Mooncakes is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel about the adventures of a witch and a werewolf.

I found the story it self to not be extraordinarily gripping but I still enjoyed reading Mooncakes quite a lot. The mood was super cozy and the relationships between all the main characters felt very wholesome. I also thoroughly enjoyed how this graphic novel touched on disabilities and gender identities.

I would definitely pick up a sequel!

3.5 Cute. Loved the art work. Didn't fully love where the story went. I felt like it went too complex and it wasn't necessary. Just Tam and Nova reconnecting and being so sweet together was enough for me. But would recommend for a nice wholesome graphic novel.

3.5/5⭐️

Thank you so much Netgalley, for providing this ARC!

This is my first graphic novel and i'm surprised at how enjoyable this was. I'm not gonna lie, that cover was the reason i read this book, but no regret at all!
The story was interesting, but i found it hard to be fully invested in it. I fell in love with the characters tho, they were so innocent it was hard not to like them.
I believe this book will be a perfect autumn read with its setting and colors! The illustration was soooo beautiful😍

The premise of MOONCAKES is adorable and I really liked the diversity in this story. Watching Nova and Tam grow over the course of the story was great. There was something missing from MOONCAKES for me and I couldn't quite figure out what it was. While I enjoyed the story, I didn't love it.

I was given this free review copy graphic novel at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This witchy romance was so cute. I loved it so much! The artwork was amazing and went perfectly with the story. The story was interesting. I loved the world. I could not put it down. I started it late at night and immediately picked it up and finished it the next day. I would read more by this author.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2946550588

I'm all for LGBTQI+ and diverse comics and I appreciate the representation of a non-binary and a hard of hearing character. It's not the most common rep I've seen in the media, especially in graphic novels. This little book really thrives with its characters and that's awesome. Relationships make sense, there is family, friends and love all in great balance.

Though this graphic novel is adorable as it is, the story itself was kind of generic. It seems that all the effort went into characters which were then used in a mediocre storyline. The story flows fine, but I expected something more to keep me interested. It is a very cute book worth reading, but I don't think I'll have the urge to re-read it.

This was so fucking adorable omg. It's not the most original plot or most unique supernatural stuff, but the characters make it what it is. The grandmas, Tam, Nova, Tatyana. I'm sad that this isn't a series! I want so much more of them all.

This is a queer fantasy story set in a small town about Nova, who works in her grandmothers' bookstore and keeps an eye out for any untoward supernatural occurrences. She hears tell of a white wolf in the forest and discovers that it's none other than her childhood friend and crush, Nova, and together they start working together to try and learn more about the demon terrorizing the forest.

First of all, it’s important to note that both main characters are Chinese-American and queer. Tam is a non-binary werewolf and Nova is a hard-of-hearing witch who wears hearing aids—which is really neat!

I think it’s interesting that there’s so much about these characters that is complicated, that is not easy for most people to understand. But given the choice, these characters don’t wish *they* could be different; they wish the world we live in could be different.

The magic in this story is also really wonderful, because it’s not as concrete and doesn’t have these hard and fast rules. When Tam and Nova can’t find any answers in their research, they’re free to start exploring and discovering magical ways they can connect to each other, and I think it’s cool that they’re invited to basically invent and discover new kinds of magic.

And I like that this story is centered on this found family in a small town, because it’s almost like they’re the magical neighborhood watch, just keeping an eye out and making sure every day folks don’t get hurt by magic. There’s also some really compelling parallels between Nova and Tam, because they both doubt themselves, they both think they should be stronger, but together they’re learning that their abilities are enough.

I feel like this story is about having each other’s back, it’s about seeing people for who they really are, and realizing that there is power in that. I did feel like the main antagonist and bad guys were kind of like the twirling-mustache caricature-type villains who didn’t give me as much as I wanted, but overall I really enjoyed this and I gave it 4 stars.

