Overall, while I loved the whimsical nature of the world we're in, the dialogue, characters and ending all fell flat for me. This book had so much potential. The actual world and the symbolism was so well done that I felt like I was transported to a new place, only to be letdown by the main characters.

The dialogue is clunky when compared to the vivid descriptions of the landscape, almost feeling robotic. I also found the characters to be one-dimensional, with too much focus on the instalove. Plus, we made a lot of repetitive stops throughout the journey, which slowed the pace down.

The ending in comparison was so rushed. It felt like she needed to sneak one more little twist, only for it to be resolved and then the book ends. Sure, it's happy, but it could have been more.

Hana has grown up in a pawnshop where choices are currency and puddles can transport you from one place to the next. Kei is a physicist returning home to Tokyo and his dream job. When a trip for ramen turns into a ransacked pawnshop and a mysterious girl in a fantastical place, everything Kei understands in the world is turned on end. As Hana and Kei seek answers along with her missing father, a greater story unfolds that will forever change them both.

This was a well written, brilliant fantasy and light romance. Both the world and character building was well done as each new facet of the story presented itself and worked to knit together. I loved the abstract and the normal, the secrets and the truths, the loneliness and the hope for connection, the anger and the forgiveness. A truly satisfying novel. 5 stars.

Review based on a digital Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by Random House - Bellantine, Del Rey and NetGalley. Thank you!

In an alternate world alongside Toyko, there lives a pawnshop where patrons can sell their regrets. Our main character Hana has just inherited the pawnshop from her father, having been raised for this purpose. On the morning of her first day, Hana wakes to find her father missing - alongside the most recently pawned choice. When Kei, a physicist who would be the pawnshop's next patron, stumbles into the mess, Hana goes against her better instincts and accepts his offer for help. Together, Hana and Kei embark on a journey through her realm of origami birds and markets in the clouds to find out the truth about her father's disappearance.

Overall, I found this novel to be very whimsical and atmospheric. Hana's world is beautifully described, and I felt the same awe as Kei did as they encounter new things that are normal to her and unbelievable to him. The magic of the pawnshop was really interesting and I loved how that intertwined with the rest of the world. While I liked Hana and Kei, I felt that the background characters often lacked substance and motivations of their own. I also thought the romance was rushed, but it fit in with the whirlwind nature of their adventure. I wish there had been more development of the side characters and how they tied into the story, but overall I was taken in by the narrative and enjoyed the mystical journey.

Very magical and studio ghibli-esque! This is a great read to use your imagination to escape to a different realm. Very unique and well written

On a Tokyo backstreet, lost people can find a hidden shop where they can pawn their life choices and deepest regrets. Hana Ishikawa is the new owner, and the shop’s most precious acquisition was stolen, and her father is missing. A stranger offers help, so he and Hana travel through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice. As they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret and possibly make a choice she can never take back.

Hana's world is very different from what we're used to. Her pawnshop takes on regrets and choices not made, which then become birds that are handed over at the end of the month to the Shiikuin. Every person in her world has a role to play and cannot deviate from it, or else will be gravely punished; her mother was killed for taking one of the birds. However, this might not even be true, because her father is on a mission to try tracking her mother down once Hana takes over the shop. Keishin is a physics student yet still relies on the flip of a coin to make decisions, trusts in fate, and is immediately drawn to Hana despite her attempts to push him away. He latches onto her and has a childlike wonder and impulsivity about him, so he digs further and further into Hana's world.

I love the dreamy logic within this story. Travel is through puddles or dreams, memories are used as payment, time are grains of sand that can be harvested and bought or sold, and people can move around within parchment. The writing is appropriately lyrical, and actions ebb and flow like dreams do. Sometimes there are hectic races to get away, and sometimes moments are drawn out and slow. We find out what the stolen choices are and what happened afterward. The Shiikuin are even more frightening when we see them up close and know their origins, and how the cycle of abuse perpetuated in Hana's world. All the threads tie neatly together, and I liked seeing how it worked out.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

3.5 stars

Not gonna lie, I am not the biggest fan of magical realism, and I find it to be pretty hit or miss. Mostly misses.

The writing style feels flat to me, and I couldn't connect to the characters. I had zero investment in their romance and I don't feel like they had a lot of personality. I don't think the characters lacking personality is necessarily a drawback though; I find that magical realism as a genre tends to focus more on the magic and whimsy.

