While this would make a charming animated film, in book form, it pinged from magical scene to magical scene too fast to ever feel settled in the story. And each one required new world building. It was ultimately a lot to keep up with, but also meant that we couldn’t really get to know the characters.

This story was beautifully written. Think What Dreams May Come but in Japan. I enjoyed the nods to Japanese mythology and folklore. Some of the moments/realms felt a bit too fantastical - I'd definitely categorize this as fantasy and not magical realism. I also didn't really believe the love at first sight insta-connection between the two main characters. But the imagery and writing was so lovely, I can overlook that as a trope. I actually read this on the way to Japan (14 hour plane ride) and it was a lovely way to be introduced to the culture and some of the landmarks.

4.5
This book was very fun in the sense that there was so much world building but it was quick - not like other fantasy novels. The love aspect in this story felt pushed and that they only loved each other due to forced proximity. While that is a common trope, it's not for me. It seemed like Haruto and Hana had more chemistry, even though they were only in ~three scenes together.
It was well written and well put together but just missed the mark in a couple places for me.

In “Water Moon,” Samantha Sotto Yambao creates a world worthy of Studio Ghibli, a world that feels a bit like getting trapped in a nightmare — in the very best way.

Hana is the proprietor of a pawnshop that serves a distinct purpose in the universe. When her father disappears, she undertakes a desperate search with the help of Keishin, a curious pawnshop patron who shows up just as Hana discovers her father’s absence.

“Water Moon” plays out across space and time, and Yambao’s vision is a truly beautiful and terrifying fever dream.

Hana and Keishin encounter mystical, mysterious and horrifying creatures and characters, all of which hearken on our most human of instincts.

There are themes of loss and heartache, but also hope, free will and healing. Ultimately, “Water Moon” reads like an existential contemplation of what it means to be human and love other humans.

By far one of my favorite novels I’ve read in a very long time.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I was going in expecting something completely different. Sometimes it’s good to go into a book not knowing much about it. You tend to get the best reading experience.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC.

Having read an absurd amount of magical realism books from Japan, about a mysterious shop that helps it's customers overcome grief or regrets through magic and maybe cute animals, this was extremely fascinating, and so damn good. The aforementioned books tend to keep things on the customers' end of the transaction; the shop owners seem made for the purpose of healing others and nothing else. Water Moon looks at the other side of the transaction, reminding us that they are real people with their own problems. And that it takes effort, if not sacrifice, to quickly and magically wipe your fears away. The worldbuilding can be scattershot, but in the context of this subgenre, where the shops have little to no explanation for their existence but are generally accepted without fuss, it kinda made sense to me. The focus is instead on the people running the shop and the one guy that decides to help them out. Another aspect of this is the romance, and I ate it up. It was a little instalove for me, but written so appealingly that I didn't mind. I can see how these things might not be for everyone, but this book fits right into my current fixations and nails it.

Fascinating premise with <i>very</i> interesting worldbuilding that is developed just enough and, for me, not much else. Water Moon falls into the trap of insta-love, which I really don't enjoy but if you do? You might enjoy this more than I did. It does give Studio Ghibli vibes at times. I just wish the characters had grabbed me more.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I’m usually not the biggest fan of magical realism so I think it is more a me problem than anything else.

I wanted to try this one since it is so popular: however, i am an outlier because I didn’t enjoy it. The pacing was too slow and I wasn’t a fan of the characters or writing style.

This is not a book I would have typically picked up to read; however, I am so glad I did.

I have never read a book like WATER MOON. The Japanese fiction was something completely new to me, but filled with cultural stories and symbolism. I was intrigued with the dual of Hana and Keishin’s worlds and how the two “travel” together. I was intrigued by the pawn shop and the choice they would take from their customers. Throughout I tried to figure out Hana’s mom’s indiscretion. I did not expect such a twist.

I enjoyed the story and found the various Japanese cultural aspects interesting.

Every aspect of this book is beautiful: the writing, the imagery, the cover, the concept. Reading this felt like a dream, and I regretted waking up as soon as I finished the final page.

Water Moon 🌕🪡👓🍜
3⭐️
0🌶️

Thank you so much to Del Rey for the chance to read and enjoy this advanced copy.

Water Moon is a really beautiful concept of a book. I really loved the Asian representation, and I think that Japanese culture was explored in a really poetic and informative way. I really liked how culture was taught and fleshed out in this book, it was very immersive.

One of my most favorite things about this book is its cover; I think that the art is absolutely gorgeous and a great preface into the overall theme and setting of the story. This book had the feeling of something you would dream and then forget when you wake up in the morning; deeply nostalgic and with an element that continues to tug at your heart.

While I loved the theme, setting, and art for this book, the writing and arc of the story felt flat. I was invested in the plot, but the characters felt two-dimensional and I didn’t feel like the story was easy to follow.

However, this book will definitely be a great recommendation for fans of “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.

