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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lion Forge for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Sometimes… sometimes I think we need space. A chance to go out on our own, find our own way.”

Mooncakes has a cosy and autumnal vibe which suits its October release date. This is a lovely graphic novel with a great story and stunning artwork. I enjoyed the diverse representation which felt natural. The two main characters, Nova and Tam, are both Chinese Americans. Nova is a queer witch who is hard of hearing and Tam is a non-binary werewolf. Tam uses they/them pronouns and everyone is respectful of this. Nova’s grandmothers are also in a relationship with each other.

What I liked most about Mooncakes is the characters. Family plays an important part in this book and Nova’s grandmothers are very supportive, both of Nova and Tam. Nova and Tam are childhood friends who are reunited after many years. These two characters are very sweet and I loved how they blush a lot! Whilst there is some instalove, the romance is high on the cuteness scale.

I think this will also appeal to fans of the supernatural as it features witches, werewolves and demons. The story includes a ‘villain’ type character and mystery. It was fairly easy to guess the identity of the villain, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story.

Overall

A sweet and heartwarming tale about finding yourself.

I’ve seen this book everywhere for the past few months so when I saw it on Netgalley I knew I just had to request it and I’m so glad that I did. This is such a cute, fun and absolutely perfect read for autumn. The artwork in this is also amazing.

This book follows Nova, a witch, who is wandering in the woods following up on concerns raised by her friend that something strange might be going on when she stumbles across a horse demon fighting a white wolf. Even more shocking is that the wolf turns out to be her childhood friend and crush Tam. This leads Tam and Nova to band together to defeat the demon, with the help of Nova’s amazing grandmothers.

I adore the characters within this. Tam and Nova are both Chinese American and Queer. Nova is hard of hearing and Tam is nonbinary. Nova is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her parents and Tam is struggling to find where she belongs in the world after running away from her family. The book also features Nova’s grandmothers who I adored. They are so loving and supportive and kickass.

The book features a f/nb romance that is adorable and one of my new all time favourites.

Overall, this book focuses on the love and support of families as well as the importance of found family, it’s about growing and taking risks and finding out who you are.

This is such a magical book full of witchy vibes that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. I absolutely loved it and gave it 5 out of 5 stars

This was a cozy little story with fantastic representation. Nova is a witch who is hearing impaired and lives with her two grandmas. She is reunited with her childhood friend, Tam, who uses "they" pronouns. Their friendship eventually grows into something more, and together they must defeat an evil force threatening the neighborhood. I loved the Nanas, their cats and the adorable spirit creatures! The plot itself was very basic which was a bummer. And the art style was not one I was particularly drawn to (dammit, self). I hope other people enjoy this one more than I did.

Witches. Werewolves. Queer relationships with positive representation. All in time for Halloween. Sign me up!

I was so excited to read this graphic novel just in time for the fall season and Halloween antics to begin. The artwork was beautiful and the scenes flowed together perfectly. The representation in this story was well-done in my eyes, but I am not as immersed within the LGBTQA+ community as other readers may be. I appreciated that Tam’s preferred pronouns remained in place for the duration of the story, plus Nova’s grandmothers were the most supporting parental figures I have seen in a while. Also, Tam and Nova were absolutely cute together! I hope to read more from this author in the future.

What a lovely graphic novel!

The drawing style used is really sweet and beautiful, I loved the look of all the characters as well as the animals in the forest. Tam and Nova's romance also felt genuine and was very cute. I did feel it was a bit rushed, but I also know the characters have a long history so I suppose we are supposed to believe they're jumping back into something that had already been brewing for years, rather than it coming out of nowhere. The representation was also fantastic and felt natural.

The plot was very fast paced and enjoyable; it made for a very quick read which I always enjoy in graphic novels. Overall, I found this to be a great graphic novel with some wonderful witchy vibes. I would suggest it to anyone!

MOONCAKES by Suzanne Walker is a delightful read. I'm looking forward to getting a finished copy to fully appreciate the illustrations. I've recommended it to all my jr high and high school librarian colleagues.

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft, Mooncakes is truly a treat. Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers' bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town, and things are soon to get interesting in cute queer magical comic.

The representation in this story is as wonderful as the story itself, this is one of the first comics I’ve seen a non-binary character in, and shown as not a big deal, it’s just a natural part of the story. The romance is adorable and the plot really allows for the characters to develop - and I hope to continue to in future editions of this comic, I want to know so much more about Nova and Tam.

The art style is cute. Full of colour and sweetness, this story has some gorgeous scenes and displays a vivid cast of characters throughout. From Fall days to dark nights, this comic covers it all and does it so well. The wolf artwork stands out too, with wonderful artwork that brings it to life so well.

