Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Title: Water Moon
Author: Samantha Sotto Yambao
Publication Date: January 14, 2025
Audience: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Sub-Genre: Romance
POV: Single
Series: Standalone
Format: Audiobook
—Narrator(s): Cindy Kay
3.25 ⭐ | 1🌶️
Pros:
✨Fun / Interesting Concept
✨End Twist
Cons:
✨Dialogue / Philosophical Commentary Felt Disjointed
✨Cool Ideas w/ No Follow Through
✨Underdeveloped Plot
✨Flat Characters / Character Development
Synopsis
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 …
*Blurb taken from The StoryGraph
Review
This review may contain spoilers.
I have so much, and yet nothing at all, to say about this novel. Which pretty much sums things up.
This is one where, if you step back, close one eye, turn your mind off, and go with the flow, it’s dreamlike and full of whimsy. But if you try to think about it AT ALL, the whole thing falls apart and feels pointless. Which is a crazy weird line to walk. The plot is all over the place, the characters are surface-level, and the goal of the main protagonist ends up being a wase of time, which in a way makes the novel feel a bit like a waste of time as well? That’s harsh, I know, but this is all vibes and nothing else. If that’s your thing, you’ll adore this!
I did like the twist. Very nicely done. And I also liked the concepts if they were individually presented and fleshed out. Like the the museum for education, which snagged my attention, but was never explored further than a few pages. This would have been an interesting collection of short stories. But as a novel, it was disjointed and jarring.
Content Note
You can find more content warnings at The StoryGraph or at the Trigger Warning Database
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