Book #103: Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker

I was so excited for this read but it just fell flat for me.  The story was overly simplified and predictable to a fault.  This story promised witches, werewolves and demons.  It also has great representation with the two protagonists.  Nova is a hearing impaired gay witch and Tam is a non-binary werewolf. But they were so boring and not well developed at all.  The facts I just stated are really the only things that I even know about them by the end of the novel.  I expected a high fantasy graphic novel and got a fluffy romance instead.

This book would have been so much better with a more fleshed out story line.  What is the deal with this witch cult?  Why were they casting demons into werewolves?  What was their end goal with these possession rituals?  Why are the grandmothers so flippant about taking care of the horse-demon?  It didn't seem like a priority at all.  Maybe because it was so easy to defeat because seriously - fairy woodland characters and a heart to heart about true love destroyed it in the end.  Why do witches need to go out in the world?  What is the deal with Nova's parents?  What happened and what are the rules for their interactions with Nova?  How is Tam a werewolf if her mom is not one?  Does it come from her dad?  Where is he?????

Overall Rating: ★★

I think that this book would appeal more to a younger audience than it was intended for.  The story line is not complex enough to hold the attention of an older audience.  The drawings are beautiful and it has an amazing representation of characters but it just bit off more than it could chew to be considered a true fantasy story.  This is graphic novel about teenage love with some fantasy creatures and magic thrown in.