I am trying to expand my reading horizons and my favourite genre is SFF, I had never read anything from the Philippines, so when I was offered Samantha Sotto Yambao's latest book I jumped on the opportunity with curiousity and interest.

There is a lot I liked in this book, particularly at the beginning: the idea of a pawnshop for regrets is interesting and, to me, original; the magical devices introduced during the main adventure are novel and their emotional connection to the story work well. On the other hand, way too many times explanations are handwaved as "things work differently here" and I found the main characters rather unidimensional. Neither would be a deal breaker, when balanced with the excellent worldbuilding, but too soon the plot veered into romantasy which is not a subgenre I particularly enjoy, and the relationship between the two main characters occupied so much of the remaining of the book that I found myself muddling through the pages just to get to the next little bit of adventure and was relieved when the book reached its conclusion.

All in all, I still think it's a book worth recommending if you're a fan of romantasy, as you will find yourself immersed in a magical world full of surprises.

Note: I received this book for free as an ARC from #NetGalley but the opinions above are mine and unbiased.

"I don't know why your world works the way it does or why it needs mine to exist, but I know this: you've given me more than you've taken. And made me feel things I never thought I could."

Watermoon follows Hana - newly appointed pawnshop owner, where clients can pawn off their regrets. When her father mysteriously disappears, Hana sets off to find him and, with the help of an unlikely ally, Kei, they enter a world of wonder.

If you enjoy setting-driven books, this is the story for you. The setting was phenomenal, and I drank each chapter up. The vivid scenery, quirky characters, and deep meaning messages were amazing. I cannot recommend this enough for its setting alone. Each location in the magic world felt like its own little arc, and creative spins like paper cranes carrying memories and kites representing hope and wishes were beautiful. I particularly loved the scene where, to cross safely, Kei had to anchor himself and Hana inside his memory, where they shared a few tender and emotional moments.

Unfortunately, the actual plot and characters fell a bit short, and at times it felt like we were on a wild goose chase with little progress. Hana and Kei were an interesting couple, and I enjoyed Kei’s character so much. His curiosity as a physicist to unravel this magical world was the perfect juxtaposition to Hana’s. I really connected with his past, his worldview, and his unconditional kindness. Hana, on the other hand, felt like a bystander in her own story. For a book centered on finding your missing parents, I cared very little about them. They seemed selfish, and I couldn’t connect with Hana’s motivation to save them.

While there were emotional scenes between Hana and Kei, the romance felt like an afterthought. Hana’s naivety about her feelings towards Kei felt awkward. One half-open door scene hit me like whiplash and added nothing to their relationship development. And the love triangle? Haruto deserved WAY better. The plot development is slow and repetitive. Hana and Kei run from the big bad Shiikan, Hana introduces a new magical place, Kei asks how they’ll get there, and Hana gives a cryptic answer. Rinse and repeat. While the world was beautiful, it became exhausting with each new location.

We meet wonderful characters and explore a stunning world, but the actual mystery fizzles out when we finally get to it. The last 30% of the book dropped my rating to a generous 3.5 stars. That said, I would 100% recommend Watermoon for its dreamlike vibes, easy readability, and gorgeous magical realism.

This started off so promising and I was absolutely obsessed at the beginning. But then they introduced another character and this book just totally flopped for me.

this book omg! it was absolutely brilliantly written, I was utterly immersed from the very first pagethis book omg!
it's utterly fantastic, filled with rich description, complex characters and an incredible plot! I absolutely adored the folklore and mythology in it, it was all stuff I've never read before and it was just incredible to see all this world-building and the range of side characters introduced!

definitely a 5 star read for me and I'll absolutely be on the lookout for any other books written by Samantha! 🥰🩵

An emotional storm for adult fans of Howl's Moving Castle -- full of puddles, quarks, wormholes and unexpected turns. An emotional dive into possibilities across dimensions -- but one that still feels very real. Read it twice since December and may read it again in the next few months!

