Review for Mooncakes

Blurb: 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.

Review: Nova Huang is a teen witch living a quiet life with her grandmothers. Yet that peace is shattered when her childhood crush and werewolf friend, Tam Lang, returns and a demon wants to possess the werewolf. Nova is determined to help Tam defeat the demon, and the grandmas are happy to back them up. As they try to find a way to get rid of the demon, old feelings surface and grow into something even more. Yet will Nova and Tam live to see if their love can grow even further?

This was a book on the teen recommended reading list for the summer challenge at my local library. The theme this year was cryptids, and the graphic novel fit perfectly. My son liked the cover and pictures, but when he discovered it was more a romance than anything else, he lost interest. Me, on the other hand, I was hooked! It's a sweet paranormal graphic story with witches, a werewolf, lovable black kitties, and a whole forest of magical spirits. It was absolutely enchanting! It was made even more so by the gorgeous artwork. I especially loved the forest spirits because they weren't what you might think. They weren't sparkly animals made extra cute with magic, but strange and unusual critters. Some looked like squirrels or wolves, but they truly looked like they were part of the woods. The romance was adorable and perfect for younger teen readers. Clean and built on friendship. It was multi-cultural and LGBTQ+ friendly. I appreciated the grandmas who could kick butt, and who were so supportive and loving for both Nova and Tam. The villain was obvious, but that's okay. It was the journey that mattered, and the possibilities for more adventure for Nova and Tam in the future.

Wendy Xu is the artist and Suzanne Walker the writer. You can buy the graphic novel here!