#samantha sotto yambao

[bangbangwhoa]

books I’ve read in 2025 📖 no. 010

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

“Losing your way is oftentimes the only way to find something you did not know you were looking for.”

[babblinbook]

Water Moon is one of my most anticipated releases this year! I am so hoping it’s good because imo this is one of Illumicrate’s most gorgeous editions

[quillandqueer]

Weekly Reading Update | 19th January

Finished Reading

Dogs of Summer: 166 pages of intense, unceasing obsession with genitals is a lot to deal with. 2/5

Scarlet: Meyer really put her whole entire Team Jacob fantasy in this one (and I ate it up) 4/5

In The Valley, A Shadow: A trans western sci-fi with diverse characters, Felix has my whole heart. 5/5

A Prayer For The Crown-Shy: This really didn't hit the way Psalm did, and I found Sibling Dex extremely annoying. 3/5

Currently Reading

Physical Book Count Last Week: 345 This Week: 335 (I had a mini clear out of some middle grade books I was no longer interested in reading)

[bloodmaarked]

water moon // samantha sotto yambao

first published: 2025 [to be released 16 january] read: 13 august 2024 - 18 august 2024 pages: 376 format: e-book [ARC]

genres: fiction; fantasy; romance, (new) adult, cosy favourite character(s): kei and hana, hana and kei least favourite character(s): hana's dad

rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 thoughts: you know the subgenre of fiction where a person ends up stumbling upon an unassuming establishment - perhaps a library or a café - at just the right time in their life, where they will obtain knowledge that will reset their perspective and change the course of their life? so it goes with water moon, in which the establishment in question is a pawnbroker fronting as a ramen restaurant, and in which the knowledge they receive - or in this case, give away - is a regrettable life choice. now, in all honesty, i eat up this concept every time, having read several and with many more on my tbr. it seems to be hitting peak popularity at the moment and goodreads has already recommended me yet another based on this book. but water moon subverts the general formula early on and instead embarks on a sprawling and heart-warming fantastical adventure. it took me where i didn't expect me to go, made me feel things i didn't expect to feel, and is genuinely a reading highlight of the year so far.

as much as i didn't have massive expectations one way or the other before starting this book (this is my first introduction to sotto yambao's work), i was pulled in pretty much from chapter one and knew it would be good. the writing was so gorgeous and evocative. i felt immersed so early on and it only continued to grow. the magical world of Ikigai was joyful to be introduced to. not just the fantasy of it, but also its use as a foil of our own world and the way it was used to explore themes like choice and free will, and concepts of time; i found it so interesting.

i loved the cast of characters, and hana and keishin worked especially well as main characters. hana was perhaps a little harder to relate to, but we also see how kei experiences the same thing as she's very much a closed book. i think the dynamic of them both bouncing off of each other worked very well; hana might not have worked as well as a standalone character, unless perhaps the story was told from a first-person perspective.

this was such a good read. so cosy and whimsical, and also emotional in the best way. and i'm just in love with the cover. i'd definitely recommend reading this once it comes out early next year - and i might have to grab myself a physical copy!

massive thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review! also, shoutout to @gabibookworm, without her post i might not have come across this book in the first place!

[astreamoflight]

I’m in love with the dreaminess of this book ❤️

[blogmollylane]

Newly acquired: Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

[blogthefiresidechats]

Latest Haul.....

I got to enjoy a trip to my local book store today. I had to get out and about today to run an errand anyway so I thought I’d enjoy a stop at my local book store while I was out, especially since I ended up right next door anyway. Plus, the last few days at my job has been a little wild so I thought I deserved a little pick me up.

[jruthphipps]

I was expecting one parcel when I went to collect a missed delivery - turned out it was three. Pretty delighted about that.

📚 Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana

📚 Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

📚 Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Release date: January 2025

Genre: adult fantasy/magical realism

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

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.

Content warnings

Parental death, grief

Child abandonment

Violence, blood, mentions of torture, injury

Sexual content (mildly explicit)

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

Not gonna lie, I am not the biggest fan of magical realism, and I find it to be pretty hit or miss. Mostly misses.

