I thought this was an ADORABLE graphic novel with some solid story beats and representation! I'm really looking forward to Wendy's future projects in particular - the art for this book was lovely.

3,5 stars!
This was adorable! I loved the writing style and artwork.
The diversity was a breath of fresh air! It’s lovely to see myself represented in YA.
In terms of the plot, I found it to be a bit too fast-paced for my liking and the ending, predictable. I was hoping for more character development or flashbacks between Nova and Tam.
Overall, it was a heartwarming read. Perfect if you need a pick-me-up!

I’ve been wanting to read this since I first heard about it back in July, and it exceeded all my expectations. This graphic novel follows a young teenage witch called Nova, and a non-binary werewolf called Tam, who reconnect after some time apart and rekindle their friendship and explore long suppressed feelings. The main plot follows their quest to destroy a demon horse that is loose in the woods, with the help of Nova’s grandmas and other surprise characters.

First of all, I absolutely loved the characters. The diversity and representation were fantastic and all of the main characters were so loveable. I actually didn’t know much about the plot going into it and it was definitely more action packed than I anticipated. I also really loved the subtle references to other books (A Game of Thrones and The Astonishing Colour of After) as it gave a story rich in magic a realistic element. The art style was stunning and the colours really gave it a cosy autumn feel.

If, like me, your idea of a perfect Halloween is curling up with a good book, I definitely recommend this one as it is absolutely perfect for a cosy, spooky read.

Mooncakes is a beautiful, whimsical graphic novel about two childhood best friends reuniting to fight the mysterious demons plaguing their town. I was immediately attracted to the idea of a witch and a werewolf in a childhood-friends-to-lovers trope. And let me tell you, this graphic novel was exactly what I hoped it would be.

The diversity in this story was amazing. Nova and Tam are both queer and Chinese-American. Tam uses they/them pronouns and corrects people who get it wrong. I loved that most characters would apologize and from then on use Tam's correct pronouns. Nova is also hard of hearing and her hearing aids are an important part of her character. She adapts to even use them with her magic. Another little bit of representation that I adored was that Nova's friend Tatyana looks like a bigger girl... I'm not sure if Walker and Xu intended for her to be plus sized, but as a plus sized reader I was really happy to see that Tat wasn't an average body size/shape.

I also loved the art. It was beautifully drawn and colored. The magic popped and was creative, and I especially loved how all the magic spirits were drawn. The world was so amazing, that I was almost a little let down by it too. That's my only complaint really, that there wasn't just a little more world building to explain some of parts of the story.

At its heart this story is about found family and not having to face your battles alone. I loved how as Nova and Tam's relationship grew and they became more comfortable with each other, Tam started to open up to everyone else. It was nice to watch as Tam realized that they were part of the family, and that not only Nova, but The Nanas and Tatyana, loved them and wouldn't want anything to happen to them.

This graphic novel truly is a story of love and demons, family and witchcraft. It's very adorable, a little bit creepy, and one hundred percent heartwarming. I highly recommend picking it up this autumn.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-copy for an honest review!

Mooncakes is a graphic novel about two magical people who must fight a spiritual creature all the while navigating a budding new romance.
This book was SO STINKING CUTE!
I really enjoyed the relationship dynamics and how welcoming it was not non-binary folk. I also was super stoked to see the inclusion of hearing aids, because I have yet to see that in a graphic novel.
I was sad there was not more discussion of Mooncakes as the title suggested their would be, but the magic made up for it.
The woodland creatures are my absolute favorite thing.
I high recommend this graphic novel for all my witch loving friends.

This is everything I've ever wanted in a graphic novel. It's super cute with very diverse characters, and of course we cant forget about the magical animals! The magic is so pretty and I loved the storyline! Overall, I just loved it!

This was such a spontaneous read and after hearing great things about it I had to check it out! What a wonderful read. Honestly, the illustrations took my breath away with their colour and their creativity. It touches on themes that aren’t usually seen in YA/graphic novels which is amazing to see as it should be a normality that gender issues are addressed and spoken about freely. This definitely fits in to the fall vibe of graphic novels and with Halloween coming up, it is being released at just the right time! I loved this.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Super cute graphic novel. Mooncakes does a great job of balancing the supernatural, love and a whodunit. The artwork and story work so well together and it is a very enjoyable quick read! Recommended!

Mooncakes is a delightful story of a witch, Nova, and a werewolf, Tam, reuniting after years apart. Tam and Nova were close friends before Tam's family moved away. Now Tam is back, with a demon on their tail. Tam is nonbinary, Nova uses hearing aides, and Nova lives with her grandmothers. The Mooncakes from the title are to celebrate the mid Autumn festival, celebrated alongside Sukkot by Nova's family. The art is fetching, but the review copy lost color near the climax of the story.

This story was so cute and so fun to read! I feel like it’s a perfect read to pick up during fall/halloween time! I absolutely loved it!

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker:

“A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.
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.
One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.
Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.”

