Watermoon
Have you ever wanted to travel inside a Studio Ghibli movie and spend your heart exploring the universe unfolding before you? If so, this is the perfect book for you.
Our story starts with Hana, who has taken over her father’s magical pawnshop, where people sell their choices to relieve them from the burden of possibilities. She is single-minded toward her ikigai and has accepted her fate. This is until a handsome Kei stumbles upon her pawnshop. Kei is a scholar fascinated by the secret world Hana’s pawnshop is a gateway too. Together, they set off on an adventure where they tried to find Hana’s missing father. However, the true story lies in the eternal truths that Kei and Hana discover among themselves.
This book was so visually stunning that I could easily see the scenes unfold as a movie in my mind. This is a testament to the skill of the author and her mystic imagination. This story is like travelling on a beautiful, handcrafted boat underneath the crystal celestial sky—you may not know where you are going, but you are too enraptured by the journey to care. Clouds, rain, origami, ramen—there are so many beautiful aspects of our world that Samantha uses in a completely different way . She forces the reader to understand that the rules of philosophies of our world, may not apply in Hana’s. She holds a mirror towards our natural presumptions surrounding choice, free will, and fate . As readers, both Hana and Kei offer two alternative perspectives on how to view these topics. The romantic tension between them is quiet and noble. I was never sure whether they should or would end up together or not, I was only certain that they shared something beautiful and rare worth exploring.
If you are expecting the dominating three-act, action-driven Western version of the plot, this is not the book for you. Often when people hear “Studio Ghibli” vibes, they are expecting Howl’s Moving Castle. However, I would say this book is more akin to Princess Mononoke, where the themes and the crevices of the world form the character arcs as opposed to huge plot twists. Instead, we have a series of subtle reveals within the world that help push our perceptions of life, love, and duty.
I also am unsure if a Western audience can truly appreciate the beauty of the relationships between our love triangle—Hana, Kei, and Haruto. I saw a few reviews saying the love triangle was “underdeveloped.”. I would vehemently disagree. The romances are very reflective of Eastern cultures where duty, family, and love are so intricately intertwined. The romances might not be big and glamorous, but this makes the romance more realistic and poignant to me. It does not overpower the plot. Instead, it heightens the beauty of their individual journey’s.

DNF at 42%

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing me an eARC.

I'm so upset because the cover is gorgeous and the premise sounded really interesting.

It's very much trying to fit in the same category as The Starless Sea or Stephanie Garber's works with the whimsy and kind of absurdist jumping from place to place, "just go with it" vibes, but unfortunately it holds none of the same charm.

The first couple of chapters were pretty interesting, a pawn shop that is hidden behind the door to a ramen restaurant and that takes regrets from their clients. Main character Hana is about to step up as manager when her dad retires, but her first morning she finds the shop ransacked and her father missing. The messaging about fate and choices was rubbing me the wrong way, but I thought that was where the character growth was going to come in.

But then the love interest was introduced and the adventure started. The characters show absolutely no depth and their instalove had me gagging. Each scene is Hana taking Kei to a new place via some different method, jumping thrpugh a puddle, through a dream, through a song. They meet some new character that gives them next to no clues and then they're travelling to some other place with the flimsiest connections that Hana seems to be pulling out of her ass! And Kei is all on board for seemingly no reason other than he's in love with Hana (again, I don't know why).

When they make it to a museum with an exhibit of moments of human mistakes and it brings up the Titanic, a failed assassination of Hitler, and Kokura (the original target of the bomb that hit Nagasaki) all within a page or two, I gave up. I don't know what the author was trying to do using those examples but to say, referencing the Titanic, that one crewman failing to turn over his keys to the locker where the binoculars were kept and therefore the man replacing him didn't see the iceberg in time; "fifteen seconds cost one thousand five hundred people their lives." seems irresponsible. The other two anecdotes are true but not something I had ever heard or looked into before, but the Titanic story is disputed in how much it contributed. In any case, boiling these horrific events to one moment or one mistake, even if probably other related moments existed in the museum, is bonkers! I was already struggling through the boring characters and stupid romance but this soured the book and I couldn't continue after that.

Someone else will love this, but I'm not that person.

Wow, just wow! Water Moon caught me completely by surprise. It is downright stunning, and this novel completely swept me away. I was hooked from the very first page; it pulls you into a world where love crosses borders, destiny and fate are two different things, and the supernatural element is blended perfectly.

How can I sum this up? Imagine a Spirited Away setting with an Inception concept. Honestly, that’s the easiest way I can describe it, the story is so unique there’s nothing else like it!