Mooncakes is charming, delightful, and off the charts adorable! With a diverse cast of characters and a fun, exciting story I was hooked in the first few pages. Tam is a non-binary werewolf, while Nova is a queer witch who wears hearing aids and their love story is super sweet. I appreciated the emphasis on family, friendship and supporting each other no matter what. Nova’s lesbian grandmothers are quite possibly my favourite characters in this book. They are kind, clever, and completely bad ass! I especially loved the forest full of magical creatures that are just too cute but fully willing to fight for their friends. Several frames of them heading into battle made me laugh out loud! I was a little worried for them but nothing traumatic occurs to the cute spirit creatures, or anyone else really. Despite the need to fight the monster and the evil cult who wants to release it the story is mostly non-violent. Even the solution to the monster in the woods is resolved in a very satisfying, peaceable way. This was a straight-up happy, feel good story and I think the door was left open for a sequel. I’m hoping this is in the works because I don’t want to be done with these charming characters and their magical world.

Thank you to Lion Forge for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

Everything about this graphic novel was exactly what I wanted. The art style was adorable and the colors were very aesthetically pleasing. The cute romance between the two main characters was fantastic and despite this being a very quick read, didn't seem rushed at all. Above all, the representation in this was amazing. We got to see queer grandmas, a non-binary main character, and a queer and hard of hearing main character. Definitely recommend if you're a fan of cute, witchy graphic novels.

I loved this graphic novel so much. It was the perfect mixture of cute and fun. The art style was beautiful and the little romance made my heart happy!

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu

Rating: ★★★★★

"A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft."

Thank you Netgalley and Lion Forge for the e-ARC!

Mooncakes is the right amount of adorable, diverse and inclusive content we need in the book world, especially in today's society. I am such a huge fan of this! I loved the magic and mystical elements. I loved the grandmothers. I loved the relationship and how it developed. I absolutely loved everything about this! It was such a charming story and I loved how all of the different diverse aspects of this were addressed so naturally and accepted as the norm in the world of the story. Is it just me or does anyone get major Halloween Town (the movie series from Disney Channel) vibes from the beautiful background scenes in this? Fantastic book. I cannot recommend this enough!

ARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review!

🌟 This has been getting all the 5 stars and all the love recently and so I had to check what all of this is about! I feel like I am not fair to comics and picture books and I always give the same reason: It was just because I started those with my currently favorite comic which is Saga. The writing, characters, drawing and story-line are all perfect in that one! I am looking for something as good but it looks like I will still be doing it.

🌟 Mooncakes was not bad, the drawings were a bit meh for my own taste, the plot is a bit for younger readers with power of friendship and love... etc. It was obvious from the start where the story was going. There was diversity for sure with a disabled character wearing a hearing aid device, a non binary character and a queer relationship. So if these are things you like then I do in fact recommend this book!

🌟 I don't know if I was supposed to feel anything because I mostly did not and that usually affect my ratings of books. As usual, I am a hard to please person so there are higher chances you are going to like this if you read it so don't let this review discourage you!

This book is absolutely precious! The diversity of this book was outstanding (hard of hearing and the non-binary, as noted in the authors note). Nova reminds me so much of myself (a bit introverted, has a bit of a small group, but has the hard time with change in life) was nice to see in a semi-new adult graphic novel. The artwork in this book is also outstanding and absolutely adorable.

This book will be a great October read, especially with a story that takes place in Salem, Massachusetts (this New England girl LOVED that aspect of the book). I will most definitely will be picking up this book when it releases then.

