Written by Dana Al
At first glance, when you look at Mooncakes you think “a book about a witch and a werewolf, baking, and…magic?” Well, you’re not wrong, but it’s so much more than that.
Mooncakes is an own-voices graphic novel following Nova and Tam who are both Chinese American, queer, and from unconventional families. Tam is non-binary and goes by they/them, while Nova is hard-of-hearing and an orphan who is being raised by her grandmas.
It’s a story about these two teens who are trying to figure out who they are, and about dealing with two different (but equally painful) traumatic events in their lives. Nova and Tam are there for each other. They’re so supportive and loving and it’s beautiful. Reading about that made my heart flutter and put the biggest smile on my face.
This sweet, wholesome graphic novel is not only chock full of representation, it also has some action! The main plot of the book is that there is a demon trying to capture Tam, a werewolf, to do werewolf magic…for a cult. Yup, a cult. Tam runs away and to their childhood town where they see their childhood friend, Nova who is a witch. As Nova tries to help Tam defeat the demon-cult, old feelings start to arise and they begin wondering if they should be more than just friends.
No matter what, but I can’t seem to get over how insanely adorable this story is! Accompanied by Wendy Xu’s art, it is a recipe for a stunning graphic novel.
If I haven’t already sold you, it’s a queer, magical, paranormal, and a smiling-so-hard, get-you-through-a-bad-day kind of graphic novel…what more could you want?!
Mooncakes is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of October 15th 2019.
Will you be picking up Mooncakes? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
