Wow, Water Moon was fantastic! The story centers around Hana, the daughter of a pawnshop owner in a world adjacent to our own. She meets Keishin, a man who walks into the pawnshop, on the morning her father has disappeared. The two of them pursue the mystery of what happened to her father throughout Hana’s magical world.

Different areas of the world reminded me of a Studio Ghibli film- a paper house where everything is made from origami, a night market in the clouds where people hire boats to get around, jumping into bodies of water to travel- all of it was magical and beautiful.

This story is about the choices and regrets we make in life, and how we have the ability to forge our own futures. I really enjoyed this one!

THIS IS ONE OF MY NEW FAVES

Someone in one of my tiktok videos where I mentioned this book said that the description sounded like a Studio Ghibli movie (vibe wise) and that is so accurate!!

Water Moon is set in Tokyo and also in another world. It's about a woman who owns a pawn shop with her dad, but instead of pawning regular items they pawn choices off of people from our world so we can live without regrets. This shop is magical and otherworldly and only people who are meant to find it are able to step foot inside.

When she discovers that her dad has gone missing at the same time as a customer walked into the shop, the two go on a journey to find her dad together.

This was so WHIMSICAL. We go on journeys where the characters:

- Ride on paper cranes
- Travel through music
- Go to night markets in the sky
- Jump through puddles
and so much more.

While going on this journey the main characters are being chased by dark entities and so many secrets are being uncovered.

This has romance, it has horror, it's mysterious and adventurous.

I COULD NOT STOP READING THE LAST 20% PERCENT. I was shook.

My only complaint is that some of the writing felt kinda sappy and cliche? There are lots of lines about following your heart and being your true self and fate and falling in love etc., and I did find myself kinda rolling my eyes at times, but definitely not enough to take me out of the story.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I initial was drawn to the book because of the cover. It was a piece of art that i would have hanging in my house. When I read the summary it sounded very interesting and I was not disappointed. This book take you on a crazy adventure to discover who you are, what choice you want to make, as well as discovering the truth behind everything. I loved the relationship between Hana and Ki. I was so engrossed with the story and details given to each place they fisted that I didn't even guess the actual truth behind who Hana and Ki actual were. As I read this I truly though I was in the movies watching this world come together. This would be a book that I would read again. I plan to get myself a hard copy when it is officially released.

Reviews will be on the following
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nightlyreadingnook/ by 6/7/2024
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/nightlyreadingnook by 6/7/2024
Amazon: by 6/7/2024

Water Moon is a magical story about Hana, a woman who runs a pawn-shop disguised as a ramen shop to the naked eye, in which you can sell your regrets. From here, her father goes missing, and she embarks on a journey (with the help of a charming physicist client) to uncover what has happened to him and how to move forward.

This was a great concept that unfortunately missed a bit for me, due to pacing mostly. I felt like at the end of every chapter there was some sort of reveal, and the formula of the story began to feel a bit predictable and cheesy at points because of it. Due to this though, it is very fast-paced, so if you like more of a fast-paced but still cozy-ish fantasy, I think you would really like this.

That said, the world in this was unbelievably beautiful. It was very scenic, and the descriptions of the environments were so detailed that I felt like I was really there. The writing/quotes in here were beautiful as well. I wish I had annotated this (and perhaps I will go back and do so at some point), because story aside, the lessons taught through this book and the way that some things said made me question my own perspectives in my real life are so special and important.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful, fascinating, philosophical. At first it felt like the author was just tossing new fantasies at us - we'll travel by jumping in a puddle! Now we'll travel inside origami! Now we'll climb a ladder to the clouds ... But it mostly came together in a meaningful way and I liked it better once I started to see how the various elements tied together with themes of choices, regrets, time, etc.

This book was a refreshing take on a fantasy book. It was well crafted and complex, yet still easy to follow. I had such a good time reading it!

What an absolute joy of a book. Absolutely loved everything about it. Samantha is an extremely talented writer.

Reading this reminded me of having a strange dream that you can't really remember when you wake up. The premise of this novel is unique and whimsical, and the cover matches the vibe perfectly Interesting details include:

- Selling minutes of time in bottles of sand
- Giving up memories for ticket admission
- Paper cranes that come alive and fly
- Jumping into puddles for teleportation
- Seashells that tell jokes

Quick and easy read, although I do think more could have been done with the ending to make it feel wistful and bittersweet.

Thank you Netgalley, Samantha Sotto Yambao, and Random House Publishing for this eARC!

This was absolutely superb. I loved the concept of this book. The characters are well written, the story was constructed ik an excellent manner and didn't overwhelm you with characters or story, with some cute moments sprinkled in. I'm excited for the release and will be looking out for pre orders of this. Wonderful storytelling, realistic characters and actions on a fantastical world. Masterful? Perhaps.

At one point in the book, it is mentioned that the world we are entering is an isekai and it's fully correct. This whole story is an isekai story and it's absolutely amazing. Our main female character, Hana, is a pawnshop owner in a strange world where they deal in choices, not things. People from our world can stumble into this pawnshop and unburden themselves of the regret of a choice not made. But on the day Hana is set to take over the shop from her father, she wakes up to find him missing, the pawnshop in disarray and a choice missing. The last is the most dangerous thing, as the world's controllers, the Shikuiin, will make Hana pay a hefty price if she cannot return it. At this moment, Keishin stumbles into the shop from our world and embarks on a journey to help Hana find her father and the lost choice. Their journey takes them through a fantasy world where nothing is as it seems and the rules of the universe Kei thought he knew are upended.

