I DEVOURED this book. It was incredible it reminded me so much of Hayao Miyazaki and his movies. The plot is unique and it felt fresh and new. I loved how the plot flowed so easily. I loved the characters and how intricate they were. I will definitely be reading more book by this author!

This is now one of my favorite reads of the year, it was so whimsical and twisty! I enjoyed following Kei and Hana's adventures and appreciated the small details included in the world-building as they traveled through Hana's world. Yambao's writing was incredibly beautiful and I felt completely immersed in their world throughout the story. While I'm not the hugest fan of HEA's, it felt authentic to the story and the characters to end the book that way. I have so many highlights in this book it's ridiculous and I will be recommending it to everyone once it's out!
Sincere thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

One thing about me is that I love magical realism when I'm in the mood and this perfectly held its end of the bargain.

I really enjoyed Water moon. It's whimsical, magical, a little disjointed like a lucid dream but in a really good way, and I can see the Ghibli comparison.
Unfortunately, I didn't love it for a few reason:

1. I could have done without the romance. I think the book would have been perfect without it... just like a Ghibli movie.
The romance is insta love and doesn't really bring anything to the story. The adventure was plenty sufficient and I think everything would have been more impactful with friendship instead.

2. Is it a translated book? I'm not sure I am a fan of the japanese words here and there. Some makes sense and I'm relatively knowledgeable to have recognized most of them but it makes my reading not as smooth. The cultural impact is present and important but I'm not sure all words should have stayed untranslated.
I personally don't use words from home when I speak in English despite being an integral part of me.

I would absolutely recommend this one. It made me escape and reminded me a little of one of my favorite manga Aria.

Publishes January 14, 2025

This was odd, whimsical, fun and very unique. I really loved this one. It centers around a ramen shop in Tokyo and a pawn shop in a fantasy world, with the door to the ramen shop serving as a mystical vehicle between the two. People who unknowingly 'need' to find the pawn shop will find themselves there when they think they are going to get ramen, and at this pawn shop, people in our world pawn their choices so they can live with no regrets.

This book really has just about everything: fantasy, romance, and even a little bit of horror. You can travel by rumors and song, there is a night market in the clouds, and puddles serve as portals to jump to locations quickly. It took a pretty dark turn I did not see coming, and was a little cheesy at times, but this is one of my favorite reads I have read this year. The cover art is by far one of the most gorgeous to come out as well.

If anything, I wanted more from the fantasy world. A little bit more of world building would have been nice, as some things that Hana found/used to get out of certain situations seemed a little too convenient, but it did not cause me to enjoy this story any less. I enjoyed the characters, which were the strongest part of this novel. I also really liked how everything connected. Definitely recommend picking this one up when it publishes at the start of 2025.

First and foremost thank you netgalley and random house publishing group- Ballantine for the arc.

"Unanswered questions were like boxes you never opened, their contents vanishing and reappearing, stretching and contracting, being nothing and everything all at once."

The water moon is, Set against the backdrop of Tokyo, it tells the story of Hana, who inherits her family's pawnshop, but this is not your regular pawnshop; here people sell their regrets. Her inheritance day starts with her father going missing, the pawnshop being ransacked, and a strange boy at her shop hell bent to help her.

Choices. From the moment we are born to the moment we die, the thing that defines us the most is our choices, the choices which decide how our lives are going to be written.
Water moon is a novel about exactly that, the choices we make and the regrets we live with and those who crush us under its weight to the point that we would do anything to rid ourselves from its burden. We as humans I think take decisions for granted even the ones that seem most insignificant, but isn't life full of choices; full of luxuries. Imagine how monotonous and uneventful life would be if everything was pre-determined, and as we are considering choices as a luxury shouldn't regrets also be considered one, cause regrets also makes us human, isn't it?

