This is such a cute graphic novel! I myself love comics and graphic novels, especially when they deal with magic and magical creatures!
I saw "Mooncakes" everywhere on social media, so I got so excited, when I got this book for free, in exchange for an honest review.
And all I can say is, that I absolutely loved the magical story! The characters are so diverse, which I adored! Very big reading recommendation!

“Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.
One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.
Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.” — Taken from the summary on Goodreads.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu has been recommended so much by the internet book communities, and I was not at all disappointed. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous and the story is as heartwarming as any story could ever get. The diversity included in this novel is amazing as well, including diverse characters both real and mythological.
Overall, there really wasn’t anything I didn’t like in this novel. However, there were elements which I thought could be expanded upon. I feel like some aspects were limited, such as the mythology included in certain parts of the story. We see mythical creatures that live in the nearby forest, though with no explanation as to what they are or where they come from — all we know is that they are friends of the heroes. In addition to this mythology, I would’ve liked to have seen more lore about werewolves, which admittedly the protagonists are not so learned in. This they did a good job with, creating a limited perspective in the narration so that readers are able to learn and go on this adventure along with the protagonists. In any case, I hope perhaps Walker and Xu will go on to expand this universe a bit more, as not only do I want to know more about the mythology of Mooncakes, but I just want to read more of Walker and Xu’s work!
While there is so much explained about Tam’s (the werewolf) fight for self-realization, but not so much for Nova’s (the young witch). We see Nova at some odds with her parents about her not having left home to find herself. In the end she does decide to leave to find herself, but we don’t get much insight into the decision making that went on in her mind. While this isn’t necessarily essential to Nova’s character, I’d still like to have seen some more about her character and personality.
The following are the elements of this book I absolutely loved. One thing this book did phenomenally is portray diverse characters in abundance and depth. Nova Huang comes from a half-Chinese half-Jewish family — portrayed wonderfully by the joint celebration of Chinese New Year and Sukkot. She is raised by two grandmothers. She is also in a queer relationship with Tam Lang who is also, I assume, POC, and is non-binary. Unfortunately we don’t get to meet too many other characters besides Nova’s family and the antagonists, but I have no doubt Walker and Xu would portray them with the same care and depth.
What can I say about Wendy Xu’s art in this book other than that it is amazing. The colors remind me of Autumn (no surprise as it is very themed for Halloween), and while they are simple drawings, they are colored and expressed so vividly. I especially liked the trees and the art of the mythical forest creatures — I just want a whole book of Xu’s mythical creatures!
It is clear from the beginning that Nova and Tam have a history as childhood friends (and perhaps more), and so it was no surprise that they fell together so quickly in the beginning of the book. In addition, the two from the start are willing to work on their relationship, it’s not star-crossed or fated, it’s simply made and worked on by two people who have a lot of love to give. Of course there is a grand kiss at the end, but instead of it being a kiss after a long slow burn, it is a kiss of relief that things can finally settle.
I recommend Mooncakes to anyone who needs a bit of love and magic in their life.
I know this is my first book of 2020, but I can already see it being one of my favorites.

Mooncakes
By: Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu
Diamond Book Distributors
Lion Forge
Sci-Fi and Fantasy, Teen and YA
256 pages
Publish Date 15 October 2019
#Mooncakes #NetGalley
<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c006ae40a94b6f4991f8876a64b57ba03bd72610" width="80" height="80" alt="25 Book Reviews" title="25 Book Reviews"/>
<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/9a41056d7201c045d3f9e5c161f9569494687ae1" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>

This is a cute graphic novel that you should read around Halloween time. I gave it 4 stars. This is about two young ladies one who is a witch and the other one a werewolf. There is a demon in the area and they are trying to get rid of it. You are thrown in right away with a little back ground about their past. This novel has a great family atmosphere and you can read it in a day. There is also female/female romance in this book. I would recommend this book it is a fun read.

My Thoughts:
I've been wanting to read more graphic novels this year. It's something that I love to do, but don't do very often for whatever reason. I heard quite a few people on booktube talk about how good Mooncakes is so I decided to check it out. Unfortunately, I ended up not enjoying it as much as I had hoped I would.

