Introduction
In a not so ordinary pawnshop in Tokyo, you can pawn your choices and regrets and leave never knowing what you gave up. Water Moon follows the pawnshop owner's daughter, Hana, who wakes up to the shop ransacked and her father missing - but Hana has lived her entire life surrounded by puzzles and being trained in who to read (and to a certain extend manipulate) people. She embarks on her hunt for her father along with Keishin, a physicist from the "normal" world who cannot resist the idea of exploring a world that defies all the logic he breathes every day.
The premise is simple, and the story is clear from the very beginning. But as Hana herself states several times, nothing is ever as it seems, and this book pulled the carpet away from under my feet several times at the end. It is a journey that never really slows down with each place being more magical and intriguing than the last. It was easy to tell from the very start that this book deserved attention and in return would provide quality entertainment.
World building
I don't even know where to begin, but the world building in this book is everything! It is the strongest reason why anyone should pick it up and devour it. Hana's world exist alongside ours, but is ruled by Shiikuin, immortal beings that punish anyone who does not follow the rules. The fact that these rules also covers the life choices of every being is also an interesting choice - this means that everything in for example Hana's life has been decided since her birth, and she is not to divert from the plan. She is supposed to take over the pawnshop and marry Haruto, never needing to make any big life decisions herself. But yet, some people still do, and they suffer the consequences, as does Hana's mother when she steals a pawned regret and is swiftly taken away by the Shiikuin.
I will not go into detail for each place that Hana and Keishin visit (there are way too many), but more the overall atmosphere. Everywhere is magical, but never unimaginable or difficult to comprehend. It is not Alice in Wonderland, but rather a simple idea interpreted in a different way. The book is full of libraries not containing books, but rather things that were discarded, and stars made of wishes, hand painted by an entire village. The world is being folded as origami paper to enter a house, and flying on a rumour as it is circulated by people. It never stirs far from what we know, but instead it is just magical enough that I never grew tired of visiting a new place.
In the beginning, I got a little bit frustrated with the amount if time skips, however, which felt like a choice so to not bore the reader, and less of a way to introduce all the necessary information to get the story started. At times, it was difficult to grasp whether a flashback was just meant for the reader or if it was a way the character was giving more information to another character. The lines blended together, and sometimes it worked - other times it did not.
Characters
The story has a duel POV, where we follow both Hana and Keishin, and often the view blends together. I think both characters contrast each other well, and it is a clearcut journey where Hana has to accept that perhaps her life is not set in stone as she is led to believe. She is determined and pushes through no matter which was a pleasant surprise, as I was worried during the first 50 pages that Hana was the type to never leave the house. Before Keishin stepped in, it seemed as if Hana had never been anywhere in her life, so it was a thrill to discover that I was mistaken and that she could take both me and Keishin on a journey through a world she knows very well. Overall, Hana was an enjoyable character with room to grow without being bemeaning of Keishin who questioned everything he experienced. Some might think that the main characters are flat, and while I agree that they do not appear so fleshed out, they both have room for improvement. This book has a specific writing and story telling style that leans into simplicity - this is not Game of Thrones where we need three pages to describe the food people are eating. At the same time, we do not need page after page after page discussing their romance. It is simply a different writing style and people who do not grasp that is missing the point.
Which leads to my only negative comment regarding the main characters: Keishin is a physicist (researching neutrions) and by God, could I have been without that. Being married to one myself, it simply does not have the same appeal to me as others. Naturally, this only applies to me, but why did he have to be a physicist, they are not that curious in real life as in theory. Sigh. Just sigh.
Lastly, I enjoyed Haruto as a character as well and I was heartbroken to see him die to protect Hana. Everyone deserved much better than what they got, especially him. I would have loved a flashback or too that could reflect their relationship, just liked Keishin had a flashback with the pregnant lady in the elevator. This specific scene will be discussed below as I have seen a few reviews talking about it and people appear to have lost all sense of interpretation skills.
My thoughts on other people's thoughts
I made the mistake of reading reviews of this book right before bedtime which made it almost impossible to fall asleep afterwards. A lot of people had a problem with the elevator scene, a flashback where Keishin helps a pregnant woman give birth in an elevator as they are stuck and waiting for help. People appear to misunderstand the scene completely and not giving it the significance it deserves. Yes, it is never referred to again but that is also the point. The scene reflects Keishin's character, how he acts under distress, his coping mechanisms and how he still hasn't found that thing (or person) in his life which the woman got when she held her baby for the first time. It does not take a literature degree to understand, yet people still miss it completely. I can only sigh and worry about people's level literacy.
Another comment I saw often was the lack of romance between the two main characters. People critised how quickly them seem to fall for one another without much reason. However, this is because so many people are addicted (and used to) reading 800+ pages of romantasy where slow-burns live aplenty. This book is not that, it is written in a completely different writing style that many readers are unfamiliar with as they tend to stir towards the TikTok bestsellers that (often) tend to be poorly written, where more words are better. But simplicity is an artform, and Water Moon might not be perfect as Holly Black's books, but it tries and I appreciate it. People who complain about should try reading quality books instead. The romance might be quick but it is in no way not plausible and believable.
Lastly, I was made aware of cultural stereotypes and inconsistencies as Yambao is not Japanese herself and therefore misinterprets Japanese culture and language, portraying it in a whimsical way that Westerners like to do. Here, I cannot agree or deny anything but there was nothing in the setting that disturbed my enjoyment of the book. I will leave such discussions to people with the necessary knowledge.
Overall rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐★★
This book was pleasant read that swept me away in a magical world without being too whimsical nor unrealistic. The ending with its numerous plot twists had me screaming and everything suddenly clicked and made sense - not that you ever thought it was bad, yet somehow there was something that didn't add up, you just couldn't put your finger on what it was. Water Moon deserves more praise than most people give it and I will defend it with my soul if anyone dares critise points that reflect great writing skills against people's extremely poor reading skills. The originality of the setting deserves the highest praise as it is such a rarity these days. I would not hesitate to pick up another book by Yambao.
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