Water moon was unlike anything I have read before, and the way Samantha Sotto Yambo has written it with so much creativity and in such a beautiful way completely swept me away from the very start. The book did not just increase my expectations but it broke all the limits and set a new one, this was not one of the best reads of the month or the year, this was one of the best reads ever. The world building and the magical realism kept me hooked throughout the book, Sotto Yambo describes the fantastical world in such a beautiful detail that scenes like fields filled with papercrane and a nightmarket existing in the clouds which is held up only by crows, come to life and unfolds infront of eyes. Samantha is a storyteller, she is the kind of author, that we readers thank our lucky stars, that she picked up a pen and put her thoughts on paper.

The book is stunning, but it's not just that. The way Yambo uses Japanese mythology to confront the idea of choices and regret is absolutely admirable. Her use of  simple language and relatable phrases to express complex ideas will make the story resonate with the reader.

This one is from the dreamers, the adventurists, the escapist, the ones who love challenges... indulge yourself into the book and you will find a world of your own. Overall if you pick up one book that I suggest ,to read it should be this one. It is simply stunning in its simple approach to a complicated topic we face in our daily lives; What if?

PS: this movie was so studio Ghibli vibed....that I would do anything to watch it as an animated movie, so it's a huge demand for Hayao Miyazaki to convert this into a movie.

PS: jump in puddles and walk through ramen shops...who knows where it would take you?

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Samantha Sotto Yambao for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited to receive this eARC, especially since everything about it seemed perfect: the premise, the setting, and the cover art! As someone who is Japanese and has spent time living in Japan, I was particularly looking forward to a Ghibli-inspired cozy adventure. Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at the 25% mark for a number of reasons.

Right away, I noticed the use of a lot of Japanese "buzzwords" like ikigai and kintsugi. While these words are well-known in Western culture, they’ve often been overused to the point where they lose their meaning and feel a bit superficial. This immediately raised some concerns for me, and I began to wonder whether the author was of Japanese descent or had spent any significant time in Japan. The cultural references felt more like a shallow portrayal of Japan as a sanitized backdrop rather than a reflection of the country’s real depth and complexity.

Then, several plot points just didn’t make sense to me. For example, if Hana had been training her whole life for this role, why is she so caught off guard about the prospect of regrets flying to the past and changing the timeline? That feels like either a major gap in mentorship or extremely poor planning, but either way, it came across as unrealistic.
"It would've flown back to the moment it was made."
"Flown back?" Hana's eyes grew large. "To the past?"
..."It would reset time itself to change its fate."
Why would Hana not know this until literally the night before she's set to take over the pawn shop??

The love interest, Kei, also didn’t work for me. The romance felt too "insta-love" and lacked depth. It just felt too unrealistic that he would go to such lengths for her when he literally just met her, I wish there was a deeper bond between these two characters first.

Ultimately, I didn’t want to risk falling into a reading slump, so I decided not to continue with the book.

Ramen shops are already magical to me, with so many lovely memories of long ago lunches with my mom - but the restaurant in Water Moon has a special secret: there is a hidden pawn shop that only certain people can find, and where you can pawn your choices and regrets.

New owner Hana finds her pawn shop in shambles, a prized item missing, and her father gone. Then Keishin walks in, and instead of seeking help, he is there to offer his aid, and he and Hana embark on an adventure through endless worlds in order to set everything to rights.

This was such a unique, inventive, and vibrant fantasy, and along with the magical settings, there is depth of character and a journey where joy and grief go together along with the impossible. I look forward to reading more from Samantha Sotto Yambao.

This was the escapism I didn’t know I needed right now!!

I really enjoyed Water Moon, thank you so much Del Rey for sending me a copy. It was magical, and like everyone had already said, it’s as Ghibli-Esque as it can get, creatures in masks, night markets, oragami doors—I adored the world that wasn’t really a world. It felt so vivid and real! I highly recommend this one.

