Mooncakes (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Lion Forge/Oni Press via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Title: Mooncakes
Author: Suzanne Walker
Illustrator: Wendy Xu
Release Date: October 22, 2019


Synopsis: A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

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. 

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Review: I had heard great things about this book so I was really looking forward to reading it. And I LOVED it! This graphic novel is magically diverse! It's queer and witchy! It's so much fun!

Nova is a witch who's hard of hearing. Tam is a non-binary werewolf. The queerness is handled so seamlessly, naturally addressing pronouns used early on. There are so many parallels between queer stories and magic/werewolf stories that this combination just makes sense. The sense of community and finding your own people. The coming out. It's all there.

Every character in this graphic novel is fully realized and fleshed out completely. Not only does the world feel real and lived in, but the characters seem like real people as well. 

This is a great story about two childhood friends reconnecting as adults and figuring out things out. Oh, and there's also awesome magic battles. The pacing is also excellent. Honestly, I read the whole book in one sitting. I definitely give this graphic novel a 5/5. Highly recommend!!! 


--PAUL