*I received this book as an eARC from Lion Forge/Oni Press via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had heard great things about this book so I was really looking forward to reading it. And I LOVED it! This graphic novel is magically diverse! It's queer and witchy! It's so much fun!

Nova is a witch who's hard of hearing. Tam is both is a non-binary werewolf. The queerness is handled so seamlessly, naturally addressing pronouns used early on. There are so many parallels between queer stories and magic/werewolf stories that this combination just makes sense. The sense of community and finding your own people. The coming out. It's all there.

Every character in this graphic novel is fully realized and fleshed out completely. Not only does the world feel real and lived in, but the characters seem like real people as well.

This is a great story about two childhood friends reconnecting as adults and figuring out things out. Oh, and there's also awesome magic battles. The pacing is also excellent. Honestly, I read the whole book in one sitting. I definitely give this graphic novel a 5/5. Highly recommend!!!

Mooncakes was one of my most hyped graphic novels of the year and I'm so happy to say it held up to this hype. I was disappointed when I missed the download period on it on here. Thankfully, my work got a copy in and I was able to read it that way. It took only two sittings (would have been less if not for sleep) and loved every second of it. The story about a HoH character and nonbinary really was lovely, as someone with some hearing issues and is nonbinary. I loved how lovely the magic of this world mixed and went with the story while feeling real. I loved how it talked about trauma and abuse, how it did it beautifully. The artwork was really well done and I loved seeing different YA books throughout it. I think the best thing about it was that being gay or nonbinary wasn't an issue. In a world full of magic and werewolves, it was just accepted. Of course it did deal with Tam's coming out and the fact their family didn't understand it. But they also didn't understand them being a werewolf. The two played off each other well and held a deeper meaning for those who are nonbinary. All in all I could gush over this book forever. I hope I can buy my own copy of it soon.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is probably the cutest graphic novel I read and the one which warms my heart the most. The problem with reviewing books you love is that sometimes, I have no words other than: this is great! Everyone should read it! And looking at my notes for this book, that’s basically just what it boils down to. This is the kind of sweet and fluffy graphic novel that makes me just want to tell everyone I know to please pick it up. It has everything- witches, werewolves, sweet grannies, diversity, culture, a cult plot, etc. It’s so good and I immediately fell in love from the first few pages.

The writing in this book is so good and I loved the banter between the characters and their inner thoughts. All of them feel very well-developed and I enjoyed reading about their relationships with one another. Also, Nova has two grannies who are just the best. The art is also very beautiful- kind of cartoony with soft colors and I love it. It fits the story very well and the gorgeous art just helps make the story shine. Especially the spirits- they were so cute and I think must be my favorite illustration in the graphic novel.

The story is basically about Nova and Tam who were childhood best friends until Tam had to move away. Then Tam comes back and they rekindle their friendship and it grows into something more. Their relationship was so cute and I love it. I enjoy how their interactions just seem to be so easy and how perfectly they fit into each others lives. I like the kind of fluffy friends-to-lovers romance we see here and it was handled perfectly. Both of them are also Chinese-American and I enjoyed seeing how their cultured is portrayed alongside the magical stuff. The scene where Nova’s family get together is just so heart-warming and I liked seeing how they accept Tam.

As I said, this book is about magic. Nova and her family are witches while Tam is a werewolf. Tam still hasn’t really been able to control their werewolf powers so it can get a little difficult for them, especially with the horse demon that they have to fight. This is one of the darker moments in the story but it does still get resolved satisfactorily and I really enjoyed seeing Tam battle with themself and accept their werewolf side and ultimately break out of what the cult was trying to do.

Overall, this was a wonderful graphic novel which I can recommend to everybody. It’s sweet and fluffy with a wonderfully diverse cast and a story which focuses on family, love, and friendship.

Oh my gosh, I loved this graphic novel so much! The story was exciting and mysterious. I enjoyed the relationship between Nova and Tam and the unconditional support these two were given by Nova's grandmothers was super sweet. Oh, and the art! Just gorgeous. Overall, it was a satisfying, feel-good, magical read. I can't wait to see what Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu come out with next!