A wonderful story from start to finish.

Cute, easy read with a diverse cast of characters. The relationship between our main characters seemed sudden. I few more scenes of their childhood might have help to further that plot and make it seem more realistic. Overall, a solid read that I enjoyed!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu in exchange for an honest review!

Let me break it down for you — if you like cute, if you like diversity, if you like graphic novels, if you like amazing art, if you like stories of acceptance, if you like stories with that LGBTQ+ content we deserve — then you need Mooncakes in your life.

Granted, it wasn’t a long read — but I feel like it’s saying something when I complete a book in one-sitting. I devoured Mooncakes & fell absolutely in love with the story & art-style. Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu work so well together.

There’s amazing rep in Mooncakes. We have Chinese-American rep, queer rep, hard-hearing rep & non-binary rep. All of this in a tale with witches, demons & werewolves!!! Mooncakes is absolutely brilliant.

There’s also a lot of acceptance in Mooncakes. When Tam announces that they are going by they/their pronouns now, Nova’s Nana quickly apologizes for using ‘she’ without any fuss. There’s no questioning & we just move on. Exactly as we should.

There’s also acceptance in terms of skeptics vs. believers. Tat, Nova’s best friend, is very into science. However, she supports Nova & even has a line that goes, “who says skeptics can’t learn?” There’s so many beautiful messages in this quick read.

The romance between Nova & Tam is so soft & fluffy! I’m legit obsessed with these cuties, along with all of the other characters in Mooncakes — I, mean, minus the antagonist, obvs.

Mooncakes is such a cute read that I will officially be yelling about for the rest of my life.

The characters are all such sweethearts that you can’t help but fall in love with them. There was such beautiful representation in each one of them from Nova’s grandmothers, to her hearing aids, to Tam’s pronouns being they/them. With the variety of characters, there is somebody for everyone to connect to in some way. I personally related the most to Tam.

I love the art style. It’s so beautiful. I love reading graphic novels and seeing the visual representation of the story that’s being told. There were so many details in the art that added to the overall experience of reading the story. Since graphic novels, a lot of the time is mostly dialogue I enjoy them a lot. The dialogue in this book was cute and nice, easy to follow.

The story itself was sweet, nothing too complicated that needed my full attention. There isn’t much that happens except for the main plotline and the romance between Tam and Nova. It’s a quick read with beautiful art and adorable characters.

This book has seriously gorgeous art and a cute story with a lot of wonderful representation. I also really liked the setting being New England since that’s where I live and I feel like the story fit right in with the New England vibes. The mixture of fantasy and reality was also really cool and made me wish that witches existed. I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick, easy, light-hearted read.

This was such a soft and lovely story filled with so many magical moments. From it's amazing cast of characters to its storyline that had me hooked from the start. Mooncakes was a joy to behold and the romance between Tam and Nova gave me all the feels. Tam is a non-binary werewolf and Nova is a chinese-american queer witch that lives with her two (kickass) grandmothers. I enjoyed the art style and the narrative kept me turning the pages. This was such a cute read that I flew through but I really wish that we got more substance on the magic system and the backgrounds of each character that led them to their arcs. Nevertheless, highly recommend to anyone looking for something to swoon over!

I really enjoyed the art style of this graphic novel..
I also like how diverse this book is.
Unfortunately for me, I found myself lost at times and the romance came across as insta-lovey.
Other than that I definitely recommend anyone to read, as it was cute and adorable!

Review
So, I've seen a lot of people talk about this graphic novel after getting ARCs from BookCon and the general consensus was that this one was super cute.

You'll be glad to know these people were entirely correct.

This graphic novel really can only be described as cute. The plot was cute, the romance was cute, everything about it was just cute. Oh, and this graphic novel was also queer af.

I loved the family dynamic of this book and all the different things that family could mean. I loved the main romance of this book and how precious it was. I also liked how this book dealt with unhealthy family dynamics and trusting your significant other, even when they could be but into danger.

Plot-wise, this graphic novel didn't have much going on. Like other graphic novels, it was a quick read, though I mostly read it to get it done, rather than being entranced by the story. The second half definitely picked up, though I kind of wanted more.

Final Thoughts
Overall, this was a cute, spooky graphic novel, perfect for fans of the Halloween season that doesn't want anything too scary. You want some queer, spooky romance? You've got it. You want a slow, yet interesting plot? Here ya go! You want a quick read for that readathon? Behold! Pick this one up and see what BookTube is raving about!

*I received an ebook copy of this graphic novel for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5.

