Artie and the Wolf Moon is a beautiful tale about family, loss, and healing.

I went completely blind into this graphic novel because the cover immediately caught my eye and I knew I wanted to read it just by looking at it. Let me tell you: the book did not disappoint.

We follow the journey of Artie, a young girl who is half human and half werewolf. She has some problems with her newfound abilities, so she and her mother set out to seek the help of family and friends. As she is coming to terms with her new identity and her roots, Artie soon discovers that there is a bigger threat out there than she could’ve ever imagined.

I absolutely loved the world-building and the lore the author created. Sometimes graphic novels lack the backstory and the mythology/history of the place and its people, but in this story it was different. We got to learn a lot about the family’s past, the origins of werewolves, and the conflict between werewolves and vampires.

Above all, I would say this book is about family. How no matter what happens blood is always thicker than water, and no matter the differences, family can and will forgive you no matter what. Artie had no idea about her relatives, she just lived with her mom, but her family took them in with open arms and helped them with everything they could.

The book also focuses on grief and perfectly shows all the struggle and pain that comes with letting go and accepting that our loved ones are gone. There are all these little things preventing you from moving forward, and in order to stop living in the past, you have to let go no matter how painful it is. I think the book delivers that heartbreaking but beautiful journey really well.

This book was really emotional and bittersweet but shows that no matter the circumstances, you are never truly alone.

Artie finds out that her mom is a werewolf. How? Artie confronts her mom and finds out that she is a werewolf too. However Artie hasn’t come into her ability to turn into a werewolf. One day she turns into a werewolf because she is very angry at the school bully. Artie tells her mom. Later when she tries to turn into a werewolf she can’t. Her mom gets some friends to help her learn how to become one and also reverting to human form. A friend takes Artie to her house where Artie will learn that there are vampires. She howls for help. Will help arrive in time?

As I don’t want to tell any more about the story as I want all readers to enjoy the mysteries in the graphic novel. The author has written about a black girl coming to terms with her life. There is bullying in her predominantly white school. She learns what true friendship is besides family that isn’t part of her biological family is. It’s an amazing story which has both sad and happy moments. I enjoyed watching Artie learning how to be a werewolf and standing up for herself as a human. . The author has written a great story. The illustrations are perfect for the novel. The novel is not scary. It’s a novel for anyone and any age to read.

Thank you to Graphic Universe & Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of Artie and the Wolf Moon in exchange for an honest review!

What makes Artie and the Wolf Moon so darn special is that deep down -- past the wolves & the vampires -- this story is about family. I absolutely love that aspect, and watching as Artie connects with wolf relatives she didn't know about before. Artie and the Wolf Moon is also unique in the way that it takes on werewolf lore -- such as what a full moon means & how someone becomes a wolf. This graphic novel even takes on vampire lore! Olivia Stephens really did a great job at making something so classic her own.

At its heart this is a story about finding and creating community, and learning the importance of true friendship and family. It just so happens to be a community of werewolves locked in battle against truly irredeemable vampires. Our main character, Artie, learns about herself, her family, and her community; strengthens her relationship with her mother; discovers the difference between real support and toxic relationships; and has what seems to be her first kiss, with another werewolf girl. All in all, it's a really classic paranormal bildungsroman.

Artie and the Wolf Moon is a fast-paced, thrilling read!

While the first chapter started a bit slow, the story quickly picked up. I enjoyed the dynamic between Artie and her mom. They weren’t just mother and daughter, but had a special friendship too. She supported Artie, and encouraged her love of photography.

The werewolf aspect didn’t kick into high gear until nearly the halfway point, but things really took off afterward. The action between the wolves and vampires added the right amount of excitement.

The artwork is both beautiful and eerie at times. Overall, a nicely done graphic novel.

Photography-loving Artie discovers that she is a werewolf when she witnesses her mother turn from a wolf back to a human one night. Shifting doesn't come easily to Artie, so her mother reaches out to some old friends for help. Along the way, Artie faces parts of herself that she has avoided and her mother reunites with family. But werewolves aren't the most dangerous things in the woods. Vampires are on the loose and seeking Artie's blood.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. <i>Artie and the Wolf Moon</i> is scheduled for release on September 7th, 2021.

