I am experiencing so many emotions after finishing Water Moon. I finished this in two sittings, and I am in shambles from the last 40%. Wow, I love Samantha’s writing!

Water Moon is a cozy, whimsical romantasy delving deep into human nature and the power of choices. What if you could “pawn away” your biggest regret, and alter the trajectory of your life? It’s a notion that intrigues many people, and the way the author explores the consequences of rewriting life is mesmerizing. The worldbuilding was lush and beautiful. The way the two main characters ponder the complexity of regrets was lyrical and emotional, impacting me thoroughly.

I didn’t expect to cry, but I did — three times, I think. I’m tearing up as I write this review, actually. This is a book I can see myself coming back to to reflect. Each character was so complex, and their roles were important to the plot. One character, in particular, I’m hurting over — they deserved the world!

An absolutely stunning debut! Thank you Del Rey for my e-ARC.

4.5

I initially had a bit of a hard time getting into this novel, but I'm so glad I stuck with it because I ended up loving it! The prose is so beautiful I kept highlighting lines, the world feels so unique, and the plot had me feeling a full range of emotions. It is cozy at times, terrifying and heart-wrenching in others. My eyes were watering at the bittersweet ending and I have a feeling this is a story I will revisit.

It is hard to sum this plot up and I think it is best to go in not knowing too much. Hana inherits a magical pawnshop from her father, but with it comes secrets and dangers that she wasn't expecting. Soon, she's on a journey through time and space with an unexpected friend in hopes of discovering the truth of her past.

This story won't be for everyone but if you like thoughtful books full of other worlds and unexplained magic like "The Starless Sea," I think this will be a treat for you! It truly feels like something fresh in the fantasy genre, and I read a ton of fantasy!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

Water Moon was a beautifully written book that includes a very thoughtful, almost dream-like world. I really enjoyed the characters journey throughout the book. The idea of choices and what ifs made this book really thought-provoking. I adored the light fantasy aspect of the world that was created and will definitely be recommending this book to others!

4.5 - What a BEAUTIFUL story!! I haven't read a fantasy/magical realism book this unique in such a long time!! The concept of a magical pawnshop was just so cool and I loved everything about this wonderful story.

Hana inherits her father's magical pawnshop in Tokyo, where people go to let go of their regrets. The pawnshop provides a place for those who are lost and need to get rid of their deepest regrets a place to make new choices and become free. When Hana's father disappears and a stranger appears at her doors, she must embark on a journey through her magical, whimsical world to find her father and figure out what happened to her mother, who was allegedly killed when Hana was young. Hana has to team up with Kei, sharing their darkest secrets with each other and navigating parts of each others world.

This is a book of discovery, finding your purpose, the choices we make, and the fate that we choose versus the fate that has been determined for us. Hana goes on a l0ng journey, trying to figure out what happened to her family and the many secrets that they hid from her over the years. Her world is tipped upside down by Kei, a stranger from the outside world, who also seems lost in his own way. The two must navigate the feelings they have for each other, while figuring out if they could even be together in this magical world. The setting of this book was my favorite part, as the concept of a magical world where you can travel through time, and everything exists almost upside down, all obtainable through a magical pawnshop in Tokyo, was so cool. I loved the idea of making the choice to give up regrets, and the path that leads you down. The writing was very whimsical, and made me feel like I was out of this world reading this book. I already expect that this will be one of the best fantasy books of 2025! Thank you to Del Rey for the free book!!

Beautifully written and wonderfully captivating!

This book has such rich and lyrical writing and I spent half my time highlighting pieces that just struck me to my core. There’s action and adventure for sure but also really intricately woven messages of love and sacrifice and learning who you are when things get hard.

The 2 main characters Hana and Keishin really wowed me. They were I interesting and managed to not annoy me a single time for 384 pages which let me tell you, is a feat in itself. They communicated and were vulnerable with each other and developed as a couple and as individuals. I couldn’t help but fall in love with them both and root for them whole heartedly.

