Mooncakes

If you’re looking for representation, this is a great book for you! - Nova has hearing aids, and the book does a pretty good job of being accurate without making a big deal out of it! The color of them also matches Tam’s hair :) - Nova lives with her two grandmas, who are wholesome and badass witches! - Tam is somewhere under the nonbinary umbrella! When meeting Nova’s grandmas again, Tam lets them know that their pronouns are now they/them. The two correct themselves casually and it’s nice to see changing pronouns flow so smoothly. Tam also kept their birth name, which is nice to see since there’s not much representation for trans people who don’t want to change their names! - There’s a decent variation of body types among the main cast, so that’s nice too. Overall, I adored this book and read it in one sitting. If a love story between a witch and a werewolf isn’t enough to draw you in, there’s also themes of childhood best friends, found families and accepting life changes. If you enjoy fantasy creature design, I won’t spoil it but oh my god the forest spirits are the cutest little bunch I’ve ever seen! The magic theme is very captivating, but underneath it I think everything can be read as metaphors that are very relatable to lgbt people and/or teenagers. I think Tam’s character as a werewolf and the way it affects their life is very symbolic of what it’s like to be a trans teenager in the real world. Mooncakes is a coming of age story that touches on queer identities and experiences with a fun twist of witchcraft. It can be lighthearted and taken as purely fantasy if you want to, but it can also be deeper if you’re looking for fantasy characters that you can project onto as a queer person. I highly recommend this book to any lgbt person or ally, especially if you’re younger and just discovering your identity. Outside of the story, I also recommend this book for its fun character and setting design, the art was lovely and engaging. I’m definitely inspired to make fanart..It’s a pretty quick read, but 100% worth it in my opinion!

I’ve been wanting to read this book for over a year now. Ever since I first heard about it on booktube and then saw the cover I was hooked. And I wasn’t disappointed either. The story was wonderful and the characters just so well-done. While it wasn’t a 5 star for me as I felt like I wanted a little something more from the ending? It’s still a solid 4 star and definitely a graphic novel I’d recommend as it has beautifully done D/deaf and HoH as well as LGQBT+ representation. I was also happy to see old characters as well. And while I want to give a warning for the following sensitive material such as mentions and discussion of parental loss, grief, depression, and abuse? I also have to say that I felt it was handled well. Though a quick disclaimer that you should look up the content warnings for yourself in case I missed any. Last, though certainly not least, the art was lovely and just absolutely jaw-dropping at some parts especially in the depictions of magic. Hopefully one day soon this will grace my shelves cause I’d love to own a physical copy of something this beautiful.

Thank you so much to Lion Forge and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This was my first graphic novel I've ever read and I loved it so much that I'm now hooked on them. The illustrations were amazing and the storyline was so good. It was the perfect amount of witchy and whimsical and I read it in one sitting. The characters were amazing, the plot was crazy, and I honestly couldn't get enough of this book. This is definitely one I will reread over and over again.

This a a great story for teens and adult. The art was amazing and the story line was intriguing. This was my first graphic novel and I'm now hooked. I just wish there were more books in the future. Is love to see how they grow together.

I'm really not sure where it's landing for me quite yet. This isn't usually how I write reviews, but here are some of my initial thoughts. Some things I LOVED: -the artwork is BEAUTIFUL. -all of the creatures are so cute and magical -loved the witchy/autmnal vibes -loved the hard of hearing representation (it really made me realize that this is not represented in media often enough/really at all) -loved the identity and family diversity amongst the MCs and other characters Some things I DIDN'T LOVE: -where are the mooncakes? -I went into this expecting a cozy baking story (also indicated by the cover) and am a bit confused over the title and cover because neither of them really feel like they have anything to do with the story -the insta-love trope (not really a fan of this) -there is no background given on any of characters (this was huge for me), story just kind of abruptly starts I think I'll likely need to return to this review at some point once I've had some time to think about this book more.

Where do I even start! The representation all around, from the hearing disability to the transgender character and right over to lesbians. This story was so diverse and open minded acceptance. It was cute. It was beautiful. It was cozy. Absolute best choice for a fall read.

I am hoping this will be a useful review rather than simply "YAY!/Meh!" kind of review. First, I do like the book. It took me a few days to decide whether to keep it or return it. knew it would be a graphic fantasy novel for young adults, and focus on inclusivity, neurodiversity and "non-traditional" families. It does all those, and the characters are likeable. It is a gentle story about important topics, through a fantasy lens. It's not remotely subtle in the messaging, and my first reaction was that so many different kinds of divergence were packed in that they were overwhelming the characterization (and plot) so I was going to return it. But then I remembered that I am not the target audience, and so I've decided to keep it an pass it along to our local library for their YA collection.

I was a big fan of this graphic novel! What's not to love about a witchy read around October? Illustrations are gorgeous, and the fantastical creatures are so cute (see photo of crystalline hedgehog-type things!). I think it was also really important that it included characters we don't usually see as protagonists-- one hearing impaired, one struggling with gender identity, etc, and that these scenarios were supported and normalized by their side characters (as it should be!). Fun read for anyone who loves witchy business :)

Se você gosta da ideia de uma hq leve e fofa com magia, cafeteria, avós bruxas e protetoras, amizade de aquecer o coração, romance bonitinho e representatividade abordada de forma super natural, essa hq foi feita pra você. Nova é uma bruxa que vive com as avós e descobre que há algo misterioso acontecendo na floresta, e junto de Tam lobisomem e não-binárie (não sei se está certo, qualquer coisa me conta como é) que retorna para a cidade depois de um tempo fora, ambos vão tentar resolver o que está causando problemas. A melhor amiga da Nova é suuuuper legal e ama ciências, gostei das atitudes dela em relação à magia. Amei esse universo em que a magia é algo natural, sabe? Sem falar que OS TRAÇOS DESSA HQ SÃO MUITO LINDOS! Com certeza vou reler todo Halloween. p.s: o inglês dessa hq é fácil de compreender.

Este livro foi perfeito para o Halloween Adorei a história e as personagens. Queria viver naquele universo.

I loved it !! Couldn’t put it down. Such a sweet book and I loved all the 2SLGBTQIA add ins ! Makes it totally normal in the world as it should be in ours. The book felt comfortable 💖

Can't believe I've never heard about this comic before. A great romance story between a werewolf and a witch, also is a story of a friend from childhood, normally not my cup of tea but is pretty charming thanks to all the magic part

Lovely graphic novel, one of my favourites! Minimal to no damage when I received the book. I personally find Amazon books arrived damaged or are sent out damaged so it’s refreshing received an undamaged book! Also great queer LGBTQIA+ and disabled representation!