This is a super sweet story about love, family, and magic. All the art and colors are beautiful, and I loved the way the magic worked. Once I started reading, I couldn't put this book down. It's such a fun, sweet read.

grab a pumpkin spice latte with extra cinnamon, light an autumnal candle and cozy up in a cable-knit sweater to read this graphic novel. This book completely embodies the fall season to me. From the changing of the the leaves to the spookiness of the halloween season, this book has it all. It gave me all the warm and fuzzies and was even complete with a diverse cast of characters. I really enjoyed the time I spent in this world and anticipate great things from this author duo in the future.

If you like witches and dark magic, this is the graphic novel for you. Also, LGBTQ+ representation in this one. I am probably the minority in my 2 star rating.

I started hearing some good buzz about this little graphic novel after BEA, when a lot of people got advanced copies. So, when I saw that it was available to download right away on Netgalley, I snapped it up. I didn’t fall in love with it the way others have, but it is pretty cute and has some great representation, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Protagonist Nova wears hearing aids (I was never quite sure if she was fully Deaf or if she had moderate hearing problems), love interest Tam is non-binary, and both have Asian heritage (I don’t remember if a specific nationality was mentioned, though). Tam and Nova were best friends when they were kids, and when Tam comes back into Nova’s life, Nova and her grandmothers learn that Tam is non-binary in a very easy way – one of the grandmothers uses the wrong pronoun, Tam explains their identity, the grandmother apologizes, and everyone moves on. If only it were that easy in real life.

The main reason I didn’t love this magical graphic novel (Nova and her grandmothers are witches, Tam is a werewolf) is that I never really connected with it. I was confused by the magical system a bit, which means I never really connected with the central mystery. I thought all of the characters were fine, but I never really connected with them either – Tam and Nova’s relationship seemed a little insta-lovey at times. However, this is a short book, so it’s possible that the combination of a short story (about 250 pages) and all pictures instead of wordy prose are to blame for that.

I think this would be a great book for younger YA audiences (I even thought it was middle grade at first, but there’s a curse word or two and a sexual reference, so it’s definitely YA and not middle grade). I can see why so many people are charmed by this graphic novel – I was charmed by it, even though I never really connected with the story or characters. I’m curious to see what the author and illustrator come up with next, and I hope it has just as much desperately-needed representation.

I read this in just a night, that is how invested it kept me. As a non-binary person myself, seeing representation in these more mainstream titles make me so happy. I love how it wasn’t a made part of the story but it was nicely incorporated into the story nonetheless. The plot line was also so interesting and it kept me wanting to read to just know what was going to happen. The character development was also superb, which is always something I look for in the things I read. The cute art style was a plus!

A great read with action, love and finding one's identity. I love the diversity and acceptance this book conveys.

Interesting story with good, vibrant, and diverse characters (love the Nanas!) and a lovely art style. The story leaves open the possibility for continuations, so that's promising as well.

WOW!! This was incredibly adorable and definitely at the top of the list for my graphic novels read this year! The characters were unique, adorable, and extremely likable. Mooncakes is everything and more from what I was hoping it would be! I can't stress enough how much I loved this story, the art, and the concept of this book. Perfection. I love anything that includes cute witches and moons, and even baking. The cover alone for this accomplished all that. The content exceeded my expectations and I am beyond in love with this book. I can't wait to get a finished copy.

This is a review of an advance copy of Mooncakes I recieved from Netgalley.

There's one word that really sums up this book, and that is: CUTE.

The art is cute. The story is cute, The characters, the setting, etc. - all cute. And I don't mean cute in a derogatory way - I definitely enjoyed Mooncakes, both for it's cuteness and the other things it had going for it. This story isn't all sweetness and light - there's demons, kidnapping, an evil step-father, and the scariest thing of all (to me at least), disappointing your parents.

The story mainly focuses on Nova and Tam, two young people who were friends as kids and have now been brought back together by a magical crisis - namely, demons. They have to deal with that, plus typical teen problems; parental expectations, fitting in, and their own burgeoning romance. I think both Tam and Nova come through as fun but real, believable characters, and their romance is very sweet. There's also a nice focus on the secondary characters, who were my personal favourites, Nova's grandmas. They're both powerful, badass witches who get a chance to show off both their powers and their personalities in the book, and their support and love for Nova was clear and really comforting to read. They run a magical bookshop. which is a really fun idea that I loved.

