This book was a delight to read. The illustrations are sumptuous and enhance the story in the best possible way. It reads like a heightened reality, so reading it you get the feel of a world like ours, but where magic is just barely visible all around you. The author really walks the line between a quieter coming home and romance story with a more action-packed and higher stakes plot. You have a sweet love story at the center, but wrapped in a story about coming into your own. The leads are non-binary and LGBTQ, and one uses hearing aids. While correct pronouns and subtle references to these are woven throughout the story, it never felt as if those details were driving the story. I don't want to give away much of the main plot details, but this is absolutely a book I'll be passing along to as many people as possible since it hits so many wonderful notes throughout; family, friendship, love, strong female leads, magic, adventure, beautiful art, and more!

This story was cute! The obvious aspect of this book that elevates in my eyes is the representation. Along those lines, I felt that, although I can't speak for the accuracy of the representation, I never felt that it was overwhelming forced. The representation (LGBTQIA, hearing impairment, Asian main characters) was not the plot of the story, but just rather a component of who the characters were. This felt very "classic" magic to me. I did really enjoy all of the main characters. One complaint I have was that I felt that the conflict and "villain" were very one dimensional. Additionally, I don't prefer relationships where the characters were together in the past and reconnect. To me, it seems that the reader misses so much of what makes the relationship build and become believable. However, I know that is a personal preference and that, given the graphic novel format, expediting a relationship could work better,

I have been hearing about this title from quite a few BookTubers who were able to receive an ARC at BEA/BookCon, so when I had the opportunity to obtain an eARC, I jumped at the chance. Mooncakes tells the story of a young witch, Nova and Tam, a non-binary werewolf. Tam and Nova were friends when they were children, and Tam has recently returned to town to defeat a demon that has taken the form of a horse and lives in the forest. Tam and Nova reconnect, and with Nova's two grandmothers and her best friend, Tatyana they work to defeat the demon before it causes any harm. Nova and Tam's friendship quickly becomes more, but the story alludes to strong feelings between the two prior to Nova leaving town the first time. The acceptance of the characters for who they are by family and friends was essential to the lovely feel of the novel. It was a delightful read and I look forward to more stories about Nova and Tam.

The art was excellent! And as someone who loves cozy fall time, witches and werewolves, and great rep across the board this graphic novel was more than cute it was amazing. I would definitely recommend!

Graphic novels haven’t really been my thing, but this year I have been trying to pick up more as I have established I really Enjoy them.
Mooncakes has a really easy clear format to read (some GN have speech bubbles that make it unclear what’s to be read first).
The story itself has really good LGBTQ+ representation and the whimsical fantasy story was super cute. In a way I wish it had been longer as some parts felt a little rushed but I still gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads, I can’t wait to pick up a copy, thank you net galley for early access!

Loved the story, but not a huge fan of the artwork. The story was a bit typical in a witch-werewolf love story, but still enjoyable.

There's definitely potential. The cast of characters are diverse, the art is great, but the story could've been more. I'm not sure how to pinpoint it, but the plot of the story starts rather abruptly and continues without enough substance/support. For example, we don't really know how Nova and Tam grew to love each other (besides given a glance of their childhood together) or the journey of how Nova learned to use magic so well. In general, we don't know much about the past of Nova and Tam, which is pretty essential for character development. Overall, everything is very...instant. At least for me. I've read some reviews and some people don't seem to have this issue. Apart from this, "Mooncakes" is an average read with good art that didn't completely capture my attention.

This was such a cute novel! I loved both Tam and Nova, I hope there’s more from these two on the adventures. I also loved the relationship they had with the nanas. This is the first book I’ve read will so much diversity and it was really refreshing! I really enjoyed 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. I'm not sure why the last chapter wasn't colored in but then again it takes a lot of effort. The spirits were very cute though and I loved them.

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

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

First of all, I was intrigued by this book because I have seen it around YouTube and it seemed really interesting. I loved the art style, but I wish the spirits (I think that's what they were called, the animals) had more details. The story was really nice and dark at the same time. It tackles some important issues even with the magic system which is impressive and good. I thought it was missing something, but I can't figure out what. I loved the relationships in this book, mostly Nova with her grandmothers and family. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to see the final version of it, but I think it wrapped up too quickly and too perfect and that is the reason I give it 3.75 stars. But all in all, a really good story with diversity that I would recommend everyone interested in reading.

Sweet, cute and enchanting story with a lot of heart and very charming and diverse characters. I found both Nova and Tam to be very sensitive and also very fierce, loved Tatiana and her playful ways and thought Nova's grandmas were THE BEST. And the art was beautiful! I really enjoyed it.