The writing is poetic and atmospheric, and the imagination put into this is incredible. Yambao’s talent for world-building is something I haven’t seen for a while, and the emotional edge to everything is tangible – I found myself thinking about it long after I turned the final page.

For anyone looking for a novel that’s immersive, and unforgettable, this is a must-read. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This is an extremely imaginative book brimming with ideas and things to think about. The two main characters are very engaging and the other world in all its strangeness is very well realised.

In atmosphere and form the book reminded me of the Claire McFall book Ferryman. There is a dreamlike quality to it which, for me, meant that I felt I was always watching from a distance rather than being fully engaged with the book.

I would advise the reader to read carefully and pay attention because seemingly throwaway remarks and happenings take on greater significance as the story progresses and I had to go back to the start and skim not once but twice to reread bits whose significance I had missed.

I was a bit puzzled by some of the plot lines - I am not entirely sure that I understand Takeda's story and I don't understand how the sake lady knew that if she had made different choices, she would have had a child. There is a bit about a lady giving birth in a lift. I wondered if this had a particular significance but if it did, I did not catch it. I would have liked to hear more about Kei's mother and father - was his father Jungchiro? I would have liked more about the night market. And who would not want a bag like Hana's?

In my opinion, the (mercifully) short sex scene adds nothing to the story and I think it sits awkwardly with the dreamlike quality of the book.

All in all, I very much enjoyed the experience of this book and some parts of it will stay with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and RandomHouse UK for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a review. All the opinions are my own and I wasn’t paid to write this.

We start the book following Hana in her dad’s pawnshop, it’s the night before her father is due to retire. It’s not like any other pawnshop though, they trade in choices instead of trinkets. We then find out that Hana’s mother passed away a long time ago for stealing a choice, and her father doesn’t want her to make the same mistakes. Hana’s first day as the owner of the pawnshop arrives and she doesn’t find her father doing his usual morning routine, so she goes to open the pawnshop and finds it ransacked, a choice missing as well as her father. In walks Keishin, who agrees to help Hana look for her father.

I loved this, it’s one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading this year. The story was gorgeously written and included a lot of beautiful imagery, it was also a perfect read for this time of year. I am definitely purchasing this book when it comes out, if you can, please go and read this. It’s a beautiful story.

What a magical book! I have never read a book like this before and I loved it. The world building was magical and I was emotionally invested in the characters. I've seen a few reviews saying it reminds them of Studio Ghibli movies and I totally agree! This needs to be picked up and made into a Studio Ghibli movie.

There are a few twists that keep me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't put it down. It really is a unique world 🩷 The characters were just enough to not take away from the world but enough for your to be invested in them.

Would you rewrite your destiny if it meant losing a part of your past? This book had me thinking! This thriller will ensnare you in a tight grip until the satisfying conclusion. There were more twists and turns in this book than a roller coaster ride! Wow!...

My expectations were high - I kept hearing about and seeing this book all the time. I was expecting a mind-bending speculative fiction creation, that would challenge the way I think about the world around me (not sure I was expecting this though).

What I got instead was, unfortunately, not this. The story is tough to explain - a hidden pawnshop that reveals itself only to a special few is a doorway to a different world, that survives in parallel to ours. It's governed by odd rules, characterised by dreamlike landscapes, and has an unusually unsettling relationship with our world. On the basis of this a love story emerges.

This, in essence, together with pretty good writing and pacing, is what makes this book unique. The worldbuilding is special, and while reminiscent of e.g., Spirited Away and perhaps some other Japanese folks stories, it does it in a rather nice and engaging way.

What I really struggled with, though, is two things. First, the characters are just uninteresting - they don't evolve over time, their motivations are not super clear, and their dialogues are juveline (massively so). The love story between the two protagonists is cloying, predictable, and silly, making it feel more like a YA book, than anything more mature.

The second thing I struggled with is the logical leaps in the plot and the narrative. There are multiple events that, even in a fantastic universe, just didn''t make sense, and naively so. It's like the author really wanted to say something, and ignored the full extent of ramifications of that decision on what came before it was made.

I think it's a pretty good YA novel, but nothing more. For me - it was a waste of time.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this arc. Water Moon is a beautifully written book that transports you to a different world through creative means such as a pond taking you to a parallel universe or the means of putting your head on a pillow to only wake up in a land where a bridge connects you to another dreamland. It’s whimsical and reminds me of Studio Ghibi.

The story is beautiful, there is no doubt about that, but for me personally it didn’t hit the spot. That could be because of how lengthy descriptions were and how complex parts were. The novel is full of surprising twists and you can tell the author is brilliant at what they do.

Even though this wasn’t it for me it definitely will be for others. The imagery is amazing and I will definitely keep this author in mind and read their other work.

