My Thoughts:
I've been wanting to read more graphic novels this year. It's something that I love to do, but don't do very often for whatever reason. I heard quite a few people on booktube talk about how good Mooncakes is so I decided to check it out. Unfortunately, I ended up not enjoying it as much as I had hoped I would.

Mooncakes had so much potential. The graphic novel is full of things I usually love reading about, such as witches, shifters, and LGBTQ+ characters. Unfortunately, the story fell flat for me. Throughout reading the graphic novel, I was confused because parts of it didn't seem to make sense. It almost felt like there was another book in the series that came before it that I should have read. However, when looking on Goodreads, it appears to be the only book in the series. There were references to things that had happened to the characters previously and inside jokes between them that I didn't get at all.

The other thing that I didn't like about Mooncakes was that the main characters didn't have distinct personalities. They were just cookie cutter and plain. Other than their physical abilities, there was nothing to make them stand out from other characters in the graphic novel, or characters I had read about in other books. In fact, I had to go slow and keep looking at the art work to remember which character was which because their personalities were so similar. I had to backtrack several time in the story line because I kept getting them confused.

I really wanted to love Mooncakes. It has all of the elements that I usually love in a story line. However, this graphic novel just wasn't for me. I found it confusing, and hard to distinguish between the characters. I would like to give this author another try in the future though because I know a lot of people that did love this graphic novel.

I give Mooncakes: 2/5.

Y’all. I’ve been following the artist, Wendy Xu, on Twitter for ages. Then I saw her promote Mooncakes and I was THROUGH THE ROOF.

Queer, beautifully written and drawn, and such a cute story! This one is entering the Hall of Favorites for sure.

It’s got magical elements, a nonbinary character, and FOOD. What’s not to love?

Sure, the ending felt a little rushed, but graphic novels tend to read quick anyway so I wasn’t too bothered by it. Regardless, whatever Wendy and Suzanne have planned next, count me in.

I adored this graphic novel! I not only loved our two main characters and how cute they were together but I also loved the family dynamic. The characters in this graphic novel felt real and were easy to relate too. The diversity and representation within is truly one of the books shining moments! The art style and colour pallet were so amazingly put together. There is not a flaw in this graphic novel for me. Its a 5 out of 5! Such a cute and very autumnal read! I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!


*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *

This was such a quick, fun read and I can't wait to get my hands on a full color copy! This is one that I really want to buy for my friends because I really think they would love it.

This was just one of the most goshdarned sweetest graphic novels I've ever read! I was absolutely enchanted from the first page, and I didn't want to let go when it was done.

There is so much great representation in this graphic novel (Chinese, deaf, queer, non-binary), not to mention magic, cats, a bookstore, supernatural creatures, and just about the cutest relationships ever! There is some unexplained magic/elements that characters just shrug off, so don't expect explanations for everything -- but it's still such a fun and cute story! I wish there was a sequel because I absolutely love Nova and Tam.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu is a graphic novel for young adults. It is 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.

Mooncakes grabbed my attention quickly and kept it. Nova is a sweet girl, honest and a bit reserved except for those she is close to. Tam is clearly struggling with family issues and I enjoyed seeing them reconnect with Nova and found their personal strength. Their battle together against a demon was very well done, and I had trouble stepping away from the book when I had to. The conflict and resolution was well written, and I would be happy to see Tam and Nova's story continue on. I thought the art work captured the mood, emotion, and themes of the book quite well. It was visually attractive and added to the story consistently. I also like how simply and honestly all of the relationships are handled. No one makes a big deal out of pronoun choice or who anyone love- because it should not be a big deal. I wish this level of simple acceptance was more prevalent in the real world. I also love that none of the relationship aspects were played up as a qimick- which happens was too often. It was just pure and organic.

Mooncakes is a lovely graphic novel that kept me interested and engaged for the entire read. My only disappointment is that I had a digital copy rather than a paper copy because I really wanted to get a closer look at some of the pages without the distortion that comes from zooming in on a digital page.

What I like about this book: the number of things that are included without becoming issues. One of the protagonists is hearing impaired. It's an element, sure. It affects her awareness of the world around her and her relationship with her peers. But it's just a single aspect of her character rather than THE thing that defines her. The other protagonist is non-binary. Again, addressed but not all they are. It must be addressed as it informs the character and their decision making. So these things are deftly handled and certainly present, but ultimately this is a book more about the use and misuse of magic rather than "issues".

