I absolutely loved the fantasy world building done in Water Moon. It gave a similar life lessons context to the Midnight Library, but felt more fantastical. I truly got sucked into the world and characters!

Hana is all set to take over the family pawn shop so her father can retire. After a night of celebration with her father, she awakens to find that her father is missing and the pawn shop has been trashed. Then the adventure really begins.

This was a love story wrapped in sci-fi blanketed in adventure and action covered in fantasy. It took a little while to build momentum and get me on board, but I liked it in the end. It was an odyssey that was fascinating to see unfold. The characters were complex, and elements such as ghosts let us get to know the characters better. There were twists that I couldn’t see coming, didn’t even imagine. I enjoy a good twist. Reading about Hana and her quest to find her father is the perfect escape.

Hana has just inherited a pawn shop where people trade a decision they regret, and on her very first day everything starts to go wrong. What follows is a beautifully crafted fantasy with incredible world building and stunning characters. I adored it!

Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy for review

At Hana's pawnshop in Tokyo, people can sell their regrets. While Hana provides relief for them, she desperately seeks answers for her father's disappearance. Enter Key and his scientific mind. A fascinating blend of magical realism, mystery, romance, and hope.

Samantha Sotto Yambao’s Water Moon is a journey that blends fantasy with the emotional depth of human choices. From its very first page, the story will pull you in with its premise: a hidden Tokyo pawnshop where one can trade away life’s regrets.

For those who adore atmospheric tales with Studio Ghibli-like whimsy and heart, Water Moon is a dream made real. Yambao’s writing is lyrical yet easy to read and the narrative flows effortlessly.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Samantha’s imagination and creativity is impressive. Her ability to continuously think up new aspects of the pawnshop’s world was one of the biggest highlights of the book for me. In my opinion, the books had more lulls than high points. It felt like we were spending more time on the journey than necessary and that the idea of the story was more entertaining than the story.

I did enjoy how things wrapped up at the end - you weren’t wondering what if and speculating given how the book was trying to solve the mystery of disappearances.

I was really looking forward to reading water moon when I read the synopsis and the cover is just absolutely gorgeous. In this story we have a woman who inherits her family’s pawnshop where people in our world can sell their choices if they stumble upon the shop. Hana the now owner of the pawnshop father goes missing and she is determined to find where he went. We have a stranger helping her along the way to find her father and there is a strong romance in this book. This book is about choices and the regrets that we have and is told in a very interesting and unique way that I haven’t seen before. It’s very magical and I didn’t know how she was ever going to write the next part. I think it fell a little short with the predictability of it and even though the literal journey our characters went on might not of been ‘easy’ I think the way it was written things went slightly too smoothly. I really enjoyed this book overall though and would give it a 4.25/5 stars and hope everyone picks it up when it comes out January 14 of next year.

As a big fan of kickass main characters and sword wielding fights, I’ve been trying to broaden my horizons with some softer reads and have recently been introduced to Japanese fiction, which is a study in life and mundane experiences written in a magical, lyrical way. Water Moon had been on my radar from the day I read the blurb, intriguing me with the story of the girl destined to take up her dad’s shop, dealing in memories and choices. I loved the quiet pace of this book, the way that the story was written in a way that drew you in to these people’s thoughts, memories, and the reasons that ultimately made them find the pawn shop. Overall, this is a story that is going to stay with me for a very long time, and one I’ll for sure be rereading on the days I need something that feels like a fresh layer of snow on the world, muted but beautiful.

What a wild, world-bending ride! I really had no idea what I was in for.
A woman believes she is walking into a ramen restaurant and finds herself in the most unusual pawn shop, where she is informed she can trade a choice. The reader is then taken on a crazy journey as we learn how the pawn shop's daughter is taking over and all the truths she learns about the family business. Stolen choices that lead to lifelong punishment, folding time, magical world traveling, and worlds colliding. There were some very "Inception" like elements and moments in this story that had me sitting back to try to put the pieces together.
Above all, this was a fascinating investigation of how facing the truth can lead us to the freedom to choose. And one hell of an entertaining read.

I love the concept! Definitely lives up to that Studio Ghibli vibes description I saw. The romance didn't do anything for me though. I would have loved it to stay as a nice strong platonic relationship. The world was beautiful though and the author has such descriptive prose. The only thing was that there was so much world that I sort of wish that some items were lingered on or expanded upon a bit more. All in all though this was a lovely story.

This is a very original and imaginative story. It has the vibe of a Miyazaki film. You can never guess what’s coming next, where the characters are going, or what the intricately creative world has to offer. I deeply admire an author who has this great of an imagination, not just for world-building but for connecting and weaving together the characters and plot so satisfyingly.

This was such a beautiful book. The world is so charming and the descriptions in this book so evocative.

