This was such a fun story. The artwork was beautiful and the relationship between Nova and Tam was adorable .

What an amazing graphic novel!

The artwork is EVERYTHING. The characters were remarkable and you just... fall in love with them! Not to mention the supernatural creatures that are included in this world, it's enchanting! Witches, werewolves, demons... you name it, it's here and it's ready to drag you in! The family dynamic between the characters was on point and I enjoyed it to the fullest.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I definitely recommend this for everyone! Please, read it!

Mooncakes was the first graphic novel I've ever read and I enjoyed it so much! It was an entertaining and cute story and the artwork was amazing as well. The characters were so unique and all of them were able to put a smile on my face. Perfect for Halloween and if you're in the mood for a magical and quick read!

*Many thank yous to Netgalley for the early copy!*

Review can also be found on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2982957462

NetGalley provided me an ebook for an honest review, thank you!

Such a cute book and I really enjoyed the artwork. The book is about a young witch and her non-binary werewolf friend. They try to solve a little mystery with demon and a cult. The overall themes about friendships, family, love and growing up were great.

4/5 stars

Let's start with talking about the artwork and the drawings in this graphic novel, because they are SO GOOD. I love the art-style and the coloring! They make the entire story feel very soft and safe, which is exactly the vibe I was hoping to get. Lots of soft colors like pink, yellow and green. I also love the way Wendy Xu drew the magic, both in small spells like changing one’s clothing and searching for something, and in the bigger spells (which I won't mention for fears of spoilers).

On to arguably the most important part of ordinary novels: the plot.
The plot was in my opinion nothing short of amazing. There is enough stuff happening to drive it forwards at the same time as it takes its time getting there. Mooncakes was an incredibly fast read, a little too fast for me. I wish we had been given more, but I understand the restriction. My E-arc had 259 pages from beginning to end, but I could easily have sat down to read well over 500 pages of this fluffy story.

The plot follows Nova and Tam as they both try to figure out who they are and who they want to become. The plot is built around this horse demon in the woods, which they have to try to somehow defeat. But the plot is also about Tam returning to a life they thought they had left behind, and about Nova struggling to find the courage to make a life of her own. The story is also heavily influenced by the role and ties of family and friends, both good and bad. I loved the story! I found the plot to be engaging and I think it ended in a very fitting way for this kind of novel. The only negative thing I have to say is that I wish we were given a bit more backstory on Nova and Tam, and that we got to see a bit more in the epilogue (unless there will be a sequel, which I am hoping for).

One thing worth noting about this graphic novel is the amount of representation it has. Both Nova and Tam are Chinese-American. Nova is disabled, she wears hearing aids and can't do without them. Tam identifies as non-binary, meaning their pronoun is "they". Nova's two grandmothers are in a F/F relationship.

This review is getting way too long, so in summary: this graphic novel is amazing! It has lots of representation, banter, magic, puns, teenage angst and mythical beings. I definitely recommend getting this! I'll probably buy a physical copy, just to have it for whenever I want to re-read this.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu is a very witchy autumnal graphic novel that is full of all sorts of good things. It begins with Tam’s perspective as they run in the forest as a wolf. Soon we switch to Nova, a young witch who lives with her Nanna’s (who own a witchy book store that I really wish was real). Nova’s BFF comes over and tells her about a white wolf who has been spotted near the woods. Naturally, Nova has to check it out, and runs into her best friend (and crush) who moved away a while ago. They quickly become good friends once again and enter into a relationship.

The art was very cozy and cute. The whole novel gave off such a cozy autumn vibe- it’s release in October will be very fitting. There were a lot of mistakes though. Some stuff would be so awkwardly drawn that it detracted away from the atmosphere of the scene and instead made it all feel goofy.

I liked it, but it wasn’t blowing my mind or anything. The queer, non-binary and disability representation was a-freakin-mazing, but that alone can’t carry the whole plot. Would I buy this for my own reading? No.

There will be a longer review on my blog.

This was so cute, well-thought and beautifully illustrated! But I really missed something. I had the feeling that I fell in the middle of a story and that I therefore missed a lot of background information. Because of that, it took me a while to get into the story and I couldn't enjoy the story as much as I wanted.

Tam and Nova were great characters and I loved to see that much diversity in a book. And the magic? I thought it was invented really well, but I needed a bit more information to enjoy the book more.

This is such a cute story about family (blood and found), friendship and love. The art is adorable, I loved the colours, very autumnal and cosy! I had expected a bit more depth maybe, a bit more back story for Tam and Nova, their relationship was too quick for me (I would have wanted to see them as kids when their feelings started to develop) but still it was really cute! I really appreciated the Asian rep and the very unexpected bit of Jewish rep! I also really liked the one of our main characters is non-binary but this is not the focus of the story, it's said once and the other characters simply accept it, and that's something we need more of! (3.5)

A non binary werewolf and a queer witch fight demons and fall in love!! This graphic novel was the most adorable thing ever! I loved all the characters and the relationships between them. It reminded me of charmed and Buffy. The artwork was also gorgeous. It was really great and I definitely recommend it. And it’s the perfect fall/Halloween read!

