A delightful young adult graphic novel where two old friends reunite, fall in love, and defeat a secret evil cabal. The artwork is simple but delightful and the colors are well used. The story hits so many diversity boxes without being overly direct or cloying. The characters exist with their orientation, gender identity, disability, etc. without it becoming the core of their character or the point of their stories. It is a simple story of magic users discovering their power and defeating evil that allows everything else to shine.

I loved Mooncakes it was a very fun, warm and heartfelt story.
the art is super cute, I freaking love all the witchy vibes in this
and I read it in one sitting so it's very quick and easy to read.

Definitely recommend!

This was a cute and fast read. I loved the diverse cast of characters, paranormal regularity, and friend and familial love. I loved the illustrations and it gave it such a sweet feeling to the comic. I do wish there was more backstory and lead up to the romance so it felt like more of a natural progression. I did feel like it was pretty predictable which leads me to feel like this is middle-grade more than YA, but it’s still enjoyable.

Received a Free digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Moonscakes is a graphic novel set around magic, Nova is a practising witch who lives with her grandmothers helping them run The black cat. Everything is normal until Tam returns brining with them a cult hell bent on using a demon to create an all new magical creature.

This novel was amazing the representation is so seamlessly threaded into the story, theirs also some disability rep that was just a joy to see added in without being the centre of the novel. The art work was vibrant, quirky and even took a little darker turn when the plot called for it.

All the characters were loveable, extremely well drawn and had a there own personalities. You root for them and want them to succeed in all possible ways. Even when the villain is revealed and things take a turn you know in your heart these characters are going to fight.

Overall this graphic novel is one i read in one sitting enjoyed immensely i will be purchasing my own copy so i can re-read it when the time comes. A must have for any collection.

Super adorable comic with the lead team being Two grandmas, a non-binary werewolf (Tam), a hard of hearing witch (Nova), and a normal girl who is Nova's best friend.

Tam has been on their own for years, when they finally come back to their old home, back where Nova lives, to destroy a demon. But nothing is ever that easy.

Nova Huang is a witch, and she works at her grandmothers' shop. One night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods.

This. was. so. sweet! Nova is hard-of-hearing, and her disability is handled well in the story. Nova has queer nanas, and they are so sweet. They respond well to being corrected about Tam's pronouns. They're incredibly supportive of Nova and Tam's mission and their relationship.

Also, it was just great to see a fat character who wasn't treated like a punchline. Tatiana is funny and wonderful, and so, so supportive of Nova and Tam, and I love her so much!

If you're looking for a wholesome, light-hearted story of found family and magic, I highly recommend Mooncakes!

This was so so so so SO cute! I loved every bit of it: from the art style to the (accurate) LBGT+ representation to the storyline itself. This put me in a real fun Hocus Pocus sort of mood. If you're interested at all in this, I would skip the bio because it was a bit too unnecessarily detailed (in my opinion).

"Mooncakes" was an amazing read!
The art is gorgeous - it made me think of old Asian cartoons I used to watch on TV when I was younger - and the story was extremely interesting, not only because it was about witches and werewolves (I LOVE FANTASY), but also because it discussed topics such as religion, spirituality, and gender identities (our main characters fall in the LGBTQ+ spectrum).

I loved the relationship between Nova and Tam. It was the first book I read portraying a non-binary character and it was the perfect opportunity for me to discover more about this gender. I also loved the fact that Tam identified as “They” and how she was both human and werewolf - it was a wonderful parallelism on how one is multiple.

Something I also really enjoyed was the fact that Nova had hearing aids – this was refreshing to see on literature since usually, authors forget to represent broader types of people in their work.

Additionally, I fancied the references to nowadays' pop-culture ("Game of Thrones" puns always make me laugh).

Something less positive, however, was the fact that this narrative didn’t go beyond the problem at hand (the crazy demon haunting the woods). We finish the book knowing barely anything about our characters' background stories. I didn't like to be left in the dark, especially since this was the first installment and should, therefore, introduce the characters and their past.
This and the fact that the last pages were B&W were the only reasons I didn't give this graphic-novel 5 stars.

If you're curious to know more about "Mooncakes" and can't wait to its release (published by The Lion Forge LLC on October 15th), check out its Tumblr and read the first chapters for free!

Mooncakes was oh-so-sweet and the perfect treat for the fall/Halloween season. It really has the nostalgic atmosphere I love about autumn and the setting and romance didn't disappoint either. Granted, because it's a graphic novel everything moves a bit quick and I like a more drawn out story, but I still felt like I was satisfied and whole with what I got. Now I want more apprenticeship/witchy adventures and can't wait to see if the story expands.

Oh wow, this graphic novel was absolutely adorable.

Following Nova and Tam, Chinese American witch and wolf respectively, on an adventure to defeat a horse-demon and a cult.
I really enjoyed this story. Not only was the adventure great and the illustrations beautiful but I loved the diversity in this graphic novel. Tam is non-binary and its fantastically written, I really want to read more books/graphic novels with this kind of diversity in them.