I really enjoyed this heart-warming story. The artwork in Mooncakes is simply beautiful, but what really sets this novel apart is great representation. It isn't often that we meet a protagonist with a hearing disability or a non-binary main character or wonderfully supportive grandmothers who are in a relationship. Nova and Tam's love story is adorable and carries a positive message of acceptance and support.
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is a beautiful graphic novel.

There was great representation in this story. Nova wears hearing aids, which isn’t a common thing for characters in novels. She’s proud of wearing ones that are brightly colored so they stand out. Her friend Tam is gender neutral and uses the pronoun “they.” It takes a while to get used to reading that pronoun to refer to one person, but it was a great inclusive addition to the book.

I loved the magical elements of the story. Nova reminded me of Sabrina the Teenage Witch because she lived with her two grandmas, and Sabrina lived with her two aunts. There were also demons, werewolves, and an evil witch. This was an exciting magical story.

I really enjoyed this story!

Thank you Lion Forge for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, I have one very important thing to say about this book: MOONCAKES IS THE CUTEST BOOK OF 2019!! It's soft and witch-y and sweet and omg I couldn't have loved it more, but let's get to the review!

Nova and Tam have not seen each other since they were kids but are reunited one night when Nova finds Tam in the woods trying to battle a horse demon. Tam has been looking for a place to call home for a long time and ends up in the woods when they demon appears.

Luckily, when Nova finds them, she refuses to let them sleep in the woods. So she takes Tam to her grandmothers' house to stay and so begins their journey to rediscovering their relationship and the feelings they never quite had time to acknowledge when they were kids.

They help run Nova's grandmothers' bookshop, practice magic, try to figure out how the hell to beat this horse demon and who released it in the first place, and just do normal teen witch and teen-who-can-turn-into-a-wolf things.

But soon the need to defeat the horse demon and the witch who is controlling it becomes too dire and Nova, her grandmothers, and Tam (if she can figure out how to control her powers) must figure out a way to destroy it. 

The relationship between Tam and Nova is the literal definition of cinnamon rolls. They are so sweet and pure and I would like all any and all merch for this delightful book. I'm writing a Snow White/Sleeping Beauty story on my secret blog and I hope to make them as soft and sweet as these two are. When they finally say they like each other, I almost floated off the couch in a cloud of hearts.

I also LOVE Nova's grandmothers because they immediately accept Tam and their pronouns. We have enough traumatic books about people not being accepted, not to mention real life, and I'm glad this book shows Tam being completely loved, supported, and cared for. 

I also really like who the villain turns out to be. No spoilers but I wasn't expecting it and it's perfect.

Oh and the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! I'm amazed by artists in general and Wendy Xu is one of my new favorites. Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu did a masterful job with this book.

Mooncakes is the story everyone needs to read after this tough year. I'm giving it 5 out of 5 stars. If you're looking for a good graphic novel, want a sweet queer romance inside a magical/witch-y story, or just want a break from all the dark books, please read Mooncakes.

And the best part: IT'S AVAILABLE NOW!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lion Forge/Oni Press for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

The art was beautiful. The story so nice. I flew through it. I can't recommend this graphic novel enough.

This was such a cute story! I loved how diverse and inclusive it was. The art style was stunning, and the story was super entertaining. I really enjoyed the magical elements to it.

This was a cute, fast-paced graphic novel with incredible representation and an even better art style!

The characters were realistic and had the own demons (literally) to fight. Important aspects such as sexuality, life goals and college are topics many YA readers will find themselves relating to.

The art style really suits the story, the colour is amazing and magic is etched within every page of this graphic novel!

The plot was a little predictable and the villain was great! The foreshadowing was superb and gave me Sabrina The Teenage Witch vibes.

I loved this funny, endearing book! I will be forcing everyone I know to read it ASAP.

This book was cute just what many of my patrons are looking for when it comes to graphic novels. Something light and fluffy and so very cute!

