Mooncakes
by Suzanne Walker (author), Wendy Xu (illustrator)
Rating: 5 stars
What It's About
Nova is a young woman with witchcraft in her blood, supportive grandmothers, and an old friend (crush) Tam, who is back in town learning about her wolf powers.
When a demon turns up, they all work together to restore peace.
My Thoughts
This graphic novel stood out from others I have read in such great ways (three of them, to be exact).
The storyline is rich and complete at 256 pages. Through 8 chapters plus an epilogue, we get a full plot and developed characters. As a standalone book, we aren't left with a cliffhanger, which I appreciate.
Diversity reigns, which means we get to see well-rounded interesting characters (beyond the white hetero standard). Nova wears hearing aids. Her grandmothers are lesbians. Tam uses they/them pronouns. Characters appear to be white and Asian.
Xu's illustrations are charming, engaging, and expertly rendered to align with Walker's story. This pair makes a wonderful team, whom I hope to see more from in the future.
I read this slower than other graphic novels because I wanted to spend time immersing myself in the illustrations and dialogue. I didn't want it to be over too quickly.
Recommendation
Highly recommended for readers who haven't tried graphic novels. This may come as a delightful introduction to the genre. Those already well-versed in the format will like this story for its themes and art. In general, Mooncakes will be good for lovers of paranormal, cozy mysteries, light romance, LGBTQ themes, and YA.
Publishing Details
Published on October 15, 2019 by Oni Press.
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