Member Reviews

This book is perfect for readers who want to escape into another realm. The plot itself is intringuing, but the imagery is simply stunning. I would consider this a "cozy fantasy" -- it will whisk you away and leave you with a smile.

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Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

If you love fantasy, magical realism, romance, cozy mysteries, and Asian literature then you will need to read this book. I loved the lyrical and whimsical writing style of this author; she knows how to draw the readers into the book world that she built and keeps us there long after.

I loved the world building: the magical realism (pearls that hold one’s memories and so much more). I found the pace of the book to be just right, it was a little slow at first but that allowed the readers to know the characters and understand the plot, once the adventures start that is when the book picks up and doesn’t slow down until the ending and what a wonderful ending it was. I loved getting to see how the characters would travel through the different places, how birds are formed and what it means, and how time is traded for something, and you can also buy it as well. I loved getting to understand this realm more, and with the author’s attention to vivid details, I felt as though I was there with them on this adventure. The characters were well done, easy to relate/connect with and you will find yourself wanting to be their friends as well.

I found Keishin to be the perfect character to be paired with Hana’s, they complemented each other well. I liked that you got to see Keishin's science side come out to play with Hana more understanding the world that she comes from but wanting to know if there is more out there and having an understanding of what happened to her father. I loved getting to watch these characters understand grief and loss, and learning how to heal themselves, but it’s also about self-determination and understanding oneself more as well. I found the romance in this book to have been great, it didn’t take away from the story at all, but you will see/feel the love happening between them. I could go on and on but I know if I did that I would leave spoilers about the characters and their adventures, but let me tell you this: if you want a book that will wanting more of the beautiful world that the author brings you and with characters that will just melt your heart, and leave you with an amazing message; you need to read this book.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to review this book.

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I could not put this book down. It was the perfect read for this insanely cold spell--a warm and cozy love story full of magic in a world straight out of Studio Ghibli. This is great for anyone who loves speculative fiction, where every word carries weight and wonder.

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This book is so much more than I expected. I expected a cute cozy story with some nice family moments. What I got was a compelling journey through this world that revealed so many secrets and left me rooting for Hana and Keishin. I loved the journey they took and the people they met along the way. Neither was it an info dump nor was it up to me to infer what was going on. It was a good pace of finding out information about how this world works.
I liked the real world ending, but the fantasy world ending left me a little confused and seemed wrapped up a little too quickly. However, the focus of the story was not really the entire fantasy world, but more about Hana's role in it. And in that sense, the ending was really well done.
This audiobook helped me discover a new favorite audiobook narrator. Cindy Kay is amazing and really brings something special to the book as well.
Overall, this is a compelling story that will stick with me for a while.

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Hana's first day running a Tokyo pawn shop that deals exclusively in choices takes a turn when she discovers that her father has gone missing. We follow Hana through a beautifully crafted world beyond the streets of Tokyo as she searches for her father and faces choices of her own.

Water Moon is a thoughtful examination of fate, longing, and regret. The rules of the magical/fantastical elements at times felt a bit loose, and some of the legs of the adventure could've benefitted from more depth and less breadth, but overall, this was a touching, cozy read that would be great for someone looking for a lighter fantasy novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Thanks to Del Rey for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

DNF'd at 41%! I wasn't a fan of the following: pacing, character's growing romantic attraction, and, to some extent, writing style. I appreciated some of the emotional sentiments, but the writing style was kinda lackluster for me. Hana and Keishin's growing attraction was even more lackluster than the writing style unfortunately. Neither characters were compelling on a thematic level and the pacing wasn't helpful either. I have only read up to this point because of the short chapters. Once the chapters took me more than 20 minutes, I started to notice how Hana and Keishin lacked chemistry. At last, I couldn't bother to keep going after they kissed.

Another thing about these two characters are why they like each other: they have never met anyone like them. For Hana, she was sheltered while growing in an otherworldly pawnshop. Nothing about Keishin's eyes could convince me why Hana would fall in love with him. For Keishin, he got an opportunity to see the world beyond what he thinks he knows about our universe as a physicist. He was instantly attracted to her and wanted to keep being in her personal space too many times. The only thing I have found interesting about him is his abandonment issues, which was mentioned only a couple of times. Nothing about these two can convince me that they are in love (this is not a romance, so uncertain on HEA).

The mystery behind Hana's father's disappearance is making this book longer than it should be. Hana and Keishin go to many places in her otherworld, but I never felt settled in any of them. We are just hopping around until we find more clues, which led to more questions than answers honestly. Unfortunately, this was a complete miss for me.