That being said, I was really not a fan of the whimsy here. Maybe it was my mood while reading this, or maybe I just lack whimsy in general, but I just could not bring myself to care about this world. I'm very aware that this is a me problem, and not a problem with the book. There are a lot of strange and wondrous settings that other readers would probably love, but I just couldn't vibe with it.

This review so far has been mostly complaints. HOWEVER. I absolutely LOVED the last 30% of this book! The plot as a whole moves really slowly, but it picks up towards the end, with crazy reveals I did not see coming. Each reveal is crazier than the last, it makes me glad I decided to keep going. I literally cannot emphasise enough how much I love this plot.

I have seen a lot of people describe this book as having whimsical Ghibli vibes, and it does, but like Ghibli, there are pretty serious themes being explored, and it actually gets pretty dark in certain places. I love how the darkness contrasts the whimsy, and it makes this world feel a lot more grounded.

All in all, I didn't vibe with Water Moon's... vibe. But I'm so grateful to have read this.

"She was the moon in the water, close enough to touch, yet beyond reach." He "wondered if [she] longed for the sky."

Summary: Hana, the new owner of a mysterious pawnshop, walks a singular path guided by her ikigai— a life brimming with purpose and only two guarantees death and fate. Meanwhile, Kei, a physicist embarking on a new job near Tokyo, views his world through telescopes and blinking screens - a life full of endless possibilities and choices. She dreams of freedom, he hopes for guidance. It isn't until Kei, a man driven by hypotheses, takes a chance on fate—a coin teetering on the edge of a roof—that leads him to the doorstep of Hana's pawnshop. Together they embark on a journey to piece together the mysteries behind a ransacked pawnshop, her missing father, and a stolen choice. They journey by puddles, wade across dreams, ride songs carried by the wind, leap through rumors whispered from mouth to mouth, and soar on the backs of handmade paper cranes, until they face the truth of it all. But will she be ready to take the risk and make a choice—to follow a path of her own making, altering not only her fate but the fate of her entire world? And will it ultimately lead her back to his front doorstep or leave them a world apart?

Themes to expect:
Black Cat / Golden Retriever energy
Opposites Attract / Yin and Yang
Japanese Motifs
Lyrical prose brimming with evocative metaphors and profound pearls of wisdom
The repercussions of choices, the burden of regret, and the triumph over fears

My Thoughts:
Their worlds, like themselves, are mirror reflections of each other—juxtapositions of the power of fate against the power of choice. An embodiment of yin and yang "the pond existed to catch the moon, and when the moon was full it filled the pond to its brim". Like two sides of the same coin—one could not exist without the other. The author masterfully wove this theme throughout the story, making it profoundly thought-provoking. Is the ability to choose truly liberating, or is it a restless maze of endless "what ifs"? Can fate truly provide all the answers, or is it a cage by which to control oneself?
The intricate layering of events, the gradual build-up, and the catalytic reactions that set off the origami's unfolding, revealing the truth behind everything, were woven together so beautifully and seamlessly. Every element the author writes carries a deeper meaning, intertwining to play a larger role in the narrative, giving this book a sweet depth reminiscent of biting into wagashi.

The world-building in this book is unlike anything I've ever read. Although I'm not well-versed in Japanese folklore, I'm curious whether this world was inspired by it or is entirely the author's unique creation. Regardless, I was captivated by all the settings—from the Whispering Temple, a dreamer's Teahouse, a Museum of Education that folds past mistakes into origami birds that whisper lessons in your ear, to the ghost town oasis, the Night Market in the clouds, and the village that paints hopes into stars. It is lush and enchanting, possessing the stature to stand alongside the works of those like Studio Ghibli.

Thank you so much Net Galley and Random House Worlds Publishing Group for the eARC and the opportunity to share what I think. All opinions are my own. Publication day is January 14th!

Hana's father has just retired as the owner of the pawnshop in which she grew up, a shop that pawns individuals of regrets in exchange for peace. On Hana's first morning as the pawnshop owner she finds the shop ransacked and her father missing. As she begins to consider how to find her missing father, physicist Kei enters the pawnshop and gets swept up with Hana in an adventure through her fascinating, mystical world, a world in which nothing is as it seems. I LOVED this book! It would make such an amazing, whimsical, mystical movie. First of all, the author's writing is so beautiful; she has such masterful skill with the written word. Her descriptions of the various locations within Hana's world were so vivid, I could fully imagine them in my mind. The plot was so well-weaved with their odyssey through the world in the search for Hana's father and the budding romance between Kei and Hana. And the plot-twists at the end were wonderful. Great book; highly recommend.

