I loved this story, the art, and the representation. This book was a great example of real queer people who may have disabilities, living their lives. I loved that there was a Sukkot scene!!!

This little graphic novel was so cute! It's fun and lighthearted while also having a lot of heart. The main character, Nova, lives with her two grandmothers, and together the three manage a bookstore... with a secret collection of spell books in the back room for their witchy clients that come in. But then things get complicated when an old friend suddenly turns up again and the two are soon faced with magical forces much bigger than they could ever imagine...

This was absolutely the spoopy book that I desperately needed. Like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, if Sabrina's aunts were married... to each other! On that note, not only was this book so fun and cute, but it's incredibly diverse, with so many themes around family, friendship, gender, and surrounding yourself with those who will always love you for who you are. Nova herself likes girls, and one of the main plots of this story is the relationship she begins to develop with an old friend, Tam, who's come back into town after years being gone. Among the magical forces Tam is up against as a werewolf, they're also nonbinary and use they/them pronouns. Characters like Tam, and even family dynamics like Nova and her grandmothers, are so, so important for visibility, representation, and highlighting different, diverse stories, especially for middle grade readers like this book is particularly aimed at. There were so many touching moments throughout that made my heart swell, along with other really important conversations that fit really well into the story and didn't feel at all forced or inauthentic.

Combining a cute, lighthearted story of magic, spell books, and witchery with diverse characters and themes, this is definitely a graphic novel to pick up!

This graphic novel about witches, werewolves, and magic, is adorable, queer, and inclusive. There is a ton of every day representation mixed in amongst the magical, the bittersweet, and the fantastical. But I think where this would’ve been a bigger success for me is if more time had been spent in the set-up.

The reunion between these two main characters is very unexpected and things between them seem sped up while the reader is left trying to catch up to the why and how the all the backstory. We do get some of that after the fact, in the wrap up of the story, but I would’ve preferred some of it upfront instead of how it was done.

I also found myself a little lost in some of the nuance of the magic, the culture, and how it all worked. But maybe I’m just spoiled by longer fantasy epics like SAGA where the world building has time to, well, build.

This is definitely cute and diverse but I’m not sure it’ll be wholly memorable in a month’s time.


** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

I loved the cute little story so much! The artwork was phenomenal, the story line exceptional, the relationships totally adorable! One of my favorite graphic novels ever!

This graphic novel is probably one of the most wholesome stories I've ever read. It's a light, feel-good read, focusing on family, friendship, and love. The artwork is mesmerizing, especially the magic illustrations. They are probably some of the best I've ever seen. The story itself was cute. It wasn't particularly memorable, but it's perfect for a break between heavier reads or if you're just in need of something lighthearted. And the characters are all just so adorable. There's no way not to love them. All-in-all, I really enjoyed Mooncakes, its characters, and its beautiful illustrations. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for something short and fluffy (with a lot of puns).

I downloaded this to see if the last chapters were colored and yes it was. The additional materials were also here in this version and it was just a few doodles of the couple and how they converted the script to comic. Since there's nothing much new, I'm going to keep the same review I gave it.

//I enjoyed this but not as much as I thought I would. I thought there would be more stuff going on but it's focused on their relationship and growth more which is not a bad thing but I expected more out of the plot. The bad guys were beaten too easily for my liking. The characters are really lovable but you barely see anybody else besides them even in the background.

The artstyle was fine though I'm not a big fan of this kind of artstyle. The spirits were very cute though and I loved them.//

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

4.5/5

When I saw this GN, I was in love with the cover. Then, the art style took my heart... the colors of the palette is amazing.
The story is built around magic and bonds (friendship, family, love). I love how the small town is designed, the details and the references to other books.

The lgbt+ romance story was unexpected! Maybe I forgot it when i read the "warning" and I was so happy for Nova and Tam. A witch and a werewolf... it's amazing. Plus, they know eachother from childhood and I thing that this is a beautiful development.

I like also the "magical creatures" that helped the protagonists to defeat the "evil".
This grafic novel discusses important issues such disability, sexuality, feeling different, the passage between adolcescence and adulthood.
The girls of this story have so much potential and willpower!

I wish there was a prequel of this story, because I'd like to better know the childhood of Tam and Nova.
I recommend this graphic novel to all lovers of romantic stories but with a pinch of adventure (and especially to those who love magic).