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So, first of all, I don’t think I’d classify this as cozy fantasy, despite the marketing. Having that expectation actually made it harder for me to get into the book. Once I let they go, though, I fell in love with the story. It’s weird, wandering, and fantastical in the best way. There’s certainly romance, but there’s adventure at the heart of everything. A weird world where nothing is as it seems… with a deeply unexpected (to me) reveal late in the novel.

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I loved Water Moon. It felt whimsical but not untethered. For each element of magic and myth there were deep emotions that felt real and personal to Hana and the reader. This was such a fun and sweet journey that had me hooked!

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I thought I knew what the story was going to be after the first chapter, but I was so wrong. Water Moon took me on an adventure unlike any I’ve experienced before. It’s magical, fantastical, and reality-bending, with a touch of romance to boot. Samantha Sotto Yambao masterfully weaves a tale that feels both otherworldly and deeply human. This was a super special read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced copy. This was a journey I won’t soon forget!

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I remember seeing the announcement for this book and eagerly awaited it ever since. The concept is original and beautiful, about a pawnshop that buys your regrets, and Hana and Keishin’s search for Hana’s father. I started reading this for the Ghibli vibes and the most gorgeous cover I’ve ever seen, and it 100% fulfilled the itch for me. I loved both the main characters, how relatable they were, and particularly really loved Keishin and how sweet he was to Hana. Overall, a delightful, whimsical, and heartfelt story about our choices in life and the cost of regret.

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As much as I really wanted to love this because I absolutely loved the premise, I feel like it was hard for me to kind of connect with the characters and the writing style and therefore I didn't feel as invested in it as I was hoping to be. The ideas here were really fun, so it was probably more of a me thing.

There were definitely some parts that worked for me, but overall was a miss. I feel I would give Sotto Yambao another try in the future though.

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This is a quiet dreamlike book where, like a dream, you just move from scene to scene without much reaction. Hana works at her father's pawnshop (where the only customers are people who thought they would be eating at a beloved ramen restaurant but instead magically end up at a store where you can pawn your regrets and be free of lost hopes). She's about to take over, but on the morning of the first day of her father's retirement, she wakes up to find him gone, and the store ransacked, with one of the wares missing. The story develops from there; it's a very visual world, with magic that would work well on a screen, some romance, and some adventure. Somehow, I still found myself outside the story, but other readers might find themselves caught up in it.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my free earc in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to Netgalley for the free copy in return for a fair review!

When a young scientist stumbles into a mysterious pawnshop that buys your greatest regrets, he and the new shopkeeper end up on a wild goose chase looking for the shopkeeper’s father through realms of dreams and nightmares, finding the devastating answers to questions they never asked. This standalone adult contemporary Japanese-inspired fantasy was a wonderful breath of fresh air for me.

The story’s setting is the particular star here, from the author’s careful and empathetic portrayals of the pawnshop’s business, to vivid descriptions of worlds etched in ink and museums built of memory cranes. The author also lovingly paints both protagonists' viewpoints so we get their unique ways of processing while still obscuring enough for some surprise twists later.

I think the only weakness was the story’s climax, when shopkeeper Hana finally finds her missing father. The story had pinned Hana’s determination to reunite her family as her goal, yet when she actually makes it to her destination, not only does she barely get to talk to him, but a surprise revelation about the scientist Kei draws away focus from what should be the emotional climax for Hana. While I know the plot needed to advance in certain ways, I wish she could’ve processed some of the answers uncovered during her journey with her family instead of by herself, as reaching closure before she found her father didn’t feel realistic.

Otherwise, I would highly recommend this book for the thoughtful meditations on the meaning of fate and purpose, while whisking this reader away on a dreamy adventure. I will be gazing into every puddle now, hoping to find another world within.

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A beautiful and dreamy landscape of what ifs.

Oddly enough I found the pawnshop at the center of the story to be the least interesting part of this world, at least from a conceptual standpoint. I tend not to like high concept fantasy like this as well as other subgenres, but this has both an atmospheric aura about it that is wonderfully drawn, and some conceptual thought exercise-driven plot points that are intriguing to ponder.

While the pawn shop itself is a bit too out there and vague for me, the ideas of traveling on a rumor or hiding in a secret were fascinating, and while we didn’t find the central relationship of particular interest, the individual characters are well drawn and compelling.

