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8.08k reviews for:

Mooncakes

Suzanne Walker

3.83 AVERAGE

emotional mysterious medium-paced
emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous hopeful fast-paced

Very cute!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

3 Stars ⭐️
Physical book
funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Immaculate October vibes but somewhat lacking in terms of actual content and storytelling. Characters are super cute and super queer, especially "The Nanas," who I loved with my whole heart. Beautifully illustrated, witchy, and soft-hearted at its core. Plus, the characters are diverse in a way that feels natural and authentic (casual incorporation of hearing aids, a non-binary main character, etc).

Unfortunately though, the actual story-line fell a bit flat for me. There just wasn't enough substance, and as cute as the characters are, I felt like they lacked a lot of complexity and depth. Especially regarding the villains and their motivations, which felt pretty cliche and followed a really predictable trajectory.

Still though, this book is so quick you might as well give it a read. If for no other reason than to get into the autumn spirit!
adventurous inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

This was a sweet graphic novel with a cozy bookstore fantasy setting. I liked it but I wasn’t deeply moved. The pacing was slow, then rushed. Facets of the characters’ backstories were shown but there was too much to fit into the book to effectively develop the main magical storyline. The main characters were well-written and drawn, and I found them likable. There was a brief glimpse of a magical capybara creature with tree antlers but it played no role in the story. However, cats did, which was nice to see. In one panel, a character looks melted into the floor boards, which is either a problem with perspective or with my brain. Mooncakes were only briefly mentioned, but the title is appropriate enough with the werewolf element. One of the main characters, Nova, has a Jewish grandmother and that’s nice and all but nothing was really developed sufficiently for me to get a sense of what being Jewish meant to Nova, apart from occasionally setting up a sukkah. So it didn’t really feel like strong or meaningful Jewish representation to me. That brings me back to the sense that there is too much going on in this story for most of it to be developed enough to resonate. But as a cozy fantasy, it is enjoyable and visually appealing, especially if you don’t expect too much of it.
adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No