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rogankeira's review against another edition
4.0
Very magical; excellent worldbuilding. The relationship is not quite slow burn enough for me, which I think impacted the depth of the emotion and thus the depth of emotion certain events made me feel - I feel like I should have cried, but didn't get the urge at all really. Beautiful, though, and I'd definitely recommend and read something else by this author in the future, too.
I highly recommend looking up what a neutrino detector tank looks like as it's an important and beautiful scenery but not explained all that clearly. Also, it's just kind of cool.
Some of my favourite quotes below (mild spoilers, beware - especially the second quote(!) I have covered obvious spoilers, but the second quote especially may make things click into place faster re: some aspects of the story than if you hadn't already read the quote!):
I highly recommend looking up what a neutrino detector tank looks like as it's an important and beautiful scenery but not explained all that clearly. Also, it's just kind of cool.
Some of my favourite quotes below (mild spoilers, beware - especially the second quote(!) I have covered obvious spoilers, but the second quote especially may make things click into place faster re: some aspects of the story than if you hadn't already read the quote!):
...life is about finding joy in the space between where you came from and where you are going. I may never get to where I want to go, but I can look back on my life and say that I did not waste a second of it being bitter that I was not someplace else. Happiness does not exist in a place. It lives in every breath we take. You need to choose to take it in, over and over again.
"...Our world buries babies like Haruto alive because we are afraid that we cannot control them. We bury them because they are different and then wonder why they become monsters. And then when the mosters - our fears - grow up..."
"They come back to control us," Hana said.
His father had once told him that there was only one measure of how well a person spent his day. It depended on how much of the day you spent pining for the future or regretting your past.
Spoilery summary for my reference:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and War
lauramcc7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
sol_journal's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
**Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Posted to: NetGalley and The StoryGraph
Posted on: 16 January 2025
3.9 (rounded up to 4) out of 5 stars.
This is another one of those titles that I thought was going to rank lower than it did based on my grading metric. I am nothing if not honest though, and while I had my minor bone to pick here and there, I also can admit that the world building and the overall plot itself saved this read for me. I think the points in these categories really pushed the overall score up, because otherwise I don’t know how well this book would have done with me.
Let’s just jump right in (get it- cause they used puddles to travel in the book… Okay, I’ll see myself out…)
I want to start off by saying that this book snagged me in pretty early on. I had just come out of a different arc read that left me wanting (especially after being my first DNF at hardly 10%) and I was losing traction on this beta read that I had the honor of completing (no reason here, just a mild book slump that had left me struggling to finish reads). So I knew I needed a breath of fresh air, and Water Moon was just what I needed. It had a beautiful world unfolding before me, so vividly enough that I could see it (but the writing style itself wasn’t too flashy and over the top). I hadn’t even gotten to 10% here when I knew that it would be a keeper.
And then the romance came in…
I don’t know why I have such a bone to pick with romance lately! For this story specifically though, I think I know what the issue was. Hana and Keishin falling in love was cute and all, but there was a thread that steadily unraveled and I realized that I just couldn’t forgive this character for it. SPOILER BENEATH THE TAG FOR THIS If you must know/have already read the book so this won't be such a spoiler- it was the fact that Hana was already in an arranged marriage and Haruto was such a sweet guy. I mean, I had to put the book down to stop myself from crying when his last scene came up! What do you MEAN he says "Dying while I remember you is better than living a day without knowing your name." HELLO??? If he had been a b*tch or just an uninterested guy, then maybe this last scene could have been his moment of redemption, but all Haruto did was love. I miss him, dear reader. I hope he has a different ending in another life :(
So yeah… That and its almost insta-attraction base, it would have been fine. Again, the world and the plot was SUCH a lifesaver for this book. The writing leaned on the simpler side, but it was still able to lend this depth to the story that really gave it the push it needed to keep rolling. There weren’t any snags in the plot that made me stop (from what I can remember) and everything did solve itself pretty nicely while also making sense. Water Moon definitely does carry the vibes of a classic Ghibli film, and that really helped me find the wonder and the want to sit in this world longer and longer. I mean, there’s teahouses you can visit when you dream, paper houses of origami creations, the ability to travel on a song- everything was so unique and beautiful to me that I really did find myself falling in love with this new world! I have never wanted to see something in film more before than this!
There’s also the themes that the book tackles. I think what helped the main characters click with each other was the shared fact that both of their mothers were gone from their life somehow. That fact lended me a sliiiiightly less critical lens against the romance as it did give them a kernel of connection that they were able to nourish. Alongside this though, there’s deeper traumas and regrets that feel more universal and touching. It was all lit in a sort of dim, warm light that you wouldn’t be able to realize its importance until the growing brightness suddenly blinded you.
