantastic story of adventure, family and love combined with a gorgeous art style full of colour and magic. It was a perfect combination of the two showing a vibrant world with fully shaped and relatable characters who burst out of the page with every word and image.

There was so much representation in this book and it flowed perfectly into the story. Tam is non-binary which informs so much of their past and relationship with their parents. Nova is deaf, and with hearing aids, which is a fact important to the story and her relationship with Tam, who comments on how Nova has changed hearing aids and that they like the colour. Both Tam and Nova are also Asian-American and their queer relationship is a major part of the story.

One of the things I loved most was seeing how Nova's deafness and magic interacted. How the magic is used to highlight her deafness and her experience of both. My favourite scene was one where the characters linked psychically and Nova talks about the way that she gets a taste from it of how her life could be without deafness. It was done in such a beautiful way, showing the impact being deaf has on her life but without denying how much a part of her identity it is or showing her as some poor trapped, disabled character wanting to be free (a trope that is used so often and is extremely harmful for people with disabilities).

This is such a great book full of magic and excitement whilst also showcasing the intricacies of regular life. Definitely a must read.

Cute and lovely story about sweets and witches, a very good read for this time of year. No spooky but still plenty of good fun

<em>Mooncakes</em> by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu centres on Nova Huang, a queer teenage witch working in her grandmothers' magic bookshop, and her childhood friend(/crush) Tam Lang, a non-binary werewolf who's been driven out of their home by their abusive step-father, as they try to stop a horse demon that's roaming the woods!

It's very sweet in a lot of ways; Nova's family is supportive and charming, and I enjoyed the way that they welcomed Tam in with open arms! Especially how even though Nova's parents have died, they're still important to the family (and still have strong opinions on what she should be doing with her life). Nova and Tam falling back into their friendship after so long apart was lovely, and I was cheering for their romantic relationship pretty much from the beginning.

However, there is underlying seriousness beneath that sweetness; even without getting into the horse demon problem, Nova is an orphan struggling with the death of her parents and the expectation that she should be leaving home, and Tam has been driven out of their home by their abusive step-father. I felt that <em>Mooncakes</eM> handled both aspects really well! It meant that while there was darkness and betrayal in the story, there was also hope, and I needed that. The ending doesn't resolve all of the characters' issues, but it does show that Nova and Tam are growing, and might be able to resolve them in the future!

I've been a fan of Wendy Xu's art for a while; here it's really colourful and characterful, and while some of the bigger scenes felt a little jumbled to me, I did adore the art and how it handled the magic! Plus, Nova's outfits are amazing, and I really hope that they have real-world counterparts.

The tl;dr is that if you're in the mood for some urban fantasy with teenagers saving the day and falling in love, this is a really solid choice!

[Caution warnings: abusive step-parent, homeless teen, dead parents] [This review is based on an ARC from Netgalley]

This graphic novel was so cute and so entertaining! I loved the art and I really enjoyed reading Mooncakes!

Mooncakes is an amazing graphic novel with diverse characters and beautiful artwork. The story, the plot and the characters are all really well written and the inclusivity and wholesomeness will definitely leave you with a smile. Mooncakes was a perfect read in every way!
Full review on the blog!

There are many things to love about this graphic novel. The diversity, the fantasy, the conflict, and the relationships, both romantic and familial, are a smash hit of everything I could want in a story. The artwork is beautiful and really brings the story to life. This is a quick read, but the story is engaging and makes readers care for the characters.
I did have a bit of a problem with the insta love between the two main characters, and I wish I had more of the backstory history.
I recommend this for anyone that enjoys the genre, is looking to expand their reading preferences, or simply enjoys a good, heartwarming, story.
I will review this work in more detail on my blog following the publication date.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the e-book ARC in exchange for my honest review.