This is such a spectacular story. The prose is great, the story begins quietly but keeps getting deeper: and the characters really made me root for them. It's a unique fantasy that will stay with me a long time.

I really wanted to like this book. I truly did. But there was something missing. The story felt hollowed out to some degree, like the author ended up prioritizing style over substance, even if that may not have been the intention. Sure, there were some beautiful, whimsical details and a bit of plot progression, it seemed as though the plot and themes kept getting bogged down in prose that at times strayed into saccharine territory and missed the forest for the trees. I do enjoy detail in the stories I read, but with this one, it just wasn’t executed all that well. And in doing so, character development also suffered. It’s a shame, since with the world the author built, this story had the potential to be great.

A truly magical journey that whisks you off into a Studio Ghibli-esque world that bends the fabric of imagination, with passages that catch you off guard and leave you gasping for air. A delightful and whimsical punch to the heart.

Although I do agree it was whimsical, it was also too subtle and left me wanting something more sinister….until about 35% in. If the beginning is hard for you, like it was for me, stick with it because overall the book is so unique and beautiful. The magical world building is unlike anything I’ve read before but somehow feels familiar too. Finishing the book felt like waking up from a dream and wondering if it was real.

I cried, I swooned, and I felt all emotions in this book. i thought it was going to be a cozy read, but i was in for a RIDE. Yambao has a great way of building the world of water moon, from holistically to the smaller worlds we delve into. in this whole book, I was not only rooting for Hana and Kei but also for Haruto! it’s such a fast-paced read, and it REALLY did feel like I’m in a studio Ghibli film—you can’t go wrong with that!

5 stars!

I am such a screaming fan of this book. The world that it builds is so interesting and magical that you never really know what’s going to happen next. I also love love love the connection between both Hana and Kei and Hana and her father. Everything between them felt so real and well-developed.

Every single even that took place in this book also felt so intentional and well thought out. Nothing felt like filler or like it didn’t add anything to the story and I enjoyed it so much.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the advanced copy!

**Thank you to Random House Publishing for this free digital review copy.**

"You turned off all the lights because you didn't want to see the truth." This line proves that this sweet story full of whimsical magic also had a depth I wasn't fully expecting. A lot of things happen in this book that the character from our world struggles to make sense of, but I didn’t try too hard to figure it all out and it worked for me! It’s not all light and fluffy, but at its heart the novel was about finding the place where you belong and figuring out how to do the right thing. "And if I fail, so what? that just means I'm eliminating a wrong turn and getting closer to the right one."

The author is based in Manila, the story is set in Tokyo (sort of) and the book reads like a Japanese novel in translation, but I believe it was written in English. I found it to be very beautiful, though I wish the chapters were a bit more consistent in length. I highlighted several more passages about time and seasons and relationships that I resonated with and that made me think.

As a lover of fantasy books, especially set in Tokyo with star-crossed lovers, this book 100% sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, this one was an average read for me.

I loved the mystery component that ran throughout the book, and how it felt like one big adventure. While seeking out her father, Hana and Kei definitely have to talk to a lot of different people and piece together the “puzzle” of where he went and why. This was incredibly intriguing to me.

While the book had many very interesting fantasy elements, such as riding within a song, villages that create the stars from wishes every night, and being able to bend time with origami, I found there was just a little too much going on. The characters jumped from one fantastical place to another very quickly to the point of being a bit jarring at times. I will reiterate, that the imagination that went into all these places was phenomenal, I just wish there were few places so we could appreciate them more.

While I liked Kei and his mentor on a surface level, I didn’t really love any of the other characters. I found that Hana was a fairly uninteresting character who was just bland for my taste. She had the incredible potential to be bigger than life, but unfortunately she came across stiff and almost robotic to me. Kei was definitely the more emotional of the two characters, so I felt like we did get some depth there, but not much; it was very surface level and revolved around his insta-love for Hana. My favorite character was actually Hana’s childhood friend, because he had the most thought-out backstory of anyone and he was willing to die for Hana if the need arose.

Yes, there were several twists, but I think with how they played out, they weren’t surprising. It wasn’t that I was able to guess them, but more that they were revealed in a manner such that 1) I didn’t understand it at first because too many things were going on and 2) I hadn’t gotten enough of a connection with the main characters to have a reaction.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey, and Samantha Sotto Yambao for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

This was a 3 star read for me but I think it would be 4 stars for others. I really enjoyed the premise of the book and feel like it had a lot of potential but unfortunately for me it fell a bit flat. The characters felt 2 dimensional and I didn’t find myself connecting with them. Some of the ending was a bit confusing and I’m still not 100% what happened due to all the time jumping.