In terms of representation, Mooncakes packs in a lot; both protagonists are queer, Tam is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, Nova is hard of hearing, and both are Chinese-American. What's good about Mooncakes though is that it makes Nova and Tam real characters instead of just a list of identities. Tam being nonbinary, for example, is far and away not the most important part of their story, and the same for Nova.

I think the only bad thing I could say about Mooncakes was that at the beginning the story felt a little rote, mixing in both YA tropes about teen romance and paranormal/urban fantasy tropes, but the plotline I thought was going to play out didn't end up happening and the story surprised me with a twist, so I think Mooncakes pulled it back. I was certainly left feeling happy and glad I'd read it, and really, what more can you ask for? This is a fun, inclusive, good story with nice art that also handles it's heavier themes well, and you can really feel the heart and love that it's creators put into it.

Thanks #NetGalley for the book #MoonCakes !!
This is my first ever book I got and I am pretty excited.
And rightfully so!
I loved this graphic novel so much!
I am new to magic system and fantasy reads but this one is simple to read and follow.

The art work gets better with the subsequent chapters. And woah! Who would have thought one of the characters would share my name?!
The chemistry between the characters is strong and all the characters are just too sweet.
What I loved the most was the 'nerd' talk right from the beginning. The dialogue bubbles are well put; the art sequences are well maintained. The cover rocks! Those who love manga will know what I mean.
The witches, the wolves, the magic and all the reading they did were like dream come true for a reader like me reading about them, seeing people like me doing exactly what I would do if I was in that world.
I dig the romance as well. It was subtle yet cute.
I love the ending. The action and the 'togetherness'!

I cannot wait to see the final copy with all the pages completely colourful!

Mooncakes was an enjoyable graphic novel to breeze through. I enjoyed the characters especially the grandmothers. The art style was enjoyable. I don't think the story went too deep but it was still entertaining.

Thanks for the opportunity to read Mooncakes on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival! This is a cute and fast paced graphic novel that focuses on a lot of themes like magic, werewolves, queer relationships, friendship, family dynamics and love. The illustrations are very beautiful and colorful. Def a fun read!

*Received via NetGalley for review*

Cute and sweet. I guess it's not quite finished yet -the coloring stop 3/4ths of the way through.

This was a really cute, sweet and different story than what I would normally read and I'm glad I moved away from my normal genres. I really enjoyed the magical and supernatural themes throughout the story, although I think they could have been fleshed out and explained a little bit more in-depth. I really enjoyed the characters of Nova and Tam and found their story of crushes turned to love very sweet and natural. The story flowed quite well and Nova's grandmothers were so fun, sassy and engaging. I think they really made this story. I found the spririts at the big ending fight a little confusing, and the only main negative I have is that I felt like we were dropped into a story without enough back-story or explanation to allow us as readers to really feel like we have a good understanding of what's going on with the plot and characters before launching into the story. It kind of felt like a second book, or a sequel to me. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it and found the illustrations really bright, fun and engaging.

This was cute as heck!
Firstly- the art style was absolutely gorgeous, the colour palette was soft and cute.I LOVED the illustrations of the little garden spirit animals, such the tea dragon society vibes!

The characters were precious lil' beans that I wanna protect with my life. PLEASE tell me we are getting a sequel/spin off/anything i'm desperate

The plot was the only thing I didn't really care about, it was quite predictable and not as enthralling. I just wanted to see more of the everyday life of the characters and the shenanigans they go on.

Overall, such a cute, queer story that I would definitely recommend you pick up when it releases!
4.5 stars

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

Mooncakes es la primera novela gráfica que leo en el año y vaya que no me decepciono en lo absoluto. El arte es super bonito, primero que nada, todas las ilustraciones, los colores, el diseño de los personajes hace que la lectura sea muy fácil y te la terminas en un abrir y cerrar de ojos. Como dato extra, en las escenas donde aparecen libros varios títulos conocidos pueden hacer un cameo *guiño, guiño*.

La historia es bastante sencilla; dos amigos de la infancia se reencuentran y algo más, una chispa que no estaba del todo apagada resurge entre ambos. Este es un libro lleno de personajes diversos pero la historia no va de esas diferencias. Ambos protagonistas son de origen chino-americano, ambos son parte la comunidad lgbt+ y ambos tienen poderes sobre naturales.