Also, Nova's grandmas are the cutest grandparents I've ever seen, I adored everything about them.

Highly recommend this book for fans of witches, magic, werewolves, diversity and some cute LGBTQ+ Rep.

"I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"

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.

This Graphic Novel was so heart warming and fun to read. I was worried at first because it took me a little bit to get into, but when I did I flew through the book. I loved that it was a fantasy setting but it also tackled real issues.
I loved the art work in this book so much, the artwork really brought the story alive for me and by the end of the story I was left wanting more. I have to admit I am only just getting into graphic novels so it takes a bit for me to like them but this one was so well done.

I loved the characters and having a main character that was hearing impaired was really refreshing, also having Tam using the pronouns as "them" was something I haven't seen much is books and I have to say I really liked it.

I ended up rating this book 4 out of 5 stars and I really do hope another volume comes out because I would love to read more of these characters

An adorable tale of magic and love. The style of drawing is lovely and really drew me in. I liked the characters and very much appreciated the representation of LGBT+ people and people with disabilities without it being a big thing. Yes, the characters' gender, sexuality and disabilities have an impact on the storyline but only in small, and largely positive, ways. This is a book that I genuinely can't wait to be published as I want to buy copies for everyone I know!

this was so wholesome and cute oml

so this follows nova and tam, who are both Chinese American, queer, and from unconventional families. Nova is hard-of-hearing and Tam is nonbinary. nova is a witch, tam is a werewolf.

this book is packed with representation, the art and storyline are so stunning, it is one of the cutest/best graphic novels I've read this year and i would HIGHLY recommend.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker is an amazingly cute queer fantasy graphic novel. It has magic, witches, werewolves, queer relationships, and amazing female friendships. This graphic novel has so many important themes like powerful female friendships, and finding what true family means to you. The story is short but well paced and full of detail. I truly loved reading Mooncakes.

Nova Huang lives and works with her grandmothers in their bookstore; all are witches. When she goes to check a disturbance in the forest , meets her old childhood friend, Tam, a werewolf with a couple of secrets.

This is a webtoon that was/will be published as graphic novel. I choose this for the cute cover; unfortunately, it failed to impress me with the plot or how the characters are presented. It may be my thing, but when it comes to graphic novels or comics, the drawing or art should impress me or tell me here there is something interesting, and in this case I found it frankly childish, like something that a preteen or a couple of friends would be doing in class to hang out (I had friends who drew in an impressive way at school just drawing a couple of lines, and when I say "even I would do something better"... hmm, well forget it).


The plot is pretty simple, and the characters despite all the inclusive diversity factors (asian , lesbian, non binary, hearing impairment) fell flat.

And again as in other novels with witches, I could not help comparing it a little with Charmed and their family ghosts :)

A pity, it could have worked much better.

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No me gustó esta novela gráfica que trata de una bruja que vive con sus abuelas brujas en su tienda de libros. Una amiga le dice que hay raro pasando el bosque y es alli donde se encuentra con una vieja amiga de infancia, aunque deberia decir mejor 'ellos' quien llevaba varios años fuera, es licantropo tiene su propia magia y tiene problemas en casa con el padrastro, pero lo que le lleva alli es que hay un culto detras de los licantropos.

A pesar del monton de diversidad e inclusividad en la historia : personajes asiaticos, lesbianas, con problemas auditivos, y con naturaleza binaria, no me terminó de gustar.


Los personajes y el dibujo sobre todo no terminaron de convencerme.

This was good. Weird that the last comic wasn't in color. I found the color helped me enjoy the story more and I wasn't expecting that as I read a lot of black n white comics. The story was interesting and the pacing felt just right. The only weirdness to me was the relationship based off of a middle school friendship. I don't know about other people but I changed a lot since middle school and I wouldn't even want to be friends with anyone I knew back then much less be in a relationship with them after not seeing them for almost a decade.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Suzanne Walker weaves in Mooncakes an astounding, queer tale of witchcraft, family, friendship and love, completed by Wendy Xu’s charmingly fine artwork.

Nora is a young talented witch with hearing impairment who’s living with her loving grandmas in a small town, where she lived all her life and where she met and bonded with Tam, before they and their family moved away. Tam is a lonesome werewolf who’s trying to find themselves, who they are and what they want. They return to the small town to track down a demonic presence and to see Nova again.

The story is an adventure, where heartily love, affection, magic and action are aplenty that focuses mainly on the thrill of Nova and Tam’s rekindled friendship and the possibility of something more between the two, and the imminent demonic menace that threatens their future.

Highly recommended to all those people trying to figure themselves out that are keen on a truly magic love story.

