*I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

“Mooncakes” was such a sweet, enchanting story full of diversity! Seriously, I couldn’t stop smiling as I read it, charmed by its magic and characters. I thought, as I went from page to page, of the first Harry Potter book, of worlds’ where magic is wondrous and so intrinsic to the characters’ every day.

The story follows Nova and Tam, two Chinese-American childhood friends, as they reconnect in the dawn of adulthood. Nova, a witch, is hard-of-hearing and queer; Tam, a werewolf, is non-binary. After stumbling upon a demon in the woods, the two friends must work together to solve its mysteries. While they do, their feelings for each other —unexplored when younger— flare again. Like everything else, the romance is sweet and soft.

Though the relationship between the protagonists is at the heart of the story, the characters around them are just as important. Nova’s grandmothers, her best friend, her whole family… They all play an important role. The grandmothers, in particular, were such a lovely touch: funny, strong and incredibly kind. Oftentimes, fantasy recurs to teens and children being alone, ignored or disregarded by the grownups in the story. “Mooncakes” fully subverts this trope; it is a much a story about families, born into or chosen, as it is about werewolves and witches. More importantly, it’s a story about facing our demons with the help of those around us, and not alone.

The art style was delightful, too! I loved the visual variety and the characters’ designs. I’ve never been to New England, never been outside my little tropical island where every season feels and looks the same, but the novel made me yearn to visit the story’s setting during the fall. The coloring screamed autumn, and every panel felt warmth and welcoming, drawn with care and attention.

Final Rating: 3.75 Stars

Witches, werewolves, and magical creatures? Check.
Non-binary representation? Check.
LGBTQIA+ representation? Check.
Disability representation? Check.
A story about an adorable friendship that leads to romance? Check.
Kick-butt grandmas? Double check.

This was a fun and fast-paced read that I recommend to anyone who is looking for a great graphic novel to devour.

What a great book! It reminded me of Practical Magic but in graphic novel and YA form. Full of witchy women main characters- what else could you ask for! I loved the story line and the illustrations were great. Definitely recommend. Perfect fall read.

Cute drawing and lovely story with diverse cast that represents Asian Americans and people with hearing impairment. I enjoy reading it.

Mooncakes is going to be a comfort read, for sure! This adorable graphic novel features all of my favorite things - beautiful art, fully developed characters, magical elements, and a compelling storyline. Speaking of characters - the main protagonists are: Nova, who is Chinese-American, hard of hearing, and a witch; and Tam, a nonbinary, Chinese-American werewolf (they/them pronouns). It also features Nova's witch grandmothers and her best friend Tat, so the story filled to the brim with wonderful, supportive women side characters that are trying to solve a central mystery. During a family gathering, a sukkah and mooncakes are both featured, which is the first time that I've seen Jewish-Asian representation in a graphic novel so far. The coloring wasn't complete in the eARC I received, but all the more reason for me to buy this when it comes out and share it with friends. Thanks to NetGalley for providing this eARC, a wholesome queer story that fills the whole in my heart left by Teen Wolf and never fulfilled by the darkness of the new Sabrina.

3.5

What a quick read! This book is packed full of so much diversity and a wonderful witchy aesthetic. Now I’m wishing for Autumn and Halloween like crazy!

Read this if you appreciate feminine stories, diversity in stories, or even just really soft, fluffy stories. I really liked the resolution with “the monster” and I hope to see more books, movies, and shows take this feminine angle instead of what we’ve come to expect from media.

I didn’t see any real problems with this book, but I felt I would’ve enjoyed it more if it had been less fluffy. I understand that this is a very personal take, but I just find more enjoyment from angsty stories rather than fluffy ones. Honestly, this is actually a point in the Mooncakes favor for most readers, so it’s not really a bad thing. It’s just my way of explaining the less than perfect rating.

There's so much to love about this graphic novel! It's about witches and werewolves, first love and belonging, ghost parents, and non-binary, queer Asian characters. It's pretty much everything I ever wanted in a graphic novel, plus mooncakes! Mmm, mooncakes.