This was just such a unique world and magic system with really cool characters. I’m blown away that this is a debut. I can’t wait to see what else this author writes. And I can’t wait for the rest of the world to get to experience this book too.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Random House Publishing, Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 🥰🥰🥰

Water Moon ARC Review ☁️
3.75 ⭐️

I was intrigued by the gorgeous cover and the Studio Ghibli premise 💖 The world building was the best part of this book ✨ Whimsical and imaginative, I was charmed by the different magical scenery: a pawnshop where people sell a choice made at a pivotal moment in their life that they deeply regretted, with their regrets stored away as caged birds, traveling by jumping into puddles, waking up from dreams by crossing a bridge into morning, riding paper cranes, releasing kites in the sky every night to become stars, and more.

I wanted to love this book to pieces and everything seemed to align on paper but sadly, the story didn’t live up to my expectations. While there are so many enchanting thoughtful moments that made me ponder and reflect, there isn’t enough time spent in one place to savor each moment before Hana and Keishin spirit away to the next. After a while, the whimsy wore off a bit for me since it starts to read as “so this happened and then this happened and then this and this and this…” Would’ve loved to have spent more time in one place to give the world more depth. The ideas themselves were utterly whimsical and creative. Very Ghibli-esque in this aspect that deserved more time to fully appreciate ✨

My other biggest qualm was the lack of chemistry between the two main characters and wooden dialogue. I usually want a romance subplot, but tbh this would’ve been better off without it. Hana and Keishin had ZERO chemistry and I had zero interest in rooting for their instalove or caring for their individual characters really. I’m assuming they’re speaking in keigo (formal polite Japanese) but I don’t think the stiff dialogue translated very well for their romance. There’s a fade-to-black spice scene that came out of nowhere, due to the fact that I had no idea the relationship was supposed to have progressed to that point?? Hana and Keishin would’ve been better off as platonic friends helping each other than forcing a romance for the plot. A bit more telling than showing and still v confused at the ending, but stuck through for the whimsy dream-like vibes 🌧️

I received an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book is the definition of whimsical and magical.

We read about Hana, who inherits her fathers pawnshop where people come to pawn off their regrets. Her father ends up missing and the pawnshop ransacked. In comes Kei, a stranger from another realm who wants to help her. And so, the adventure begins. It was fun! The writing was lyrical and so beautiful. The story in itself is creative and raw, filled with so much emotion. As someone who regrets many things it does put into perspective how we live with our regrets and choices. Having a choice is a privilege and isn't it beautiful to live a life with choices?

This was an absolutely fantastic read. I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone and everyone. The cover art, designed by Regina Flath and illustrated by Haylee Morice, beautifully encapsulates the vibes. I was engrossed, enchanted and swept away by this story from the beginning. I fell in love with the characters, was invested in their plight, and cried multiple times during the last 30%.

No small detail was left unsettled at the end. While perhaps everything may not have wrapped up the way I personally wanted, I was not left with unanswered questions. I hope to see more from these worlds in the future (yes WORLDS) because I am captivated.

There is something here for everyone. There is mystery, fantasy, worldbuilding, romance (which I would describe as the fade-to-black variety), and it is so magical, whimsical, and heartbreaking. I made so many highlights in my e-reader. I will purchase a physical copy immediately upon release so I can tab EVERYTHING I loved so very much. This releases January 14, 2025 and you will not want to miss this one.

I had not previously read any of Samantha Sotto Yambao's work, but will proceed with consuming everything Yambao has written.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced reader e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Water Moon is a story about choices and what they can mean. It is also a story about not having choices. What I really liked about this book was that the set up felt original but at the same time somewhat familiar.

We follow two characters Hana and Keishin. In a hide-away alley in Tokyo there is a pawnshop, most people will open the door to a ramen restaurant, but a few will find the pawnshop when they open the door to the ramen restaurant. Hana and her family have been the owners of the pawnshop for generations. The day that Keishin walks through the door is the first day that Hana is the owner and she is standing in the destruction of the shop. Keishin unlike the majority of the customers offers to help instead of wanting help to get rid of a choice that haunts them.

From this start we get the character relationships as Keishin and Hana search for her missing father. The search takes them through Hana's world avoiding danger, finding kindness, and learning what it means to have a choice. I love stories that are character driven but also have action and Water Moon was this for me.

