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!

I loved the art style of this. I adored the plot and all of the characters. I think that this is a wonderful graphic novel that will appeal to a wide range of readers.

I love witchy stories and this one is just perfect for the season! Here we have a sweet love story with a fun backdrop of doting aunts, a cozy bookshop, enchanting woodland, cult forces and magic spells. I honestly did not expect this to be so action-packed, but the fast pacing is balanced by the gorgeous artwork filled with nature scenes and a cute bookish cafe.

My favorite thing about the graphic novel of course is its almost effortless way of embracing inclusivity and diversity. It features a witch named Nova who uses a hearing aid, and a werewolf named Tam who is nonbinary. Here in the Philippines, we don’t really use gendered pronouns, so I really understand the need to remove the labels of he or she when talking to a nonbinary person. Admittedly, “they” for me still translates to the plural form so it was a bit awkward for me to read at the beginning. But thanks to reading this comic I was able to really put into practice the concept of adopting another person’s choice of pronouns.

Lastly, the story shows us that when it comes to love and friendship, it doesn’t matter which race or faction we are from. If our souls are connected, that’s all that matters in the end. A witch CAN be in love with a werewolf, and the world is even better for it.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Lion Forge for providing a copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

beautiful, cute, adorable, spooky, perfection. I need to see this in color now, it's just too perfect and cute and wonderful for us

This is a YA comic about a witch that is dealing with the return of a childhood friend and also moving on to the next stage of her life. Nova lives with her grandmothers and works in their bookstore that has a large collection of books of magic. Tam is a werewolf that has been wandering after not having a great homelife with their mon and stepdad. Nova invites Tam to stay with her and they investigate the demon in the woods nearby. This is a sweet story and the art is nice, but I really liked the spirit creatures of the forest in their art.

A cute paranormal comic with great sapphic and chinese-american representation! I loved the colors and soft spooky vibe

A sweet, character-driven fantasy story.

**Trigger warning for intended parallels to homophobic violence, child abuse, and homelessness in the LGBTQ community. **

“A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.”

Teenager Nova Huang has a pretty full life: an apprentice witch, she’s employed part-time at the family magic shop-slash-bookstore, Black Cat Books, and also does plenty of volunteer work in her New England community. Though her parents are literal ghosts, having died in a tragic accident when Nova was a child, her Nanas take good care of her (and, being a witch and all, she gets to visit with the ‘rents on special occasions). There’s also her bestie Tat; the two might not always see eye-to-eye – Tat’s a scientist-in-training who has precious little patience for the inexplicable nature of magic – but they make it work.

When Nova ventures into the woods surrounding their town – recently bedeviled by spooky green lights and a seemingly rabid wild horse – she’s unexpectedly reminded of what’s been missing. There she stumbles upon her childhood friend Tam Lang, battling the creature solo. Tam and their family just up and left one day, no warning or explanation. Turns out that Tam’s a werewolf, their step-father is in cahoots with a devil-worshiping cult, and Tam’s werewolf magic might be the end of us all.

That is, unless Nova, Tam, Tat, and the Nanas can harness the magic of family and sisterhood to thwart their plans. And maybe even save a demon in the process? (WHAAAAAT!)

MOONCAKES is a super-sweet graphic novel that’s brimming with heart, humor, and some pretty awesome characters. Tam is nonbinary, in case it wasn’t already apparent, and Tam and Nova make an adorable couple. The Nanas are great (though I couldn’t tell if both are Nova’s biological grandmothers, i.e., both maternal and paternal, or if they are a F/F couple), and so is Tat, especially the playful back-and-forth she has with her extended/adopted witch family.

The plot is serviceable, I guess, though not terribly suspenseful; if I had to, I’d describe MOONCAKES as more of a character-driven story. The rest just feels like an excuse to bring Nova and Tam together, which is why I’m giving it three stars instead of four.
That said, I do quite love the little plot twist with the horse demon. Down with the kyriarchy!

I also really appreciate what the artists are trying to do vis-à-vis Tam’s homelessness; though it’s given a supernatural cause in this story, Tam’s plight does parallel and draw attention to the increased risk of homelessness faced by LGBTQ youths.

I'm not sure how many stars to give this! I dont typically rate graphic novels so that's my own personal problem.
I did enjoy this storyline, and the illustrations were really great too.

Mooncakes is a sweet and adorable graphic novel, and I’m so grateful to #Netgalley and Lion Forge for letting me access an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not really sure I needed anything more than the cover to win me over. Isn’t that cover warm and adorable? Combined with the publisher’s summary it was perfect. Magic. Baked goods. Werewolves. Witches. Chinese-American young adults. LGBTQ+ representation. And friendship to love.

