Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
I’ve been seeing a lot of Akdang Pinoy posts on my feed lately, so I thought I’d kickstart August with a Filipino-authored book that I already have on my shelf: Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚
The world of Water Moon is so mystical and enchanting! Samantha Sotto Yambao's writing creates such vivid imagery of Hana and Kei’s journey that I found myself wishing I could see every place they went to with my own eyes. I imagined Hana’s world to be so breathtaking that I can’t help but hope this book gets adapted into an animation someday 🤞 This book is worth picking up for the chance to step into this beautiful fantasy world, even for a little while! 💖
Although I really enjoyed the story, I did have a bit of trouble connecting to Hana and Kei emotionally. The romance fell a little short for me and I wish there had been more moments where they expressed their love for each other despite the predicament they were in. Still, I loved how their stories came together so beautifully in the later chapters of the book. Haruto ended up being my favorite character because he was so selfless to the very end 🥹 I’ll think of him every time I see a paper crane from now on.
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.