If you’ve ever wished you could undo a moment, rewrite a memory, or pawn away a regret, then welcome to the fantastical, emotionally rich world of Water Moon — a novel as delicate and powerful as a paper crane in flight.
Samantha Sotto Yambao has crafted a story that reads like a poem laced with magic, where the impossible feels just one dream away. With echoes of The Starless Sea and Spirited Away, Water Moon invites you to suspend your disbelief and walk through puddles that lead to forgotten choices, secrets, and second chances.
🏮 A Pawnshop for Regrets — And a World You Won’t Want to Leave
At the heart of the story is Hana Ishikawa, a woman who inherits a Tokyo pawnshop unlike any other — one hidden from ordinary eyes. Most passersby see a ramen shop. Only the lost are guided to the real door: a place where regrets are traded, choices are bought, and the past is quite literally up for sale.
On her first day as the new owner, Hana’s world tilts sideways:
💔 The shop is ransacked.
🕰 The most precious item is stolen.
🕵️♀️ Her father is missing.
Then enters a stranger — a charming young physicist (yes, you read that right) — who seems out of place among the broken hearts and bottled regrets. But instead of pawning his pain, he offers something far rarer: help.
Together, they embark on a surreal journey to recover what’s been lost — and perhaps discover what truly matters most.
🌧 Why You’ll Fall in Love with Water Moon
✔ A dreamlike world filled with rain puddles that act as portals, paper cranes that fly, and night markets tucked in the clouds
✔ A slow-blooming, beautifully written connection between two lost souls
✔ A plot that’s part mystery, part fairytale, and entirely original
✔ An exploration of grief, memory, and forgiveness — handled with magic and tenderness
✔ For fans of Erin Morgenstern, Studio Ghibli, and literary fantasy that feels like a soft spell
This is not a fantasy driven by battles or dragons, but by emotion, wonder, and quiet bravery. It’s a book that will make you think about the choices you’ve made, the ones you haven’t, and the stories hidden in puddles beneath your feet.
🌙 Final Thoughts
Water Moon is the kind of book that wraps around your heart like a soft scarf — warm, mysterious, and woven with threads of melancholy and hope. It will leave you a little lighter, a little dreamier, and just a little more open to the idea that magic might be hiding in plain sight.
✨ 5/5 stars – An enchanting, unforgettable tale of regrets, magic, and the people who help us find our way back to ourselves.
🛒 Available now! Add Water Moon to your shelf if you love:
📚 The Starless Sea
📚 Before the Coffee Gets Cold
📚 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
📚 Magical realism with a poetic twist
Reading Caffeinated 