Thank you so much to Del Rey and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

It’s going to be difficult to review this book and truly capture the wonder and whimsy that takes place inside of it, but I’m going to try my best.

Hana’s family deals in choices. The back room of their pawnshop is littered with trinkets and birds, all representing choices made and regretted in another world. In exchange for these choices? A box of tea that tastes different to every person that drinks it. Hana is not sure if she is ready to take over once her father retires, but when she wakes up to find him gone, Hana knows she must find him.

Keishin doesn’t think he has anything worthy of regret, but when he stumbles through the door to Hana’s pawnshop on the fateful morning of her father’s disappearance, he knows that turning around and walking back out the door would be his first.

This book reads like a Studio Ghibli movie with the wonder of a Pixar Short if that makes any sense at all. Everything, every place, every character is so creatively thought of and magical. Everything clicks together like the pieces of a puzzle and makes sense by the end even though it can be hard to understand.

The dynamics of the alternate worlds and the characters are so delicately crafted. You have a world in which choices are so plentiful it is okay to give them away and a world in which freedom is scarier than having your life plotted before you. Then you have two characters who embody those in reverse. It makes for a wonderfully compelling story and relationship.

While this book isn’t romance heavy, the romance is so beautiful and such a fixture of the plot that I can’t not talk about it. Hana and Keishin learn to trust each other under unforeseen circumstances and their relationship flourishes in such a natural way that is so cohesive to the plot.

This book is also beautifully written and so philosophical at times that I am definitely going to be viewing regrets and choices differently as I go through life. This is just one of those books that really sticks with you long after you’ve put it down.

This was such a heartwarming story. I’ve never read something so cozy without obvious action captivate my attention like this did. My full goodreads review linked below!

I feel as if I have just woken from a beautiful and elaborate dream. Water Moon starts in a pawnshop that serves as a bridge between worlds. One that can only be found by the lost and regretful. One that, in a world where every aspect of your fate is written on your skin, deals in the most precious wares of all: choices.

On the first day of her ownership, Hana finds her shop ransacked and a choice stolen - right as a physicist, Keishin, walks through the doors. Keishin puts all of his own worries aside to help Hana recover this choice and discover the impossible nature of Hana’s world while outrunning creatures that would otherwise extract this debt in suffering and blood.

This book will not be for every reader, especially if you hinge on the question “why.” At first, I felt a bit confused at how this story moved. There always seemed to be a perfect answer that I didn’t understand. When I realized this cloudiness was like what I felt from a dream, I allowed myself to accept what was in front of me, and let the journey unravel. Water Moon is full of rich, whimsical imagery and powerful depictions of choice and sacrifice. I ended up loving the poetic way we floated through Hana’s world, flitting from one impossibility to the next. The ending especially had me unable to put the book down.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced review copy!

For readers who love:
✨ multiple POVs
✨ magical, dreamlike worlds
✨ short chapters
✨ secrets and tension

I think a lot of people are going to really love this book. In general it is ethereal and lovely.

I do agree with a lot of other reviewers though. Some parts felt rushed and I wasn't really getting into the character interactions but in general, this is a lovely story and I have a feeling the book is going to do really well. I will for sure read future books by her.

It's only 3 days into 2025 and yet I think I will be hard-pressed to find a book that will top "Water Moon" by Samantha Sotto Yambao. This book was whimsical, fantastical, and a touch romantic but with the overarching theme of overcoming regrets. Walking into Hana's world as Keishin did felt like I'd plunged deep into a cooling pool of water, only to find it warm and welcoming. I never knew what piece of fantasy Hana's world would uncover for me next, nor did I expect any of the twists and turns that occurred along the way.

Both of the main characters are easy to become attached to -- likable and relatable as any well-written character is but each had their unique complexities which kept me wanting to know more about their pasts. Yambao wrote as if the pen was a paintbrush, her words dancing behind my eyes and painting a watercolor picture of Hana's magical world.

I don't think that I'll soon forget this story. My only regret is that I can't erase it from my mind, only to read it again. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy -- you won't be disappointed.

Water Moon takes readers on a fever-dream journey through a magical world fueled by the regrets, hopes, and memories of the human world.

The story centers on Hana Ishikawa, a young woman whose life has revolved around her family's extraordinary legacy—a mystical pawnshop where people can trade their regrets. However, on her very first morning as the shop’s caretaker, Hana’s world is upended. Her father has vanished, the pawnshop is in ruins, and a stolen regret threatens to unravel everything.

