Thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy to review.

This is an adorably illustrated YA graphic novel that I will definitely recommend to my library patrons looking for a new graphic novel (especially those that liked Witch Boy and Hidden Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag).

Things that I loved about this book:
The magical elements (witches and werewolves).
There is a magical bookstore that the witches own!
Charming artwork.
Contains a diverse cast of characters that was refreshing.

There were so many sweet and wholesome themes running throughout this graphic novel - of a romance rekindled, of family (no matter what form yours takes) and proof of a non-binary spectrum of race, gender and sexuality. Not to mention witchy bookstore magic, and the fierce desire to protect those you love.

The story was simple, but sweet, and beautifully told through the delightfully detailed illustrations. There's a cat in almost every panel (sometimes reacting to what Tam and Nova are doing) and the colours and details are really warming. It really reminded me of the old Gunnerkrigg Court webcomic I used to read.

I especially loved the two main characters; Nova and Tam. I loved the way they looked, clothes they wore and the way that they were depicted. I especially loved the cute rekindling of their (queer) relationship. And it was wonderful to see such diversity representation across all the characters, from size to gender, to queer relationships to disabilities. And there was wonderful acceptance when Tam asked for they/them pronouns.

All in all this gave me warm and fuzzy feelings, and a real joy for the love between all the characters.

This book had great rep both in terms of race and in terms of sexuality. It was also really adorable and I love seeing the small town with werewolves and witches genre/trope coming back!

lgbt, this book was great. it was inclusive and action packed with challenges of family, magic vs. science all rolled into a sweet story.

Thank you, NetGalley for the preview of this graphic novel.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker is a super cute graphic novel with lovable characters. The art style was whimsical and perfect. This is a perfect read when you want to curl up with hot cocoa in a comfy chair.

As I’m sure the name “The Charmed Librarian” suggests, I love anything witchy! So when I saw the cover for Mooncakes I just couldn’t resist.

Werewolf Tam has returned to their hometown to deal with a mysterious demon in the woods. Teen witch Nova is still around, doing her magic apprenticeship with her grandmas at their magic bookshop. When the pair of childhood friends reunite in their effort to stop an evil force much bigger than they imagined, sparks fly in an adorable romance full of magic and whimsy. 🙂

This graphic novel is the perfect Halloween read! I was so excited to see that its release date will give readers the time to enjoy it and get in the Halloween spirit. I love a little magic in my books all year long, so I enjoyed it in mid-August all the same!

I have to share this little tidbit from the letter to the readers: Mooncakes was written by best friends. As Xu and Walker moved far apart, they used a creative partnership in creating Mooncakes to keep their friendship alive, and I could see it on every page. The connection between characters, the way they felt about one another and interacted, was really sweet and earnest and I was glad I began the read knowing this about them and their story!

I particularly loved the cast of characters in this book: Tam and Nova were lovely, but they were supported by friends and family with a lot of heart. I loved Nova’s grandmas sweet and supportive demeanors, and her friend Tat played the perfect friend role, without jealousy or confrontation for Nova’s new romantic relationship and rekindled childhood friendship. It was a feel-good book, if only for the sweet way these characters took care of each other.

There is also something wonderful to be said about the diversity of these characters! All but Tat are part of Chinese-American culture, giving shape to the name of the story. Tam is non-binary, both characters are queer, and Nova is hearing-impaired. I loved it – it was really authentic, and gave the story some awesome representation.

My biggest complaint, and the reason I didn’t give this book five stars, is because I felt like those characters lacked a certain depth. You don’t see it often with graphic novels, but I think there’s a level of character development required to really get absorbed into any book. I need to feel connected and attached to them. I didn’t get enough background to Nova and Tam’s story, didn’t get thrown straight into the witch and werewolf world like I wanted to, and my feelings about the book reflect that. The story is clearly coming-of-age set on a magical stage, and I think it sets the scene for more. There’s a lot of room for growth in a sequel story, or a whole series of adventures, and I would certainly read them!

e-ARC received from NetGalley

4 Stars

Mooncakes is a graphic novel about two childhood friends: a witch, Nova, whose family owns a bookshop, and a runaway werewolf, Tam, who has just returned to the town where they and Nova grew up, and needs to harness their special wolf magic in order to defeat a demon.