Water Moon is a book about a pawn shop that takes regrets and bad memories. On the day that Hana is supposed to inherit the pawn shop from her father, he disappears. She and Kei, a Japanese-American physicist who happens upon the shop, decide to try to figure out what happened to him.

I'm not a huge sci-fi person and this book leaned more in that direction than I liked. I got to 30% and decided that it wasn't my cup of tea, so I decided to stop reading. I think the addition of Kei talking about physics took me out of the story too much. I'm all for magical realities, but this one just was too sci-fi for me.

This book wasn't for me, but you may like it if you like sci-fi and alternate realities! Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC, my thoughts are my own!

'Water Moon" was so whimsical, magical, and dreamy. I loved every second of it. Every part of the world Yambao created felt so beautifully rendered and thought out. It was cozy and delightful, while also hitting on some poignant themes. In the best way possible, reading this book felt like watching a Studio Ghibli movie.

This book managed to be cozy while also having twists and turns in the plot that kept me wanting more. I loved the two protagonists and how we got to experience Hana's world from both of their perspectives. The writing felt dreamlike and evocative without the story being weighed down in cumbersome and overly flowery prose.

I adored this read, and I can't wait to recommend it to literally everyone I know. What an excellent way to begin the year.

5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Ray for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Water Moon is an absolutely beautiful story. Hana and her father run a pawnshop. People line up for the noodle shop and some open the door and sit in the restaurant and eat their ramen and some open the door and find they are in a pawnshop. This is not any ordinary pawn shop. This shop handles choices and regrets that are weighing on people. Hana is inheriting the pawnshop from her father who is retiring. On her first day something horrible happens and an unusual client walks through her door and offers to help Hana. This is their story of discovery, friendship, love and betrayal. This story is ultimately a story about fate versus self-determination and free will. The world we explore is stunningly drawn and unique magical elements of traveling by puddle, flying on paper cranes, a midnight market in the sky, the bridge between midnight and dawn are all extraordinary. Highly recommend. Thank you to #netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this absolutely beautiful read. This book is being published January 13, 2025.

The beautiful and peaceful colors on the cover of this book are so deceiving. I 100% didn't expect such a magical world!

I really enjoyed this Japanese, cozy fantasy. I felt the story moved quickly and there were quite a lot of elements that had very unique magic. I did remove a star for the twist at the end, it felt a little bit out of the blue.

Water Moon is such a beautifully written story. The way it handles themes of love and loss feels so genuine and heartfelt, the characters feel so real tome. It’s one of those books that stays with you, that you'll think about long after you put it down, and I’m really glad I picked it up. Would definitely recommend!

The book I didnt know that i would love it!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House (Del Rey) for the eAR

I absolutely hate DNFing a book, especially one with such a beautiful premise and cover but that’s where we are at now. I have not finished it and there’s nothing inherently wrong so I’ll give this stars and hope it finds the correct audience, which sadly I’m not.

I have seen this book be compared to a Studio Ghibli film multiple times and don’t necessarily think that’s wrong but what pushes Ghibli over the edge is not the cozy whimsical magic but how in depth the world building is and I found this lacking. I enjoyed the premise of all the magical elements but found the depth to be lacking for me personally. I also have seen it compared to The Starless Sea and can see how the polarizing aspect of that book could be compared here but felt reading The Starless Sea was all depth and world building.

Audience wise, if you love a solid instant love, whimsy, cozy, magic then this story is most likely for you. There’s a lot to like about this book but over months of trying to come back to it, I was doing a disservice to myself and the authour at this point. This book will be HUGE and not wrongfully so. I’m excited for those that will eat this up and hope it even gets picked up for a theatrical release one day!

What are choices? They are the things we take when facing one or more options. Some choices are big, and others are small. Some choices come willingly, and others unconsciously. However, no matter the choice taken we will always wonder about the "what ifs". That's when Hana's pawnshop appears. It is a place located in an alternative world where only those in need can get to it. In that place, people can exchange choices, in the form of regrets, for a life without remembering that choice. Hana's life was fine. Her father is retiring, and she is taking take over the shop. However, on the day she was supposed to take over the shop, her father was nowhere to be found, the shop appeared ransacked, and a choice was missing from the vault. To that, she has to add the presence of Keishin, a man from the real world who offers to help her find her father. That's why Hana and Keishin start a journey to find her father and, in the middle, discover the truth behind the supposed death of her mother.