Water Moon held a lot more beyond its beautiful cover than what met the eye. It told a story that I wasn’t quite expecting set within a lush and lovely world that felt like I was dreaming. Truly, pushing all my issues with the romance subplot aside, I enjoyed this read. It had everything within it that I needed to avoid falling over the cliffside edge of a deep book slump.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
Abortion and pregnancy are both in very brief mention. They are mentioned towards the end and both do not go in detail.katebrownreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
a magical book about a pawn shop where you can sell your regrets. An odd day leads to a missing father, a strange new customer, and an adventure to solve the mystery and find her father. Primarily a fantasy, a little cozy (but not at times), and some romance. Loved the book! It had some twists I didnt see coming and totally held my attention the whole book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
crothe77's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao is a third person dual-POV contemporary portal fantasy with the portal being a ramen restaurant in Japan. Hana is the daughter of a magical pawnshop owner who trades tea for choices, aka possibilities. Keishin is a physicist who has lived outside of Japan for so long that he doesn’t really remember it and returns due to an academic opportunity as well as the chance to return to his home country. When the two meet, they go on a journey through Hana’s world as they try to find an escaped choice.
What really shines here is the worldbuilding. I rarely discuss covers, but that cover is so gorgeous and it really shows you exactly what kind of worldbuilding you're going to get. There’s an almost painterly feel to how ponds that also act as portals and pearls that contain oceans and sunsets are described. The cover reminded me of Aria, which is a manga that is basically Atmosphere: The Manga and the worldbuilding gave me that same feeling, which is a compliment because I love the atmosphere and setting in Aria. I would have loved this as a graphic novel.
Keishin and Hana have a romantic relationship that almost puts this into romantic fantasy, but it doesn’t quite hit my personal threshold for how prominent the romance needs to be to mark this a romantic fantasy. It doesn’t hit the beats of a romance genre novel and the way their romance is threaded feels more reflective and mysterious and tied to a deeper mystery instead of a strong romance-romance. I think that this is a great choice for someone who does want a well-threaded romance but isn’t looking for a romantic fantasy or a fantasy romance.
One of the most interesting details was the Hiroshi tattooing the destinies of the residents of the magical world onto their skin. I love magical tattoos, I love themes of fate and destiny, and I love mixing tropes together for something different. The way it’s tied to people’s future romantic partners is probably the most fascinating part because it does really highlight how our world is full of choices and possibilities while the magical world is one where the beings are going through the motions and following the paths set before them with little room to make changes if they are unhappy.
Content warning for mentions of child death
I would recommend this to fans of contemporary portal fantasies with more personal stakes and readers looking for a book full of painterly atmosphere
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Immediately, the writing got my attention. It flowed so easily and had me flying through the first third of the book. The short chapters, the world-building, and the character development told through flashbacks, it was all so easy to digest and imagine.
However, the middle got bogged down by certain choices and an instalove romance that felt like it was forced into the story. There are reveals that make those two elements so much more interesting later on, but the logic didn't feel right as I was living it and it affected my interest in the story greatly.
That being said, the twists were insane and I loved how everything came together and fell apart in the end. It surprised me and really redeemed the story for me.
The fantasy elements of the story were very Ghibli-esque and I loved the little magics of Hana's world. As we get to see more and more of it, the ways of travel, the elements of magic, all feel so beautiful and fantastical. I think this would make for a cool animated film and I think the audiobook will add so much atmosphere and cool vibes to this story.
All in all, a solid fantasy, but the romance really pulled me out and I wish some other choices were made (despite the outcomes and twists).
TW: child death, murder, injury detail, blood, gore, violence, death; mentions pregnancy, abortion
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3.5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
ACR gifted by Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.
However, the middle got bogged down by certain choices and an instalove romance that felt like it was forced into the story. There are reveals that make those two elements so much more interesting later on, but the logic didn't feel right as I was living it and it affected my interest in the story greatly.
That being said, the twists were insane and I loved how everything came together and fell apart in the end. It surprised me and really redeemed the story for me.
The fantasy elements of the story were very Ghibli-esque and I loved the little magics of Hana's world. As we get to see more and more of it, the ways of travel, the elements of magic, all feel so beautiful and fantastical. I think this would make for a cool animated film and I think the audiobook will add so much atmosphere and cool vibes to this story.
All in all, a solid fantasy, but the romance really pulled me out and I wish some other choices were made (despite the outcomes and twists).
TW: child death, murder, injury detail, blood, gore, violence, death; mentions pregnancy, abortion
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3.5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
ACR gifted by Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
carolyn_baird_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol