Reviews

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

mikaiu's review against another edition

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

1.5

very whimsical and dreamy but utterly empty. a lot of people have touted this as "ghibli-esque" which i do see, but other than the japanese setting and whimsical quality, the comparison feels disingenuous when water moon is not nearly as refined or polished as studio ghibli's movies. the imagery and details were certainly beautifully painted but it was a lot of telling with little showing which made for a weak plot and even weaker characters. that ghibli comparison tasted even more sour when a character namedropped my neighbour totoro in the first several chapters. the story is basically the same rinse and repeat cycle of going to a magical location to find something, not finding it, then immediately being redirected to another magical location. throw in a few flashbacks and repeat 50 times. much of the book dragged on despite not allowing readers the space to absorb each setting while everything from the climax onwards was rushed. 

i simply could not bring myself to care about the two main characters with how one-dimensional and, frankly, boring they were. she was a daughter, he was a scientist, can i make it any more obvious etc etc. they were also obnoxiously devoted to one another considering they had JUST met. any dialogue was painfully stilted and unnatural, emphasized by the author's seeming aversion to contractions and habit of inserting expositive paragraphs into the characters' mouths. 

the concept was really fascinating but the story as a whole felt too incohesive and pointless to work for me

chickpea0011's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

kastevens414's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

haneyhayespr's review against another edition

4.0

This is a captivating read for fans of magical realism and fantasy, particularly those who appreciate a blend of Japanese culture, adventure, and self-discovery, as it weaves a mystical tale of choice, regret, and transformation.

emilythelibrarian23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

sofiastar's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

What an utterly gorgeous read. Heartfelt and lyrical, it takes you on a journey that is as profound as is it dreamlike, with world building that I know I'll be thinking about for a long time to come. I can absolutely see why comparisons to a Studio Ghibli film are made by so many reviewers.

The only thing that truly kept this from being a full five star read for me (it's so close) is how, after everything, the journey for our characters does not come to a gentle close but (to me) an abrupt one that felt strangely misplaced after lingering so much on what real tangible choices these characters would make both for themselves and for each other. 

Undoubtedly, I'll be reading this again in the future. Which is, I think, one of the highest praises a reader can give. 

bumblebees's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars rounded up. I loved the concepts and the visuals but I didn’t care about the insta love romance. I liked both Kei and Hana so I didn’t mind that they were into each other but I couldn’t see WHY they were into each other. Still as someone who doesn’t like fantasy romance novels, and this was categorized as such, I did like the visuals displayed and the world I was brought into. I did have to read the whole last chapter twice because the ending felt a little stilted and sudden. It was hard to tell what was really happening and what was an illusion. I suppose the ending could have used some more work/editing.

caat_silva22's review against another edition

inspiring relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

aginn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

gracerennie's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

3.5