Story: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Mooncakes was an endearing graphic novel with an enchanting (pun intended) cast of characters and themes of hope, family and love. I’d never actually read a graphic novel before this one so I had no idea what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised with a sweet story that filled me up with all those warm, fuzzy feelings. My only grumble is that the plot was quite basic and focused more on the relationships between characters than specific details but I still had a great general experience despite this.

Nova Huang was a teen witch who worked in her grandmothers’ bookshop and helped them loan out spell books and look into any magical mishaps in the surrounding area. One day she stumbled across her childhood crush called Tam Lang– a werewolf who had been lost and wandering for far too long. They banded together to battle occult forces but ultimately they ended up rediscovering their love and discovering the extent of the potential they both held.

The foundation of this novel was the bonds between the various characters. Nova and Tam’s relationship was the pinnacle of cuteness and I loved their quiet, hopeful trust in each other. The endless love and support from Nova’s grandmothers and the rest of her family was heart-warming as well as the humorous scepticism of Nova’s scientific best friend.

I also loved the diversity! Both Nova and Tam were Chinese American. Nova was hard-of-hearing and Tam was nonbinary. It just fills my heart with so much joy to see so much representation. Furthermore, the illustrations were gorgeous and created an adorable, whimsical mood to the story.

In essence, Mooncakes was a tale of self discovery. Of growing up and ‘leaving the nest’ but also of coming home. Yes, the plot was a bit lacking for me but it was still an enchanting read that I’d recommend and that has definitely made me want to read more graphic novels in the future.

Thank you to Oni Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a gorgeous graphic novel. I adored the art style and this plot. I especially appreciated the representation.

Over the moon with love for this book and characters. Loved the character development, backstory, and lgbtq romance.

I voted for this in the Goodreads awards this year, over several Image titles that I really love; it's that good. If you like stories that revolve around female friendship and warm, supportive community relationships (among many other things), this is a story for you.

So... it has taken a long time for me to write a review for this book since not a lot happened for me to write about. I liked the casual diversity but that was about it. I wish I had enjoyed this book a lot more than I did, but unfortunately, I did not.

Mooncakes
by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker
Let’s start with the obvious—this young adult fantasy graphic narrative is witchy and wonderous, with wildly good art. There are two (essentially) main characters, as well. Nova, who is Chinese-American (and hard of hearing), and dealing with the devastating loss of her parents while living with her two grandmothers. The other is the punster Tam, who’s also Chinese-American, but Tam’s a nonbinary werewolf who recently left their family because that family couldn’t accept them.

Clearly, issues with parents are at the heart of both character’s trauma, so it only makes sense that the come together for deeply-needed support. As Wendy and Suzanne offer in a note at the front of the book, “Mooncakes is a story of reunion—two childhood crushes who find each other again and find out whether their friendship could be something more.” Add in some supernatural mysteries and horse demons and you’ve conflict aplenty.

Now, let’s consider the less obvious aspects of the book. (1) The specifics of the magic system are a bit underdeveloped (2) The backgrounds of the characters feel a bit thin beyond the obvious elements (see above). (3) There’s a bit of the “insta love” trope in operation here.

Still, there’s much to admire in this old-fashioned love story with a contemporary, magical twist. For anyone looking for a YA tale that fully embraces diversity, this might be an ideal fit.


3.75 out of 5 coffee cups

Have you ever had the experience where you watch a movie and it just doesn't quite add up, but then you go watch a deleted scene and it suddenly makes things makes sense and you wonder why in the world they cut that scene? I feel like somewhere there's a missing scene for this graphic novel that would just snap it all into place for me. Just that one extra little bit of lore and explanation that would make things just work so much better.

Cute and adorable with intriguing mystery and amazing representation! However I didn't really clicked with the art style and the plot was okay in the end.

My first impression of this book is that it's an absolutely delightful and diverse read. The art style is gorgeous and definitely adds to the story. However the plot twist felt slightly rushed when I would have happily liked the story to be longer. I will definitely be recommending this at work.