Mooncakes had so much potential. The graphic novel is full of things I usually love reading about, such as witches, shifters, and LGBTQ+ characters. Unfortunately, the story fell flat for me. Throughout reading the graphic novel, I was confused because parts of it didn't seem to make sense. It almost felt like there was another book in the series that came before it that I should have read. However, when looking on Goodreads, it appears to be the only book in the series. There were references to things that had happened to the characters previously and inside jokes between them that I didn't get at all.

The other thing that I didn't like about Mooncakes was that the main characters didn't have distinct personalities. They were just cookie cutter and plain. Other than their physical abilities, there was nothing to make them stand out from other characters in the graphic novel, or characters I had read about in other books. In fact, I had to go slow and keep looking at the art work to remember which character was which because their personalities were so similar. I had to backtrack several time in the story line because I kept getting them confused.

I really wanted to love Mooncakes. It has all of the elements that I usually love in a story line. However, this graphic novel just wasn't for me. I found it confusing, and hard to distinguish between the characters. I would like to give this author another try in the future though because I know a lot of people that did love this graphic novel.

I give Mooncakes: 2/5.

I don’t have too much to say about this title. It’s going to be really popular with teen readers who like LGBTQIA+ characters and fantasy. I can also see it being enjoyed by readers of fanfic. The story drags at times, but the characters and colorful artwork keep it engaging.

Y’all. I’ve been following the artist, Wendy Xu, on Twitter for ages. Then I saw her promote Mooncakes and I was THROUGH THE ROOF.

Queer, beautifully written and drawn, and such a cute story! This one is entering the Hall of Favorites for sure.

It’s got magical elements, a nonbinary character, and FOOD. What’s not to love?

Sure, the ending felt a little rushed, but graphic novels tend to read quick anyway so I wasn’t too bothered by it. Regardless, whatever Wendy and Suzanne have planned next, count me in.

A really cute Graphic novel! Even though I‘m usually not a Fan of graphic novels with fantasy elements, I think the overall Story and the characters were so much fun, especially if you read it around Halloween.

4/5

I adored this graphic novel! I not only loved our two main characters and how cute they were together but I also loved the family dynamic. The characters in this graphic novel felt real and were easy to relate too. The diversity and representation within is truly one of the books shining moments! The art style and colour pallet were so amazingly put together. There is not a flaw in this graphic novel for me. Its a 5 out of 5! Such a cute and very autumnal read! I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!


*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *

This was such a quick, fun read and I can't wait to get my hands on a full color copy! This is one that I really want to buy for my friends because I really think they would love it.

This was just one of the most goshdarned sweetest graphic novels I've ever read! I was absolutely enchanted from the first page, and I didn't want to let go when it was done.

There is so much great representation in this graphic novel (Chinese, deaf, queer, non-binary), not to mention magic, cats, a bookstore, supernatural creatures, and just about the cutest relationships ever! There is some unexplained magic/elements that characters just shrug off, so don't expect explanations for everything -- but it's still such a fun and cute story! I wish there was a sequel because I absolutely love Nova and Tam.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu is a graphic novel for young adults. It is a story of love and demons, family and witchcraft. Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers' bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town. One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home. Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

Mooncakes grabbed my attention quickly and kept it. Nova is a sweet girl, honest and a bit reserved except for those she is close to. Tam is clearly struggling with family issues and I enjoyed seeing them reconnect with Nova and found their personal strength. Their battle together against a demon was very well done, and I had trouble stepping away from the book when I had to. The conflict and resolution was well written, and I would be happy to see Tam and Nova's story continue on. I thought the art work captured the mood, emotion, and themes of the book quite well. It was visually attractive and added to the story consistently. I also like how simply and honestly all of the relationships are handled. No one makes a big deal out of pronoun choice or who anyone love- because it should not be a big deal. I wish this level of simple acceptance was more prevalent in the real world. I also love that none of the relationship aspects were played up as a qimick- which happens was too often. It was just pure and organic.

Mooncakes is a lovely graphic novel that kept me interested and engaged for the entire read. My only disappointment is that I had a digital copy rather than a paper copy because I really wanted to get a closer look at some of the pages without the distortion that comes from zooming in on a digital page.