The artwork in this was absolutely stunning and I know it will be even more so in the final copy when all the pieces all coloured in.

I thought Nova was such a badass witch. I loved the hard of hearing rep and the non-binary rep as well. Tam and Nova's relationship was adorable. I think the relationships in this book were its strongest part. The Nanas were great and hilarious, especially when they teased Nova and got involved in the action too rather than being passive. Tat and Nova's friendship was so relatable I can't put it into words, the teasing, talking about boys, texting and fundamentally just being there for each other.

Mrs C as a female villain was great. I loved that Tam had a personal attachment to her you doubted the warning signs because of this.

Though it had werewolves and magic and horse-demons and cults and witches, I wouldn't say this was a plot heavy or fantasy heavy book. There was enough but I don't think that was the defining aspect. It was the characters and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

I'm not a huge graphic novel (I think this is the 4th one I've ever read) reader because I feel the format makes it hard for me to truly connect with the story and characters on a deeper level. However, after reading Mooncakes, I don't think I wholly believe that anymore and am ready to delve into some others.

So cute! The characters, the artwork, the reppin' queer love! I knocked one star off because I did feel the story was a little rushed. I wanted more background on what happened to the parents and family drama etc. But it's very cute and worth a read if you're looking for that queer love story in your life.

I absolutely loved this book. I can't wait to read more by this author and see more illustrations from Miss Wendy Xu. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

2.5/5 stars

I had really mixed feelings about this graphic novel, which makes me really sad because it was such a good idea! Like, queer witches/magical people stopping a demon in the woods of their little town? Yes please!!! But, alas, the execution just fell flat for me.

First, I want to say that the diversity is awesome in this book. From my knowledge, both main characters (Nova and Tam) are queer Chinese-American people. Nova is also queer (definitely likes more than one gender, no labels are used) and uses hearing aids, as she is hard of hearing. Tam uses they/them pronouns, so I assume they’re somewhere on the genderqueer/nonbinary spectrum (though no specific label is ever used). On top of this, Nova has two grandmas and her best friend is plus-size.

I’m not exactly an art style expert and I’m not usually picky, so I’ll just say I liked it. It was colorful, neat, and just a little whimsical in an old bookshop sort of way if that makes sense.

The characters in this book are what I think I liked the most. They were all likable and I was invested in what happened to them. The grandmas were strong, spunky, and sweet (alliteration!); Nov and Tal were capable and strong while also being able to have their fears and overwhelming emotions; Tal was funny, smart, and a wonderful friend. Knowing this, I did feel there were some weak spots in this. None of the characters were super complex, especially the villains, who were entirely one-dimensional and without any motivations I could see, le sigh. Development for characters at times seemed a little jerky/sudden. ***Spoiler-y examples*** Nova trying to figure out whether to stay or leave seemed to be heavily leaning towards staying and then at the end she just decided to leave. Tam’s issue with trust I also feel like got just brought up and then not really discussed or wrapped up which was sort of frustrating. ***Okay spoilers over*** Also, I know Tal was meant to be a side character but I wish she had gotten a little bit more page time where she wasn’t just “Nova’s best friend.”

Queer romance is in this book, which we love! It’s super cute and pure (feat. very consensual and cute kisses, teasing about romance, holding hands in sleep, cheek kisses, etc.) and I enjoyed it. However, I did think it was pretty rushed, as it was built on past feelings from when they knew each other years ago which we didn’t get to see much of, especially not before the romance had already blossomed. I was honestly shook when they first kissed because I thought there needed to be more development before that. ***Spoiler bit*** Also, the ending just felt a bit cheesy and unrealistic to me that Tam would decide to go with Nova because “home is wherever you are.” Like, adorable? Yes! Realistic after literally a month of actual dating? Not really. ***Spoilers done***

The concept of this book is really cool (as I said at the beginning), and the bones of the plot arc were nice, but I felt that the execution fell flat. The pacing felt very off; we time-jumped a month, during which we missed some relationship growth and magical growth which I thought was really important to the story, and we kept having time to stall or have introspective scenes when I felt like we should’ve been pushing forward. Part of that was because of a spell that basically gave them as much time as they needed to work on magic, which was Awfully convenient. Another part might’ve been just me misreading action scenes and thinking a villain was Right There when they weren’t, because I didn’t really know what was happening sometimes. ***Spoiler-y example*** When Nova used that hearing aid trick, was Pamela just too weak to get up or what? Like, did I miss her escaping? Why didn’t she try to go after the demon again? I was so confused!!! ***Spoilers done*** The climax itself was also honestly pretty anti-climactic and the issues were solved in a pretty cliché/cheesy way.