Mooncakes lived up to every one of my expectations and more. The art is charming, warm and soft and yet vibrant and evocative. There are terrific little extras on almost every page, whether it’s one of the black cats covering its eyes to hide from a kiss, or a clever joke printed on Tam’s t-shirt. There are so many little asides that I think this graphic novel would benefit from multiple careful readings, after the first reading to simply enjoy this sweet story.

The central relationship, between Tam and Nova, is sweet and gentle and supportive, much like most of the relationships in this story. Childhood best friends who had been separated by a family move years ago find each other again,. In the interim, Tam has come out as non-binary as well as a werewolf, with the struggle that both of those identities can entail, and Nova is a queer deaf witch whose parents are both deceased. Neither of them has had easy or traditional lives so far, but they find a safe space with each other, and with Nova’s super-supportive grandmothers.

There’s technically paranormal plot drama about horse demons and werewolf magic and dangerous magical cults, but really that just serves as a frame for the relationships that are at the center of this book. For instance, there’s a cadre of black cats who understand that Nova is deaf and seek to communicate with her in ways she can respond to when her hearing aids are out. There’s even a practical, no nonsense plus-sized best friend named Tatyana to be the scientist foil to all the magical activity in the story.

As if the story isn’t enough on its own, let me just talk about the diversity of representation in this story. It’s terrific! As mentioned, both Tam and Nova are Chinese-American. Nova is deaf and wears a hearing aid much of the time, and the story frequently involves aspects of being deaf (like cats needing to pat her face to wake her, instead of yowling or scratching, like with a hearing human). Tam is a werewolf who is non-binary. The powerful witch grandmothers are Jewish and Chinese-American, respectively, and make a sweet couple too. Best friend Tat is plus-sized. One of Nova’s aunts is in a relationship with a white-presenting man, and another cousin has a pigeon head (that’s not really fully explained, and possibly the weirdest part of the book.) Magical practice is everywhere, and is really central to the story. Chinese and Jewish culture are woven into the story, and everyone we meet is supportive of LGBTQ+ relationships and of Tam and Nova figuring out their places in the world. All of this feels organic to the story, too, not just heavy-handed talking points forced onto characters. What a great chance for young adult readers to see healthy diverse representation in their reading material!

Overall, this story is just a winner. No, it’s not incredibly tense or dramatic. The romance is pretty much a forgone conclusion. In this case, it’s not the destination that matters, but the journey. The sweet, supportive, adorable and diverse journey. Highly recommended as a sweet, fun YA paranormal graphic novel.

I was sadly disappointed in this graphic novel. The cover looks adorable and I was eager to see diverse demographics represented in the story. However, the plot felt very basic and the flow was completely off for me. I contemplating bailing on it halfway through, but pushed through to completion. Cute illustrations, but they characters and plot was all very flat and predictable.

Love is everywhere!!! And I really enjoyed it.

I love all the relationships here but, my absolute favourite is how this graphic novel talked about finding yourself and surrounding yourself with people who accept, love, respect and support you. There were several amazing moments in this graphic novel that just made me feel good.

Let’s take a moment and talk about Tat(yana) because my friends need to step up their game and be on the same level as Tat in wingwoman-ing. I loved how she’s such a skeptic but you can still see how supportive and accepting she is towards Nova, Tam, and Nova’s family.

Not in love with the art, I liked it, but I’m not crazy for it. Overall, a delightful read!

This book is gorgeous! The art is smooth and the coloring is perfect. I loved the elements of acceptance embedded into the story regarding deafness, transgender identity, and same-sex partnerships. These aspects are a part of the story without being the story. Instead you have a beautiful story of first love set to an adventure involving magic and defeating evil. I will recommend this book to all comic book readers.

I really liked this gráfi novel, the images are well done, the fact that it’s about magic, witches, werewolf and it’s about this time of the year, Halloween was perfect, really pretty

A very cute read, perfect for the days leading upto Halloween.

This comic features LGBTQ characters in a magical world full of witchcraft. Although the comic wasn't very long, it did a great job acquainting the readers with the characters.

The authors inculcated a deep sense of family culture, and I loved the relationship Nova had with her grandmothers.

The only thing that would have made me enjoy the book more is if the last few scenes (the big battle) were more drawn out. If the antagonists' agenda was more fleshed out, the book would have been even more enjoyable.