As a thank, you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy I shall give an honest review of Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker with illustrations by Wendy Xu. Coming into this graphic novel I had heard amazing things based on reviews via book tube. The hype was not wrong! This graphic novel was able to encapsulate many aspects of diversity in a short period of time and by doing so created something wholesome and magical. It felt familiar given a brief introduction into a New England town where Witches inhabit, and magic is a reality. The story focuses on Nova, a teenage witch who works in her grandmother’s bookshop and her primary relationships. The story between these relationships and the emotional impact it has on its characters is self-sustained and felt genuine to the characters. An aspect of this would be the romantic relationship that occurs between Nova and Tam, Nova’s childhood crush who returns after many years apart. As the story continues, we are introduced to spirits, werewolves, ghosts, and demons. Accompanied illustrations by Wendy Xu added to this positive experience and enhanced the story. Overall, I give this book four out of five stars on Goodreads.

This was a fantastic book!! I cannot recommend it more. I really loved all of the representation from all of the different characters as well. We had a MC with hearing aids, an MC with them/they pronouns, and lesbian grandmas just to name a few. None of it seemed forced or like it was pandering to try and make money. It seemed very natural and I really hope that more comics and graphic novels will take a note and do more of the same.

I also really loved the story and all of the interesting things that were done with werewolves. It was a new, interesting take on that particular mythology. The artwork was also very well done and I especially loved the color palette that was used.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. I really hope that the author does more after this book. I would be very interested to see more from them!

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this graphic novel in exchange for a review.

My decision to request this was embarrassingly superficial: a cute queer romance, with witches thrown into the mix? I was very much sold.
This did not disappoint. There were witches in abundances, but also queer relationships galore. There is obviously the central romance, between a girl and her non-binary childhood crush, but, as quite prominent secondary characters, there were also the girl's two grandmothers.
This is not where the diversity ends, however. Both main characters are also Chinese-American, one's non-binary and the other is hard of hearing. Oh, and they both have different magic (one's a witch and the other's a werewolf). Their diversity doesn't really affect who they are, though, it's just another part of their characters and I loved the fact that it was accepted as soon as it was mentioned.
Another strong part of this graphic novel are the relationships in it. Besides the two immensely cute queer romances, there are strong familial relationships and relationships between friends. The two grandmothers are so supportive of both characters, as well as the relationship, and one of the other best friends is this couple's biggest cheerleader.
It was another thing that added to an overall very cute book. I definitely smiled a lot when I read it.
The illustrations were stunning as well. They were really detailed and definitely suited the story they accompanied.

I only wish we'd get more of a backstory - both to the characters, but especially to the magic. I think the lack of backstory to the characters made the romance seem a bit sudden, but I didn't mind too much. I would have liked more of a history to the magic, however, because it felt like there was so much that could have been there with just a few more pages; it just wasn't quite complete with what was there.

I did really enjoy this book, though, and I may pick up a physical copy if I ever see it in a shop!

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in an exchange for an honest review!</i>

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker is a delightfully beautiful, diverse, and magical graphic novel about badass, QUEER witches. The art style is gorgeous, it's incredibly inclusive, and it features a wonderful magic system and plot! While I considered giving this one a four star rating, I did have a few complaints that ultimately knocked my rating down a star. Those being: 1) By the end of the book, I felt like I still had a lot of questions about the characters' back stories and 2) The romance felt very forced to me. This could be, in part, due to my first point, however. All in all, while it didn't necessarily hit all of the marks for me, that doesn't mean it won't for you! Mooncakes is still an incredibly fun time, and I still think it's worth the read!

Really cute graphic novel. I loved the art work, but it was a shame that the last couple of pages weren't colored in, the colors really added to the story.

I liked the f/f romance and the fact that they/them pronouns were used. I've yet to read a book in which it's acknowledged.

A super cute graphic novel with an interesting plot. Personally loved the illustration style way more than other graphic novels I've recently read. Great diversity and representation in the characters, great inclusion and general acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. It did feel a little predictable and cringey at times and I wish I could've seen Huang and Tam's relationship develop a little more with - I guess more time and maybe more backstory than the fact that they were previous friends. The witchy vibes were great and this book feels like the perfect contender for an adorable witchy middle-grade cartoon tv show someday since I personally don't think there was enough complexity and development for it to target young adults. Overall a great quick graphic novel read!