Simone and Her Books

If you’re looking for something that whisks you away to a Ghibli-inspired world of dreams, paper cranes, cloud hopping, and more, then this might be the book for you.

Here’s more about Water Moon

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.

Find it on Amazon | Find it on Bookshop.org

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My thoughts

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This was a beautiful story set in a world that feels like you’re in a Ghibli film. Who wouldn’t want to look for their missing father someplace where you can travel through a rumor, or fly through a dream, or see your fate tattooed on your skin? I was so impressed by the beautiful world that Samantha Sotto Yambao created here, but it still fell flat for me.

The story starts off with a pawnshop that’s disguised as a ramen shop in the middle of Japan. Those who are destined to find the shop will walk through the doors of the restaurant only to find themselves transported someplace else. Here, Hana and her family offer one thing: happiness in exchange for their regret. Hana and her family collect the regrets to give to the Shiikuin, who were basically like crime bosses that controlled the world Hana came from.

When her father goes missing one day, Hana follows the clues back to her own world alongside her new human friend, Kei, who happened to wander into the shop. That’s when we see the beautiful world filled with so many things that will make you swoon for it to be real. And while the premise of this book sounded so good, the execution left a lot to be desired.

Overall, it felt a bit confusing and maybe requiring a better editor to help organize the world. There’s a lot of potential here, but the way it was executed was distracting with a lot of leaps in logic, explanation, and melodrama. I really wanted to like this one and it was beautiful, but it didn’t wow me.

Thanks to Del Rey for a gifted copy of the book.