4.5* rounded up. you know the subgenre of fiction where a person ends up stumbling upon an unassuming establishment - perhaps a library or a café - at just the right time in their life, where they will obtain knowledge that will reset their perspective and change the course of their life? so it goes with water moon, in which the establishment in question is a pawnbroker fronting as a ramen restaurant, and in which the knowledge they receive - or in this case, give away - is a regrettable life choice. now, in all honesty, i eat up this concept every time, having read several and with many more on my tbr. it seems to be hitting peak popularity at the moment and goodreads has already recommended me yet another based on this book. but water moon subverts the general formula early on and instead embarks on a sprawling and heart-warming fantastical adventure. it took me where i didn't expect me to go, made me feel things i didn't expect to feel, and is genuinely a reading highlight of the year so far.

as much as i didn't have massive expectations one way or the other before starting this book (this is my first introduction to sotto yambao's work), i was pulled in pretty much from chapter one and knew it would be good. the writing was so gorgeous and evocative. i felt immersed so early on and it only continued to grow. the magical world of Ikigai was joyful to be introduced to. not just the fantasy of it, but also its use as a foil of our own world and the way it was used to explore themes like choice and free will, and concepts of time; i found it so interesting.

i loved the cast of characters, and hana and keishin worked especially well as main characters. hana was perhaps a little harder to relate to, but we also see how kei experiences the same thing as she's very much a closed book. i think the dynamic of them both bouncing off of each other worked very well; hana might not have worked as well as a standalone character, unless perhaps the story was told from a first-person perspective.

this was such a good read. so cosy and whimsical, and also emotional in the best way. and i'm just in love with the cover. i'd definitely recommend reading this once it comes out early next year - and i might have to grab myself a physical copy!

massive thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

The story starts in Tokyo and the world bulding has Japanese elements, so any Japanese fiction fans would love this. But so would the fantasy readers because the world and creatures in this book is so magical and beautifully crafted. I wouldn’t call this a cosy fantasy as there is too much is at stake for Hana, but it is dream-like. There is slow-burn romance that’s tender and bittersweet🥹 but it is secondary to the main story about Hana finding her own path, breaking away from what she’s previously believed.

Water Moon is a daydream inside a fairy tale.

I do not know how the author thought of half of the things inside this book but I bow down to her for it!

An absolutely mesmerising story that whisks you along with it to worlds you can only dream of. A tale of love, destiny, grief, purpose, family, and learning who you are.

I think we all have regrets we wish we could change but when you really think about it, WOULD you make a different choice? The way this book explores that idea as the foundation to everything is amazing.

The writing is so fluid and beautiful that while you're immersed in the pages, you forget time for a moment while you're jumping through puddles and flying on paper cranes with Hana and Kei.

Hands down one of the best arcs I've had the pleasure of reading.

I want to start by saying how beautiful this book was. The rollercoaster of emotions has left me staring into space wondering if I'm in the real world or not?

Exceptional debut!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
4 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the storytelling in Water Moon and relatable, likable characters,. Loved every single second reading it.

A great Japanese fantasy novel with beautiful writing.
Water Moon hooks you in with its unique story building, starting with magical realism then delving into whimsical fantasy.
This was a great read and I loved the imaginative take on fantasy genre!

A beautiful magical fantasty that transports you from the first pages when you start this book. From the first few pages I was hooked on this cosy whimsical story. I found the pace was good and the story left me wanting more. If you’re a fan of the ghibli movies you will love this book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6729374440

For a while I couldn't decide whether this was on the right side of the twee vs magical and enchanting line, but as time passed I warmed to it, and I ended up enjoying it a lot. The story is unique and imaginative (unless it's based on something Japanese that I don't know about!), and the ending is satisfying and ties up all the loose ends nicely This might be one for those who, like me, enjoy suspending their disbelief for a good K-drama - it's in a similar vein.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved the concept at the start, and the introduction of the characters. Hana's journey to explore the mystery of her Mother's death and the people and creatures she meets are beautifully drawn. This is unlike the sort of book i normally enjoy, and a little too fantastic for me. However I would encourage others to take a look, it's a wonderful escape.

Finally had chance to sit down and read this book.

Can I just say I absolutely loved it, something about the story just feels very inviting and warm. After seeing the cover I was interested to see hat the book was about exactly. I was definitely not disappointed, such a beautiful book.

Water Moon is my new favourite book, hands down. What is it about some writers that just manage to capture the life of humans so well? I fell in love Samanthas writing and I had the most horrible boookslump-week after I finished this. Please read this as soon as possible, it will give you so much comfort and joy.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy!

This is a fantasy novel and i apologise for not taking better care for reading synopsis i didnt read to end. Although the summary of this makes me think of introduction to gremlins an introduction to mogwai. Dnf not fantasy driven

Water Moon was an ethereal fantasy story with a dream-like quality. At first I thought it would be in the style of recent Japanese magical realism novels set in restaurants, cafes etc. but although it started that way it quickly transitioned into full fantasy. The world building was well handled and introduced in a natural, progressive way. The characters were interesting and their stories held my attention throughout. I felt the relationship between them also developed in a believable way. I enjoyed the blend of folklore elements into the story and the pacing was generally good throughout. I would recommend this book to fans of more whimsical fantasy which still also packs some emotional punch. I am giving it 4.5 stars.

