Mooncakes is an adorable, magical, diverse graphic novel. And perfect to read in the fall time! I absolutely loved it. I did a video review on my channel. https://youtu.be/wk0k-OlVwpg

Really enjoyed this! Loved the representation of people with hearing difficulties and a non-binary character. Perfect start to my October spooky reads! The art style was just beautiful too

I am very new to graphic novels and have been trying to put together a list of those that I should read. When Mooncakes popped up on Netgalley it was the perfect opportunity to delve into the genre! It is described as "A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft", which is definitely my cup of tea. Nova follows a white wolf into the woods one night and is shocked to find her childhood friend battling a demon. Tam is in trouble, however they know that Nova has always been there for them. Together they conjure a plan to defeat the dark forces that are at work but there are plenty of surprises in store.

Representation matters and it plays a huge part in Mooncakes with Chinese-American main characters, queer, non-binary and disability representation. This graphic novel has great non-binary rep with one of the main characters using they/them pronouns. As soon as Tam states that they are non-binary there is no misgendering by other characters, it is accepted and the relationships are in no way altered because of this. I think it would have been very easy for Nova's Grandmothers to 'slip' in this regard, even if the point was to correct them but they don't and that is very refreshing.

Speaking of Grandmothers, Nova has two in a same-sex relationship. They are SO cute together and I love them so much as characters. Nova herself is deaf and wears hearing aids. I get very excited to see disability representation, which is quite sad really as it reminds me of how little there usually is. I really hope to find more graphic novels with as much representation in the future.

The protagonist of the story is Nova, a sweet, intelligent witch who lives with her Grandmothers. She initially comes across as self-confident but throughout the novel she has moments of self-doubt, which feel very realistic. I love Nova's multi-layered relationship with Tam, as well as how she relates to her Grandmothers.

Nova's Grandmothers are exactly the sort of grandparents I would wish for. Firstly, they are witches and run a book shop so they are automatic keepers. Secondly, and more importantly, they are wonderfully supportive of Nova & Tam. They provide help and advice but do not judge or dictate. They trust that Nova can handle herself, which gives me all of the warm fuzzies.

Trusting relationships are at the heart of Mooncakes and are a theme as much as they are part of character development. Tam, as a werewolf, has not had the same experiences as Nova, so it is lovely to see them involved in Nova's family unit.

One of my favourite characters is Tatyana, Nova's best friend (aside from Tam). She is a big, confident, intelligent girl who says it how it is. Tatyana is a fantastic friend, always being so supportive of Nova, even when it is related to something that she doesn't really understand. Coming from a science background, witchcraft is out of her comfort zone but when Nova needs her she is always happy to help.

The art for Mooncakes is really cute. Wendy Xu has captured all of the characters really well. I love the magical forest creatures, which are very reminiscent of Pokémon. The tone of the colours is really nice but I wish that it continued all the way through. I know that graphic novels do have black & white pages but it isn't until quite late in this one, by which time I had become accustomed to the coloured style. I am sure it would not bother a seasoned graphic novel reader however.

I really enjoyed reading Mooncakes and I think it was the perfect introduction into graphic novels. It is cute, queer and full of lovely characters that I became invested in. I really hope that there are plans for a second Mooncakes graphic novel as I would love to see more of these characters and the magical world that they live in. Mooncakes is great for fans of Heartstopper as I think they will both give you all the feels. It is also the perfect October read as it is both Autumnal and full of magic.

(Review live & posting to Goodreads on the 2nd October)

Unfortunately, I won't be able to review this title because I only read a few pages and when I logged on to my kindle fire again, it was gone and its already been archived. The art style was really pretty and the beginning of the story seemed like it was off to a great start!