I absolutely ADORED this book! With the atmospheric, ghibli-esque setting, magic system that reminded me of The Starless Sea and a touch of swoony romance, this was such a wonderful, transportive read. I’m a huge fan of a “vibes book” which WATER MOON delivered in spades. From the pawn shop to Hana’s exploration of her relationship both to her family and to herself, and the weave of Japanese culture and traditions, I truly loved every part of it. The tone felt very contemplative to me which, when coupled with the whimsical atmosphere and surprisingly dark elements surrounding the magic system, kept me hooked from start to finish. I’d definitely read more from this author!

I don't often reach for fantasy titles but I was intrigued by this one as im looking for new authors for my teenager, who is fascinated by Japanese culture.

It is beautifully written, almost poetic, with lots of Japanese imagery: paper cranes that come alive, magical time travelling ponds and ramen shops that become portals to a parallel world.

Probably a little too fantastical for me but nice to read something a bit different.

An Absolute Masterpiece!

Water Moon is an extraordinary novel that captivates from the very first page and lingers in the mind long after the final sentence. [Author's Name] has crafted a story that is as beautifully written as it is emotionally powerful, weaving a narrative that is both thought-provoking and deeply immersive.

The characters are richly developed, each with their own complexities and depth, making them feel incredibly real. The world-building is exquisite, drawing readers into a setting so vivid it feels like stepping into another reality. But what truly sets this book apart is its ability to evoke genuine emotion—whether through heart-wrenching moments, breathtaking twists, or the sheer beauty of the prose.

Samantha Sotto Yambao is a master storyteller, demonstrating an unparalleled talent for blending lyrical writing with compelling storytelling. Their ability to balance intricate themes with a captivating plot is nothing short of remarkable. Every page is a testament to their skill, passion, and dedication to their craft.

If you’re looking for a book that will move you, challenge you, and stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page, look no further. [Book Title] is a must-read, and [Author's Name] is a writer to be celebrated.

i felt as though i’d dived into a warm lake on a summers day, and got happily lost in the reads. it reminded me of the fever dreams i used to have as a child, in the best kind of way, in the way the dreams were a luscious break from the sickness. this is a magical, lyrical read.

A very sweet story that truly transports you to a world full of wonders, but the characters and dialogue fell a bit flat for my liking and landed more on a young adult are, which wasn't my expectation. Definitely would recommend and read more from this author, but this wasn't was great as I hoped.

Terrifying whimisy is the theme of Water Moon - a novel that transports you on a whirlwind trip to a mysical and fantastical 'other world'.
I had so much fun following Hana and Kei - a relatively slow start that speed rockets into an adventure of a girl that is searching for the truth behind her parent but discovers so much more about love, her world and herself.

This world was so beautifully crafted and you can't help but fall in love and horror at this world and its mystery, whimsy and all it's secrets.
While I was expecting a fantastical adventure, I wasn't prepared for the mystery with a plot twist (two plot twists?) that caught me completely unawares, or for the tender, heart-renching romance.

Sotto Yambao builds with Water Moon, a world that lingers after it's departed, characters that frustrate you all while being endearing.
I adored this book and if I could I would erase my memory just so I could read it again for the first time.

This book reads a bit like a novel version of the illustrated books by James Norbury (e.g. Tiny Dragon and Big Panda).

This book at first felt a little slow for me and tzhen the end literally exploded and while I enjoyed the writing style and love the ideas weaved together in this tale between reality and feelings integrating Japanese culture but also in a sense the feeling of unbelonging of a person between more than one culöture, the style leaves too many openings for plotholes for me. I'm still not sure I missed soimething in all the metaphers and the amount of information we got at the end or if there was a major plothole that was made purely out of plotrelevance. But if I have not missed something it could have been saved, if one had noticed.

I am still not sure how to rate this book. While at first I had problems to diver into the ending was so fast that my head feels heavy and dizzy with information and while I enjoyed the final ending, I'm not sure if at this point I wouldn't have enjoyed an open ending more.

I put 4/5 as my rating but I'm not sure it will sit with me and stay a 4 or rather 3.5 or if I continue to think about it and rank it up.

3.5 ⭐️
The journey we were taken on throughout this book and the message that was conveyed made this book a wonderful read. I would recommend this to people who need a little palette cleanser after leaving a fantasy book or series that had a lot of world building. This was a nice cosy read, but it also took some dark turns as it showcases how our choices shape who we are and can impact the people around us.