A sweet, enjoyable story of a teen witch, Nova, and her childhood friend, Tam, who is a werewolf. Together with Nova's grandmothers and a non-magical childhood friend, plus some help from local forest spirits, they fight to banish a demon and bring the cult that summoned it to justice. The story is a little uneven in places, but is heartwarming and omigosh so inclusive! Nova and Tam are Chinese-American, Nova and the grandmothers are queer, Tam is non-binary, and Nova is hearing impaired and wears hearing aids. If I had a complaint, it would be that there was never much of a feeling of urgency or menace, even once the villain is revealed and the cult tries to complete their mission with the demon- there wasn't a feeling of would the good guys save the day, there was just the feeling of when would it happen. Not a big complaint, just a bit Scooby Doo ha! The artwork was lovely, the illustrations had lots of fun detail to find, such as real life book covers in the book shop, Tam's fangs occasionally peeking out, and the kitties getting into mischief in the background. This is a great fall (or any time) read, cozy and warm and very feel-good :)

#Mooncakes #NetGalley

This was such a cute graphic novel! It's about a queer hard-of-hearing witch and a non-binary (they/them) werewolf, both of whom are Chinese-American. And also ... friends to lovers relationship! One of my favourite tropes!

I really appreciated how diverse the graphic novel is: not only are the two main characters diverse, but also Nova (one of the main characters) grandmothers are in a relationship! So gorgeous! I personally love witch stories, and I really loved how their magic was infused with nature. Also the art was quite beautiful, I really enjoyed the bright colours.

I highly recommend this graphic novel if you're looking for something sweet, queer, and fun!

"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."

I wish I could tell you more about this delightfully looking book but it is yet another one that mysteriously disappeared off NetGalley before the date it was scheduled to...

Mooncakes was a real heart-warmer. Reading it during Fall, especially Halloween season is a must, but I would pick this graphic novel up again and again any time. It was beautifully diverse with two queer Chinese-American main characters, one of which is a deaf witch being raised by her queer Grandmothers, and the other a nonbinary werewolf. And OHHHH, the childhood friends-to-lovers aspect of the story is just so sweet, natural and WHOLESOME to its core. Also, the representation of good witches using their craft to protect others in harmony with nature is simply beautiful to see! And Wendy Xu's art is fabulous and adorable! I give this a 5 out of 5 swooning stars!!!

Nice story with diverse characters. It could have used a bit more set-up in some places. It moved too fast.

Adorable. Warm and fun with lots of witchy goodness. The romance is soft and sweet and it's nice to see more non-binary characters showing up as leads, instead of just around the edges.

Nova had lost her parents was now livinf=g with her two grandmothers. She worked in their grandmother's book store. The books they have help with spell research and work. The collect rare spell books. Tam is a non-bionary werewolf who grew up with Nova. Nova and her grandmothers are queer witches and Nova has a severe loss of hearing and wears hearing aids. Tam has left his family because they weren’t very good to him. Nova and Tam are both in pain because of the parents but for very different reasons. Nova hasn’t gotten over losing her parents yet. The witches also help with issues in the neighborhood from supernaturals. Nova goes to the forest and sees a white wolf fighting a horse demon. She then finds out it is her old best friend and HS crush that was fighting the demon. Also she learns he needs help and wants to help.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the plot a lot. It was a sweet, quick, easy reading graphic novel. I loved the illustrations in this. I liked the author bringing in the disability of loss of hearing. I loved the action. I wish there hadn’t been insta/love and gave our characters more time to fall in love. This did drag for me but I did finish the novel. I really liked that Nova was there for Tam. I liked the family values in this book a lot. I liked the characters and the ins and outs of this graphic novel and I recommend it.

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I feel like I would have read this novel regardless. What first attracted to me was the cover. It was beautiful and simple at the same time. And I also love anything to do with supernatural. Witches being one of my favorites. It would be a really great graphic novel to read during the Halloween/Fall season. The illustrations were really beautiful and whimsical, and I fell in love with the little animals from the forest.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, even though it can be a little slow I found myself not being able to put the book down. The story follows Nova who is a young witch and her friend Tam who is a werewolf, as they try to stop a demon from destroying their town. The LGBT representation was beautifully done, I loved Nova and Tams relationship and how supportive they were of each other. I also enjoyed that the novel included a non-binary character and as well as had disability representation.

