Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao | Book Review

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Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Published by Del Ray on January 14, 2025
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Illumicrate

Content Warnings: Death, Blood, Injury, Loss of a Parent, Abortion, Grief, Alcohol Consumption, Abandonment

Rating:

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets. Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it. Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice—by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight and morning, and a night market in the clouds. But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own—and risk making a choice that she will never be able to take back.

I really wanted to love this book, but it just fell flat. I'm not saying it's bad; it just wasn't the amazing, epic adventure I was hoping it would be. I kept seeing Water Moon described as akin to Howl's Moving Castle or a Studio Ghibli film, and while I can definitely see the whimsy, it failed to live up to the hype. So what went wrong?

First and foremost, it felt like the plot went nowhere. Sure, the protagonists were constantly on the move, jumping through puddles, sailing on a song, or being folded into bits to move between realms, but there was very little plot progression during this magical journey. It was the same repetitive theme over and over: run away from the big bads, safe, then run some more. During this time, we do learn all about the world in which Hana lives, which is incredible. The world-building is beautifully executed and immersive, akin to a Studio Ghibli film but without the engaging story.

On top of the overall lack of plot, the romance is underdeveloped and boring. Hana and Keishin fall in love almost immediately, but there is no build-up, character development, or meaningful interactions between the two. There is a potential plot element that could explain their instant attraction, but you don't discover this until the very end, and it just feels...forced. The juxtaposition of the whimsy with sex scenes was messy and not well executed on top of a lukewarm romance. Don't get me wrong, I was happy the two end up together and think they make a cute couple in light of all the details, but its not a grand love story that I'll remember for the rest of my life.

As mentioned earlier, I absolutely loved the world-building. I even loved Hana's character development. She felt three-dimensional and interesting, while Keishin felt predictable and out of place. I didn't care whether his character stayed or left. Honestly, this was a trip Hana should have taken with her father, not some random stranger who magically appears in her shop one morning. Keishin's only purpose it to progress a subpar romance.

Water Moon would make for a fantastic movie, but I wouldn't recommend wasting your time reading it unless you are just interested in a new experience. I will hand it to Sotto Yambao that the story was unique and very whimsical, but it could have been executed better.