3.75⭐

Hana, set to take over her family’s pawnshop where choices are the form of currency, wakes up to find her father missing, the store ransacked, and a valuable choice stolen. That same morning Keishin finds his way into the shop (which only appears to those that need it) and, determined to help Hana, he joins her on a wild and fantastical quest to find both her father and the missing choice.

Water Moon shines, first and foremost, with its magnificent and rich world. From jumping into wormhole-like ponds and riding rumors, to ocean waves made of clouds and a town whose inhabitants are tasked with preparing the night sky, I can safely say I’ve never read anything so charming and magical. Sotto Yamabo has such a wonderfully lush imagination and it shines all throughout this novel.

Hands down, this was the star of the show for me. To the point that I felt like Water Moon’s captivating setting was the actual main character of the novel. I loved it that much.

I also found the prose itself to be strong; every word felt intentional and so much of this novel was thought-provoking.

By all accounts, I was fully expecting this to be a 5—maybe even 6—star read but I developed two gripes as I got deeper into the story. The first being the romance; it was far too quick and instant for my taste and I found myself (uncharacteristically) uninterested in that plot point.

I do wonder if there’s an argument to be made in favor of the romance: for some, the immediate attraction might work in a fairytale-like setting. As in, it might add to the whimsical atmosphere. But for me, it detracted from the otherwise incredible story. Their chemistry just wasn’t there because their relationship didn’t have enough room to breathe. And I felt, at times, that the story could’ve done without it and that maybe they should’ve become good friends, instead.

Which leads me to gripe number two: the pacing. Normally, a fast-paced plot isn’t an issue for me, but I would’ve liked to see this become a series instead of a standalone. Not only would it have given us a chance to immerse ourselves in this incredible fantasy just a little bit longer, but it also would’ve allowed for the romance to develop at a more measured pace.

Overall, Water Moon is a masterclass in building a vivid, whimsical, and imaginative world that readers can get lost in. You might find the romance unsatisfying if instalust isn’t your thing, but I would otherwise recommend giving this refreshingly magical book a shot.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Del Rey for providing me with an eARC of Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao in exchange for an honest review.

A lyrical and elaborately beautiful fantasy standalone by Samantha Sotto Yambao. A wonderfully unique world without being overly complex. Water Moon explores themes of regrets, choices, grief, and so much more. Though those themes sound heavy and intense, the novel manages a whimsical and light nature for a good majority of the time. It never felt depressing or overly sad, just thought-provoking and intentional.

I also enjoyed the world building in Water Moon. One of our main characters knows the world well while the other is just discovering it. This allows the knowledgeable main character to teach both us as readers, as well as the other main character, about all of this new world’s intricacies as we progress throughout the novel, without it feeling like the world is being info dumped on the reader. The world is certainly complex enough that receiving all of that information at the beginning would have been a major slog, so I commend Yambao for weaving in the information along the way. Overall, I though the world was beautiful, unique, and incredibly interesting to learn about.

I do think I’ve learned recently that I am not as much of a fan of cozier fantasies as I originally thought, so I think my overall enjoyment was less than it would have been if thematically it was more of a novel that I tend to really enjoy, though there were some faster-paced “action” sequences that helped with my enjoyment.

Dissecting the various interpersonal relationships is really interesting because they were all wonderfully complex within only so many pages, as this is a standalone. The dynamics between family members, the main characters, friendships, etc, are explored throughout.

Overall, I thought this was a wonderfully crafted Studio Ghibli-esque fantasy that is both cozy with darker themes woven throughout. I think many people will thoroughly enjoy this standalone fantasy and I can’t wait to recommend it to people when it hits the shelves in January 2025!

Keishin thinks he’s walking into a ramen shop, but instead he’s been transported to an outworldly pawn shop that deals in regrets and choices. And the pawn shop has just been ransacked. The pawnbroker Hana is the daughter of the former owner who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Keishin follows Hana through her weird, whimsical beautiful world in the hopes of tracking him down.

There’s a lot of beautiful imagery in this, and I think it will strike a chord with a lot of readers (and make for a lovely animated film). I enjoyed it a fair amount, but I found the romance saccharine and Kei and Hana’s adventures run together once I notice they followed a specific format: Kei and Hana have to get to a place in an unexpected and inconvenient way, Kei asks a question about why the place isn’t like the real world, Hana answers in a wise way that reveals how different the worlds are, we learn in tenuous detail how this place slots into this mysterious other world, rinse and repeat. So, each one is a lovely episode in itself and there’s clearly some connective tissue to join things together, but it doesn’t create a setting that feels real, spontaneous, or mysterious. Some readers will just enjoy the dreamy vibes, but I had trouble doing so for a novel-length work.

Some other reviewers have mentioned this gives vibes from other media like Studio Ghibli, Alice in Wonderland, Doctor Who, Little Prince, etc. The one that fits best to me is Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, a book that I found to also have tenuous architecture but stunning imagery.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5 (rounded up)
Romance level: ❤️❤️❤️ / 5 (mostly innocent, a little steam)

[Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.]