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Have you ever read a book that leaps into your heart and holds it the entire time? This book put a smile on my heart and I enjoyed every moment of it! 5 Stars!
Placed in Tokyo, Hanna is taking over running a special pawnshop after her father retires. A pawnshop that accepts a person's regret. Not everyone can find the pawnshop, but a handsome stranger does, soon after a startling event. Now they must work together to rescue family, time and themselves.
The reader is taken on a wonderful adventure, where time is bent, and not all is what it seems. The writing is very descriptive, and you can't help but visualize the scenes. The scenes are beautiful and magical! The characters are lovable, relatable, and sometimes scary.
The writing is beautiful. Wonderful gems about time, choices, and love.
"People revisit the past to relive pleasant memories, chase away bad ones, or both."
This book is lyrical, and magical, and warms your heart.
A book to re-read!
I am so glad Netgalley granted me an eARC of this book!

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Water Moon feels like Alice in Wonderland but make it a J-Drama. This was one trippy quest romance. I didn't see the twists coming, but some of them felt unpleasant. The writing style is devoid of adjectives in a way that makes it feel like a sparse translation of a dream. I wanted more from the language and the characters, who felt as one dimensional as the sentences. A doctor, but not the useful kind, and a pawnbroker, manipulator by trade, both were not especially likeable. Despite that, major points earned for the dreamy, imaginative quality of the prose. The stops along the quest were varied and unique, extremely interesting to read. It would have been even better if I cared more about the characters along the way too.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Del Rey for this ARC!

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After seeing Water Moon in many “most anticipated books of 2025” lists, I was intrigued. Okay, the cover *may* have had something to do with it as well. I’m happy to report that the gorgeous cover suits the essence of the story - fantastical, mysterious, and full of possibility.

The whimsical setting was one of my favorite aspects about this book. Yambao creates some vivid imagery through her lush descriptions, bringing this dreamlike world to life. The writing has many profound moments, I found myself highlighting many quotes throughout the book.

Despite this book including many elements that I typically gravitate toward, there was just something off about it for me. I think my biggest issue was that it felt like the characters were constantly on the move, which made the pacing feel too rushed without proper development. Another big point of contention was the instalove situation. A gradual romantic development would have felt more authentic.

While I enjoyed my time reading Water Moon, I just didn’t love it as much as I wanted.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

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A pawnshop where clients can exchange their regrets. A missing father. And a visitor from another world. Hana’s world gets turned upside down in a world where nothing is quite as it seems.

I’ve seen this described as Studio Ghibli vibes, which is absolutely true! The ethereal feel of the different places we visit with Hana and Kei felt like I was grasping at smoke while I was reading. I just wish we could have spent more time in the locations, especially the Library of the Lost!

And it’s also a moving story about what happens when we let our fears control us, and how difficult it is to acknowledge the consequences of our choices and the purpose of regret. It’s also got a very sweet love story, although it developed a little too quickly for my taste.

Thanks to both NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this arc.

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This was absolutely delightful. For me, cozy fantasy is very hit or miss. It's all about that delicate balance of fluff, over-description, and just enough plot to keep you interested. While this book had a bit of a rocky start, I am happy to report that this book was lovely and had exactly what I wanted.

To start with the good, it just excels in whimsy, fun, and frivolity. Technically, all that happens in this book is that we watch the characters wander from place to place in a magical world, following the breadcrumbs of a mystery Hana's father has left behind. However, I think that exact thing is what I loved so much about this. This book feels no need to establish some elaborate world building to wow the reader with. It just allows itself to display fun and interesting things because it wants to. They travel through rain puddles, the ocean is made of clouds, and there are museums of memories, because why not? It was just very, very fun, and I enjoyed this whimsical journey.

As for complaints, this book did have me a bit underwhelmed, as I found myself constantly confused or uninterested by the plot at first. Thankfully, it's just a bit of a weak start, and I'd say it took me about 100 pages to be fully invested, at which point I could barely put this down. There is also a bit of insta-love in this. It didn't bother me too much as the romance isn't the main focus of the plot, but it is worth noting.

Overall, I had such a fun time with this, and it was a very enjoyable and relaxing read. While it may not be the most expertly written novel I've read, if you like cozy fantasy or cozy mysteries, you should absolutely give this a shot.

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100/100 or 5.0 stars

Stunning. I loved everything about this universe that Yambao created.

I love maigical realism, and this was done in such a cool and engaging way. I didn't want the book to be over, which has been a long time since I felt that way while reading. I will absolutely be trying to find a physical copy now that the book is out, as I want this in my physical library.
The writing and atmosphere were impeccable. I will read anything else that Yambao writes going forward!

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