The world that Hana presents to us is a place where no one can make a choice. When people are born, the map of their lives is tattooed on their skin. That's why the population knows what is happening to them, and they don't venture far from what it's already written. That's when Hana and her mother appear. They represent the dissatisfaction of those who don't have control over their lives and are condemned to see people throwing away opportunities. They were bound to see how humans didn't value the freedom of choice while they had no other choice. That makes us appreciate the freedom of choice while it reminds us that our decisions come with consequences and responsibilities. On some occasions, those decisions affect not only the life of the person who made them but of others too, as it happened with Keishin and his mother.

Another point to highlight is the author's imagination to describe a world that is beautiful and spooky at the same time. Like Keishin, I would get excited every time they visit a corner of the world or travel through puddles. One of my favorite scenes was at the train station. There, people had to wait for long or short periods, and no one knew how long the wait would be. For me, those trains were like moments in life. People always wait at the station until the correct trains arrive and take them through the right part at the right time. For some, the wait is short, and for others, longer. Likewise, I loved how Keishin and Hana used the rumors as transportation because they travel fast. Also, I like how they describe that every mind is a whole world with different scenarios, like the one with the starry sky.

About the romance, I loved that Keishin's and Hana's love was instant. They believed they would live without love and settle for the bare minimum. It only took seeing and meeting each other to believe they could dream of something more than what they could have imagined. Both give hope to each other and push the other to stray from the predestined path and to write their destinies and stories. That's why, no matter how hard they tried, it was impossible to resist the attraction they felt for each other. Keishin and Hana are each other's destine. They were puzzle pieces that fit well. Also, when the reader discovers a secret, they can understand the feelings and curiosity that Hana and Keishin have for each other.

Water Moon is a book that starts slow, but perseverance will leave you with a treasure. This book reminds me of the importance of being free to choose. The freedom of being and doing whatever I want and not settling for less than what I deserve. Also, it reminds us that our destinies are not written in stone. We are the authors and main characters of our stories. We can do whatever we want. I can't wait for you guys to have this book on your hands! It will be on sale on January 14, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley/Del Rey for the e-ARC!

This book lost its charm for me real fast. I was a little intrigued at the very beginning but got annoyed the longer it went on, and if I wasn't reading this an an ARC, I would have DNF'd it before or at the halfway point. Which is disappointing, because look at that cover! And it sounds so whimsical and fun! By the end, it was just a chore for me to get through.

I'll start with the things I like. Some of the scenes were very vivid in my mind's eye. A lot of reviews are comparing it to Studio Ghibli, but I think it's more like a series of generic anime gifs cut together. Just a bunch of pretty, whimsical scenes with some nice, generic music in the background.

On a whole, I would describe this book as superficial. There is no depth to these fantastical scenes. We hardly spend more than a chapter anywhere before we go to a new place, almost always with the same predictable string of dialogue that tries to end in a cliffhanger. Every single time. It drove me nuts.

The characters were also very flat and the instant romance really didn't do any services to anything. I don't even want to talk about the love triangle. I would have much rather had a book without any romance but as a real exploration about what this secondary world implied. There were ingredients for deeper discussions, but every time it was attempted, it came off so surface level and basic and without nuance. You might expect, since the whole premise is that the main character owns a pawn shop that trades in regret, it might have something to say about how important it is that we carry the decisions we regret with us and it's the choices we make that make us who we are. And hey, that is brought up! At the very end and in about as many words as I used.

It could have been good. There was even the potential to be great. But hey, at least it was pretty, right?

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto was an underwhelming reading experience for me. While the lyrical prose and the Studio Ghibli-esque setting, were captivating, other aspects left me wanting more.

The romance between the protagonists felt rushed, with an instant connection that lacked depth and development. This “insta-love” was off-putting and made it difficult to invest in their relationship. Additionally, the characters themselves appeared one-dimensional. Their decisions, especially the MMC’s at various points made no sense to me in any way.

While the narrative’s whimsical quality was appealing, the plot and character development could benefit from a little more work to create a more engaging and cohesive story.

Rating 2/5

What initially drew me into this book was the stunning cover. But the first chapter drew me in and I could not stop reading! 5 stars to an incredibly, intricate, but quick story.