Ah just thinking about this graphic novel makes me feel happy. Mooncakes is so wholesome and filled to the brim with love, it was just what I needed after reading so many books that are first in a series. It was nice to read something so easy and enjoyable, and I've definitely read more since picking it up. It's just so wonderful to read something that includes so many diverse characters, and that gives them the happy ending that after reading that you'll inevitably want for them.
So firstly let's talk about my one issue with this graphic novel, before I start heaping praise on all the wonderfully diverse characters. This story is quick. I mean really quick, and I wish the book had been a little more fleshed out. I wanted more from the witchcraft and the world around this wonderful cast of characters, and maybe a few more flashbacks to Tam and Nova's relationship as children. It's a lovely story but the plot just felt a little too rushed and predictable for me.
I think though what's more important when it comes to this story are the values it brings to the table. It's filled to the brim with acceptance, the importance of finding your own family, and in all honesty just plain love. Both our protagonists are Chinese/American and queer. Nova wears two hearing aids and is an incredibly capable witch, Tam is non-binary and a werewolf. Nova's grandmothers are in a healthy, loving relationship, and it's just so good to see some soft LGBTQ+ rep in such a wonderful graphic novel.
This is such a light heartwarming novel that pulled me in with its characters. I know that anytime I pick this up I'll feel better after reading it, and honestly, sometimes that's exactly what I want from a story.

Recommend: If you're looking for some solid LGBTQ+ representation, and want to feel about 10x happier after reading then this is the one for you.

Graphic novels are not usually my first choice of books. But after seeing the book cover, I couldn't resist the urge. I just had to read Mooncakes.

Mooncakes is a cute paranormal story, filled with magic, love, family... In a paranormal city, Nova, a teen witch goes to the woods and follows a white wolf. It turns out that the wolf is her high-school crush, Tam. It would all be lovely, but Tam is in life danger and needs help. The two girls help each other and their connection grows throughout the book.

The scenery of the cosy home of Nova's grandmothers and the lovely bookshelves gave me a wonderful feeling of comfort. I loved their warm house, the lovely relationship they had and the love you could feel through the pages.

I enjoyed Mooncakes - it was adorable. If you like graphic novels, cute art and a little sparkle of magic - this book will not disappoint you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Lion Forge, for sending me an E-Arc copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute book about witches, betrayal, friendship, love, and having faith in yourself while also knowing when to ask for help. I feel like at times it tried too hard and others it didn’t try enough. I know who the characters are to an extent but the world building was a bit lacking. I felt like the actual story here was an afterthought, as though this book was meant to introduce us to characters instead of the story being the main focus. Magical folk seem to be known to everyone and yet not the norm, so I wound up a touch confused about just how common / known they were.

The romance is cute enough. The art work is just what you would expect based on the book cover art.

I’d probably read a second book if this is a series. There’s room for improvement in future books.

Supercute story about a young witch and werewolf who team up to solve a mystery. This is full of great rep - nonbinary, bisexual, queer, deaf - but occasionally the dialogue is a little on the nose. The artwork is really sweey though and at it's heart this is a story about friendship. Highly recommend.

3.5 stars!

I really enjoyed this cute little graphic novel, but overall, the story was extremely predictable and I didn't connect with our two main characters. I really wish we would have gotten more of their back story. In the beginning it refers to their childhood but we never actually learn about it. Also, the ending felt extremely rushed and predictable.

But overall it was still a cute autumn story with loads of representation. The artwork was stunning and the woodland creatures were ADORABLE! I want to adopt them all.

It was good, it just wasn't great for me :)

I really enjoyed Mooncakes, the concept of the whole story was wonderfully written. The art was beautiful and complimented the story well.

Mooncakes follows 2 teenagers, Nova a hard of hearing Witch and Tam a non-binary Werewolf. We are brought into their relationship of child hood friends to lovers, acceptance of love/ family/ appearance no matter what form it takes. A cute all-rounder that wants you needing more with every page turn.

The character development throughout the whole story grows from start to finish. The imagery throughout is pleasing to the eye and draws you in with the minor details on every panel, subtly introduced but continued from the very first panel to the very last.

Highly recommended read for the end of 2019 and for years to come afterwards.

This wasn't like the most though provoking piece of literature or anything, but it wasn't trying to be. It was cute and fluffy and wonderfully magical.

Some of the magic was a bit hard fo understand because of the way it was laid out, and it was very quick moving and not all that flushed out in parts but I still really enjoyed this and reccomend licking it up if ita something that sounds up your alley.

I loved the diversity and how much rep there was, and it was a fun little read to get into the spooky spirit.

This was such a cute story. I loved the art work so much. It was the perfect thing to read going into fall. I can't wait to be able to buy the physical copy and see the whole thing in color.

