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thebankofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I had the absolute pleasure of reading this book as an ARC on NetGalley. It was so incredibly magical, very Studio Ghibli in so many ways. Water Moon is a captivating read, and every chapter brings forward a new type of magic. This book examines the power of choice in such an ethereal way - what you believe is an insignificant choice, might just change your life for good.
~
Hana and Keishin are such a strong characters from the very beginning - they have this all-consuming drive to KNOW, to understand. And from the very beginning, they’re fighting to keep the other one safe. They have this instant connection, this unbeatable pull towards one another, and in a world where Hana has never had her own choice before, Keishin is her first, and most important, one ever.
~
Everything about Samantha Sotto Yambao’s world building is stunning. We get to explore the beauty of this world through an outsider’s eyes - and we’re just as captivated as he is. It is a breathtaking novel, and I already want to reread it, knowing what I know now. It is heartbreaking, but also incredible hopeful, and it is so full of beauty. I cannot recommend it enough.
~
Water Moon is a must-read, so keep your eyes peeled on the 16th January. (I may have preordered an exclusive copy of it as soon as I finished reading this arc)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
kabrahams's review against another edition
4.5
(Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC as well as Libro.fm for my ALC!)
I initially had a bit of a hard time getting into this novel, but I'm so glad I stuck with it because I ended up loving it! The prose is so beautiful I kept highlighting lines, the world feels so unique, and the plot had me feeling a full range of emotions. It is cozy at times, terrifying and heart-wrenching in others. My eyes were watering at the bittersweet ending and I have a feeling this is a story I will revisit.
It is hard to sum this plot up and I think it is best to go in not knowing too much. Hana inherits a magical pawnshop from her father, but with it comes secrets and dangers that she wasn't expecting. Soon, she's on a journey through time and space with an unexpected friend in hopes of discovering the truth of her past.
This story won't be for everyone but if you like thoughtful books full of other worlds and unexplained magic like "The Starless Sea," I think this will be a treat for you! It truly feels like something fresh in the fantasy genre, and I read a ton of fantasy!
I initially had a bit of a hard time getting into this novel, but I'm so glad I stuck with it because I ended up loving it! The prose is so beautiful I kept highlighting lines, the world feels so unique, and the plot had me feeling a full range of emotions. It is cozy at times, terrifying and heart-wrenching in others. My eyes were watering at the bittersweet ending and I have a feeling this is a story I will revisit.
It is hard to sum this plot up and I think it is best to go in not knowing too much. Hana inherits a magical pawnshop from her father, but with it comes secrets and dangers that she wasn't expecting. Soon, she's on a journey through time and space with an unexpected friend in hopes of discovering the truth of her past.
This story won't be for everyone but if you like thoughtful books full of other worlds and unexplained magic like "The Starless Sea," I think this will be a treat for you! It truly feels like something fresh in the fantasy genre, and I read a ton of fantasy!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Pregnancy
Minor: Abandonment
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
sleepyreaderthings's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Water Moon is an absolutely whimsical book with a cast of characters that would fit in a Studio Ghibli movie perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for a better story when it comes to reading my first ARC.
“Scars don’t make you any less than what you are. They are simply stories”
“It was easier to chew on misery if you did not know what happiness tasted like”
Set in two distinct worlds, the story follows Hana, from the, for lack of a better word, magical world, and Keishin, from our current day world. Keishin stumbles into what he thought was a ramen shop only to discover he walked into a pawnshop that has been ransacked. He soon finds out that it isn’t a normal shop, and instead of trading jewelry and collectibles, this pawnshop trades choices and regrets. He soon discovers that this world he has stumbled into defies all the laws of science that governs his own world. This is a quest-based story that follows Hana and Keishin as they run around searching for Hana’s father who has mysteriously disappeared.