Artie Irvin is in eighth grade (which is stressful enough as it is) when she finds out that her mom is a werewolf and guess what? SO IS ARTIE! This story follows Artie as she comes into her own as both a wolf and a teenager over her last year before high school as she meets new family and friends who change her life in a number of ways.

Artie never got to meet her dad, but we learn about her parents’ history over a series of flashbacks that depict their beautiful and heartbreaking story from the first moment they meet to the last time they ever see each other. (yes, i would read a full length prequel about them even though most of their relationship milestones are depicted in here.)

I grew up in the <i>Twilight</i> era, so the werewolf v. vampire story is a tale as old as time as far as I’m concerned, but this story takes vampire mythology in a direction that I’ve never seen before (i don’t consume a lot of vampire media so don’t come for me if you’ve seen it before). In this universe you can’t kill a vampire if you know what’s good for you which raises the stakes of their threat to an incredible degree that never truly goes away.

This story is a fun, fast, and emotional read appropriate for readers of all ages. I would highly recommend and I’m looking forward to what else Olivia Stephens has in store for us.
Trigger warnings: images of blood, mentions of death, loss of a parent, pregnancy, mild stalking

This is a middle grade graphic novel about a girl who discovers her mother is a wolf. I liked this story. It shows issues of race in a supernatural backdrop that make it easy to understand and digest, similar to some of Jordan Peele’s movies. I loved the world building of this book. It takes a familiar bit of folklore are changes it up to suit the subject matter. I would love to see more by this author and more in this series. Overall, I give it a 4 out of 5.

4 stars - It was really good

After sneaking out against her mother’s wishes, Artie Ivin spots a massive wolf then transforms into her mother. She discovers she comes from a long line of werewolves but werewolves aren't the only creatures of the night.

This was a wonderful coming of age story filled with family, love, werewolves, and vampires. Artie was a wonderful teenage heroine. She struggles with school, friendship, love, and her new werewolf abilities. I found Artie’s story delightful, and very realistic of how it feels to be a teenager struggling to find their place in the world.

This was a fascinating world filled with werewolves and vampires, who are their enemies. I loved that the werewolves tended to stick together and form family groups. The vampires were extremely fascinating in this world because they could never be defeated, which was fascinating. This story definitely presented a unique vampire.

Overall, this was a wonderful coming of age story with werewolves and vampires.

Trigger Warnings: Artie is bullied at school. Artie’s father was killed before she was born.

Artie and The Wolf Moon is a great supernatural story about a girl who finds out both her mother and her side of the family are werewolves, and still grieving the loss of her father, learns how to navigate shifting and her powers while vampires attack in this first volume. The art style was beautiful, the writing okay, and the marvelous queer romance was adorable and I look forward to reading the rest.

I would like to personally thank Net Galley for providing me this book for review! Artie And The Wolf Moon is a supernatural graphic novel. The main character Artie is a young pre teen who loves photography. One day she discovers she comes from a line of werewolves. The lore in it is so well done! It is one of the best aspects of the book. The illustrations were great and I really enjoyed seeing Artie with her family! They were great to read about and there is a sapphic relationship in this book! This graphic novel is a good book to read for October! If any of this appeals to you, you should pick it up when it comes out September 7th!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions stated are entirely my own. I thought this book was very enjoyable and fast-paced. I thought the art and illustrations in it were pretty good too. My only complaint is that a few moments and pictures seemed a bit violent for middle-grade. Still, it is nice to see a "wolf/vampire story" being written for a non-YA audience. I am not a big fan of "wolf and vampire" stories but still enjoyed this. There were nice heartwarming moments in the story I enjoyed and a nice message of protecting and valuing those you love.

