Water Moon
Samantha Sotto Yambao
A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical journey when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike and enchanting fantasy novel. On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And 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.
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**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.** DNF @ 37% Samantha Sotto Yambao presents Water Moon, a dreamlike fantasy inspired by Japanese tradition and culture. Readers follow Hana as she takes over the magical pawnshop that her father has run, purchasing people's life regrets and choices. When her father is mysteriously missing, Hana encounters a charming stranger who offers help finding him. Full disclosure. I knew there was a potential that this would not be my thing. I also knew that this was an upcoming choice for Illumicrate and Owlcrate. I have studied and enjoyed Japanese cultural traditions and have enjoyed Japanese translated works, but understand that there is more of a tendency toward slower plot development. This was the weakness of this book for me. The writing in this book is beautiful. Fans of The Night Circus or The Starless Sea or Piranesi will be right at home. Even Strange the Dreamer or Before the Coffee Gets Cold. Unfortunately, I actively dislike this writing style. I pushed through with the other listed books because I had access to the audiobook (or because the short story format allowed for the text to be broken up neatly). As I only have the ebook for Water Moon, I caught myself constantly avoiding picking it up again. As such, I'm going to cut my losses here. To be clear, I would absolutely recommend this book to people who like the dreamy, lyrical writing style. Wishing the most success for the author and for this book to find its audience.
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