The only thing that brought my review down is due to a very me problem: when going into this I really liked the first few chapters where we see how the shop operates and I would have loved to see Hana in her element a bit more before we got into the adventure portion of it. My weird niche favorite trope is magical shops and I feel like we only really saw a glimpse of that.


Other than that, it was good and I’m so glad I read it.

Water Moon is like a Japanese Alice in Wonderland tale, where our protagonist, Hana, and her father, run a magical pawnshop that takes people's regrets and choices in exchange for tea. Then one day chaos strikes this cozy existence when her shop is ransacked and her father is missing, and we're set off running from one dreamlike, Studio Ghibli setting to another, chasing clues and running for her life as she tries to find her father and thought-t0-be-executed mother. I think this is enjoyable if you're in the mood for something whimsical and if you're a fan of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern and love Japanese settings of tranquil tsubo-niwa enclosures, machiya townhouses, detailed fusuma panels, tatami mats, stick-and-poke tattoos with nomi chisels, origami cranes, etc.

Positives
• I think this story started out piquing my curiosity, given the premise and the quiescent father-and-daughter pawnshop setting and abstract "give me your regrets, and feel how unburdened & at peace you feel" exchange. Then the tone pivots from serene to the more upbeat and quirky anime-like interactions when our FMC meets our MMC.
• I also enjoyed the motif of drink/food tasting different to you at different parts of your life (like how the green tea would taste different to Hana once she became the pawnshop owner or ramen at a shop tasting different to you the 1st time vs. the last time you've had it)
• I appreciated how the ending actually gave meaning to XYZ random characters and tied them into the overall plot, adding to a sense of closure.

Negatives
• However, 3 main things started to detract from my enjoyment of this book as I proceeded to read.
• 1.) The insta-love. Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down Keishin, you only just met Hana. Why are we suddenly embarking on a life-threatening mission for her, even when she explicitly tells you, "you should leave"?

Take the following declarations after just getting to know each other a few hrs ago, we have MMC making declarations below, after agreeing to some perilous sleuthing and warnings to go home. They're discussing the traditional tattoos that glow on Hana's skin in the rain:

"Do not look at me." Hana pulled her collar closer around her neck. "I'm hideous."
"What? No. No. I was just surprised. That's all. I swear. There's nothing you need to hide You're still..." Heat rose up to Keishin's neck. "Beautiful."
...

"And what do you see, Kei? Another experiment like the pond? An oddity you might find some use for in your world? Or perhaps a monster covered in wretched blue scars?"
"You're not a monster."
...

"The rain reminds us what is fated can never be washed away...Can you tell me that you do not see this grotesque map of skin and ink?"
"What I see is you, Hana. I see your courage. Your determination..."


• There wasn't really time to develop any chemistry before Kei said yes to exigent, dire circumstances to help Hana, and it really just left me with a sense of incredulity.

• 2.) Whimsical environment makes convenient solutions just crop up. Definitely a big allure to those interested in reading Water Moon is the fanciful, whimsical setting: grains of sand that actually hold time, portaling between different locations via water puddles, commuting on a song that makes you feel safe, traveling via rumor, flying on cranes, children who are not children, etc.
• However, because Hana's magical world functions so differently from our own, we're actually constantly learning the rules, and since the rules keep changing, it really makes it feel a bit like there are no stakes besides the immediate "omigosh we're about to die" The magic system is not explained really until it's immediately a problem and then a solution comes about, thus me as a read, I'm pretty passive. There's no thinking ahead of what possible strategies the MCs could do to get out of a pickle.
• Even superhero movies, who have minimal "magic"/superhero powers, semi-establish the ability/some limitations, so that the magic has "rules" and we can ponder upon potential solutions, and that was not done in this story.
• I think I would've loved watching Water Moon in a visual format, just to see how beautiful the wonderfully whimsical settings of the magical world are, though, however in written format, it's not as enticing.

