This was such an adorable graphic novel. The characters, the art and the story were just spell-binding.
Loved the representation in this book, and I totally recommend this for an October read as its got total witchy vibes.

ARC was given by NetGalley in return for an honest review. This graphic novel was so sweet! It had so much representation and inclusivity. The art style is beautiful and all the warm, fall tones made me feel so cozy. The use of they/them/their was such a breath of fresh air in the plot. Everyone was so accepting! I loved the witchy vibes and the illustrations of the forest spirits were so darling! I can't wait to see the final copy in October.

Loved this book and very much appreciated the diversity in the characters. Though at times it did seem to be flat in the plot, it soon picked back up again raising my interest in the plot. I enjoyed the representation of not only a non binary character, but also one hard of hearing and that these aspects were not central to the plot, simply a fact.

AAAH I can't begin to say how much I loved this book.

Reunited childhood crushes Nova and Tam team up to fight an evil magic that threatens their home and their very lives. Nova, a witch, lives with her two grandmothers and works in their magical bookshop. Tam, a non-binary werewolf, returns to town after a long absence, only to discover a demon living in the woods nearby. As they work together to uncover the source of the dark magic, their skills and confidence develop... along with a truly sweet, lovely romance. Add in a nuanced cast of side characters, plenty of unconditional love and acceptance, and a really charming art style, and you have one of my new favorite graphic novels. I cannot wait to recommend this at my library.

Content Warning: Talk about emotionally abusive and neglectful parents, kidnapping/captivity, loss of parents and characters attacking another character with magic as self-defense.


Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.


I am thrilled with this graphic novel. It's what I look for when wanting to read something light, short, and heart-warming. It's soft, kind, and beautiful. And it's oh, so queer. What more can I ask? I'm delighted with it all. Its story overflows with many magical moments that you can't help but melt when they happen.

Mooncakes follow Nova a Chinese-American Witch that lives with both her grandmas after the death of her parents. She's coping with the loss, and as well, learning what her powers can do while helping her grandmas collect rare magical books. And it follows Tam who is a Chinese-American nonbinary white werewolf with magical powers who’s learning their worth and power strength. After leaving home to escape the feeling of loneliness that came from having no support around them and their emotionally abusive parents. Tam’s pronouns are they and them.



The story!


One quiet night, Nova follows a white wolf into the woods, curious of what such beautiful creature wanted in that little town—never thinking that the white wolf could be her best friend and the one person who she had a crush on before. Once she realizes that the white werewolf is Tam, and who are the creatures hunting the woods, she starts to understand everything going on.

Both Nova and Tam, with the help of their friend and grandma, embark into a dangerous journey to save their town from the demon who wants to possess and damage them. They fight an evil cult of witches who wants to control and endanger Tam’s livelihood and future.

But don't you fret the ending is as sweet as caramel.



Comments:

One thing I would have loved to see more world-building! The story is easy to understand because it's short and sweet, that's why I'm giving it a four-star rating. I’d recommend getting yourself a copy and reading it. You won't regret it.

Actual rating: 3.5

Well, what can I say if not that this graphic novel was one of the cutest things I’ve ever read? It made me feel super soft and it also made me miss my significant other a lot more than I already did.

While I’m not an artist, nor an art expert, I will say that the art style was my favourite part of this reading experience. The drawings were amazing and perfectly matching with the overall atmosphere of the comic. Furthermore, the colours were so lovely and fitted the aesthetic amazingly well.

Another thing I adored was the amount of representation and diversity we got to see. We hardly ever have disabled main characters and having a queer witch wearing hearing aids was a breath of fresh air. Also tha way it was introduced was very nice, because the author didn’t make a big deal out of it. It was just a matter of fact, like the fact that our other main character, Tam, was non binary. The granma misgendered them once, because she didn’t know, but when Tam corrected her, she accepted it without even questioning, as it should always be. It made me tear up a little bit.

So, if I loved all this about the book, why my rating isn’t a 4 or 5 stars rating? Simply because I feel like diversity and art style are not enough to make a graphic novel perfect.

The plot was nice, but it wasn’t so well developped, in my opinion. Some points could have been handled better, maybe adding a few pages here and there and avoiding some panels. Again, I am not an expert, but I’ve read comics with a better structured plot.

The ending was also a little bit rushed, in my opinion. I think it is not definitive, because the panels were just sketched and outlined and were missing the colours in the last chapter, but probably they won’t change too much. Furthermore, I felt like also the second to last chapter was rushed and it was fully colored. Maybe they should have done like two volumes or something, but as far as I know, this is going to be a standalone.

If this is your first approach with the genre (as in graphic novels), this book may be the perfect way to start. It has great art, amazing representation both of disabled people and the LGBT+ community and the story is really cute and I am really grateful to have read this anyway. I would totally recommend it to a lot of people and I think I will buy myself a physical copy as soon as it comes out in October.

Also, this is a perfect read if you will participate in some spooky readathon in October, because you will fly through it and it features all sorts of magical creatures, from witches to werewolves to spirits to demons.

I’m looking forward to read more from the author and to see if the artist has other projects I can check out.

I saw this book was getting great reviews so I couldn’t wait to give it a read myself. And whilst the artwork was absolutely stunning, the plot just fell a little flat for me. Everything seemed a bit rushed and I feel like I would have been much more invested in the story if it had been stretched out a bit more. However, I do have to give Suzanne Walker praise for her ability to write diverse characters extremely well.

This book was so heartwarming and cosy! It dealt with really important issues without them seeming as though that's all to the characters. The art style was stunning and made you fall in love with the characters whilst simultaneously making you want to be in that world. Moon cakes has magic, romance and adventure making it a graphic novel I will be sure to pick up again!

This was a delightful little graphic novel. Lots of diversity in this - queer relationships, non binary characters, characters with disabilities and a range of ethnicities. This is all bound together with a cute little story of reunited friendship, love and the supernatural.
It’s not overly supernatural heavy so take that as you will, if you’re looking for an in depth detailed graphic novel - this is not that. However I would give it a read anyway.
It’s a cute story, with cute illustrations and a gorgeous fell good, autumn vibe.
Would recommend.

Loved, loved, loved! Such a great take on LGBTQ themes and disabilities. Tam is non-binary (and a werewolf) and Nova is hard of hearing (and also a witch). These qualities of the main characters just flow into the plot without it being too central of a plot-point. I loved the art, the story, just everything! Highly recommended!

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!