The writing style feels flat to me, and I couldn't connect to the characters. I had zero investment in their romance and I don't feel like they had a lot of personality. I don't think the characters lacking personality is necessarily a drawback though; I find that magical realism as a genre tends to focus more on the magic and whimsy.

That being said, I was really not a fan of the whimsy here. Maybe it was my mood while reading this, or maybe I just lack whimsy in general, but I just could not bring myself to care about this world. I'm very aware that this is a me problem, and not a problem with the book. There are a lot of strange and wondrous settings that other readers would probably love, but I just couldn't vibe with it.

This review so far has been mostly complaints. HOWEVER. I absolutely LOVED the last 30% of this book! The plot as a whole moves really slowly, but it picks up towards the end, with crazy reveals I did not see coming. Each reveal is crazier than the last, it makes me glad I decided to keep going. I literally cannot emphasise enough how much I love this plot.

I have seen a lot of people describe this book as having whimsical Ghibli vibes, and it does, but like Ghibli, there are pretty serious themes being explored, and it actually gets pretty dark in certain places. I love how the darkness contrasts the whimsy, and it makes this world feel a lot more grounded.

All in all, I didn't vibe with Water Moon's... vibe. But I'm so grateful to have read this.

[meeghanreads]

Top 5 anticipated books of Q1 2025

Hello friends!! Welcome to the first Top 5 Tuesday of 2025!! This week’s topic is top 5 anticipated books of Q1 2025!! Q1 being January to March 2025. Friends, it’s a new year, which means a new list of promises for me to break later in 2025. How exciting!! I will try not to break TOO many though… Well, I say this now. Who knows what September will look like. Picking only five books was weirdly…

[theliterarymess]

‘Water Moon’ by Samantha Sotto Yambao. Out January 16th 2025

‘Water Moon’ is a whimsical and immersive ghibli-esque adventure through the choices we make in life, the importance of free will and living for our own happiness.

Hana is about to take over the magical pawnshop hidden within a ramen restaurant in the backstreets of Tokyo once her father retires, but when she wakes up on her first day she realises everything is not what it seems. Along with scientist Minatozaki Keishin from our world, Hana jumps into puddles and travels through rumours to hunt down the choices that will lead to her father. But pawnshop owners are excellent manipulators, and important choices shift as easily as raindrops on skin…

This story was well-written and unpredictable from the very beginning. It’s a great fast paced read to get you out of a reading slump. Sometimes it felt as though the story moved too fast to keep up with, but this seemed like an intentional device used by the author to reflect the universe Hana lives in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Ray for the opportunity to give an honest review on this story. ‘Water Moon’ releases January 16th 2025.

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Water Moon: A Novel

By Samantha Sotto Yambao.

Cover art by Haylee Morice.

[insomniac-dot-ink]

2025 Anticipated Book Releases

My reading goal for this year is the same for last year in that I want to read 70 books! And hopefully a few more nonfiction, as always. BUT my main 2025 New Years Resolution for reading is to read less broadly. I read very broadly last year which was good, but it kind of made me sad in the sense I wasn't reading as many books that are "for me." So! More fantasy this year.

January

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao (Jan 14th): Set in a pawnshop where people can sell their regrets and past choices. I am always a sucker for a slower magical realism story when done well.

Breath of the Dragon by Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee (Jan 7th): I usually strictly avoid YA at this point but adore Fonda Lee so I'll be reading everything she writes. This is an Asian-inspired fantasy work with dragons.

The Good Mother Myth: Unlearning Our Bad Ideas About How to Be a Good Mom by Nancy Reddy (Jan 25): I am always drawn to gender dynamics that are a little more invisible and have thought there is some absurdity to the idea it's "always the mother's fault." A nonfiction on socially constructed motherhood.

February

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett (Feb 6th): !!! Probably my most anticipated read. The Tainted Cup was such a breath of fresh air in fantasy last year and the combination of epic fantasy and fun characters was perfect for me personally. This should me another murder mystery and I can't wait.