In this story, we follow our characters as they fly in a sky of paper cranes, jump through puddles and land in a different location, and are folded into paper to get from point A to B. But we also hear about grief and stories of loss. I cried hearing about Keishin’s father and what cancer did to him. I deeply relate to the language that was used in describing how terrible cancer is and what it does to one’s body. Seeing what it does to your dad: “The man in the coffin was going to look like a stranger either way. Cancer had made a feast of his father, gnawing at him until all that was left was skin and bones.” While this was a relatively small part of the story, it had such a big impact on me. I saw myself in Keishin and how he has coped not only with the death of his father but also with how he has faced other deaths like his mentor’s. Grief is crazy, and it can result in coping mechanisms that you wouldn’t expect. I think grief was a common theme throughout this story, whether it was about a parent dying or a relationship ending. We saw characters ask, “How can you be at peace if a part of you is missing? It will be a hole that you will try to fill all your life without ever knowing why that hole exists in the first place.” And the the story also touched on the flip side of things, when someone isn’t dead: “I wish I could grieve you. Grieving ends. But I can’t grieve. You’re not dead.”
While I’ve highlighted some heavier topics that this story covered, I also want to say that it was fun and fast-paced. I loved the short chapters! I didn’t spend all my time crying or being sad—quite the opposite actually. There were so many dumb lines that had me laughing, with this one being a top moment:
“‘We will not walk into any trap.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because we will be swimming into it.’”
There was romance and friendship mixed in with everything else in this story, and honestly my only critique is that I wish it had been more slow burn. I felt a connection between Hana and Keishin, but I would have loved a longer timeline. Granted, that isn’t super realistic considering most of this happens in what, a week maybe? I can’t take points off though because the story just made me feel so much in every other aspect. Definitely a book to remember, and I wm excited to see a physical copy once this releases!
“Scars don’t make you any less than what you are. They are simply stories”
“It was easier to chew on misery if you did not know what happiness tasted like”
Set in two distinct worlds, the story follows Hana, from the, for lack of a better word, magical world, and Keishin, from our current day world. Keishin stumbles into what he thought was a ramen shop only to discover he walked into a pawnshop that has been ransacked. He soon finds out that it isn’t a normal shop, and instead of trading jewelry and collectibles, this pawnshop trades choices and regrets. He soon discovers that this world he has stumbled into defies all the laws of science that governs his own world. This is a quest-based story that follows Hana and Keishin as they run around searching for Hana’s father who has mysteriously disappeared.
In this story, we follow our characters as they fly in a sky of paper cranes, jump through puddles and land in a different location, and are folded into paper to get from point A to B. But we also hear about grief and stories of loss. I cried hearing about Keishin’s father and what cancer did to him. I deeply relate to the language that was used in describing how terrible cancer is and what it does to one’s body. Seeing what it does to your dad: “The man in the coffin was going to look like a stranger either way. Cancer had made a feast of his father, gnawing at him until all that was left was skin and bones.” While this was a relatively small part of the story, it had such a big impact on me. I saw myself in Keishin and how he has coped not only with the death of his father but also with how he has faced other deaths like his mentor’s. Grief is crazy, and it can result in coping mechanisms that you wouldn’t expect. I think grief was a common theme throughout this story, whether it was about a parent dying or a relationship ending. We saw characters ask, “How can you be at peace if a part of you is missing? It will be a hole that you will try to fill all your life without ever knowing why that hole exists in the first place.” And the the story also touched on the flip side of things, when someone isn’t dead: “I wish I could grieve you. Grieving ends. But I can’t grieve. You’re not dead.”
While I’ve highlighted some heavier topics that this story covered, I also want to say that it was fun and fast-paced. I loved the short chapters! I didn’t spend all my time crying or being sad—quite the opposite actually. There were so many dumb lines that had me laughing, with this one being a top moment:
“‘We will not walk into any trap.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because we will be swimming into it.’”
There was romance and friendship mixed in with everything else in this story, and honestly my only critique is that I wish it had been more slow burn. I felt a connection between Hana and Keishin, but I would have loved a longer timeline. Granted, that isn’t super realistic considering most of this happens in what, a week maybe? I can’t take points off though because the story just made me feel so much in every other aspect. Definitely a book to remember, and I wm excited to see a physical copy once this releases!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Grief
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