Our MCs, Hana and Keishin, are the definition of opposites attract. As the story progresses, we realise that they need each other to help them see a different perspective of their lives. They helped each other realise there is more to life and realise what they are actually looking for.

The reason this wasn't a 4⭐️ is because we visited a lot of incredible places in this world, and each step had a unique element involved, but I wish we could spend more time in each spot. I felt that we flew through all of these places, and I didn't get to experience them the way I wanted to. That being said, although I wanted more from some of the places we visited, the author did a great job when writing it. I was never missing any key information, and it still managed to flow well without being too overwhelming.

This book was the perfect combination of whimsical magic and mystery, I couldn’t put it down once I started! Hana’s world was so captivating and the writing was so beautiful and clever! I loved this book and have recommended it to all my friends!

Water Moon should be the next Studio Ghibli production. This exquisite story, about a magical ramen shop in a back alley of Tokyo, will give you all the feels and leave you pondering your own adventure as the reader. I felt like Bastian from The Neverending Story in how the themes of Water Moon are presented and explored.

This is one amongst many books I have read this year that really made me think critically and steep myself into the complexity and wonder of humanity.

Water Moon was a book I have been excited to read for a while and I so badly wanted to love this, unfortunately something just didn’t connect with me. Let me just say that there is huge potential here, namely the world building, this book has you trading choices that turn into birds, riding risks, entering night markets sitting in the clouds and stepping into worlds through songs and pools of water. There were times when I loved where this book was taking me, and yet I think possibly my imagination was helping fill in some of the spaces the book left unfilled. While the worlds created are beautifully wonderful, I just didn’t feel like they were described enough for me to feel like I was there, I was reading these worlds but I didn’t feel like I was immersed in them and there. Maybe more description would change that, maybe a different approach to the writing, maybe it's just a personal point, it’s just how I felt, a little distant from the worlds I was being shown but not experiencing.

My biggest issue with Water Moon though is the romance – I just didn’t feel it, not even a little. I hate to say it but I can’t say that I particularly cared about Hana or Keishin even as themselves, but together there was just no chemistry, no falling in love, it was just Keishin’s instant unwavering devotion to literally risk his life for a stranger and involve himself in her world over and over as she repeatedly told him it was unsafe and Hana eventually giving up resisting it. I just didn’t feel it and them working and experiencing together plays such a big part in this book that it left me feeling uncommitted and detached to what they were feeling.

I do want to reiterate that in many ways Water Moon is brilliant, it is incredibly creative and feels very unique and special, there are some twists, especially in the story of Hana’s missing mother (the plot I was interested in), and this book does take you to a lot of places and achieve a lot. I know many people loved this book and I can completely understand why, it’s just for me I wish I could’ve felt the romance and experienced these wonderful worlds more on the page.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for an ARC of Water Moon.

This is a beautifully book. I thoroughly enjoyed sinking into the other world with Hana and Kei.
4.5stars
Highly Recommend.

I initially thought this would be like many of the recently popular translated Japanese fiction books, and the first few chapters did have that feeling to them. As the story progressed it took a turn more towards fantasy and it was a delightful mix of both a thought provoking story and a tale of magical creatures and lots of twists.

I usually don't read a lot of fantasy, but I was attracted by this one because of its Japanese setting. It did not disappoint. The book is about choices and regrets and the author builds a whole world around the pawnshop and its owners. The reader is constantly surprised until the very end because nothing is as it seems. This is a book that makes you think and leaves you with a feeling of nostalgia and hope.

A fantasy with a dream like quality that takes you on a journey of magical world building. Having recently been fortunate to visit Japan and experience their culture I loved this gentle but also quite dark story. A story of self discovery and grief with a slow burn love story. Starting in the backstreets of Tokyo we are led to a pawn shop with a difference… a place where you can leave your deepest regrets but at a price. When the owner disappears his daughter Hana goes in search of him and enters a world quite unlike ours. A book that slowly drew me in with its fantastical descriptions to a world that I wanted to explore but also wanted to leave. I will certainly be looking forward to reading more from this author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for a honest review.