This was such a soft and lovely story filled with so many magical moments. From it's amazing cast of characters to its storyline that had me hooked from the start. Mooncakes was a joy to behold and the romance between Tam and Nova gave me all the feels. Tam is a non-binary werewolf and Nova is a chinese-american queer witch that lives with her two (kickass) grandmothers. I enjoyed the art style and the narrative kept me turning the pages. This was such a cute read that I flew through but I really wish that we got more substance on the magic system and the backgrounds of each character that led them to their arcs. Nevertheless, highly recommend to anyone looking for something to swoon over

What I like about this book: the number of things that are included without becoming issues. One of the protagonists is hearing impaired. It's an element, sure. It affects her awareness of the world around her and her relationship with her peers. But it's just a single aspect of her character rather than THE thing that defines her. The other protagonist is non-binary. Again, addressed but not all they are. It must be addressed as it informs the character and their decision making. So these things are deftly handled and certainly present, but ultimately this is a book more about the use and misuse of magic rather than "issues".

A sweet, enjoyable story of a teen witch, Nova, and her childhood friend, Tam, who is a werewolf. Together with Nova's grandmothers and a non-magical childhood friend, plus some help from local forest spirits, they fight to banish a demon and bring the cult that summoned it to justice. The story is a little uneven in places, but is heartwarming and omigosh so inclusive! Nova and Tam are Chinese-American, Nova and the grandmothers are queer, Tam is non-binary, and Nova is hearing impaired and wears hearing aids. If I had a complaint, it would be that there was never much of a feeling of urgency or menace, even once the villain is revealed and the cult tries to complete their mission with the demon- there wasn't a feeling of would the good guys save the day, there was just the feeling of when would it happen. Not a big complaint, just a bit Scooby Doo ha! The artwork was lovely, the illustrations had lots of fun detail to find, such as real life book covers in the book shop, Tam's fangs occasionally peeking out, and the kitties getting into mischief in the background. This is a great fall (or any time) read, cozy and warm and very feel-good :)

#Mooncakes #NetGalley

This was such a cute graphic novel! It's about a queer hard-of-hearing witch and a non-binary (they/them) werewolf, both of whom are Chinese-American. And also ... friends to lovers relationship! One of my favourite tropes!

I really appreciated how diverse the graphic novel is: not only are the two main characters diverse, but also Nova (one of the main characters) grandmothers are in a relationship! So gorgeous! I personally love witch stories, and I really loved how their magic was infused with nature. Also the art was quite beautiful, I really enjoyed the bright colours.

I highly recommend this graphic novel if you're looking for something sweet, queer, and fun!

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

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery."

I wish I could tell you more about this delightfully looking book but it is yet another one that mysteriously disappeared off NetGalley before the date it was scheduled to...

Mooncakes was a real heart-warmer. Reading it during Fall, especially Halloween season is a must, but I would pick this graphic novel up again and again any time. It was beautifully diverse with two queer Chinese-American main characters, one of which is a deaf witch being raised by her queer Grandmothers, and the other a nonbinary werewolf. And OHHHH, the childhood friends-to-lovers aspect of the story is just so sweet, natural and WHOLESOME to its core. Also, the representation of good witches using their craft to protect others in harmony with nature is simply beautiful to see! And Wendy Xu's art is fabulous and adorable! I give this a 5 out of 5 swooning stars!!!

Nice story with diverse characters. It could have used a bit more set-up in some places. It moved too fast.

Adorable. Warm and fun with lots of witchy goodness. The romance is soft and sweet and it's nice to see more non-binary characters showing up as leads, instead of just around the edges.

Nova had lost her parents was now livinf=g with her two grandmothers. She worked in their grandmother's book store. The books they have help with spell research and work. The collect rare spell books. Tam is a non-bionary werewolf who grew up with Nova. Nova and her grandmothers are queer witches and Nova has a severe loss of hearing and wears hearing aids. Tam has left his family because they weren’t very good to him. Nova and Tam are both in pain because of the parents but for very different reasons. Nova hasn’t gotten over losing her parents yet. The witches also help with issues in the neighborhood from supernaturals. Nova goes to the forest and sees a white wolf fighting a horse demon. She then finds out it is her old best friend and HS crush that was fighting the demon. Also she learns he needs help and wants to help.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the plot a lot. It was a sweet, quick, easy reading graphic novel. I loved the illustrations in this. I liked the author bringing in the disability of loss of hearing. I loved the action. I wish there hadn’t been insta/love and gave our characters more time to fall in love. This did drag for me but I did finish the novel. I really liked that Nova was there for Tam. I liked the family values in this book a lot. I liked the characters and the ins and outs of this graphic novel and I recommend it.