The writing was amazing and wonderful. It's was an easy and simple book with beautiful writing which definitely enhanced my reading experience of this book. I finished it in two sittings yet i believe I can reread it again and again. I had a great time reading this gem.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t what I got. Water moon was a bizarre and dreamy reading experience in the most positive of ways. Part love story, part fantasy with a dollop of magical realism and a good helping of science fiction, this book was unexpectedly gorgeous. Tackling hard hitting topics like death, consequence of choice, existentialism and fate can sometimes make for an extremely heavy load. Yamboa takes those topics and easily floats them on ruminative cloud of reflective light never making readers feel bogged down but somehow helping them to question the choices they themselves might have made. It’s quite the accomplishment. Additionally, Water Moon boasts one of the most unique storylines and magic systems I have encountered with well thought out characters and excellent pacing. It’s hard to give any details on the actual content of the story because I feel like the most fun part of reading this was going in completely blind. What I will say is, it was a beautiful journey that you will not regret picking up.

A really enjoyable Ghibli-esque novel. Very easy to read, with some beautiful prose.

It was very imaginative and visual story with many elements that kept you interested. I thought the plot was interesting but that the romance was rushed, and I would have liked if the 2 main characters interacted more before they fell in love instantly.

But overall enjoyable.

From the premise to the prose, the narrative to the world-building, the characters to the story - not to mention certain plot twists - I loved everything about this novel. There was a rather melancholic sense of innocence pervading throughout the entire narrative that though it didn't properly make me sad, left me with this flutter of yearning in my chest.
I loved Hana, the main character, and Kei, the young physicist who finds himself confronted with a world that denies everything he's ever learnt. I loved the quick but organic way in which their feelings develop for each other and how Kei is willing to sacrifice everything for the wonder he experiences since the moment he meets Hana - and for Hana herself. But most of all, I loved that every setting they travelled to for their 'quest' in Hana's world was like a detailed plateau of magic and significance, and made me feel as if I was staring at some beautiful old style Japanese painting. The only thing I didn't quite like were the dialogues that read too clunky, and too formal - but then again, I don't speak Japanese (the book is written in English but is set in Tokyo - and in an imaginary world - and I assumed the characters would speak to each other in Japanese) and know very little of the culture, so that kind of dialogue where there are no verbal contractions and words sound like they're being slowly and decisively enumerated may as well be part of the Japanese dialogue style, even in this day and age. For me, it read very unnatural (I am sorry instead of I'm sorry sounds iffy in a dialogue for me, for example) but did not in any way lessened my pleasure in reading this novel or how much I loved it.
Thank you NetGalley and the author for affording me an ARC. It was truly magical.

Loved this. Beautiful story, beautifully told. Samantha Sotto Yamboa has created a stunningly imaginative tale.

I received an advance e-reader copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley to review, but my views are my own.

So I may as well start with the only thing I didn't like about Water Moon as this section will be so small we can just breeze through!
I felt reluctant to pick it up, or rather not driven to... Which was odd because I really liked the book, and usually that means I want to read it whenever I can - but I was happy to leave Water Moon sitting by my bedside for days at a time sometimes. And I'm not 100% sure why, maybe I didn't quite feel connected with the plot/characters? Or maybe this was just a me issue, and I was in a bit of a slump. Either way I wouldn't put this as a massive negative so it didn't reduce my star rating in a significant way.

Now on to the positives!

The world building was AMAZING. It felt so unique and like something out of a Studio Ghibli film - I'd love to see maps of how the world in Water Moon is connected and how it flows, I bet it would be absolutely gorgeous. Talking of Studio Ghibli, this book would make a wonderful film or even Graphic Novel, I think visuals would just add that extra cherry on top of the cake that is this book/world.

I don't often read a book where I think the pacing is just right, but this was one of those books - nothing felt too rushed or too slow, and reveals happened at a nice pace, speckled throughout the plot and the danger and never felt like they brought the urgency to a halt. It was the perfect rollercoaster.

The characters themselves were unique and easy to connect to, only a few of the side characters fell a bit flat for me and were unmemorable in my opinion. Possibly it was a little hard to get to know Hana at first, she felt a bit straightforward and disconnected right away, but that fits her character really and the situation she's in.

Overall it was a really poetic and heartfelt book with some lovely moral messages sprinkled throughout that I really needed to hear. I'd recommend this book to all of my friends, and I've already started doing so even before I finished the book!

"But whatever we feel for each other has no place in this world or yours."
"It doesn't have to belong to either of our worlds, Hana. It just needs to belong to us."

A fictional world that was so well-crafted that it transported me to a completely different dimension. Descriptions so apt and beautiful with a touch of Japanese culture that it left me in awe. A plot with twists that was completely unprecedented. Samantha Sotto Yambao hasn't just written a book, she's created a whole new world.

My only qualm is that so much of the plot was built on romantic love. Haruto's dedication to helping. Kei's essentially love-at-first-sight assistance. It's a weird nitpick, but I had to voice it. Especially Kei - the reasoning for him to stay in this world just didn't sit right with me, but perhaps it's due to my love for slow burns.