I really enjoyed this graphic novel, I love the art style, especially the colour palette. There was a diverse range of characters. We had non-binary, lesbian grandmas, a bird man, a hearing impaired witch. It was awesome.

I loved the spirits they reminded me of pokemon. I think this story had a lot of heart. The depiction of family and friendship was really sweet. Nova's grandma's were incredibly supportive. They have so much love to give and the fact this graphic novel captured that is spectacular.

Tat and Nova have this incredible friendship, they accept each other for who they are and are always there for one another. And even when a third person has the potential to disrupt their friendship it never wavers and that is what being friends is about. Being there for each other no matter what.

With all that being said I would have liked more information on the demon plot line. I don't think it was explained well. I kind of understand it but I have questions. But I don't think that has anything to do with the story telling I think its due to this being a graphic novel therefore it's hard to flesh everything out without it turning into an actual novel. But overall I really enjoyed this. Love the colour scheme and the drawings were A+

A lovely, magical fall romance between a witch and a warewolf - I cannot wait to reread the finished copy during Pumpkin Spice season. My only complaint is that the story seems to start right in the middle - like I'd started on book 2 of a series without having read book 1. It gets less confusing if you stick with it, but Still, I love the illustrations with their rich, autumn colors and the sweet LGBTQ romance between Nova and Tam. It melted my cold, dead millennial heart. This will definitely become a go-to Halloween read for me.

This was such an adorable graphic novel with the cutesy type of art style that I love so much. It had some fun paranormal elements like witches, werewolves and demons along with the small town and bookstore setting that I love. We get a sweet queer romance between the female main character and a nonbinary crush from her childhood. Then theres the wonderful female friendship and family relationships. The main characters two demon slaying grandmothers were awesome. I also appreciated the hearing impaired representation with the main character having hearing aids. On top of all that we get an interesting plot with the myserious demon loose in a nearby forest.

3.5

I've seen this book many times around booktube and everyone who's read it found it to be quite good and interesting. So, I was ecstatic when I saw that the arc was available on Netgalley. I read it so fast and I ended up enjoying it so much.
This graphic novel handled many topics at the same time: disability representation, sexuality representation, and even the weird and hard transition into adulthood. It was so much fun and I found myself smiling at how adorable the main characters were. Still, I think that the plot was lacking at times and I got bored reading some of the chapters.
The art, however, is a masterpiece. It was gorgeous and I still can't get over it.

I really enjoyed the art style and magical story. I love a good witch story that has some romance. It has themes relating to same sex relationships. I really liked how this relationship was portrayed.

I enjoyed this comic book. The illustrations complemented the story well.

Thank you to the authors, NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

SUMMARY
Nova Huang is a seemingly average teen, who lives with her grandmas and work at their bookstore. Except that bookstore is no normal bookstore, as they sell spell books for witches like the Huang Family. However, one night in their small New England Town they get sightings of a mysterious white wolf, who turns out to be her long lost friend Tam. Feelings are rekindled, and a mysterious cult and horse-demon causing ruckus in their neighborhood.

REVIEW (5/5 Stars)
Before I picked it up, I was worried that all the hype around this book would not live up to my expectations. The book was said to handle so much: Disability Rep, LGBTQ rep, themes of grief and the sometimes rocky transition into adulthood and more; and I was worried that juggling all these topics would be hard to do in a way that seemed natural. But, I loved it! I thought that all of the rep was amazingly well done. I also enjoyed the characters! I love Tam and Nova, the grandmothers are great and even the little magical animal friends that we meet were cute. The one thing I will say is that because so much of the book was introducing us to the characters and the world, unfortunately I felt like build up and the conflict for the action sequences were a little lackluster. Overall, however, I loved the cute, witchy vibes and would suggest this to anyone looking for a great autumn read.

Do you like witches? Werewolves? Disability representation? Sexuality representation?

If you answered yes to any of these, but especially all of them, this is the graphic novel for you!

This is the story of Nova, and her life dealing with love, family, friendship, and the occasional demonic obsessed cult. I really can’t explain much else, but if you are intrigued by these bits and pieces I highly recommend this fun and thoughtful novel.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciate having had an opportunity to read this book in ARC form. The appeal of this particular book was not evident to me, and if I cannot file a generally positive review I prefer to simply advise the publisher to that effect and file no review at all.