Arc provided by Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

To get this out of the way, I don't normally read comics or graphic novel or even Manga(though I think it the best of the three), because I don't find them immersive like an actual book. Probably because my brain has to not only read but look at the pictures to understand what's happening and it's too much work, especially when I like to see the story unfolding for myself in my mind. I did not have that issue here. The art and how it was done was perfect, setting the scene, introducing that character and all that stuff I often find that this medium struggles with. So props the the illustrator. I can barely make a stick man look real and you managed to create a whole world and magic system and communicate it to the reader. Well done.

Next the story. It was quick paced because of the medium, but didn't feel rushed at all. Everything had a natural development and I felt myself wanting more. More of the world, the magic, the backstory; just more. The plot was intriguing and simple, but it was still engaging. The dialogue felt natural and none of the progressive themes felt in any way forced. It just felt the natural progression of the life of a werewolf and a witch who were childhood friends.

The flashbacks were really well executed, there was enough of them to allow me to understand what was going on and have an interest to learn more, but not so much that they became the story or felt like they were taking it over. It was great.

I definitely recommend this book, even to those, who like me, can be picky when it comes to graphic novels. It's enjoyable, immersive and well-written.

Mooncakes is an adorable, feel good graphic novel that is guaranteed to make any day brighter. The fall vibes are strong with this one, y’all. It’s the perfect book to read during the fall, in one sitting, in front of a cozy fire.

I loved this graphic novel. I did. I loved the cute little romance, but I just wish it had been fleshed out more and that they’d had more time to be adorable. I loved the diversity of the characters (two grandmas, non-binary main character, main character with hearing aids, and more!), but I just wish we’d actually gotten to know them all a little more.
My main issue with this book is that there’s not a lot of background and I still have a lot of questions. The magic system isn’t clear, Tam’s past and family is confusing, the demon isn’t thoroughly explained, [BEGINNING OF SPOILER]⚠️⚠️⚠️ and how Tam learns to defeat the demon isn’t clear. Like, they train and research with Nova but it’s just suddenly like one day BAM they know what their doing. And that was never really established until they defeat the demon.⚠️⚠️⚠️[END OF SPOILER]

Also, from the cover and title, I thought baking and mooncakes would have more to do with the story, haha.

Overall, I highly enjoyed Mooncakes! It’s fun and easy to read, if even just for the romantic moments between Tam and Nova.

Five out of five gay grandmothers to Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu.

This is the year of the graphic novel! By which I mean that including Mooncakes I’ve now read two graphic novels in the last few weeks when I’ve never read one before in my life. It is a good and exciting change, though! You have to read with different eyes but it’s worth making the effort to adjust your brain a little bit. I mean, if you don’t then you’ll never get to read Mooncakes and that would be a very upsetting circumstance.

I really liked the story. It starts off with Tam, who’s quickly revealed to be a werewolf, returning to the one place they lived in as a child where they felt they could really feel at home. They quickly reunite with their best friend and crush, Nova, and the two of them face the rest of the adventure metaphorically (and often literally!) hand in hand.

As plots go this one is fairly simple, but it’s really well-told. I love the way that everybody just, like, tells each other everything! There’s an astonishing number of books where the entire plot hinges on people keeping secrets, or someone overhearing half a conversation, and the whole thing could be solved with a conversation or two. But here, Tam’s secret comes out immediately. Everybody’s in the know and that means that everybody can help . But also, I really like the way that despite the fact that Nova’s Nanas, and Nova herself, are powerful witches and can do a ton of stuff, they also know exactly when they need to step back and let Tam do their thing. Everybody’s using their power to lift everybody else up, it’s really beautiful.

Honestly, all the characters are just the best in Mooncakes. Apart from the villains, of course, and they are the type of person you love to hate. But Nova is so sweet, and I loved how competent she is, too. Her Nanas have no problem with her just investigating shady goings-on in the woods at night. They know she can handle herself. In fact she has an amazing support system. The Nanas themselves are the absolute best.They are seriously powerful witches, they invent their own spells, they are welcoming and kind, and basically everyone needs grandmas like them. Then there’s Tatyana, Nova’s best friend, who’s firmly on the side of science over magic but nevertheless comes along with potions to fight the evil magic cult. And when Tam arrives, they just get accepted without question into this beautiful supportive family and it warms my heart.

I loved the art of Mooncakes. Disclaimer: I know nothing about art at all! Nevertheless I enjoyed the way this novel was drawn. There’s a down-to-earth casualness about it and you get a sense of movement, like the artist (Wendy Xu) has caught the characters mid-motion. And I enjoyed the fun little details, like the slogans on Tam’s t-shirts, or when it’s not mentioned but Nova and Tam are casually holding hands. And the little black cats that just wander around getting petted every so often. I felt like I knew exactly what it was like in that house and how it felt to be there.

I just loved this book so much. I love the relationships and the way everybody treats everybody else. There’s so much love and respect, so much kindness and lifting-up. There’s also humour and growth and triumph. It’s just awesome really and everybody should read it. Yes, you too!