Nova and Tam are both great, well-developed protagonists. Their struggles feel compelling and real, and I love the supportive background of Nova's grandmothers, both powerful witches. I also love the scenes between Nova and her deceased parents. They're tinged with longing, love, and hope, hitting all the right notes.

All in all, I thought Mooncakes was great, and would love sequels about Nova and Tam's future adventures!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. Mooncakes will be published on October 15th.

This graphic novel was just perfect! It is a fantasy/paranormal with witches, werewolves and demons that has queer characters, a character who is nonbinary, pretty and colorful art style, fun story and an adorable romance. I loved it!
Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I got an advanced copy of this which is set to be released in October 2019. Because of that the last hundred pages or so hadn't yet been coloured in but it still had detailed illustrations.

This was everything I wanted it to be. A cute witch themed graphic novel that included a character with a disability, a non-binary character, and two gay grandmas. What more can you want. The illustrations were beautiful and showed off this magnificent world. I loved how accepting the characters are. When Tam, our non-binary character, explained that they used the them/their pronouns no one slipped up or acted shocked. They simply just accepted it which is something that we need in this day and age.

The relationship that flourished over this felt a bit rushed but that's probably due to the lack of the backstory between Nova and Tam. A few added details here and there, maybe talking in depth about their respective crushes back in the day, would have made it feel a bit less rushed. But I still adore those two together.

Nova being deaf was a wonderful addition, and I especially loved that she used this as a part of her magic. It didn't limit her in any way, the only minor inconvenience being the phone at the start. As a protagonist she was lovely to read about and it truly humanises a day to day disability that affects so many people.

The plot overall was interesting. Yet like the aforementioned romance felt a tad rushed. It all just sort of happened and, in my opinion, I could have done with a little more intrigue rather than everything just conveniently happing there and then. But the premise, however, was incredibly interesting. I just wished it had been spread out over a few more chapters.

If anything, I'd just like to know a little bit more about the side characters. Who they are and what happened to them. They were all so wonderfully illustrated that I just felt the need for something else to grip onto when it came to them.

However, as a whole, this is incredibly charming and I'd be interested to find out the little tweaks before this is released to the general public. It was heartwarming, inclusive, and simply adorable!

This graphic novel was adorable - I read a digital copy via NetGalley, and will definitely pick up the finished copy when it's out later this year.

Nova is a young, hard of hearing witch living with her and apprenticing for her grandmothers. She is told about a white wolf roaming the woods near her house, and while investigating discovers that the wolf is actually her childhood best friend Tam.

Then the cuteness but also the witchy shenanigans start and there is a lot of spell craft and soul searching to do. Plus super cute animals!

Rep - both main characters are Chinese American, Nova is hard of hearing and uses hearing aids and Tam is non-binary.

4.5 stars

A D O R A B L E

I love Wendy Xu's art, I follow her on Twitter. I find that she's always a delight, and this was just as delightful as she is. I want to get a physical copy!

Wooow, that's an awesome trip. Werewolf + witches, want more? Queer characters, one of them non-binary and the other one has a hearing disability. Asian-american characters! Magical environment and creatures, and an amazing artwork. Colorful and very interesting plot. The power of love and friendship to the max. We could easy compare the villain on the book being the evil in the world. I highly recomment it and I will definietely check other books written by them (Suzanne and Wendy)

This was as utterly adorable as I had hoped it would be. The illustration style is cute as heck, the colour palette is super satisfying, and the text is wonderfully clear to read.
I'd absolutely be interested in more from this world, the Nanas in particular!

[This eARC was given to me via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

One of my reading goals for 2019 was to read more graphic novels and I am so very grateful that Mooncakes was one of them. It is a story about love, family, and magic, which are basically all the things I need in life. I loved this one so much!

A (Queer, Chinese-American) Paranormal Romance

One night, a girl goes into the forest following up on reports of a white wolf being spotted there, only to end up fighting a horse demon and finding out that the wolf if her childhood crush. The two, with the help of two very cute grandmas, search for a way to destroy the horse demon and uncover a secret cult determined to harness werewolf magic to use for themselves.

There are two main characters in this story who are both Chinese-American. Nova Huang is a witch who is hard of hearing. She lives with her two Nanas (AKA the cutest grandmas ever!!) and works with them in their book store. Tam Lang is a nonbinary werewolf who has recently left their family because they weren’t very nice to them.

