Artie and the Wolf Moon is a powerful story about family and freedom that celebrates individuality as a crucial component to community. A community can only grow stronger by accepting members' diverse talents and interests. Artie and her mother learn these lessons as Artie discovers her inherited werewolf powers.

Werewolves, in Stephens' universe, came into being as a family of escaped enslaved persons met a wolf mother on their run. The mothers recognized their shared responsibility for protecting their communities, and the wolf granted the whole family the power to transform into wolves.

The major enemy of werwolves are vampires, who are born from death and thrive on it. Killing a vampire results in more vampires: everyone a vampire has killed will rise when they are killed.

Werewolves in the story are black, and vampires are white, but not every black person is a werewolf nor every white person a vampire -- the story is more nuanced than that. The vampires are not mindlessly evil, either, they are calculating and cruel, and dead set on destroying werewolves for no other reason than they exist.

Artie is a junior high student discovering not only her wolf powers, but also her sexuality. She finds her first love when her mother finally brings her back into the werewolf community. It's very sweet.

I enjoyed this book, even though I'm not the intended audience. I would definitely recommend it to middle grade and YA comic fans.

I was provided an ARC copy through Netgalley for a fair and honest review.

Phenomenal mid-grade graphic novel. I love this and will be buying it for myself and for my local library!! Fun story - intense action, family ties, little bit of (middle school) romance - and great art. Good messages about finding/being yourself, overcoming bullying, forgiving family with a delightful bit on maybe-possibly finding a girlfriend.

Eighth grader (Artemis) finds out she is (half)-werewolf and that there is much more to her past than her mother has told her. As she comes into her own, danger lurks just waiting to take a bite.

**I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I adored this graphic novel so much! The art style itself was absolutely stunning and captivating, perfectly crafting the atmosphere of each scene, to touching moments between Artie's parents in the past, eerie slivers of information about vampires, and Artie's emotional turmoil over new and old friendships. The story itself was deeply beautiful, using werewolf packs as representations of community and exploring the pain tacked onto losing access to your own. Artie's desire to connect with her werewolf heritage ties into this wonderfully, through both her increasingly honest relationship with her mother as well as friendships and romances with the children of her mother's old friends. Of course the concept stands on its own, but the symbolism beneath the werewolf and vampire lore is what made this book so compelling because so many kids struggle to relate to their familial culture, especially when from mixed heritage backgrounds. The way Artie was welcomed into this community but also had to discover for herself what it means to be a werewolf is something I think readers of all ages but especially children will connect with. Ultimately this was a wonderful read, kept me thoroughly engaged the entire time, and went above and beyond telling a beautiful story through beautiful art. Would absolutely read more of this author's work in the future.

What a great graphic novel debut! There is a frame early on where Artie is sleeping with one leg under the covers and the other out and dang, if that is not the most relatable thing. I loved the romance on the side of the main story and I really loved the whole story concept overall. Perfect for fans of Teen Wolf (or old school fans of Twilight).

CW: bullying, racism, death of parent

Black girl magic, Werewolves, and family that is built from those who love you for you, all come together in this wonderful graphic novel to make a story that I could reread over and over. I loved the ties of Artie and her mom and their history and present all meshed together. I loved the mythology mixed with the very real feelings of being a teen and figuring yourself out along the way.

This is a wonderfully illustrated story that focuses on identity- finding out who you really are, where you come from, and how this influences who you become. After finding out she comes from a family of werewolves, Artie dives into her new community and embraces this new part of her identity. However, she soon realizes that the wild werewolves she's running around with aren't the most dangerous things in the woods, it's vampires she needs to worry about.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early access to this graphic novel! I adored this graphic novel so much. The aspect of returning to your family is something I found to be very sweet and the touches of supernatural were well done! I personally found myself having to remember my place at times in this graphic novel as it would scroll way past where I last read so that would take me out of the story at times.

Artie and the Wolf Moon is a cute story about a girl who discovers that she and her mother are werewolves. She learns about her family's past including a lot about her father who died before she was born. And she and her mom connect with old friends and relatives so that Artie can better understand her heritage and what it means to be a werewolf.

In addition to a touching family story, there is some really unique and interesting lore about both werewolves and vampires in this book. I thought it was a fun middle grade graphic novel but I wish the pacing was a little more even. It seemed to me that the vampires appeared rather suddenly only to rush the story to a quick climax and ending.

I really enjoyed this story. Artie is a fantastic character. I love the strong focus this book has on family. I also appreciated the universe’s really unique rules on vampires and werewolves. Very nice.

Thank you NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for this early review copy!

WOW, this might be my absolute new favorite graphic novel!!!!! I just could not put this book down and I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting.

While this book is only 256 pages, it felt like so much longer (in the best way possible). I can't believe how much happened in this graphic novel.

At the start of this graphic novel, we are introduced to Artemis "Artie" Irvin who is a young girl who loves photography and lives alone with her mother after the death of her father. One night Artie sneaks out of her house to take some photos and discovers that her mother is a werewolf... and so is Artie...

HOWEVER, Artie soon discovers that not only are werewolves real, but so are vampires and that there is conflict between the vampires and werewolves. One of my favorite parts of this graphic novel was learning the history for both the werewolves and vampires and the events that led to the main conflict.