I feel blessed that this graphic novel was available to read immediately on Netgalley - what an autumnal treat it was! I love the art style, and the story is both cute and poignant. There is a lot of casual diversity (e.g. Nova is hard of hearing and Tam is non-binary) and the romance between the two main characters is very sweet. We also have some excellent side characters in Nova's grandmothers, her best friend Tatyana, and my favourite minor character, Nova's cousin Terry, who for some unexplained reason has a pigeon head. The woodland spirit creatures are also incredibly adorable, and I would like my garden to be full of them please.

If I have one complaint, it's that the antagonists are quite two-dimensional, but it's a small one. This is a great light read for Halloween, and I would definitely recommend checking it out.

Nova and her nanas are witches-- three of the few (only??) in their community. When Tam, an old friend (who is a werewolf), returns to town, she and Nova team up to defeat a cult that has summoned a demon. The nanas, in their wisdom and experience, help, too.

Mooncakes is a super cute graphic novel featuring a queer love story, witch-y magic, the classic must-defeat-the-bad-guy. Unlike many other stories that feature witches and magic, Nova's human friend Tat is aware of magic and Nova's abilities and loves to try to rectify science with magic. AND she helps (a little) in the battle. Additionally, it's not werewolves vs. witches, but Tam working with the witches to defeat the antagonist.

The illustrations reminded me (a graphic novel neophyte) of the style of The Prince and the Dressmaker: realistic, colorful, and non-experimental.

I'm not usually much of one for graphic novels, but I enjoyed Mooncakes-- I read it in two sittings, and I'll definitely be purchasing it for my teens.

Written for teen readers, but it is appropriate for tweens, too.

Diverse reads:
1) Tam and Nova are Chinese-American.
2) Nova is hard of hearing and wears hearing aids (which are visible in the illustrations).
3) Tam and Nova is queer; Tam is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.
4) Nova lives with her lesbian nanas.

Love the bright colors of this book overall! The relationship between Tam and Nova is explored well and the pacing of the book overall feels very easy to match, it's not rushed and doesn't feel like you are gliding over information despite addressing a multitude of situations. Loss of family, coming of age, and trusting others. Along with those topics, the creators provide representation for LGBT folks (Nanas + Tam + Nova), Hard of Hearing (Nova), and Asian folks. The diverse cast is lovely to read through and the concept of magic seems to be well developed tho not absolutely explored in this particular story. Highly recommend! I'm looking forward to sharing the story with our readers. Fell in love with Tam's terrible pun humor and stayed for a terrific resolution.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker is an amazing graphic novel that features witchy magnificence and a cute F/NB relationship. The art is very well done and I really enjoyed the extra content in the back too! The storyline was really intruiguing and immersive; the characters were developed nicely (I am so glad we got to discover the protagonists' pasts as well as their future together). I will be certain to pick up a paperback version in October, and I hope (and recommend) that if you enjoy cute, lighthearted, LGBT fantasy, you should too!

I wanted to thank Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this wonderfully heartwarming story.

For starters, this book had wonderful representation for hard of hearing and LGBTQ rep. Nova is hard of hearing and wears a hearing aid. Tam is non-binary and goes by they/them pronouns. They are referred to as such for the duration of the story as well. Nova had two grandmothers who were in a relationship and this wasn’t questioned and there was no homophobia in this respect, or any other.

The friendship between Tam and Nova is pure and wonderful. Their relationships is even more so. I fell in love with their characters and found myself rooting for them and crying with them as well.

The art in this story is GORGEOUS. The drawings are cute and it’s very colorful and pleasing to the eye. I found it very engaging and it kept me wanting more. Most of the ARC I received had color but the last few chapters were not, but either way, the art style still kept me engaged.

The plot felt high stakes and engaging as well. It felt believable and I loved the characters and how they stood up for each other.

I highly recommend this story to anyone and everyone who wants a heartwarming coming of age story about queer witches set in New England in the months of autumn.