I highly recommend Water Moon for anyone who loves alternative reality, adventure, fantasy based on cultural myths, or just fantasy.

Thank you for NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This novel is the perfect read if you’re in the mood to get cozy under a blanket and sit by a warm fire. I really enjoyed the whimsical nature of the book.

The writing was great and really did invoke that Studio Ghibli imagery.

I don’t know if they were written this way on purpose but I had a hard time connecting with the main characters. I know that Keishin is supposed to be an outsider to the world but he felt a little too disconnected from it all. Hana’s stoic nature felt similar. I did still enjoy reading their journey and it was wonderful to be a part of their adventures.

Unfortunately, the plot kind of fell flat in the end. Most of their adventures felt like one cozy whimsical setting followed by another, then the plot suddenly had to be resolved. Overall I enjoyed my time with this book, but the pacing just felt a bit off to me.

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is difficult for me to rate. After finishing, I’m left being very glad I had the chance to read this and looking at the book as a positive overall, but the experience of reading it felt a little sluggish.

A normal complaint for me is when books move around too quickly and this definitely is the case here. There are so many wonderful areas our characters find themselves in and I would have really enjoyed spending more time in these places. A museum with flying paper cranes and bamboo fields? A personal idea of heaven created by a ghost couple? A village responsible for creating the night sky? A night market in the sky? Love the whimsy but these are just a few of the places we visit so hardly any time is spend here besides the initial descriptions of the place.

I liked the sort of mystery being solved, I liked the romance aspect, I loved the whimsy and the end result but feel that the whole middle suffered from the constant movement.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Water Moon was my first jump into Japanese fiction, and I was held in wonder as this beautiful experience of a book unfolded before my eyes. There is a pawnshop secreted away on a Tokyo side street that specializes in the buying and selling of otherworldly, invaluable merchandise: incapacitating regrets that haunt the living. Existing in a liminal space between one moment and another, the shop can only be found by those who are lost. Toshio, the pawnshop’s owner, has been a devoted sentinel, ready to offer a helping hand to beseeching customers for decades, providing comfort and relief to those afflicted, unfortunate souls who walk through his doors with weighty regrets to sell. Now it’s his daughter’s time to shoulder the burden. Ishikawa Hana is scheduled to inherit the pawnshop from her aging father, but within hours of her father’s official last day, Hana discovers he’s gone missing, the pawnshop has been vandalized, and something irreplaceable has been stolen. The reader gets swept away on Hana’s truly extraordinary journey, along with an unexpected travel companion named Keishin, a young physicist who is not the usual customer at her shop. Hana and Keishin will defy the natural laws of science and shatter what they both thought they knew about their worlds while trying to piece together Toshio’s mysterious disappearance. Their choices bring them closer together and closer to the truth, which can only result in a cataclysmic rift in the precisely drawn lines of predetermined fate. Both Hana and Kei will come face to face with a Water Moon---something so tantalizing their souls ache for it, but it’s always just outside of their reach. They both will have choices to make, secrets to guard, and a Water Moon to catch. If finding each other means possibly losing pieces of themselves along the way, Hana and Keishin must decide if a future together is just too costly.

A tale of self-determination and of grief and healing, Water Moon is a contemporary fantasy novel with a comfy-cozy dose of warm fuzzies: lessons are learned, fate is frustrated, and friendships and destinies are precariously balanced on the edge of the world as we know it! I loved how there are numerous poignant lessons lovingly woven into the plot. I felt particularly moved by Hana’s resiliency as a main character despite the tremendous emotional burden she’s shouldering, and I frequently admired the deftness she demonstrates when navigating such a fantastically unpredictable and unforgiving world. I was really rooting for her and Keishin, even with the odds stacked steeply against them, and I was all too happy to ride out the tidal wave made from the tectonic shift in fates they were creating by choosing each other again and again. This delightful story made me contemplate how each individual decision we make every day, no matter how small, leads to the next, generating an inexorable ripple effect from the choices both made and unmade. Talk about existential crisis! I highly recommend this book! Picking up this book will be like waking up inside an enchanting fever dream suffused in soul-rending emotional revelations, heartwarming familial devotion, and compounding fateful decisions. Very succinctly, this book is an exquisite work of art crafted from the inspirational magic of the human experience, highlighting how just a singular person with a singular choice can have astronomical transformative power.