This was very cute!! The main character is an apprentice witch living with her grandmothers (that's right, older lgbtqa+ representation!) who'll have to solve a paranormal mystery involving a demon and an old crush who's back in town. I loved the way this story had so much representation, from the main character's hearing-aid, to her fat science-nerd best-friend to her nonbinary love interest... and so on! Like the introduction says so well, this isn't a story about that, but the representation is just part of who the characters are.
The witch/werewolf love story was adorable and super soft, the whole book having such a nice feel of people supporting one another.
The art was nice, though it still felt a bit rough, but it also added to a sweet atmosphere with the soft colours.
The plot was a little bit easy but had an old-school feel like it was from an old Buffy or Sabrina episode, which I loved to watch, so: nice.

The representation is this book was so amazing! I can't wait to see if there is more to come in the future.

I don't remember ever reading a comic with such a sweet, beautiful art and story! Really, the graphics in this one are stunning, the colouring happens to just match my taste exactly. The illustrations are incredibly gorgeous and every page is an absolute heartfelt work of art. How do you even make a picture so quietly adorable and sweet that you feel things just looking at it? It's magic, truly.

There’s not a lot of world building but honestly the comic doesn’t need it. All of the character designs were lovely, and as far as I can tell. This was also a tale of friendship and family, of adventures long gone, but present days being filled with good memories with a touch of spooky.

This story is a sweet fall paranormal romance. I appreciated the representation. However, I found the plot lacking. I would have appreciated more of a back story between the two main characters. We learn that they are rekindling a romance after being apart, but since we don't get much of their back story, it seems like instalove. I never really got into the storyline and some of the details were difficult to follow. Overall, it's an okay story that will probably appeal to readers looking for gender-inclusive stories.

one of the best graphic novels ive read this year. I love the art style and the story was easy to follow. a very quick read that pulled me out of my reading slump and I want more

I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

Nova is a witch who is hard of hearing who's best friend from childhood is a white werewolf named Tam. When Tam comes back in to Nova's life they bring love, and trouble along for the ride.

As you might have noticed Tam is non-binary preferring to use they/them pronouns. I bring this up only because I want to applaud it being done so well. Every character handles it with grace and embraces Tam and the person they are and it's really great to see.

Speaking of characters my favorites were Nova's Grandma's those two feisty ladies stole the show every time they are in the panel. They support Nova and Tam, teasing as grandma's do, but showering them both with love and support.

If you like a story about magic and LGBTQ love you will enjoy this story I guarantee it.

This is such a great manga!! Within the first few pages it gave me a Harry Potter vibe ! This will be an amazing series and I hope one day it will be transformed into an anime series! I will highly recommend this manga to anyone having Harry Potter , or even book withdrawal! I appreciate that this isn’t like your typical Japanese manga, it has a western feel to it which is great for anyone starting out with the manga world!!

This is such an adorable graphic novel that's just so full of heart and warm feels *heart eyes*

~All the casual diversity~

Nova, the main character is Chinese-American, queer and lives with her badass and super sweet grandmothers who are a couple. And they're a family of witches! Tam is Nova's non-binary Chinese-American werewolf crush from her childhood and ahhh they're just super adorable and cute. Nova also has a hearing disability so wears hearing aids and I love how the book totally acknowledges the trouble she has with them.

~Modern witchiness and magic~

Witches always seem to be a thing of epic fantasies so I was just super excited about seeing them in the modern world alongside all the technology and the conundrum of regular life. Nova's grandmothers run a bookshop that also sells witchcraft books, there are books that bite, archdemons, spell inventing, cute spirits in the forest and aslkgfllghkkk it's all just so cute!

~Female friendships and Supportive family relationships~

Nova and Tatyana have such a CUTE friendship. I love how Tat is a total science geek and keeps pretend-hating magic just to annoy Nova. I also love how she teases Nova and Tam, is totally supportive of Nova's feelings and thoughts and just AHHH <3
Also Nova has something of a big family and they are all just super supportive. Like every other family, they have their issues but all the family members are so full of love for each other.

~Adorable Illustrations~

The illustrations totally take the cake <3 I especially loved the cute spirits! The panels with them were so colourful and made me want to step right into the page.

Overall, a cute graphic novel that I didn't know I needed with witches, werewolves and a diverse cast