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

First thing first, this book has diversity for days! We got lesbian grandmas, non-binary werewolf and a hard-of-hearing character. I believe, also, that Nova's family were Chinese-American.
The art is so cute and totally made for fall. It's got some creepy, but comfy vibes! We have magic and witches galore, and we love that aesthetic. Also, Tam's puns gave me life!

As for the story, it was cute, but it felt kind of monotonous at times, it felt like I story I've read before (a bit cookie-cutter). I wish there had been more development between Nova and Tam... I know this is a graphic novel and that things are told in a different pace, but the two kiss far too quickly for my liking. I feel like story-wise this could be guided more towards middle grade than YA (which is not a bad thing).

I had fun reading it!

5 Stars

I received an e-arc from net galley for review. I absolutely loved this graphic novel, I can't wait to read the finished version since there are some black pages at the end. This story includes wide variety of diversity with deaf representation, a non binary character and a lesbian couple. Werewolves, witchery, cute romance, childhood friends reunited and a dark magical forest. I will most defintely be re-reading this around Halloween time.

Mooncakes is such a heartwarming witchy tale that is perfect for fall. It’s an inclusive tale about friendship, love, and finding your home. We’ve got non-bianary rep, we’ve got queer rep, we’ve got chinese-american rep, we’ve got deaf/hard-of-hearing rep, and that’s not to mention witches and werewolves. This graphic novel filled my heart up and delivered on the witchy vibes I need in the fall. Loved it! Super cute!

I don’t usually go for graphic story. But this one, I love the graphics. The story is nice.. The characters are cute,, even the grandmothers are presented great.. I love how they presented the grandmothers as cool, good old, understanding witches.. the relationships are done well..

Thank you Netgalley for the e copy

What I Liked:
This was a nice read with some great autumn/cozy/witchy vibes. It had good representation (Asian characters, a non binary character. a partially deaf character, even a character with a bird's head.) I was especially impressed that even the villain of the story used the correct pronouns for the non binary character.

What was a little weird:
I was a bit surprised that the two main characters were both out of high school. They seemed slightly younger to me (16 or 17.) Nova lived at home and worked at her grandmother's book store. The whole thing just really had a high school vibe.

What I wanted more of:
More backstory on the main characters. There was a little bit about their childhood together, but not much about them as individuals. There was a set of dead parents, how did that happen? How did they find out they were magical beings? What's the story with the lesbian grandmothers? I want to know!

Overall, enjoyable and I'm hoping for a second book.

This graphic novel has excellent representation that isn't the focal point of the story. The main characters experience and learn a lot about themselves, but their conflicts are rooted in something other then their sexual orientation or gender identity; the author does a fabulous job portraying the idea that these are permanent, unwavering parts of themselves...not parts they are unsure of or learning to accept. It was refreshing--I did wish we got a little more story behind Tam and behind the magic system.

3.5 stars

What a sweet graphic novel, reminiscent of Tea Dragon Society for a more teenage crowd. The story was straightforward and easy to follow with intricate worldbuilding and good character growth and understanding. The art is fantastic, especially the fantasy creatures, and what was colored was colored very well. A great offering for any fantasy or magic fans, perfect for the fall season!

It's safe to say this lived up to the hype!

This was fun, magical, inclusive and super queer - pretty much everything I look for in a book. I adored the characters and their wholesomeness, and was fascinated by the world. I'm really hoping to read about it some more!

My only SLIGHT issue was that the ending/resolution part seemed a little rushed after all the build up; it was a little anti-climatic.

The artwork, however, was STUNNING enough that I wasn't even that mad, and I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience.

*Thank you to the author and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

A sweet and heart-warming graphic novel - a quick supernatural story to read during the autumnal season, with lovely artwork and LGBT positivity.

Such a cute graphic novel! I haven't read anything quite like this ever before.
Nova and Tam are such heartwarming characters, the nana's are like the sweetest ever and Tat is a great friend. I really loved exploring the relationships in this book, they're just so well done.
The art-style was pretty nice, it just gave me a huge middle-grad / high school vibe, even though that's not the age the main characters are. This whole book just screams 'FALL', with all the cute colours, the witchcraft, the lots of tea and coffee - I can't wait to re-read this while being cozily wrapped into a blanket.
Plus, this novel has soo much representation: We have a non-binary character, a main-character with kind-of disability (hearing problems) and lesbian grandmothers.
I can't say it often enough: It's so freaking cute! And it also deals with a lot of important topics, so make sure to read it. Also, all this magical and mystical stuff just makes me so hyped for halloween and the spooky season.
Soo, whether you are ready for fall and halloween or not, you should definitely give this adorable story a Go!

Mooncakes is a cute and sweet magical graphic novel about a hearing-aid-wearing witch named Nova and her non-binary childhood werewolf friend, Tam. I loved the representation in this and the illustrations were super adorable. The relationships, both romantic and familial, were great. I feel like the demon and cult plot points were a bit underdeveloped and slightly rushed. Also, from the cover and title I thought there would be more baking. Overall, it was a fun read.