This was the cutest! The art work is so fun and gives an adorable witchy vibe. The characters were so so wonderful and such great representation for so many different people! Definitely one of my new favorite graphic novels and such a joy to read!

This book has gotten a lot of love and is often called cute. It is actually somewhat dark. The drawings are often cute, and the protagonists look like children and that threw me out of the story- which is actually quite sparse.

I enjoyed this book and I hope that the authors will continue with the story of Nova and Tam. It was nice to see diversity in the story plus liked the paranormal aspect of it. The reason for only 4 stars was that it was quick in the action and I wanted more. Will be buying the physical copy when it comes out to see the bonus material

Mooncakes is a cute book about acceptance and friendship and how much these two things impower you. I thought it was a decent read but unfortunately it didn't captivate me as I had hoped it would. I liked the idea that Tam turned into a white wolf and Nova is a witch. Overall it was a cute story but could use more excitement!

I have heard so many great thing about this comic book but I was worried because I typically don’t read comic books. However, I really enjoyed this, this was everything I hoped my first graphic novel would feel like. The romance was adorable and even though it was such a fast read it didn’t feel rushed. This left me wanting more and wanting to know more and I hope there is a second part to this cute story.

If you like cute, witchy romance stories then definitely check this one out.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-copy for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The art was beautiful and the story was so enjoyable I finished it in one sitting.

I received a free e-copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

Note: this is NOT an enemies-to-lovers book, so my format is a little different

Possible tags for this graphic novel:
Childhood friends to lovers
Fluff
Queer romance
Modern witches

I saw so much praise for this graphic novel so I requested it myself. But after reading it, I'd only rate it 3/5 stars.

<b>What I loved</b>
THE WORLDBUILDING

<b>The worldbuilding is the best part of this graphic novel.</b> It's so fascinating and unique, and I honestly wanted to learn more. I mean... modern day witches who own a magical store? Werewolves and demons? A man with a pigeon-head and cheerful ghosts that visit their daughter? Spells and magical gemstones? Not to mention how beautifully illustrated all of this is... I fell in love with the universe immediately!

THE ART

Wendy Xu's art style is so lovely! It's so adorable, colorful, and cheerful. I love her <b>attention to details.</b> I'd zoom in on various panels just to see all the little bits she added. And Nova's outfits are very cute, which I appreciate.

THE FRIENDSHIPS AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS


The authors themselves stated they wanted to write characters with a good support system and they managed that successfully. Nova and her grandparents have such a sweet relationship, and her parents are loving even if they're a little critical. Her entire extended family comes to visit during a festival and they're fond of Tam as well. Nova's best friend Tatiana is also a spot of sunshine! And even if Tam's family isn't great, she finds a new family with Nova instead. The relationships are very warm-hearted and sincere.

<b>What I didn't like</b>
LACK OF CONFLICT

I know this graphic novel is supposed to be lighthearted and sweet, but every story still needs a proper conflict. The only real conflict was between our protagonists (Tam and Nova) and the villain who's been spreading demons around. Even so, it was only hinted at the start, and was only continued about halfway through. The middle chapters were mainly about the romance and the worldbuilding. The villain felt quite cartoonish and I didn't understand why they were acting in the first place. Furthermore, from the moment the villain was introduced, she was already suspicious and sneaky. It was so obviously a "plot twist".

Plus, I never felt like there were real stakes until page 177 of the graphic novel. Before then, I was never afraid for the characters or the universe. Was anything significantly bad going to happen to them? What are the consequences of them failing? These were never directly addressed or treated seriously enough early on.

By page 178, something dangerous happens to Tam, so I wanted to read on and see what would happen next. But it shouldn't have taken close to 200 pages for this.

LACK OF RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Tam and Nova are childhood friends who were separated for the longest time. After Nova discovers Tam in the woods post-transformation, they reunite, and the two quickly fall in love. Nova says she loved Tam ever since they were kids, but we don't have much context. <b>It felt very insta-love</b> to me, which I'm not a fan of. I prefer seeing a relationship progress rather than have the two characters automatically profess their love and kiss. All the other characters were also pointing out how much they mooned over each other, which was cute and hilarious, but like I said, I couldn't be invested. I wish the authors spent more time developing Tam and Nova's friendship before they confessed to each other. Or maybe provide more flashbacks so we know what we're working with. That way, their romance would seem more realistic and rewarding and not something that was just stated.

BONUS POINTS
Readers have been praising this graphic novel for its diversity and they're right. It's worth complimenting! Tam and Nova are both biracial Chinese-Americans. Nova is bisexual. Tam is non-binary. All of Nova's friends and family are supportive of their relationship. Nova wears a hearing aid but her deafness is never considered a weakness. And their diverse characteristics are never considered a plot point; they're just there, existing, as real life people do. It's normalized, which is great.

Other than that... I actually question the YA rating. I think this should've been a Middle Grade graphic novel instead. The protagonists are teenagers, yes, but the style seemed more suitable for a younger audience. Sure, a character says "sex" once and there are evil demons and cults, but it's nothing too frightening for children. The main couple never goes past kissing. All violence is cartoonish and non-gory. There's no strong language. Even the whimsical fantasy-adventure vibe gave it a younger feel.

<b>TL;DR It's a very quick, lighthearted read. If you want good representation and a light fantasy for younger readers, then it's for you. But personally it was not for me.</b>

I really liked it. I thought these characters were very sweet and real, I loved the diversity and understanding they received, how easy could be in our world. Of course, with magic everything would be easy and wonderful, right?
The eternal conundrum, will people be nicer if we could have everything at our fingertips? I think this book showed real friendship, without shame and with love for each other.
The art was so cute and colorful, I loved the palette and how everything felt so effortless. I cannot wait to read something else from them!
I will come back and add a link to my review closer to the release date!

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

such a beautiful and wholesome graphic novel!! a very magical read, much in the line of dianna wynne jones works and ghibli studios films!

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!