I enjoyed this book so much and loved the exploration of Hana's world. The twists and turns it took as the two characters try to find Hana's father was a wild rollercoaster ride. I would love to read more by this author.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this one.

Um…wow! This book left me speechless. I am ecstatic to add this to my five star reads and cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy. When I say that I want a novel that is ✨magical✨, I will now be using Water Moon as a factor for comparison.

The world building was top-tier. The locations and characters were so strategically done and placed. I was not overwhelmed with the material or information. Once I began the novel and understood the general plot, I found myself riding along with the twists and turns similar to how an individual happily rides along on a rollercoaster. I loved Hana and found so much depth to her character’s desire to adhere to fate and her family. Whereas, Keishin’s desire to know more was something that I found myself saying “me too” in response to throughout the book.

I loved the writing and pacing. I highly recommend Water Moon and wish it all of the success!

Wow. This was such a mind-blowingly imaginative book! I loved every moment of it. For a moment there, I did think it was going to have a Before Ever After style ending, but it circled back for the happily ever after I love. Samantha Sotto Yambao has never disappointed, and this book is full of the beautiful lyrical writing and thought provoking ideas I've come to expect from her. I loved everything about this book! Grab it ASAP!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this amazing book!

An utterly charming novel with a beautiful cover that whisks you away to another world, on an adventure about regrets and the choices we make. The creative world-building enchants and delights, but the characters and their chemistry leave something to be desired in the middle act, amid pacing problems. Would definitely recommend for a light, breezy fantasy novel with some fresh ideas!

I'm not really that much a fan of fantasy, but I enjoyed this more than I expected! I was intrigued by the synopsis, the idea of a cozy little ramen shop in the back streets of Tokyo. This was such a whimsical story that reminded me at times of the movie "Inception". A balance of romance/ friendship as well as adventure. The only drawback for me is that at times I did feel a little lost in the plot (as I often do with fantasy books) and at times some of the characters seemed a little one dimensional, but regardless I did enjoy this for the most part and I do appreciate all the world building and the beautiful imagery.

This was good, but not great. There was definitely a lot of positives: The biggest one would be the world building was well done and the imagery was beautiful, I really enjoyed that transportive element of it. However the most prevalent negative was the characters. I just felt like I couldn’t connect with them and they lacked depth. I also had a hard time believing in the relationships with some of the characters. I wish that aspect would have been better, it would have really elevated the reading experience for me.

ARC provided by NetGalley

I really enjoyed this! It was the perfect whimsical fantasy. I wouldn't exactly call it low-stakes, but it was the type of book I wanted to curl up in. The perfect balance of romance and friendship. Of adventure and introspection. The subtle twists in Water Moon absolutely blew my mind, and even though some took a few minutes to register, I was blown away when they hit me. I'd definitely recommend this! And I'll definitely be checking out the rest of Yambao's books!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

this was so sweet and whimsical.
admittedly, I got lost in the plot around the 70-80% mark but I think that’s because I was reading this book before bedtime a lot when I am sleepy and half awake.
the setting was wonderful and the characters were so charming. definitely recommend!

water moon | samantha sotto yambao
where abstract meets physical and choices come alive • rating [5] 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

A scientist finds himself at a magical pawnshop hidden in the guise of a ramen shop and into an adventure that challenges all he knows about the physics and workings of the world. His guide, the daughter of the pawnshop owner who is now in search for her father and the answers of her past, present, and future. The dream world that Samantha Sotto Yambao brings us is beautiful, intriguing, and frightening. It is reminiscent of the movie Inception combined with animated Japanese fantasy classics Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. Once you get your footing into the story, the details really pull you in. It brings into question whether peace and tranquility of a set path in life is worth sacrificing freedom. It’s a little fantasy, romance, suspense, and philosophy combined into one novel.

What a delightful book! I haven't had this much fun with a fantasy novel in a while. The world was so lush and creative and the magic itself was fascinating and well thought out. It all just felt so *pretty* and I could have spent another 40 or so pages just enjoying my time in the world that Yambao created.

in high school, i had a teacher who told us two things in life were certain: death and (no, NOT taxes!) choices. from the moment we are born to the moment we die, we make a series of choices that, ultimately, come to define us and write our lives into permanence. incredibly charming, inventive, and insightful, water moon is a novel about exactly that: the choices we make, the regrets we have, and how we learn to live with both. you and i, we take decisions for granted, even (or especially) the ones that seem the most inconsequential. but a life of choices is a life of luxury — because how mundane, how hopeless, is a life predetermined? and if choices are a luxury, then certainly, the same can be said about regrets.

in the way that it is executed, water moon is unlike anything i have read before. it overflows with sotto yambao’s creativity as she constantly introduces some novel facet of her parallel world that somehow manages to be even more magical than the last. and in doing so, she offers new perspectives of our own world, encouraging us to reevaluate what we thought we already knew. and aren’t those the best kinds of books? the ones that challenge you? the ones that change you.

this one’s for the escapists, the adventurers, the dreamers — my favorite kind of people. indulge yourself, if only for a moment.