“Home is where you are, okay?”
★★★★★

This is the first graphic novel I’ve ever read and I was amazed. Besides the great drawing of characters and scenes this story is lovable.
It doesn’t need to be written to let you know how the characters are feeling or thinking. While I was reading, I could notice the different emotions and points of view of each character just by the dialogue and the expression of their faces. That was a whole new experience in reading for me.
The story, for me was unique, It has diverse characters that deal with disabilities, orphanage, relationship with step-parents, and the main characters belong to the LGTB+ community. It had funny and unexpected moments, but in the world it made sense. The plot was clear and and the story unfolds so does the characters. In that way the characters become likable and relatable even in the most bizarre situations.
It wasn’t predictable at all. It had little twists that made the characters evolve and helps the reader figure out a bit about the past of each character
I honestly liked this story a lot and it would be magnificent to read more about this amazing cast and world. Recommended for middle grades and teens.

Thank you #NetGalley and #SuzanneWalker for this #MoonCakes ARC. This graphic book is so adorably illustrated and the storyline is written quite well. I would recommend this to anyone who loves witchy-vibes and graphic books.

This is a very cute read with wonderful representation and fun magic. There’s a sort of blurry aspect to the art that I liked because it added whimsy movement to the characters and objects. (The mouths are drawn in a super weird, genuinely distracting way, though.) The colors were lovely and I want to live in Nova’s house. She also has super cute clothes, so major style points to her!

I’m not a huge fan of the writing. The plot was somehow both very basic and convoluted at the same time. The dialogue made me cringe several times, like when a character references Game of Thrones (which took me way out of the story) and when a hard of hearing character uses ableist language.

The story itself is basic enough to read as middle-grade while the romance amps it up to feel a little older. This might be perfect for the reader right in the sweet spot between middle-grade and YA. Mooncakes will be a great pick for those kids, because it’s a sweet, cozy read and beautifully diverse.

thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book is such a good autumnal read!! I love the aesthetic of this comic and it has really cozy vibes, the characters are all lovely. I gotta be honest the story it self didn’t do muchhhhh for me but it was still pretty cool and a different read that what I’m used to since I usually don’t read comic books.

This adorable graphic novel follows Nova, a teenage witch, and her childhood friend, Tam (who happens to be a werewolf) as they reconnect and navigate family, friendship, and stopping a demon horse in the woods.

Overall, I really enjoyed Mooncakes! The best aspect of this story is definitely the diverse cast of characters. Nova is queer and hard-of-hearing and Tam is nonbinary. They are both Chinese-American and Nova has two adorable grandmothers. The romance between Nova and Tam is very sweet and you can see how much they care for each other.

In addition, the art is beautiful and I really appreciated the colors, which scream autumn. The cats and spirit animals were especially adorable! I loved their facial expressions and their role in the story. I also got some Princess Mononoke vibes because of the pretty white wolf and the demon in the woods.

I wish there had been a bit more explanation about the final events in the forest because it felt a bit rushed, but other than that everything was paced well. Readers who like magic, fall vibes, a diverse character cast, and beautiful illustrations should give Mooncakes a try! 🎃🔮🍁

Thank you to Netgalley and Lion Forge for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Mooncakes was an adorable graphic novel about queer witches and werewolves, being in love and fighting demons. Nova and Tam we’re both wonderful characters which nice little character arcs who you rooted for the entire time you were reading. There romance was incredibly sweet and gave a voice to disabled and non-binary people who you don’t normally see represented much or at all in romance or fantasy fiction, which was fantastic!

I’d highly recommend mooncakes to anyone looking for a short and sweet, inclusive fantasy graphic novel!

I was lucky to receive an e-arch of Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker from Netgalley. This is a graphic novel about love, loyalty, friendship, magic, and so much more. The relationships made me smile and the art was absolutely beautiful. This is the perfect read for any occasion.

If you are in the mood from a cute, atmospheric story for October this is a good book to turn to!
The illustrations are what drew me to this book. The colors are soft and inviting, the scenery is so detailed, and the character designs gave subtle hints to who they are. I look forward to seeing the finished product, as I am sure it will be breathtaking!
I enjoyed the characters, especially the grandmothers. I would have liked to see the characters developed more rather than be told about how they changed.
The premise is lighthearted and fun, but I would have preferred more backstory about Tam and Nova.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy.

When I first saw this graphic novel pop up I was immediately drawn to the cute cover, which gave me a lot of autumn vibes. It turned out to be a fun and cute story, with most of all a lovely cast of characters. There is a lot of diversity here, with some of the characters being Chinese-American, a deaf/hard of hearing character, a non-binary character and two queer relationships. I loved seeing how the characters were obviously queer but it was not treated as something that stood out from the norm. The plot itself was a lot like other supernatural stories I have read and I would have liked to see a bit more world-building, but this was still very enjoyable due to the character interactions, the beautiful artwork and just the general cozy vibes!

Loved this title. Xu's artwork is enjoyable, and the plot, while a common 'save the world/town from evil', still held my interest. Definitely a good title to recommend to teens when fall hits!