A review by wordrevel
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.75

When I first heard of this book, it was just about the premise: a book set in Tokyo where one could pawn their regrets. That's all but I was so intrigued, I searched for it and found out the title was Water Moon. I pre-ordered on Libro.fm and was so excited!

As soon a my pre-order came through, I downloaded the audiobook and started listening. In the end, I liked the world building/setting much more than the character and the plot. It was exquisite!

Sadly, the romance didn't quite work for me. The resolution also left me wanting more. Apart from that, I really enjoyed the world building and writing style, which made for an immersive book. The descriptions were written for the senses and the colours felt brilliant right before my very eyes. 

As I got to know Hana better, I started rooting for her. I could see why her father did the things he did. I didn't quite like Kei. He came across more as a prop to move the plot along than a fully flashed out character. While I felt sorry for Haruto, he also fell a bit flat for me.