I really enjoyed this. The way the story began I was worried that there would be lots of plot holes/things left unsaid but with every new chapter, questions were answered and the world-building became clearer. A small part of me still wishes there were earlier connections ad more excitement/emotion when Artie first shifts and confronts her mother but all of my fears were later addressed. I really enjoyed the Black culture and details within the characters from the hair bonnets to the family dynamics. Not only is it a book that displays Black werewolves but also touches on topics like bullying, racism, grief, queer love, other folklore. Well rounded story with very good world-building and twists for readers of all ages to enjoy.

I loved it a lot it was so good. If you like werewolfs you will love this graphic novel a lot. I loved the whole thing the story, the polt, the charectors. I def recommend this to everyone.

Thanks to Lerner Publishing Group & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A great story following Artie's exploration of her werewolf heritage and what happened with her father before she was born. It's a coming-of-age story with a bit of a past tragic romance and the werewolves were AWESOME.

The art style kind of bounced from awesome to eh sometimes. I also feel like Artie's friendship with one character didn't really get expanded on and was confusing because it was clearly toxic but never shown that way. Still, a really cool story with werewolves and family.

This book both uses and twists tropes about werewolves vs (possible spoiler) vampires and does so in a great new way. I also enjoy the fleshed out characters, the twists (despite being more predictable to me), and the fact that it’s mostly a Black cast. The lore was great and this is highly recommended for middle grade and early teen.

Cute middle school age graphic novel. Likable main character with a good relationship shown with her mom with a reasonable amount of teen angst and conflict with her. I’d recommend for the right age reader.

Artie Irvin snuck out one night and saw a wolf transform into her mom. She was so excited to find out she had a wolf heritage that she convinced her mom to teach her everything she knew. The story is really cute and it is easy to get sucked in. The story was a bit predictable for me, but this is a book meant for YA and predictability is not a bad thing. It helps my students learn skills like foreshadowing and prediction. I enjoyed the book and I think my students will also.

4 stars

2.5/5 (rounded down)

I thought this overall was very eh. It took me over a week to get through the first half of this digital arc and thankfully the second half was a lot more interesting. I wish it had talked more about the toxic relationship between two of the characters but I don't really have high expectations for middle grades. I loved that there was a wlw relationship in this and I semi enjoyed the series. I disliked most of the characters though unfortunately so I was just kind of annoyed by them throughout the whole reading process of this book.

Thankfully there weren't many plot holes in this which is something I see in most graphic novels and mangas. The story was pretty bland and was a little slow, specifically in the beginning, and then the end wrapped up very fast. this was a semi-short read as it was under 300 pages and didn't have heavy writing but it still took me a while to get through it because I was mostly uninterested in what was going on. I think actual readers that are in the middle-grade age range will be much more invested than I was.

I would recommend this to middle-grade readers who enjoy wolves/werewolves and a bit of drama and mystery.

Book: Artie and the Wolf Moon
Author: Olivia Stephens
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Blurb:
After sneaking out against her mother's wishes, Artie Irvin spots a massive wolf—then watches it don a bathrobe and transform into her mom. Thrilled to discover she comes from a line of werewolves, Artie asks her mom to share everything—including the story of Artie's late father. Her mom reluctantly agrees. And to help Artie figure out her own wolflike abilities, her mom recruits some old family friends.

Artie thrives in her new community and even develops a crush on her new friend Maya. But as she learns the history of werewolves and her own parents' past, she'll find that wolves aren't the scariest thing in the woods—vampires are.
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🐺 The book is a tale of family, community, love, grief, growing up, finding your identity- who you truly are , where you come from and how does that affect you.
🐺 The book along with the message that staying together is a strength also conveys the beauty of relationships whether it's between a family or amongst a whole community.
🐺 It also have an amazing story with the folklore of vampire and werewolves. It's a supernatural coming-of-age story which I thoroughly enjoyed.
🐺 The art..Ah! I can never get enough of graphic novels. The illustrations were amazing.
🐺 The icing on the cake- the protagonist is queer, badass, inquisitive and flawed.
🐺 I completed the book in one go and will be re-reading it for sure.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5