This graphic novel follows Nova Huang a teenage witch who spends her days working at her grandmother's bookshop, loaning out spell books and looking into supernatural phenomena going on within their New England Town. One night she stumbles across Tam Lang, who happens to be a werewolf and her childhood crush.  Battling a demon in the woods alone Tam asks Nova for help, together they explore witchcraft, occult rituals, untested magic, and rekindle a flame that never quite went out.

This was honestly the cutest graphic novel I have read this year, I loved, loved, loved it! It is due to be released on the 15th of October, making it perfect to curl up with on chilly Autumn evenings.

Nova and Tam made great main characters, the novel explored them and those around them in great depth accompanied by beautiful imagery. Tam was my favourite character their strength and determination was admirable. The representation in this book was important too, it is always nice to see inclusive writing, and characters we can all relate to. Moving forward I hope to see other authors creating such authentic characters that readers can resonate with. I enjoyed the strong family elements in this novel, the author conveys the important message of supporting those around you and helping them grow into the best people they can be.

The blurb gave me a pretty good idea of where the plot was going, but that just added to the novel for me and made me want to read it even more. The illustrations merged perfectly with the text, this graphic novel was a delight to the mind and to the eye.

Overall I loved this graphic novel, and I look forward to reading more by this author. I would recommend this graphic novel to anyone looking for a both adorable and engaging novel.

[3.5 Stars]

The warmest, magical, perfect-for-October read! It's witchy, it's queer, it's wholesome... The art was perfectly autumnal, and all of the characters were loveable yet intriguing. Upon finishing it I just really wish I worked in a cozy witch's bookshop, with my lesbian grandmas, and my childhood crush -- is it so much to ask?

As much as I enjoyed it, I couldn't give it a higher rating because it was fairly surface level, and I don't feel that deeper attachment to the story. However, if there were future volumes, I'm sure I'd pick them up!

Mooncakes was surely cute and sad even. Nova lives with her grandmothers and is on her way in becoming a witch. One night she sees a white wolf in the woods and soon learns it's her childhood friend Tam, who's a werewolf now. There's horse demon in the woods and they start to investigate it and there's a cult behind it that all leads back to Tam. The dark forces, mystery and magic make this story very enchanting and interesting. At the same time we have Nove and Tam falling harder in love as their crush becomes something more. Both have lost a lot and now they find a solace in each other. I really enjoyed this LGBTQ approach and how it grew alongside the story very normally. Also, their mutual feelings were tied to their history even though we didn't see that. So, it felt real. The characters are interesting! The plot is slightly lacking as it surely follows the deep attachment, but the mystery in itself is a bit too unclear. Why did the cult want Tam and to what exactly?

The art and the colors are cute! The soft lines are a great counterpart to the heavy story. The flow isn't the best possible especially towards the end. I did enjoy this though, but perhaps the beginning could've been tighter as a package to hold the ending. The magic in Mooncakes is beautiful in color and form, which makes this one of the better magical comics surely. I do recommend this if you want strong feelings and friendship that grows to be so much more.

Disclaimer: I was given an advance reading copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Lion Forge for the opportunity.

My heart begs me to tell you that this little masterpiece is one worthy of your love!

Mooncakes was a fun read. It's cute, sweet and all things queer! it was a perfect halloween read with a dash of witches and werewolves. It made me get out of my reading slump, so that's a good indicator that this is a good one. The magic and the art definitely added to the spellbinding vibe!

Please do get a copy and share it with your friends!

A little bummed about this one because I went in thinking I would absolutely fall in love with it, but it was just pretty average for me. Saying that, I really appreciate and am so excited about the representation in this book. Both of our leading characters are Chinese American and queer. Nova (a witch - on the cover, left) is hard of hearing and wears hearing aids. Tam (a werewolf - on the cover, right) is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.

This is a fun, witchy story with a healthy romance between our two leads sprinkled in, so if that interests you, please go and support this book when it releases in October. It's perfect for the fall, spooky season.

However, I thought the story was kind of generic and not super subtle in terms of planting plotlines. And there were a couple of odd decisions in the leading of panels that made me read the text in the incorrect order. I think it only happened 2 or 3 times, so it wasn't a deal-breaker but it was very odd. There were a couple of other times when the speech bubble breaks through panels, and those ones lead you correctly from panel to panel. It was just a little thing, but for some reason it really bugged me?

I'm excited for this to come out and be in a lot of people's hands who will absolutely fall in love with it. I'm also definitely going to keep an eye out for anything Walker & Xu come out with in the future because I think they're really talented and I loved the characters and the world they created here.

This was such a fun, cute and magical read! I loved the artwork! This is a perfect read for the fall!