Captivating story about a werewolf and a witch, who just happen to be nonbinary and queer respectively.
The illustrations are adorable and create this dazzling haze around the story - it makes me thing of fall and cozy things.
There was so much diversity in this, with Nova being hard-of-hearing and both of them being Chinese-American.
I always spending time in someone else's shoes and this was phenomenal.

This is a short but sweet comic following a queer witch living with her two grandmothers and reconnecting with her non-binary werewolf childhood friend, all while battling a monster in the forest. The art-style is cute, the atmosphere very autumnal, and of course has some excellent representation. It was a quick and fun read, though I could have done with more gradual development of the relationships, as it all felt very rushed. There was nothing in the plot that I didn’t see coming but I felt I knew what I was getting into before starting so this wasn’t disappointing in the least.

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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

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This was a very cute, sweet and heartwarming read.

Most important aspect for me: the amazing representation in this graphic novel is a great factor that I enjoyed enormously!
The main characters: Nova is a Chinese-American, queer girl. She has two loving grandmothers which are in a relationship (and the sweetest thing ever!). Tam is a werewolf, also Chinese-American, who is non-binary - and all those aspects are intertwined with the rest of the novel in a great way.

Nowadays, every author seems to want to be part of it and some of them try really hard and push those aspects into the story, without them adding anything to the plot at all or having a real big contribution to the story. Here, I really think that the aspects were added in a very believable way, they totally made sense for the story and while somehow always being in focus, they didn't seem pushy, but... just.. kind of a normal part of the world, which is exactly how it is and is always supposed to be, in the end.

Further, the elements of acceptance and self-discovery are great to see. They give you this heart-warming feeling that you really need during the stormy autumn nights. The romance and magical aspects are there for you to lift your spirits, bring some sparkle into your everyday and make everything look good again, if you're not having one of your best days.

The plot itself was a bit weak. I didn't experience any surprises. From the moment of reading the description, I already could predict what would happen. As I'm not the biggest fan of romance usually, I found some elements to be quite cringy, but then also you are of course totally aware of what kind of story this will be as soon as you open the book.

While I loved the style of the artist Wendy Xu and the color palette, which again makes everything seem warm, cozy and full of love, some drawings looked a tiny bit too... unprofessional? selfmade? Not sure how to describe it, but maybe a better way to say is that the quality of the drawings varied throughout the graphic novel.

All in all, I was entertained, I had fun, I felt good while reading the story and fairly enjoyed myself. While it didn't show me anything new in terms of plot or graphics, I will hold the characters dear to my heart due to the cute and great diversity.

Well done graphic novel. A bit slow moving, but I enjoyed the art and storytelling. I think it ended well and do not seek anything further from this world or set of characters. A cute and witchy book.

Guys! If you want a cute, paranormal romance read that is a great mix between the friends-to-lovers and second chance tropes, this is the graphic novel for you! I got some serious fall vibes from it plus it was adorable, romantic, and chock full of diverse characters.

And when I say it's diverse, I mean it's way diverse. Both of the main characters are Chinese-American which was so cool! The main witch character, Nova, has a hard time hearing and wears hearing aids. The main werewolf lead, Tam, identifies as non-binary and it was accepted as perfectly normal. I loved that! There was one discussion where they corrected the pronouns used to describe them and that was all that was needed to have everyone using the correct ones. And we can't forget Nova's Nanas! I loved that Nova lives with her married grandmas. The Nanas were amazing! I'd totally read a prequel book about their adventures.

My favorite part of this graphic novel besides the characters was the romance. I loved that it was a second chance, friends-to-lovers F/NB romance! I hardly see those two tropes mixed with that pairing and I am here for it. Also, it gave a new spin to a romance between a witch and werewolf.

The illustrations in this graphic novel were amazing! I loved the style from the first page. The story itself was good and wasn't overly complicated. I was able to guess the big bad but that was about it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story.

If you're looking for a cute and diverse paranormal graphic novel, you need to pick up Mooncakes.