• 3.) Characters saying they won't do something, then decided 3 seconds later they will in fact do the opposite of what they resolved to do and do the thing they said they wouldn't. No time really elapses in between what they say they won't do and then them actually doing it (e.g. the latest one in the book I can recall is Haruto's decisions.) It's whiplash and also leaves me wondering what was the point to adding this, 'cause it certainly didn't add intrigue...

So for me, the journey was the story started out nicely, then enjoyment started to descend after hitting one whimsical situation after the next, then started to climb back up again at its conclusion. 3.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ok wowza had a few mixed feelings as I made my way through this book but the ending really sealed the deal for me! I think the best way to describe this book is a mixture of Everything, Everywhere All at Once and Crescent City with visuals that would work perfectly in a Studio Ghibli aesthetic and the wackiness of Christopher Nolan films. Honestly a really cute and action packed book! 🌕🏮

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this arc!!
4.5 ⭐️

This is an absolutely lovely story. There are some very light horror elements (a la T. Kingfisher; if you know, you know) but it's not a horror book as a whole. Rather it's a portal fantasy to a world that I would absolutely LOVE to see in visual format; this book would be fabulous adapted as a graphic novel or as an animated film/series. I would personally say it has the vibes of a Makoto Shinkai movie, or, if you're not familiar with that, The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (this is a high compliment from me; I ADORE The Starless Sea). The reveals at the end of the book also worked perfectly for the story.

Its one flaw is that it is a bit rushed and sudden at various points throughout. For example, at one point Kei fights off a nemesis while trying to flee, and we don't actually see any of that on-page, it's just mentioned that it happened when we see his injuries in the aftermath. I often say books haven't earned their bloated length these days, but this one could have easily used another hundred pages spread across its length, which would have given time to smooth those transitions, fill out those action sequences, and also sit more in the slow, quiet moments of beauty that were scattered throughout this book.

Still, I really liked this and would definitely purchase a finish copy.

3.75/5. Thank you NetGalley for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao was a very whimsical tale that takes you through a magical world on an adventure to find the main characters father. The story provides an interesting view of what it means to make a choice and what it could look like if we were able to remove the guilt associated with those choices by removing the thought of them completely.

I felt compelled forward by the world, and cared for the main characters, but was less invested in the romance that was a part of the story. The world that Samantha is able to build is quite intruiging and can provide you with an opportunity to rethink a lot of mundane thoughts, like 'What if we could jump in puddles, but not to get wet, but like travel?'. The romance felt slightly rushed as the characters are on this whirlwind adventure and felt thus the love part felt like a secondary thought and increadibly fast. I would have been comfortable with the two bonding over the fact that they had both been isolated in their respective realities and express a bond through that and perhaps in the epilogue express some romantic feelings. I did enjoy the story and felt that the reflections it can bring are valuable, but felt let down by the turn into a love story. I get the motivation but also felt personally I could have enjoyed the story just as much without it.

ARC provided by NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

Hands down, this book is in my top reads of the year. This was an IMMEDIATE obsession. There wasn’t a moment in this book that didn’t capture me. The lyrical way it’s written, the magic it forces you to see in everyday life and choices, the simple and true love of it. WOW. I had never read anything by this author, but consider her now one of my auto buy authors. I cannot recommend this enough and I am actually SAD that the world has to wait until January for this.

A whimsical fever dream that put me in the mind of slice of life anime. Amazingly written and can’t wait to read more from this author.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

***A big thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this upcoming book***
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao is a wonderfully inventive and creative fantasy/romance novel that I was thrilled to be able to have an early crack at. While looking for interesting upcoming books, I couldn’t help but be sucked in by the gorgeous cover art. After reading the synopsis, I knew that I had to request early access and after finishing the book I am very happy that I did.

To simplify the plot, it is about a magical pawn shop in Tokyo that allows people who stumble upon to trade in their deepest regret with the caveat that they will have no memory of it. The shop is run by an old man who is set to retire and leave the business in the hands of his daughter. On that day, the father has disappeared without a trace and a young man stumbles into the shop unsure about why he is there and unaware of the magical journey he is about to take.