This graphic novel deals with so many important topics such as first crushes, family, friendship, and grief. The relationship between Artie and her mother is one of the best relationships between a mother and a daughter that I have read in a long time. The artwork is also absolutely stunning.

I highly recommend this graphic novel. It deserves all of the stars. I am definitely going to be rereading this closer to the release date in September and I will immediately be pre-ordering a copy for my home collection!

Thanks NetGalley for giving me a copy of this amazing graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!

How do I explain how perfect this graphic novel is?
The first thing I liked was the illustration but as I progressed I ended up trapped by the plot.

It tells the story of Artie, the daughter of a single mother, who lived alone with her until one night she learned that her mother can transformed into a wolf. It narrates the story of Artie's transformation intertwined, in an excellent way, with the love story of her parents and of her mother with her family.
It's about family, grief and growing up, but from different points of view, which makes the story more interesting.

I love it, it's very quick to read because the story grips you to the point where all you need is to know more, super entertaining and emotional.

I just finished it and I want to read it again. I recommend it to everyone, no matter how old you are, if you see this read it.

Artie and the Wolf Moon is a supernatural coming-of-age graphic novel. Artie is a budding photographer that finds out about the existence of werewolves and vampires while navigating new crushes. I feel conflicted about the story. It was easy to read. And the graphics were nice. But, the storyline never really got going well before a chapter would abruptly end. I was also confused at who or what the story was sometimes referring to. And, though we got a few answers by the end, I think we're left with even more unanswered. I did like the book enough to continue if hopefully it becomes a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

So, this is a short graphic novel for young tweens/teens about a young Black girl who discovers she comes from a family of werewolves.

And for what it is? I give it five (5) stars.

Artie loves photography, it's how she feels connected to her late father. And one day, she asks her mom, a park ranger, if she can go out late to photograph the full moon. Her mother says no and of course, Artie doesn't listen.

She finds a good spot and when she hears snapping wood and sees a wolf, she freaks and rushes back home only to see the wolf turn into her mother. And after beginning, learns the truth of her family.

This story got me right in the heart. She doesn't have a father and when she learns about what she is, her mother takes her to meet some friends of hers who are also werewolves. To teach her and to help her get a hold of her new abilities.

It's here that she meets Maya. And their crush is the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

The rest of my review is on my blog https://theworldsbetweenpages.wordpress.com/2021/06/12/artie-and-the-wolf-moon-by-olivia-stephens/

This was a fun graphic novel for early age teens who like werewolves and vampires. I liked the different twist on vampires that the author created. The story of Artie and her family was very interesting with likable characters. If this were a series I’d read the next one.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC I received.

artie and the wolf moon is a fun, family-focused supernatural graphic novel about preteen photographer artie, who discovers she's descended from a line of werewolves. there are warm themes of family and friendship, but it's also an exciting werewolf/vampire adventure with cool action scenes. the art is really lovely as well!!

my favorite thing about this book is its lore. artie's mom tells her that lycanthropy was bestowed from a mother wolf to an escaped slave woman and her children. the woman's interspecies compassion was rewarded with the gift of transformation and freedom.

the book has a month-by-month structure, and takes place over the course of a school year, which helps with cohesion. AND there's an unexpected sapphic relationship, which is adorable until it turns catty and toxic.

i do think the tension toward the middle of the book could have been fleshed out better. it's a cool 250ish pages, and some extra length would have helped the book come together even more nicely!! i would have loved to get to know the supporting characters better, and to see the bullying subplot resolved.

but i really enjoyed watching artie learn about her family's history, and gradually learn to embrace the wolf side of her. there is such a range of emotion over the course of the book. it's exciting and heartfelt, and the world is fascinating, too. i really enjoyed it!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you for the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc!
This was a cute middle grade/YA graphic novel. For me it had a bit of Twilight vibe, because of the vampires and werewolves, and I already read so many of these type of books that now its a little bit boring for me. But it was a nice one time read.

Unfortunately I didn't finish this graphic novel. I liked the protagonist and how she connected with the others, but I just didn't click with the story.

This was super fun! I love werewolf stories and the main character having my name might have helped me pick this one up ! :’) but I’m glad I read it. The art style reminded me on the walking dead games, I loved the colour palette so much! Also, anything gay gets extra points! I love Artie and her mum, and their little werewolf family. It was a fun but emotional read, I think I would really like to continue reading this graphic novel!

This is a great coming-of-age story about a young girl who finds out her mother and herself are both werewolves. This also includes vampires and fights between them and the wolves.

There were so many aspects of this book I loved, including but not limited to: the relationship between Artie and her mother; the history surrounding the werewolves, vampires, and Artie’s family; the plot; and the art style that felt more like a comic book than a graphic novel. I think this will be great for younger audiences, but older audiences can also enjoy it!

Artie and the Wolf Moon is a fantastic graphic novel. It plays into its medium with dynamic artwork and colors. The character designs are down to earth and each one, distinct.
The story is a coming of age, with themes of family bonds, forgiving and reconciling the past. This is a story about werewolves and vampires, bringing a new spin on things by intertwining werewolf history with black history. I really enjoyed the black love pouring off the pages. This story also features an on-page sapphic romance. While it is not the focus on the story, I am nonetheless happy with its inclusion. I can see many younger readers being excited to see this kind of representation in a main character like Artie.
I am looking forward to the work Olivia Stephens makes in the future, because this is a very promising start.