Thank you so much Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine/Del Rey for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own. I will be posting this review on my Goodreads and Instagram accounts.

Regret hurts, but would you trade it for a cup of tea?

"Water Moon" follows a magical pawnshop owner and her client as they journey through her world to find her missing father.

The descriptions were incredibly vivid and inventive. The marketplace on clowds, a museum filled with moving oragami, and tattoos that tell your life's story and become visible in the the rain are all fantastical and work to build out the world as the reader and the physicist come to experience it. The reveal in the third act was well done, when I re-read this I know it will be a different experience for the better.

Hana and Keishin are really good foils for each other, just them existing with each other has them confronting their own patterns of thought. Their connection is instant but that doesn't mean there is no tenderness or sweet moments. I thought with Kei being a physicist would play more into the plot but I'm not mad it doesn't. I think Hana's life and world are more comprehensible and interesting than theoretical science.

Water Moon is a beautiful story that takes you to a Ghibli-esque world and immerses you in an adventurous mystery. The book follows Hana as she is set to open her family’s pawnshop for the first time after her father has retired the day before. However, the opening goes awry when she discovers that her father is missing along with a prized item. She and her first customer, Keishin, go on a whirlwind adventure to find her father and recover the lost item before it’s too late. Soto Yambao’s writing is illustrious while keeping the reader on their toes throughout the book. Overall, I loved the first 95% of the book but felt that the ending was a bit rushed.

There are some books that you know will live with you for a very long time, both because of the story itself but also the way the story was written. Water Moon is that book for me. I am not sure how to write this without giving away spoilers, so I thought I would focus on my emotions while reading it. Intrigue - because of the premise of the book and the idea of trading away regrets at a pawn shop. Awe - because of how beautiful this story was written and so many of the elements within it. Sadness - because there are so many twists and turns and some were very hard to read and learn, but also sadness because the book had to come to an end. Happiness - because I feel very fortunate to have read this and to enter Hana’s world, while experiencing it through Keishin’s eyes. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea (or bowl of ramen), but for those who read it and feel like I did when it ended, be prepared for the adventure of a lifetime!

This is a little bit Alice-in-Wonderland-y. I crammed in so much reading the last 2 days to meet my 2024 reading challenge goals, I'm struggling to think of something useful to say about this. The universe is unique, revealed slowly but in a timing that works with the story. The pacing is on the slower side-- it made me think of some elements of A Short Walk Through a Wide World, but this more consistent and generally better. There is a romance element, but it makes sense with the story and is vague/fade-to-black. I found the ending a little bit of a let-down[: if it were really that straight-forward to start change, how come no one had done it in hundreds of years? Maybe there's some parallels there for the outside world...

eARC from NetGalley.

It seems like translated works about hidden pawnshops, markets, or cafes have really been trendy lately and I really succumbed to the temptation to try something new. Water Moon is the second book of this sort that I’ve picked up and well, I liked it a bit more than the first book of this sort I picked up. I know, it’s not exactly glowing praise, but it was an interesting read and outside of my usual.

Water Moon follows a young woman named Hana Ishikawa who has just taken ownership of her father’s magical pawnshop after his retirement. Shockingly, Hana wakes to find the shop ransacked and the most recent memory acquisition missing. As Hana is observing the mess, a young man named Keishin stumbles in thinking he’s about to get a nice hot cup of ramen but instead finds a Hana in need of help. The two begin investigating the mysterious break-in and it appears that Hana’s father Toshio has staged the mess and disappeared with the memory in an attempt to protect Hana from the beings that collect the memories pawned at the shop.

The story gets more magical as it progresses and the reader learns more of this world. Hana is not from our world and the pawnshop is in another world entirely. When Kei stumbles in to help and not to simply pawn a memory (actually a soul fragment) he upsets the balance that has so long been maintained. As Hana and Kei search for Toshio the world really opens up and it is truly strange and magical, and very different from what I’m used to seeing in fantasy books, likely because I’ve read almost no Japanese fantasy. There are many lessons woven into these pages on roles in life, the importance of choices, and sacrifice. I will give warning that this isn't a particularly cozy story and there are some darker moments that might shock those expecting something cute and cozy.