A fun, light read. The story is relatively fast paced and the color palatte and illustrations are very attractive. The story didn't blow me away, but I would certainly recommend it to someone looking for something new. Good for fans of Nimona or Lumberjanes. Also loved the use of they/their pronouns for one of the characters. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to an ARC.

I LOVED THIS!!!!!!!

Seriously one of my favourite reads of the year. full of representation, diversity and everything else you could possibly want!! Do yourselves a favours everyone, go out and pre-order this now. A full review can be found on my GoodReads Page - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2906068283

Will be pre-ordering my physical copy TONIGHT!!

Mooncakes was a good story full of magic and diversity. I loved the drawings and the dialogues but the story felt a little flat or too quickly resolved for me. It made little sense but it might be just me. Quick and fun read nonetheless. Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook copy.

This is a must read. The content is amazing and screams diversity and inclusion. The pronouns, the magic and witchcraft, the relationships, the complex problems, and the illustrations were all wonderful. This book is something that this genre has been missing, and I think it will be well received.

This was an adorable and heartwarming queer story about magic, werewolves, amazing forest spirits, childhood friendships and love. I adored it and would love more in this genre!

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

Mooncakes is an adorable graphic novel about two friends who must face evil together. Nova and Tam were childhood crushes who now find each other again, under more difficult circumstances. They must solve the mistery of a demon who is suddenly loose in the woods.

I enjoyed the plot, characters and illustrations a lot. It was refreshing to read a novel that made representation and inclusion such a big part of the story. The characters are well written, and even though maybe we are left wanting to know more about the backstory on some of them, the story still works. There were so many colors, and that made the scenes look prettier and be more engaging. I'd like to see the ending chapter in full color, eventually.

I would definitely recommend this, specially for readers looking for a fun, cute and pretty graphic novel.

This is a perfect graphic novel for anyone who is a fan of magic and witches, and would be great to read around the Halloween season. I enjoyed everything about Mooncakes, right from the characters, to the story line, to the amazing graphics. I can’t wait for this to be released so that I can add it to my collection of graphic novels.

It's been a while since I've read a graphic novel and I wasn't sure what to expect. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu does not disappoint. It's a story of reunited friends battling supernatural forces, while balancing family drama, cultural expectations and falling in love.

Nova is a young witch who lives with her grandmothers and helps run the family bookstore. Tam comes back to town unexpectedly and a whole lot of trouble follows them. Only by teaming up together can Nova and Tam defeat dark forces, and find their own unique places in the world.

What I loved about this novel:
The characters are rich and diverse-- ethnically, in abilities, religiously, from a gender and sexual preference perspective and even in magical ways. For example, Tam is nonbinary, Nova has a hearing aid, both are Chinese Americans. But the story isn't about these aspects of who they are. The story is about their situation and how they tap into who they uniquely are to solve their problems and find love.
The supernatural storyline was anything but predictable and it had a few very unexpected twists and turns I don't want to spoil.
The art work engaged me in every scene. I loved the way the illustrations brought the story to life, especially during action scenes.

Sometimes the action moved a little too fast and I had to back-up to reground myself in what was happening, but overall I really enjoyed this book. I read the entire thing in one sitting and could not put it down. I highly recommend reading this one when it's released!

Disclosure: I received this novel through Net Galley as a reviewer at no cost to me.

A cute, magical graphic novel with plenty of different rep? Sign me up 🙋🏻.

This was a seriously cute read, with lots of colourful art and witchy/supernatural vibes. There is queer characters, a nonbinary character, a character that is hard-of-hearing and both main characters are Chinese-American (please correct me if I’m wrong on any of these). So there is PLENTY of diversity.

Unfortunately I thought the story felt a bit rushed. I would have happily just been in this world without a ”big bad” trying to do evil. Just to spend time with the characters and getting to know them. As it was we got some of this too, but it got a bit rushed when we had to get back to the main plot.
Hoping that we get more of the different relationships and for some time to let them evolve more slowly in a possible sequel.

This was such a cute read though, and if you’re looking for diversity- here it is!

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review