A review by unapologetic_reviews
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

I listened to Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao as an audiobook. The narrator was excellent, though Hana’s voice was sometimes a bit too breathy. That aside, her performance was enjoyable—especially the way she voiced the male characters.

Let me warn you: the book’s blurb is misleading. It describes a whimsical, magical journey through a mystical world, making it sound light, cosy, and happy. It’s not. This book is emotional, raw, and deeply unsettling. It forces you to think, reflect, and question everything. It’s best experienced as an audiobook because, while you’re listening to the story, you can’t help but reflect on your own life. It’s like having two narrations running at once: the story’s journey of self-discovery and your own. You find yourself wondering about all the choices you’ve made—whether they were right, wrong, or simply inevitable.

I finished the book just moments ago, and I haven’t stopped crying. Half of me doesn’t even know why. Japanese fiction always does this to me—reaching into my soul and showing me parts of myself I didn’t realise were there. It holds up a mirror and forces you to look, even if you’re not ready. I can’t fully explain what this book did to me, only that it touched something deep inside and won’t let go.

The story is about choices—the small, fleeting ones that seem meaningless until you look back and realise they changed everything, and the big ones that shape the entire course of your life. Some choices have consequences we can’t erase. Others leave us broken. But sometimes, if we’re lucky, we get the chance to make them better. Our choices define us, but we wouldn’t be who we are without them.

The book has two main characters, Hana and Kei. Kei is the outsider—the one who knows nothing of the world he’s stepped into, so everything is explained to him. In a way, he represents the reader. But even Hana, who belongs to this world, is constantly learning more about it. Their journey is both physical and emotional, set in a magical world where nothing is what it seems. You can’t trust what’s described to you because some things are utterly surreal. The world is beautiful and terrifying in equal measure, shaped by both human kindness and cruelty.

I can’t say much more without spoiling it, but I will say this story deserves to be an animated film—something as stunning as a Studio Ghibli movie. Live action wouldn’t do it justice. The world in this book needs to be seen as much as heard, with its breathtaking beauty and haunting ugliness woven together.

Ultimately, this book is about the journey. The destination doesn’t matter as much as the experience of getting there. Even if you feel stuck, life is still moving forward. Sometimes you have to take the hard road, but even that is a kind of progress.

If you’re open to allegory and philosophy—if you can set aside rational, earthbound thinking—then walk through the ramen shop door and enter this world. It’s amazing, frightening, hideous, and beautiful. Just like our own.

Maybe that’s what this story really is:

Our world reflected in a water moon.