I loved this book overall! The characters felt complex and real to me, and I loved how the main relationship developed. The world(s) and different beings felt like a mixture of Studio Ghibli and Alice in Wonderland - and I loved everything about it. I really felt like I was traveling through these crazy, unique places myself and could vividly see all the different environments. The romance was emotional and sweet and believable for the most part.

I took .5 stars off because I thought the pacing for this book was a bit off - it felt very slow for a good chunk towards the first 2/3, but the end felt rushed and jumbled. I also felt the dialogue often felt wooden/unnatural, despite the characters’ inner emotions being quite raw and believable.

All in all, a beautiful book that had more romance than I was expecting! I’d definitely recommend.

This book was utterly magical. Cozy and wondrous and mysterious, tinged with the perfect amount of darkness. The characters are well-developed, flawed, but lovable all the same. The romance was lovely, the world was lovelier. The world-building was lush and reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films. I wanted to know everything about it and more. I finished this in just a few sittings because the plot just flows and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. It's the best fantasy book I've read so far this year and maybe one of the best I've ever read. Can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy to reread it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the gifted e-arc!

This is one of those books that I would love to have several separate ratings for, because different aspects of it made very different impressions on me.

I absolutely adored the world building. There was so much of it, so many details and clever (and occasionally wacky) tidbits that it frequently made me want to stop and admire it some more. Traveling by rumor or song, markets in the clouds and libraries of lost things, choices pawned and kept as birds in cages, a village that spends every day creating stars that will shine in the night sky - just to name a few, and I loved it and the fairy-tale quality of it. That said, the stakes in the story itself seemed high and grounded it nicely, at least until a certain point.

This brings me to the part that didn’t work so well for me. At the core, we have a doomed love story involving two people from different worlds (literally) who meet under unusual circumstances only to almost immediately form an unbreakable bond that is talked about and reaffirmed at almost every stage of the quest. It’s probably meant as incredibly romantic and otherworldly but for me personally the story would have benefitted from less romance (especially the barely-there love triangle, the way it was handled) and more adventure. Undying devotion is great and all, but I don’t buy instalove, especially not at the expense of the plot: the resolution seemed very rushed and handwaved a lot of considerations. Very mixed feelings overall.

3.5 rounded up to 4.0 - I do hope to hear more from the author.

Wow this book was beautiful! This feels like if the Doctor and one of his companions (I'm thinking Ten and Martha?) went on a The Little Prince-esque adventure in a Ghibli inspired world. I don't know how that works, but WOW it does!

The prose this is written in is SO beautiful--it's descriptive without being overly so, and done in a way that simultaneously feels whimsical but still keeps the stakes in the front of your mind. The way Hana's magical world is described as so different from ours while also feeling like it COULD be real is just amazing to me. Keeping this as a cozy fantasy mystery with the stakes as high as they are is quite the feat, and I LOVED it.

I loved the dichotomy between magic and logic as well. Hana behaves logically in a world full of magic and wonder while Keishin behaves with childlike whimsy and carelessness despite coming from a world full of rationality and logical thinking. They're truly two sides of the same coin and complement each other perfectly. They're the perfect example of the dreamer needing a realist to keep them grounded, and the realist needing the dreamer to lift them off the ground, but which one is which changes throughout the book.

My only complaint is that the ending felt a tad rushed. After the main quest is completed, we get a short 1 year later chapter and a 5 years later chapter. I would have loved to have a little more insight into what happened during that time--especially from Hana's point of view. We do get a very brief explanation as to what she was up to, but I would have loved to actually read what happened.

This was such a beautiful story, and I think it's definitely going to stick with me for awhile.

3.75

This was a fun book. The twist at the end surprised me, which I always enjoy. I love it when an author surprises me, and Yambao did an excellent job. There were some hints, but I didn't pick up on what was coming.

Water Moon gives off Studio Ghibli vibes and was so enjoyable in that aspect. The world Yambao created on the other side of the pawnshop door is fantastical. I absolutely loved the journey. Hana, the new pawnshop owner, and Keishin, the boy from our world, went on because we got to see Yambao's imagination come to life. The downside to this was not a lot of explanation. Hana is basically the guide through their journey, and despite Keishin's questions, Hana tells him that's just how things are in this other world. I would have liked more elaboration on why things are the way they are in this other world.

Another thing that dropped the rating for me was the insta-love. I did not enjoy that. I find it hard to believe they fell in love so quickly. I wanted more foundation for a relationship, or I wanted Hana and Keishin to have a simple platonic friendship. There is nothing wrong with two friends journeying together and trying to help one another. It would have felt more genuine.

I think this is a fun fantasy adventure that has wonderful moments. I think an animated version of this would be so beautiful. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. I think the twists and the ideas Yambao had were fun and so out of the box.