Water Moon was so creative, it was unlike anything I have ever read before. I really loved it because it made me feel like I was watching a Studio Ghibi movie. Owning a magical pawn shop just sounds like a dream! I felt like the author did a great job at building this magical world. I really enjoyed this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc!

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao is a magical and thrilling journey that swept me away from the very first page. The story is beautifully written, full of emotion and wonder, and it brought me to tears in the best possible way. I absolutely loved it—an unforgettable read!

Hana Ishikawa inherits a hidden pawnshop in Tokyo that deals with life's deepest choices. When her father vanishes and a precious item is stolen, Hana teams up with Keishin, a physicist from another realm, embarking on a surreal journey through puddles that lead to other worlds, paper cranes that soar the skies, and night markets nestled in the clouds.

This fantasy is a heartfelt tale of self-determination, grief, and healing (honestly, we all need some healing). Hana's resilience shines as she navigates an unpredictable world, and her bond with Keishin is tender and inspiring. It's a story that reminded me how each decision, no matter how small, creates ripples that shape our lives.

It makes a girl want to run to every pawnshop for her little adventure.


Thank you Del Rey for the ARC

Ugh. This had so much potential. I wanted to love this–not like–LOVE. And instead, I was crawling to the finish line and couldn’t wait for it to be over.

Whimsical fantasies are a hard line to walk. They can have so much imagination and beauty and concepts of flight and fancy that are so fun to read, but if the plot and characters aren’t anchoring me in a story that I actually am invested in and care about, it doesn’t matter how gorgeous the setting is. This book was like that. The premise of the pawn shop and its surrounding world was fantastic. Night market in the clouds? Amazing! But the characters were pretty dry, the romance felt nonexistent then instalove at the same time, the ending was convoluted and not clear in its closure for either protagonist and their mommy issues… I just found myself wanting a lot more from the book, which wasn’t delivered. 2.5⭐, rounded down to 2 on Goodreads.

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

One of those rare and beautiful stories that whisk you away into another world. A pawn shop where you can trade in your deepest regrets. That sounds fantastic and it’s the start of a grand adventure with memorable characters and a lot of amazing visuals. Really a great book.

"Water Moon" is a captivating adventure in which two magnetic strangers attempt to solve a mystery in a magical world. Where this book really shines is in its inventive world building. Every time we were introduced to a new location I wished that more page time could've been dedicated for exploration. They're so lived in, purposeful, and well thought out in how they intertwine with one another. Yes, the treasure hunt style narrative that weaves through the places can feel a bit too convenient at times, but the vibrancy of the places themselves and the way that the two leads experience them makes it satisfying anyway.

My core issue with the writing is how stilted Hana feels in the beginning of the book. She's a pawnbroker and she's been trained to turn off her emotions as much as possible, but, at the same time, it's woven into her characterization that she rebels against the rigidity. It's difficult to understand how she has that inner conflict, yet, when presented with a crisis and an intriguing Keishin in her doorway, she doesn't revert to her actual personality and instead remains quite stoic. This in turn makes their immediate connection feel one sided. To me, Keishin seemed to be more emotionally available, which allows us to connect with him earlier on in the narrative, as opposed to the distance that Hana has with us. With that said, I did enjoy their dynamic more as it progressed into looser, more natural dialogue and messy emotions. I just didn't buy that there was an immediate, two-sided electricity there. If anything, I'd say it was more of a slowburn from Hana's point of view.

Overall, the equally whimsical and melancholic tone had me eager to keep turning the pages.

Listed under: a book you shouldn't read if you're familiar at all with Japanese culture or language (especially if you also read a lot of translated Japanese fiction).

Water Moon on its head is an interesting premise - woman goes on a journey to find her missing father through a world rife with the supernatural and the otherworldly (literally). Woman also goes on that journey with a man who happens to show up at her door exactly when said journey must start. As expected, the two fall for each other pretty immediately despite a ton of things that happen and get revealed that should make it not so... and it's so very... I think this book would have been way better if Hana was searching on her own! Because this romance was so... for the sake of a romance I guess, but I think "shoehorned" is the word I'm looking for.

Without getting into a red-pen mark-up of all the things I had to pause and talk to my partner about that bothered me (or were simply wrong) about this book (yet), Water Moon just had Too Much going on. We were shot from here to there to over there to way over there and then back again, even before Hana and Keishin were running from those that ended up pursuing them. It's very hand-in-hand with one of my other major complaints: because this book was Inspired By My Trip To Japan, there are a TON of Japanese words/phrases/Cool Japan Things that are just thrown in for no reason except to have one more reference to Being In Japan. Additionally, things that felt like they should have been higher stakes or horrifying end up... either being hand-waved with, "oh, they'll be fine," or plot-wise not really mattering in the end. There was a reveal near the end that should have been horrifying! But because so much was going on and the stakes just felt like... whatever by this point, it really lost a lot of the punch.