My last two notes I think are sort of within plot but are also just random so here they are. First, I definitely guessed the villain from about a million miles away, since a) you don’t get many options of who it could be, and b) they weren’t subtle at all about it. ***Spoilers*** Also, I’m still confused about why after only one, maybe two tries Tam gave up with the wolf powers and literally ran off like that was so dramatic and unnecessary? You tried for like two minutes Tam that was really fast to just give up??? ***Spoilers done***

Overall, this was a bit of a disappointment for me, which is…well, disappointing. BUT don’t think I hated this book! I enjoyed reading it, I wasn’t like burdened with “when will this book be done,” it was just very average for me. If you’re interested in this concept, I’d still definitely take a look when it comes out in September, and hopefully you love it as much as I wish I had.

My overall rating for Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu is 4/5.

What initially sparked my interest with this graphic novel was hearing and seeing reviews from people who received a ARC at BEA or ALA. When I seen that it was available to read now on Netgalley I went ahead and picked it up and got through it in one sitting. This story is diverse in more aspects other than the race of the characters, which was something that I found really enjoyable. The entire time while reading this many different emotions were triggered, which I liked because sometimes a graphic novel isn't capable of taking a reader on a roller coaster of feelings.

When this title is released I will most definitely being picking up a copy to see it all in color and the bonus material along with the acknowledgements that are to come.

Omg, I can’t believe I almost didn’t read this.

I initially thought that this book would be too light and cheery for me until I heard that one of the main characters were non-binary and the other one was hearing impaired and this book not only mentions that once but makes sure that their identities and handicaps impact the story and the characters as well, without making it a weakness or all they are.

The story is absolutely beautiful, with the right balance between youthful innocence and the joys of first love but the art...the art was what made sure I would never forget this book. The colors are absolutely perfect evoking second-hand bookshops on their own and I can barely wait to have the finished product in my hands.

The characters are drawn in such a realist way: there are wrinkles, belly rolls, stray hairs, different body types that look weird and heavy when seating down in certain positions... there are no words that can express the marvel of reading a graphic novel without hyper-sexualized female bodies.

I enjoyed seeing how every character had a distinct fashion sense and none of them needed to bare skin to mark themselves as the protagonist or the love interest, maybe because this graphic novel is co-authored by two women. Not only that but 90% of its characters are female as well, marking a huge change in an industry that is normally male-dominated and male orientated.

Also, if you like adorable magical creatures, this book is your Holy Grail because I was on cuteness overload from the first time I saw the forest spirits in Nova’s backyard.

This is an absolutely unmissable story about finding love and family and accepting each other for what we are. If you are looking for a quick read with an amazing story and unbelievable art, you cannot miss this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss+ and Lion Forge for this ARC.

Easter Eggs Warning:

There is a scene in which Nova is moving some of her books around and I recognized some of them as YA just not the titles.

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.

Thank you, Netgalley and the Publisher, for providing me with an eARC for an honest opinion.

I have to admit that I don’t read enough graphic novels and I wish I read more, but many don’t grab my attention or interest. Yet, Mooncakes had my full attention the first time I saw this beautiful cover and then when I saw everyone saying great things about it.

Mooncakes is the story of Nova, a young witch, her Nanas (the most supportive and loving grandmas) and an unexpected arrival, Tam Lang, who happens to be Nova’s childhood bestfriend, and their crazy adventure fighting off demons and magic rituals in their own town.
In this book you will find friendships, a very soft and cute romance, witchy magic, demons, and a cast of amazingly real characters.

I absolutely adored all the scenes in the shop and the interactions with the grandmas, and how all of those radiated positive emotions.

Mooncakes is a very simple and inclusive story and, in my opinion, that’s what makes it so great. Even if the reader usually doesn’t read or doesn’t like graphic novels, they can still enjoy this. It’s quick, diverse, hard to put down, it has a compelling plot and the illustrations are beautiful.

This is the type of graphic novel you pick up when you’re in need of romance, magic and heartwarming relationships; or where you find yourself in a reading slump, because this so wholesome and it will make you smile from the first page to the very last page.

Mooncakes is an adorable queer comic book with lots of magic and wholesome friendships. The story is about Nova, a teen witch who works in her family's book store, who reunite with her childhood friend, Tam, who is also a werewolf.

I absolutely loved the diversity of the characters; our two main characters, Nova and Tam are Chinese Americans (yas representation). Not only that, Tam is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns while Nova is bisexual and wears hearing aids.

I loved how inclusive this book was and how affectionate the family is. The grandmas are so cute and Nova's best friend is so so supportive. The graphic novel is definitely a story about accepting yourself and your family. The puns are adorable, and the art is so warm and nice. It's such a fuzzy and warm read, which I think is perfect that it's coming out during Halloween season.