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde 3) by Heather Fawcett (Feb 11th): I have already read this since I got an ARC but I did adore the ending! This installment started quiet slowly but ended on a much more high fantasy note than I expected in a good way.

March

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (March 18): I was surprised by how much I enjoyed John Green's nonfiction essay collection since I found his fiction a little rote. But his essay collection had a bittersweet thoughtfulness I really appreciated. As such, I am very interested in his next nonfiction work.

April

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (April 25th): I am among the masses that have followed Emily Henry ever since I read "Book Lovers" and discovered her dialogue. Her work can get a little repetitive after a point, but this had such an interesting premise of two writers competing to write the biography of a reclusive famous author. I'm seated.

Authority by Andrea Long Chu (April 8th): An essay collection on the nature of authority in a world where "everyone thinks they know everything." I am fascinated by this topic.

May

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Fredrik Backman is one of my authors. I read A Man Called Ove at such a challenging time in my life that it hit like a freight train and I've been following Backman's work ever since. I love when things hurt nicely--and a book about friendship from Backman? I am ready to hurt nicely.

OTHERS

Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher, a Snow White retelling (!!! another one of my authors, I adore Kingfisher)

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by Victoria E. Schwab (I've always been lukewarm on Schwab, but toxic lesbian vampires has my damn ears perked)

You Didn't Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip by Kelsey McKinney (I LOVE the Normal Gossip podcast and will be here for this)

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If there are any books you think I'll like, lmk! I'm always on the look out for stuff like Jade City or Naomi Novik's work.

[bloodmaarked]

➫ monthly book round-up: august 2024

books read: 8 [=] average rating: 3.75 [-6%] average speed: 13 days [+65%] total pages: 2,396 [-22%] yearly goal progress: 55/50 [110%] best of the month: crime and punishment, fyodor dostoyevsky worst of the month: leave the world behind, rumaan alam

4.5* reads:

empireland: how imperialism has shaped modern britain, sathnam sanghera

water moon, samantha sotto yambao

crime and punishment, fyodor dostoyevsky

the hound of the baskervilles, arthur conan doyle

3.5* reads:

family lore, elizabeth acevedo

the vanishing half, brit bennett

2.5* reads:

leave the world behind, rumaan alam

in search of the perfect peach: why flavour holds the answer to fixing our food system, franco fubini

currently reading:

an african history of africa, zeinab badawi

the muse, jessie burton

the body in the library, agatha christie

[astreamoflight]

Currently reading Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao. I really enjoyed the first part of this book! I love how dreamy this book is; it reminds me a lot of Spirited Away and The Starless Sea.

[wearethekat]

January Book Review Overview

Amatka (Karin Tidbeck)

The Pillar (Kim Fielding)

Gothictown (Emily Carpenter)

Once Was Willem (MR Carey)

Single Player (Tara Tai)

The Ministry of Time (Kaliane Bradley)

Murder by Memory (Olivia Waite)

Direct Descendant (Tanya Huff)

Nicked (MT Anderson)

Fella Enchanted (SO Callahan)

Hammajang Luck (Makana Yamamoto)

Embodied Exegesis (ed. Ann Leblanc)

A Brother's Price (Wen Spencer)

Death of the Author (Nnedi Okorafor)

A Palace Near the Wind (Ai Jiang) forthcoming

The Queen of Fives (Alex Hay)

The Rainfall Market (You Yeong-Gwang)

The Legend of Meneka (Kritika Rao)

The Good Women of Fudi (Liu Hong)

The Mountain in the Sea (Ray Nayler)

Haunt Sweet Home (Sarah Pinsker)

The Serpent Called Mercy (Roanne Lau)

The King's Messenger (Susanna Kearsley)

DNF:

This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us (Edgar Cantero)

North is the Night (Emily Rath)

The Empress (Kristin Cast)

The Failures (Benjamin Liar)

Lightfall (Ed Crocker)

Water Moon (Samantha Sotto Yambao)