The world building in this book is top notch and has some imagery that will stick with me for a long time. You will run into all types of fantastic side characters and environments as the mystery is unraveled and the main characters start to fall for each other.

This was my first time reading this author but I will definitely be on the lookout for their other works. I highly recommend this to casual and hardcore fantasy fans who don’t mind a sweet romance sprinkled into the mix.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.This book was difficult to read and difficult to review. It is , very much a fantasy, and while the writing is at times lyrical,it is also hard to follow. Many people will love it and many will not like it all. I am somewhere in the middle. It is also hard to review it without revealing spoilers. The bare bones of the story is that Hana lives with her father who runs a pawnshop in Tokyo. When the book opens, her father has just retired and she will take over the shop. However, Hana awakens to find that her father is missing and the pawnshop has been ransacked. One of the pawned choices is missing.The pawnshop is not an ordinary one. It is only found by people who are lost in some way, or regretting a choice in their life. The pawnbroker exchanges their regrets for some inner peace . The pawnshop is behind the door of a Ramen Shop-most people never see the pawn shop, only those who need it. Hana tries to find her father before the Shiikuin, who receive the pawned choices, come to the shop and realize one is missing. A young physicist, named Keishin turns up at the shop and becomes involved in Hana"s search for her father and the choice. It is a convoluted tale,with mystical characters and ideas. It was hard for me to follow, but interesting. I can see where it is not for everyone.

READ THIS IF YOU LIKE: Studio Ghibli, fantastical dream-like settings, and characters with secrets.

In this book we follow Hana, the new owner of her family’s pawn shop, and Kei, a scientist, who wanders into the pawnshop exactly when Hana needs help most. What follows is a journey into some of the most magical settings I have ever read about.

The vibes in Water Moon are off the charts. I liked the characters and the plot, but what really shines through are the dreamy odd settings, reminiscent of bizarre dream like worlds. There are characters that fold time like paper, merchants who sell memories, and methods of travel that rely on rumors. The author provides gorgeous imagery, and it was a lovely time to imagine the places Hana and Kei travel to.

I really enjoyed reading about Hana and Kei, both very unique but likable characters. Their independent (and joint) arcs were wonderfully developed. The minor characters also provided considerable flavor, rounding out the story with moments of wonder and terror. I also thought the plot was well-paced, and took turns that I wasn’t expecting. Overall a solid plot with lovely characters - and absolutely amazing vibes/settings. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC!

This was a gorgeous book that I simoly couldn't get enough of. It was beautifully written and the details opened before the reader like a flower opening, letting us in little by little and drawing us ever further into the world. I hated for it to end, though the ending made me very happy.

If I didn't feel so apathetic towards the romance, I would definitely rate this higher.

Anyway...

I absolutely enjoyed this! It feels like Doctor Who meets Doctor Strange with a touch of Studio Ghibli.

It had the right mix of whimsy, magic, and darkness. The bad guys were creepy and kept me on the edge of my seat. I was invested in the main plotline that I didn't get bored. The flashbacks were clearly marked so there was no confusion at all when going back and forth.

I loved the different worlds that the MCs explored. Each one felt very creative. There was a lot of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff, with a world that's physically black and white, travels through magical lightning storms, a time bendy museum, etc.

The romance was the one and only thing I disliked. It wasn't necessary at all, imo. The relationship between the two MCs would've worked out a lot better as a deep platonic relationship between two close friends. But then again, I don't care much for romance in general, so maybe I'm the wrong person to comment on this.

I'd definitely recommend this for someone looking for a fantasy read that isn't heavy on the technical worldbuilding or filled with too many confusing characters. As whimsical as it is, it's a pretty straightforward read.

I'm very excited to read more from Samantha Sotto Yambao!

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for this arc.