Samantha Sotto Yambao, a Filipina author who was inspired to write this book after a trip to the older touristy parts of Kyoto, an area where some of the old houses have been converted into storefronts (including the famous Ninenzaka Starbucks, which is on the street she cites as her direct inspiration) to promote said tourism and to keep these areas preserved and afloat. Inspiration like that is totally fine, especially since a lot of the things that happen in the other world seem to be made up or vaguely inspired by instead of pieces of actual folktale, but using someone else's culture and throwing as much of it at the wall as possible in your 'cozy, Studio Ghibli-esque fantasy' there needs to be a certain degree of mindfulness which feels... missing here.

Hana is our protagonist who comes off very naive ("What's a date?") for the majority of the book, and then we're supposed to believe she's intentionally Kept Secrets and Made Lies the whole time instead of it being plot-convenient when it is (also she calls herself a monster for having The Same tattoos everyone in her world has. Tell me where that makes sense).

And then we have Keishin, a man who moved with his father overseas (although where is never specifically mentioned) for some years, but comes back for a job and immediately ends up in this pawn shop. At first him saying right away, "Call me Kei," bothered me, but I rationalized it as he's more used to that living abroad -- but that Hana immediately accepts and does so just pulled at the edge of my brain (this is a place where sometimes married couples even call each other by surname for a while-- first name basis is VERY serious). Kei mentioning/thinking several times, "my Japanese is rusty" but having zero issues communicating to anyone at any time despite the fact that we as readers should assume all dialogue is spoken in Japanese -- sure. This is just a way to, at least early on (as this does stop eventually), define to the reader Japanese words, but it was so clumsy and could have been easily done in context. Examples of Keishin translating for us but also to himself while speaking normally in all other regards:

"...then you may call it Isekai." Other world. Keishin translated the word in his head.
"The Shiikuin?" Keishin tried to remember the meaning of the word. "The Keepers? Like the caretakers of a zoo?"
"I am hoping that the Horishi will have some answers." "A tattoo artist?"

There are a ton other linguistic nitpicks I have that I wrote out but instead will summarize as: there are a lot of inconsistencies in the romanization of the Japanese language, inaccurate pluralizations (never say "animes" to me please), a lackadaisical use of honorifics while on the other hand Hana rarely uses contractions in her speech (I assume to make her seem otherworldly/old timey and if this was a translated novel MIGHT indicate she's speaking Formal Japanese or an outdated style/dialect... but it is not translated, so...), and several many instances of the Japanese being used where it's a word/phrase that is actually easily translated into English (example: Kyoiku Hakubutsukan [Keishin: "The Museum of Education?"] could have just been called that! Except that's not even accurate; it's had a new name in English for 75 years and Keishin is not 100 years old but whatever). For how OFTEN this is done, it really makes not just the language used (often incorrectly or at minimum inconsistently), but the whole worldbuilding, feel very... exoticized.

Also, Keishin's elevator side chapter story and the entirety of his mind palace I think don't really make a lot of sense either, like, I get what the last part was going for; I just don't think it worked.

I started to think that part of the problem is that the several books I read prior to Water Moon were all Japanese translated fiction (some being magical realism/urban fantasy and not a supernatural fantasy like this with very little of it in The Real World), and that I started learning Japanese language/culture ... maybe 25 years ago... so these things really stand out to me where they don't to other people (and I did talk to to be like "is it just me or") but overall it was a disappointing read that needed a lot more tightening up in both the amount of things happening in the plot and space for the romantic relationship to grow and the characters to actually develop into their own people past being individual plot devices even to us as readers in moments they're not being slingshotted around? And the longer I sat with the language and cultural issues sort of pushing at my mind, the more uncomfortable I feel about the lack of care with Yambao using someone else's culture for her story and then just making a mess of it in a way that people who aren't as familiar wouldn't easily realize just pushes the exoticism and "cool unproblematic Ghibli-vibes Japan" narrative further. I don't like that.

In the end, I am grateful to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for the eARC (that I read every page of!) for approving my request to read and review , but this very much wasn't for me, as much as it really could have been.

THE ORIGAMI COVER IS SO COOL THOUGH... and the cover art! What a novel (no pun intended) idea!!

This book was whimsical, emotional, and more than a little bit strange. Travelling by puddle? Night market in the clouds? Waiting for trains that may or may not show up in your lifetime? That's the norm for the "other world," in which Hana and Keishin team up to look for her parents. This book reminded me a lot of Kazuo Ishiguro's books, and I will definitely be reading more works by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse Publishing for this ARC! This book was an absolute delight to read. The writing style was intriguing and beautiful. I found myself wanting to highlight almost every passage- entranced by its beauty and wisdom. The concept of the book was also unique and attention grabbing. My only concern was pacing. I found the pace of the book quite slow for the first 80% and then warp speed for the last 20%. I wish the author had spread out some of the twists to build more intrigue and keep the reader engaged. Otherwise, this book was delightful and definitely will become a staple on my shelf.