Los personajes en la historia fueron mi parte favorita. Nova es una cosita preciosa adorable y también lo es Tam. Me encantan. El romance es muy puro y aunque se desarrolla un poquito rápido, no se siente forzado. Debo admitir que mis personajes favoritos sin duda fueron las abuelas de Nova, ¿brujas dueñas de una librería? QUIERO TODO EL DÍA.

Creo que el único punto negativo es que la trama es demasiado sencilla y casi no se desarrolla, pero por lo que pude leer de la nota de autor, de eso se trata asi que no puedo quejarme demasiado (aunque no es como que tenga ganas de hacerlo, sinceramente)

En general creo que es una buena historia para pasar el rato y una muy buena adición a tu colección si te mola tener ediciones bonitas en tu librero.

This is so cute and heart-warming, while also including so many relevent and hard hitting themes.
There is non-binary rep, plus-size rep and disability rep. Now I cannot speak on behave of those who have experienced these themselves but I believe it was written in a beautiful yet not over powering way.
These aspects weren't the forefront of the book, they were just part of it.
There was also a key theme of grief throughout this graphic novel that was subtle yet heart wrenching.
Overall I adored this. I read it in one sitting and did not out it down.
OH also, the art style is BEAUTIFUL, this may be my favourite art style I've seen in a graphic novel...ever

Mooncakes was such a fun graphic novel! I loved the writing, stories, and those illustrations were absolutely beautiful!

The story was so easy to follow, which I really appreciated it. I also loved that the book, while short, did not feel rushed. There was a full story within these pages.

I am so excited for Mooncakes to be published. I can't wait to have this story on my bookshelf!

Rating 4 stars
This particular book had a really attractive cover and the moment I saw it I wanted to pick it up. I'd like to express my thanks to Net Galley and the publisher who sent me this copy. The illustrator and author, Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker have done a brilliant job. As one can see there is a representation of a witch and a werewolf in the form of girls, a happy representation of a light and cute read but with the extra aspect of supernatural and magic to give it the right amount of suspense.

The main characters in the story are Nova, who is a young, cheerful witch and lives with her grandmothers, and Tam, who is a werewolf, who also happens to be Nova's childhood friend and crush. This story shows the lesbian couple's romance quite extensively. It represents how the two realize what they missed while they were apart and how they loved each other still. Tam apparently came back to destroy a demon with her wolf magic but she isn't able to execute it to her best potential. Nova, her grandmothers and Tat who is Nova's bff helps her through with this.

The story goes on to venture whether Tam will be able to test her full wolf potential, or not? If she does succeed in her plans, will she stay with Nova or return back to her mom? Will Nova and Tam end up together?

Pros: enjoyable, cute, queer romance aptly represented, the illustrations are magnificient and the writing style very easy to read and relate with.

Cons- mooncakes the title seemed a little bit inappropriate as it had rarely anything to do with the storyline, rather than just a mention. Secondly, the reunion romance was a little bit absurd without more background.

In all, I found the story really cute and loved the magical elements which were present. The story really explained the struggle of finding oneself among the chaos of life and going for what you really want. The read isn't that time taking, its pleasant and enjoyable with a good amount of suspense. Finished it in one single sitting.

I had a fun time reading this. The artwork is amazing, it mesmerizes the reader.

This fantastic graphic novel tells the story of Nova, a witch who uses hearing-aids, and Tam, a non-binary werewolf. They see each other again after a long time and form a powerful bond together. They fight against demons and bad forces. The book focuses on family and love with a drop of magic.

The family bonds are adorable in this book. Nova’s grannies are badasses and they support Nova in everything.

I liked the relationship between Nova and Tam, but also the friendship between Nova and Tatyana. Tatyana was an awesome best friend.

However, I felt like not everything is explained properly. For example, Tam’s story is still blurry to me. The characters’ past could have been better explained so that the reader would feel attached to the characters. I had to check to see if this wasn’t actually a sequel. It’s not.

I enjoyed it very much, it was quick, but I can’t get over the part that some things in the characters’ story don’t add up to me. If I read about powerful women, I also want to see what made them like this.

The ending was not what I expected either. For those reasons, I’m giving this 3 out of 5 stars.