Determined to uncover the truth, Hana embarks on a quest for answers, but she’s not alone. A mysterious stranger, a human who inadvertently stumbles into her world, refuses to leave until they help her—even if her mission seems impossible. Together, they navigate the surreal and magical landscape in a search for redemption, closure, and perhaps something neither of them expected.

3.5 stars: I struggled to connect with Hana and Keishin and their one-dimensional romance. I understand using Keishin as the focus of world-building as the outsider, but I feel the book would have been just as magical without the romance subplot. I still thoroughly enjoyed the book’s imaginative setting and unique exploration of regrets and memories. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in Asian-influenced magical realism such as Before the Coffee Gets Cold and The Dallergut Dream Department Store.

Hana is inheriting a pawn shop where you can sell your regrets. Kei is a physicist who wanders into the shop. Together, they go on an adventure filled with magic. They travel through puddles, ride paper cranes, and walk the bridge between midnight and morning.
The world building in this book is phenomenal. The whole time i was reading this, I was wishing it could be a Ghibli show (not a movie because it needs more than 2 hours to capture every detail and piece of their journey).
I dont want to give anything away, but i wrote down words that stood out while i was reading.. Magic, dreams, promises, regrets, lies, choices, uncertainty, fate, hope, grief, ikigai, love
I cant wait to reread this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine/Del Rey for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own.

Publication day is January 14th!

Water Moon is the story of Hana. Her first day as the new owner of a pawnshop where people pawn their life choices and regrets isn't going as expected. When Keishin stumbles into the shop, he offers to help, and they journey through a mysterious world hidden just beneath the surface to unravel the secrets of her family’s past.

At its heart, this book is about courage, self-discovery, the importance of choice, the journey through grief and healing, and the ties that bind us to the people and places we call home.

I absolutely loved the magical world-building in this book. The way Samantha Sotto Yambao described the different places Hana and Kei traveled to make the world feel alive—like I could truly step into it myself. Every page felt cozy and fantastical. There was just enough mystery to keep me turning the page to find out what was going to happen next!

I’m not typically a huge fantasy reader, especially when I have to read them physically with my eyeballs, but Water Moon completely drew me in, and I couldn’t stop reading. The characters, the plot, and the atmosphere were all so captivating that I found myself turning page after page late into the night as I was falling asleep.

I do have one gripe, and I almost deducted a star because the incorrect Titanic fact really upset me. There were so many HISTORACALLY ACCURATE facts that had to do with small choices that changed the course of history that could have been used, but instead she used a made up one. Not cool. But in the grand scheme of things, the magic and heart of this story far outweighed that small hiccup, so I chose to look past it.

This book was one of my most anticipated releases for 2025, and it did not disappoint. If you’re looking for a cozy yet fantastical escape with vivid world-building and a story that will keep you enthralled, I highly recommend Water Moon.

An amiable fantasy with good world building and a character in Hana who you will care about. This is very much about choices but it's not dark, not at all. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of Japanese novels.

The story starts, when Hana, a daughter of a pawn shop owner from her retiring father, but on her first day, her father goes missing. Then the shop is visited by a stranger called Keishin, who offers to help her look for her dad. However, he doesn't know what he is getting into as this adventure leads them to an unfamiliar world, which is completely different from what Kei is used to.

When I read about this concept, I was immediately drawn to it as it sounded so dreamy and charming. It didn't disappoint me at all, because I was immediately thrown into action, just like Keishin and started my own travel through Hana's world. There are many different creatures, that we encounter, a lot of them menacing, like The Shiikuin, which keep following our protagonists as they search for Hana's father. But that doesn't hinder anything and it's easy to enjoy the dreamy atmosphere created by the author, because, in my opinion, her descriptions of places and how everything works is the best part of this book. It makes you feel like a child, that just entered a new world with rules, that often don't make sense, but the thing is... they don't have to make sense. At least I didn't have time to question anything, because I was just so captivated by everything that happened, all the new things that appeared and especially all the secrets that were slowly uncovered as Hana and Kei, with their each step, found out more and more about what actually happened that morning at the pawn shop. And more than twenty years ago, when Hana's mother died.

I really liked the writing style as well, the descriptions were my favourite part of this book. I think the author did it really, really well and made it easy to be completely immersed in the world she created. I don't know how I feel about the romantic aspect of the story as it felt a bit like insta love, but in the end it didn't bother me that much.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

Such a great book! Never read anything like this. At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it but it had me sucked in by 10 pages in! Love the concept and truly had me questioning my life and where I have ended up and what would happen if I ever walked in here.