Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker

Title: Mooncakes
Author: Suzanne Walker
Illustrator: Wendy Xu
Publisher: The Lion Forge
Publication date: October 22, 2019
Pages: 256
Source/format: Paperback//Library
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

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.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Nova Huang is a witch and her friend, Tam Lang, is a werewolf. For many years, the two haven't seen each other until one day Nova sees Tam out in the forest at night. A demon is out loose and a cult is about trying to fulfill these rituals using werewolves and magic. Nova saves Tam along with the help of her grandmothers, friend Tatyana and a group of animal spirits.

The Mooncakes narrative flows very well. The colors and the illustration style work harmoniously with the story plotline. Readers obtain enough information regarding the characters and their identities. Not only is there racial diversity in the graphic novel but Suzanne Walker acknowledges the usage of pronouns. Tam goes by They. Suzanne also includes how Nova has hearing aids and Wendy Xu makes sure to illustrate the hearing aids in each panel with Nova in it. Wendy also illustrates how Nova uses her hearing aids every day with Nova taking them off at night and putting them back on when she wakes up.

Nova lives with her two Nanas since her parents passed but her parents make a couple of appearances. Nova has a very supportive family. Tam has a very complex family dynamic that the graphic novel doesn't go into detail about. I would love to read some kind of prequel graphic novel about when Nova and Tam are younger.

Mooncakes is a lovable and inclusive graphic novel. It's the perfect read for the fall season. If you enjoy reading a sequential story about witches and werewolves, check out Mooncakes.