On top of the magical elements, this story is about self-discovery and being who you truly want to be. Nova and Tam rekindle the feelings they once had for each other. They both must overcome the hurt they both have from their parents, and even though the situations are different, they are there for each through the hurt and the magic.

Overall, I had a huge smile on my face the entire time I was reading this one. It was beautiful, powerful, and magical in every way. When Tam notices Nova changed her hearing aid color, my heart was so happy. And don’t get me started on the queer Nanas, I loved them so much and their witty banter. I can’t wait to see what Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu have in store for us next.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC.

I gave this a five stars. I really loved it and I plan on getting a finished copy. I loved the relationships in this. And how a hard ship brought the two of them together. I absolutely recommended this. I also liked the rep in this book too.

This was a magical story, for so many fantastic reasons. I’ve been wanting to read this since my friends brought it to my attention and I’m so glad I got early access to it through NetGalley.
The representation in this book is amazing and it adds so much depth to the story. I’m so glad we’re moving more rapidly into a time where representation is more present in our literature, we still have a long way to go, but this is start. The art and illustration is so cute and makes my heart warm, it’s a perfectly contained story but I would love to see more in this world. I love all the different characters present, the grandmas are loving and kind and parental relationships are complicated but there’s growth throughout the story. The relationships and friendships in here are a beautiful example for youth to look at, healthy relationships that may inspire them.
I truly loved this book!

This graphic novel is one of the cutest stories I have read in a long time. The art style is beautiful, colorful, and captures the story perfectly. The banter is funny and light hearted with underlining deep issues that people go through on daily basis. The story follows a bi-sexual witch named Nova, who needs to use hearing aids, and a nonbinary (she-they) werewolf named Tam. They both face hardships and overcome them together. Tam has just returned tp their home town in search of a way to destroy a demon that a cult group wants to use to posses them. As Tam and Nova work together to figure out how Tam's wolf magic works, they admit their feelings to each other and find out that they can do anything as long as they are together.

I have been following Mooncakes since it was being published as a webcomic on tumblr and I'm so happy to see it coming into print.

Mooncakes is a queer, sweet, heartfelt, handwritten love letter to love, friendship and families whether they be the family you were born with or the family you choose along the way. The cast of characters is diverse and rendered with such tenderness that you want to hug everyone. Nova is a witch carefully finding her footing in a world that has been hard for her. Raised by her grandmothers, she begins the comic searching for purpose and direction. Enter long-time friend and crush Tam, a werewolf, who comes back in to her life with a problem that takes a village to solve. With everyone working together, they fight to protect their homes both literally and metaphorically speaking. The end result is something so pure and wonderful and I cannot recommend it enough.

The art style is lovely, full of muted Fall colors and evokes the same sweet sentiment of the story itself, creating a truly complementary experience overall. The level of detail is impressive, every panel is designed with balance and symmetry, nothing overwhelming any of the story notes, and with an aesthetic that is truly pleasing to the eye.

I specifically applaud the genderqueer representation and perfectly executed acceptance without hesitation or question of Tam Lang in all their magical brilliance. If you like stories about discovering who you are and what you could be, sweet, soft romances, and a touch of magic, you will love this.

Absolutely loved this! The story was a wonderful quick read and the illustration style was gorgeous. All in all this book left me craving more in the best possible way!

I don’t really read a lot of graphic novels so I wasn’t too sure how I would like this one. The story was good and the artwork was really beautiful. I really enjoyed the characters and how much diversity was included here. Both MCs are Chinese - American, we have queer characters including Tam being non-binary, and disability rep because Nova is hard of hearing. Honestly, there is a lot of good here!

What I guess I had trouble with was the pacing of the story. There were quite a few times where it felt as if I was missing something or was reading the second book in a series. I constantly felt like I was missing something. To add to that, even though the relationship between Nova and Tam was really cute, It did seem like they became a couple really fast. One minute they are childhood crushes and then, BAM! They are in a relationship.

While I did have trouble with the pacing, this graphic novel does have a lot of good in it. The artwork was good and there is so much diversity. I think that so many people will love this when it released later this year!