Overall, I enjoyed this book but somewhere along the lines it fell just a bit flat for me. I think this is partially due to my limited exposure to Japanese fantasy and its inherent stylistic differences from a more euro-centric fantasy and partially due to me not being drawn to magical realism. So much of this is focused on duty and predetermined roles in life that the characters feel almost fated to follow these paths and even the emotional bits felt a bit dulled to me. I’m seeing tons of 5 star reviews for Water Moon, so this is more a case of it’s not the book, it’s me. If it sounds interesting to you, I highly encourage you to check it out!

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao is my first introduction to this writer and I AM IN LOVE!

I loved the worldbuilding and all the magical elements present, such as the birds formed by a person’s regret, pearls that can hold one’s memories, puddles that can take you to other places and that time is apparently something that can be traded or brought. I just found those magical elements very fascinating and very whimsical.

The story revolves around a ramen shop that doubles as a pawnshop, but not your average one. Here, you can trade your life choices, your deepest regrets, and even time itself. The concept was so unique and intriguing.

The writing was lyrical and vivid, I could feel myself stepping into this magical world. While the pacing was fast paced, sometimes a bit too fast, it suited the wacky nature of the story. I’ll admit there were moments I wished certain scenes had been expanded, but perhaps leaving some things to the imagination added to the book’s whimsical charm.

Kei and Hana, the main characters were both beautifully relatable. They’re at a crossroads in their lives, longing for something more, and isn’t that a feeling we’ve all shared? Their chemistry and interactions were enjoyable, though I would have loved an expanded dive into some of their moments together.

Reading this during the Christmas season felt like the perfect choice for me. The cozy, magical whimsical vibes resonated more during this festive time. The Christmas season is generally a time we spend with our families and reflect on the choices we make in life and about forging the future ahead, I think this is what resonated with me while reading it.

Highly recommended if you love stories with whimsical magical adventures. Mostly I just want more people to read this so we can chat about that ending, because it got a bit unexpectedly dark there for a bit towards the end.

All the magical, whimsical feelings that you’d love in a Studio Ghibli x Alice in Wonderland feel kind of film wrapped in one book, it especially gave me spirited away vibes and I loved it. The cover art is so beautiful, and the entire premise had me anticipating the release, I can’t believe I got to read this early!

I loved the worldbuilding and all the magical elements present, such as the birds formed by a person’s regret, pearls that can hold one’s memories, puddles that can take you to other places and that time is apparently something that can be traded or brought. I just found those magical elements very fascinating and very whimsical.

The story revolves around a ramen shop that doubles as a pawnshop, but not your average one. Here, you can trade your life choices, your deepest regrets, and even time itself. The concept was so unique and intriguing.
The writing was lyrical and vivid, I could feel myself stepping into this magical world. While the pacing was fast paced, sometimes a bit too fast, it suited the wacky nature of the story. I’ll admit there were moments I wished certain scenes had been expanded, but perhaps leaving some things to the imagination added to the book’s whimsical charm.

Kei and Hana, the main characters were both beautifully relatable. They’re at a crossroads in their lives, longing for something more, and isn’t that a feeling we’ve all shared? Their chemistry and interactions were enjoyable, though I would have loved an expanded dive into some of their moments together.

Reading this during the Christmas season felt like the perfect choice for me. The cozy, magical whimsical vibes resonated more during this festive time. The Christmas season is generally a time we spend with our families and reflect on the choices we make in life and about forging the future ahead, I think this is what resonated with me while reading it.

Highly recommended if you love stories with whimsical magical adventures. Mostly I just want more people to read this so we can chat about that ending, because it got a bit unexpectedly dark there for a bit towards the end. Lol please go read and come back!

Thank you Del Rey for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed the world-building in this book and the differences between the people living there and those in the "real world". You could feel the sadness coming from some of the characters as they talked about their lives and what some were missing out on. It was a nice read, and I enjoyed Hana's journey as she discovered hidden secrets.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced arc!