Hello Booksters!

How’s the week going for you? I don’t know about you, but it is hot, hot, hot in Kansas City! I’m definitely going to be looking into some pool time soon (margaritas are also a necessity if so!).

Anyways, today I’m back with another graphic novel review!  This time I read Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker.

My book buddy Gigi and I read this together as a buddy read. Extra kudos to Gigi for helping expand my horizons! This isn’t my typical kind of read, but Pride month had me wanting to do something more LGBT based and this fit the bill.

Being a buddy read, this post will be my individual review, soon to be followed by a buddy read and rant conversation with yours truly and Gigi.

So, did I enjoy this read? Keep on scrolling to find out!

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.

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

This was a cozy fantasy read, and while I had a decent time trying out Walker’s work for the first time, it didn’t quite resonate with me as strongly as I’d hoped.

In this graphic novel we follow Nova, a young witch who lives with her two Nanas. Together they run a bookstore, helping out the community with supernatural occurrences when needed. Nova’s life has been easy breezy until she runs into her long lost childhood friend Tam battling a scary horse demon. Why has Tam suddenly shown up, and what is this terrifying threat? Can they figure it out together?

This was on okay coming of age tale. The artwork was well done, consistent, and cute. I also love autumn, so the aesthetic really spoke to me.

The world we’re introduced to is filled with magic and was a departure from reality, so I liked that as well. I would absolutely love to spend a day (or year) in the Nanas’ bookstore researching spells and all other kinds of supernatural things.

As main protagonists, Nova and Tam have a history, and I liked discovering what led each of them to where they were now. It gave them an okay amount of depth, and although the romance between them felt vanilla to me, it was cute and enjoyable.

The Nanas were great, and if I’m being honest, I probably resonated with them the most. They had wisdom and could be funny or snarky in certain situations. Also, they were a force to be reckoned with.

Most of the book centered on the character romance and family, but there was a primary plot arc that moved things along with a sense of danger. I liked when things picked up and the action really came in. I think if there was more of that I would’ve enjoyed this more.

The romance was a little lost on me since that’s not really my thing, but this was a cute story that I did enjoy. I think younger readers will enjoy this cozier fantasy tale, and if this look’s like the ideal read for you,  you might like it.

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this graphic novel review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this graphic novel? Are there similar ones you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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