Book Review: Water Moon

Book #35 for 2025: Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao, 3.5/5 ★
384 pages / published January 2025 / available here

Goodreads blurb: On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. …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.

My review: A delight of surrealist imagination! It’s best to just let this book take you on a meandering journey. The worldbuilding is fascinating and rich, and the writing has some truly beautiful moments. I didn’t connect with the two main characters as much as I could have, but ultimately still really enjoyed the book. It has a topsy-turvy Murakami/Carroll vibe that I enjoyed and feel like it’s really easy to get wrong. I struggled a little with the pacing, but it was also too interesting to put down. Thank goodness for a solid standalone fantasy in the age of overdone series (please please don’t make a sequel!). The romance was very take-it-or-leave-it to me, but thankfully, the worldbuilding and surreal writing kept me hooked. Overall, well worth a weekend read.

 

CW (highlight to read): parent loss (prior to story), assault/death of a friend, mild spice (pg. 249), monster/zombie-ish children, self-harm (pg. 332)