I don't think I've ever read anything like "Water Moon" by Samantha Sotto Yambao. I was expecting something similar to the Japanese series "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" where you are introduced to a series of characters and short stories, each contained within a chapter. This book was different. It started off similar but very quickly jumped into a world perhaps most understood if you have watched any Studio Ghibli animations. At one point, I even thought there were His Dark Materials vibes going on. Complex, fantasy, fascinating.

Water Moon truly transports you to a different world, where the laws of physics and logic don’t apply.

Unfortunately, this just didn’t hit the spot for me. The lengthy descriptions and complex lore lost me throughout.

However, it was by no means a bad book, and I’d be open to picking up another by this author

-eARC received via netgalley but opinions are my own-

This was a fun, studio-ghibli style adventure of a daughter trying to find her father after he mysteriously disappears and their fantastical pawn shop has been ransacked

I loved the different aspects of the journey - travelling through paintings and puddles, riding paper cranes and rumours - all with some very beautiful prose

While the characters could have been developed a little more, I liked the dual perspective - swapping between Hana's knowledge and Kei's awe made for an interesting way to discover the world

With thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is quite unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s a creative book, well executed, and has moments that left me with tears in my eyes. It’s beautifully whimsical, and so well written that it felt like I was walking right alongside our characters.

I adored Hana and Keishin’s story so much. I wish I could’ve spent more time in the world just exploring. The ending was very good, and I felt sad to finish such an imaginative book.

I really recommend this for fans of whimsical books, Studio Ghibli, and those looking for an adventure. I cannot wait to get my own copy!

Did a readalong for this and it is such a good book
The entire compact of having a shop that customers can on,u find when they need it was just such a great idea

I loved it

I wanted to read more and more to find out more and to know more stories of customers

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get to this book so I really appreciate the opportunity to read this book ahead of time, the writing was magical and so descriptive and the story itself was really unique to anything I've read before.

This was a real slow paced book and I think you have to make sure you're in the mood for such a slow read as it's not for those who demand a fast paced read, however the character development and worldbuilding was really great.

I'm glad I read this and I'd encourage those who love a slow paced magical read to pick this up!

I absolutely loved Water Moon. It was not at all what I expected; I thought it would be Before the Coffee Gets Cold set in a pawnshop, but it took an unexpected turn into full-blown fantasy. It was like reading a novel set in a Miyazaki world; I honestly think it would make an amazing animated movie. I read it in one sitting as I was absolutely entranced.

I'm usually not a fan of romantic storyline, but I was so invested in Hana and Keishin and felt completely immersed in the world Sotto Yambao creates. My only slight criticism is that the ending feels slightly rushed; I would have liked more time devoted to Hana's parents, particularly her mother as her disappearance is such a crucial aspect of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the digital ARC.

Water Moon is absolutely magical. Samantha’s writing is beautiful and makes both the characters and the world come alive. It’s so different to anything I’ve ever read and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

At first I thought I had stumbled upon yet another Japanese coffee-shop or restaurant-type book where you can talk for the last time with someone who has died and/or repair an ancient wrong. Instead, after the deceptive beginning I found myself in a not so bad fantasy, as if Murakami would write immersed in Miyazaki's world, and I enjoyed it immensely even if the end didn't really satisfy me so much.

All'inizio pensavo di essere incappata nell'ennesimo libro giapponese tipo il caffé o il ristorante dove puoi parlare per l'ultima volta con qualcuno che é morto e/o riparare ad un antico torto. Invece dopo l'inizio ingannevole mi sono ritrovato in un fantasy niente male, come se Murakami scrivesse immerso nel mondo di Miyazaki e mi sono divertita tantissimo anche se la fine non mi ha proprio soddisfatto piú di tanto.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

As a whole, I enjoyed this book! The writing was descriptive and immersive and I felt like I was a part of Hana’s world. However, the romance aspect felt rushed to me, yet the book felt as though it was longer than it needed to be. I think this book is great for new fantasy readers/ YA readers

wow wow wow. I went into this book with a few ideas about what it was and what journey we would be going on, but I definitely underestimated how vast and incredible the story would be. I can often struggle with fantasy books as the world building can be too complex for me, but the way Samantha built up the world and characters in Water Moon was so captivating it draws you in bit by bit and before you know it we’re right there with Hana and Keishin. And then once you’re there the twists and turns constantly change your opinion on the place until you get to the end and feel like you yourself have just jumped out of a water puddle and plonked back to reality. Honestly the most magical and thought-provoking read, thank you so much to Samantha and Bantam Books for sending me the NetGalley eARC and physical proof copy and including me in The Dreamers Book Club in exchange for my thoughts and an honest review. It has been an incredible journey! 💜☁️✨