Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao Review

Would you rewrite your destiny if it meant losing a part of your past?
 

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it.
 

Most will see only a cosy ramen restaurant. And just 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 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 – through rain puddles, hitching rides on paper cranes, across the bridge between midnight and morning and through 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 she will never be able to take back.
 

Step into the captivating and romantic fantasy novel that will sweep you away on an unforgettable adventure - perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli, Erin Morgenstern and Before the Coffee Gets Cold!

A reserved young woman whose future and purpose in life is already written and decided meets an inquisitive young man named whose life lacks direction and purpose. One lives in a world of mystical wonder while the other seeks to understand theirs through science and knowledge. Brought together by fate through a door masquerading as an entrance to a ramen shop, Hana and Kei set off into an ethereal world where choices, regrets, memories, and desires hold far greater purpose and influence. Dreamy, whimsical, and full of gorgeously crafted literary metaphors, Samantha Sotto Yambao’s Water Moon is a magical crossover fantasy and speculative fiction novel that is a unique and dreamy experience.

Trained all her life to take over her father’s magical pawnshop, Hana Ishikawa’s world is one far different from the one we know of. Puddles are used as portals to other locations, visitors ride the wind on the melodies of songs, markets are perched high in the sky, and the Ishikawa pawnshop’s customers exchange not money, but past life choices. Each customer that finds themselves transported into the pawnshop finds themselves unconsciously drawn to the shop and is relieved of the burden, regret, and feelings associated with a past road not chosen, a notable moment where their life’s trajectory could’ve shifted from the one they’ve known. An early 2025 anticipated release, Water Moon’s premise is one that immediately gets your attention not only through its creative premise, but also by its prominent Japanese-inspired motif and elements. The world of Water Moon is incredibly whimsical and with its faithfully portrayed Japanese cultural references, comparisons to Studio Ghibli films are spot-on. Hana and Kei stepping into shimmering puddles, surrounded by origami cranes, and chased by mask-wearing haunted shiikuin, the fantasy elements are those that can only feel right at home in anime and Japanese literary works. Sotto Yambao describes herself as a professional daydreamer and the description of this book of being a dream experienced while awake is quite apt.

However, merely writing Water Moon off as simply a Ghibli imitator does not adequately represent how ambitious and creative Samantha’s work is. As magical and shimmery as Water Moon’s visuals and fantasy elements are, the book isn’t just content coasting on cozy vibes and pretty scenes. While often classified as a fantasy novel due to its whimsical nature and visuals, in actuality the story is more so a speculative fiction narrative with fantasy embellishments. Besides the aforementioned pawnshop, every magical element in Water Moon is a simile or metaphor relating back to the concepts of life choices and other facets associated with them. Outside of the main premise of Hana and Kei searching for her missing father, part of the experience reading this book is discovering how each of its fantasy elements function, and how they serve as parallels or opposites to attributes in Kei’s real world. Speculative fiction is one of my favorite genres and Water Moon is easily one of the most creatively inspired and ethereal in presentation.

In addition to its visuals and magic, Water Moon subverts the recent trend associated with Asian literature books pairing fantasy elements with inconspicuous everyday locations like bookstores, markets, cafes, laundromats, etc. Unlike many conceptually similar novels that explore human emotions and feelings at a surface level, Water Moon goes much further and beneath its seemingly casual presentation, it’s quite wistful, even somber at times. While Hana and Kei explore different locations and concepts in her world, there is still a cohesive character story vs the typical passive vignettes (this is a major issue I have with many of these cozy fantasy books that lack substance or try to be moving without earning the emotions they seek to inspire). The level of thought and ambition in Water Moon pleasantly surprised me, not to mention Sotto Yambao’s prose that is both simplistic and accessible while still being lyrical and reflective. While not the most flowery writing style I’ve read, the writing is deeply philosophical and the discussions around life choices are excellent. However, the book’s blurb comparing Water Moon to Erin Morgenstern and Before the Coffee Gets Cold are very poor choices in my opinion as the former is all magical visuals with no speculative/philosophical substance while the latter has no visuals at all and is comically obtuse in its attempts at being thought-provoking.

Fitting for the quiet vibe the novel is going for, both Hana and Kei’s characters are subtle and restrained. Aside from the obvious differences of being from different worlds, there’s a constant back and forth discussion of ideology, sense of place and purpose, and aspirations in life that closely relate to the pawnshop’s service. Despite having opposite outlooks on life and past experiences from each other, there’s a sense of easy camaraderie where both characters compliment and balance each other out. While some other reviewers have written off Kei as being bland or boring, I found myself relating to his character and thoughts strongly, particularly his detachment to past decisions as well as his resistance to predetermination and need to rationalize everything. It’s important to note that while there is a romance element involved, Water Moon is not a romantasy nor contemporary romance book. Rather, this is a story about two people seemingly lost in life and finding something new in each other, as well as playing a supporting act to the main focus on life’s choices and regrets. Those looking for strong character development, a moving and dramatic romance, or spice will be disappointed.

While I was in awe of the book’s creativity and philosophical message from a critical reviewing standpoint, I wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about Water Moon from a reading experience/enjoyment standpoint. While the novel has a well-crafted story and a satisfying conclusion (not to mention Hana’s foreshadowed secret being a great 11th hour plot twist), the narrative content and pacing are quite slow and meandering. While Hana’s world is fully realized and the world-building to be the book’s strongest feature, it often felt like it overshadowed the story which was fairly sparse for most of the book. The overall tone and vibe are quite understated, but I often found myself either wishing for slightly more urgency (they are on the run for most of the story yet somehow the read feels low stakes) or a clearer narrative direction as to their journey can simply be summarized as a sporadic wild goose chase. Like its imagery and recurring motif of a boat on the water, Water Moon just sort of drifts between metaphorical concepts and while gorgeous on paper, they don’t always feel fully connected to Hana and Kei’s journey. In the grand scheme of things, these are relatively minor nitpicks for what is clearly meant to be a thought-provoking and dreamy visual experience vs a character and story-based one, but the premise and concepts are so good, I can’t help but wish they were slightly more balanced and involved.

Whimsical and visual yet full of great reflections and discussions, Water Moon is a high-concept and ambitious novel that is a great recommendation for a wide variety of readers looking for very different experiences. Studio Ghibli and anime fans will find Hana’s magical world to be familiar and exciting to explore, particularly with its numerous Japanese cultural and folklore inspirations found at every turn (Kei’s bittersweet twist on the story of Urashima Taro’s ending was a personal favorite). On the other hand, it’s also a fascinating read for speculative fiction readers looking for a novel exploring choices and decisions; it’s a challenge to find another book that does so in such a dreamy and magical manner. The recurring theme and concept that the book’s title “Water Moon” comes from is a particularly beautiful and poetic touch. While not always the most exciting or engaging book to read, Water Moon is certainly one worth giving a try and I’m glad I listened to my book friends that recommended reading it.

Note: I read the Illumicrate special edition of this book that I gave my Mom as a mother’s day gift earlier this year and it is stunning. This may be one of if not my favorite custom special edition design Illumicrate has ever done.