Family, love, acceptance, and trust are core themes of this graphic novel about a family of witches and a werewolf living in a small town. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu, and Joamette Gil is equal parts and exciting tale of witchcraft and adventure and heartwarming story of love and family that is sure to melt the iciest of hearts.

Nova is a young woman living with her two grandmothers, learning the ways of witchcraft from them. An old friend comes back to town unexpectedly, and with her a secret cult, a demon stalking the forest, and feelings that never quiet went away. What ensues is a story of old friends reuiniting, blossoming love, and a story of magic.

The whole story takes place over the course of a couple of months. Even so, the pacing remains at a steady, somewhat subdued pace for much of the graphic novel. While there are plenty of scenes of magic and battles, the emotional focus remains on the characters themselves, their fears, their desires, and relationships for much of the graphic novel. These themes are balanced beautifully. On the one hand we have Tam who needs to learn how to trust and how to not run when things get bad. On the other we have Nova who needs to learn how to break out on her own a little more.

This is, at heart, a character driven story with much soul. Every character has a goal, something to overcome, or something to learn. A scientist friend learns to accept magic and all its bizarre inconsistencies with known physics.

A lot of people will find representation of themselves within Mooncakes as well. Nova is a young woman who’s lost both her parents, is being raised by two grandmothers, and uses hearing aids. Tam has a strained relationship with her parents and is nonbinary. Their romance is beautiful and heartwarming, a story of childhood love returning years later and finally being fully realized and acted upon. It’s a story with so many strong women – some who start out with wills as strong as iron, others who gain confidence along the way, and all of them wonderful.

The art in this graphic novel is absolutely wonderful. Characters are drawn with softer faces and in a slightly cartoonish style as opposed to being rendered very realistically. The softer palette filled with yellows, oranges, and purples evokes the autumn setting even when indoors. Backgrounds can be minimalistic at times.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu, and Joamette Gil is a wonderful single volume graphic novel perfect for fans of Lumberjanes looking for characters just a bit older. I highly recommend giving this graphic novel a read.

A delightful paranormal story with romance and LGBTQIA teen characters! Nova and Tam ( plus their friends and family) must work together to defeat a demon. Problems arise when it is hard to know who to trust, and self confidence issues get in the way.
Tam (non binary they/them) has been gone for a long time and is happy to see Nova. They are adorable together, with hints that before they left, a romance was already budding ( so it makes sense how quickly things progress with their arrival) werewolves, magic and witches abound. A great read especially near Halloween.

Mooncakes is the fun story of teen witch Nova, who lives with and helps run her Nanas' bookshop. One night she investigates reports of a white wolf in the woods and is reunited with her childhood friend, werewolf, and crush Tam Lang. Tam turns to Nova for help battling the demon in the woods and together they discover their powers as well as their feelings for one another. I absolutely adored this heartwarming story! I liked that it showcased a main character with a disability and had a great LGBQT+ representation. I found the struggles within the pages, specifically the familial ones, to be realistic. I just think it's a great, sweet story with a very fun fantastical angle that people of any age could enjoy. Plus, the artwork is gorgeous! It fits with the story really well and I enjoyed the fun and colorful pictures. The only real negative thing I have to say is that I could figure out the "bad guy" pretty easily. That definitely doesn't take anything away from the story, though!

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review .
This graphic novel was absolutely adorable! It starts off with an introduction of sorts, giving an insight of the main characters. Nova is a queer Chinese-american witch, and when her childhood friend, Tam, a non-binary werewolf, comes back, she knows that something is up. The illustrations help the action flourish and the art style is gorgeous. The story presents LGBTQIA characters, a character with a disability, something that more fantasy novels should contain (one of the authors speaks openly about this issue), and deals with divorce. The story line is intriguing and suspenseful, though I found the plot a bit predictable at times. The characters are lovable and have good chemistry, but in my personal opinion, they are not developed enough. We get a glimpse at the life of Nova's family and her backstory, but also find out about Tam's life and his relationship with his parents. Overall, I had a great experience reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes witchcraft and graphic novels! I really hope there will be a sequel, because I fell like Nova's story has just begun.