Book Review: Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

 Well,  let's chalk this one up to my first really kind of disappointing read of the year. 

I'm still sort of stunned that I didn't like it because I was sure this was going to be one of my favorites of the year. 

I loved the cover, and I loved the premise:

Hana is taking over a pawnshop where people sell their regrets. on her first day as owner, she's confronted by disorder, a missing father and an attractive stranger. She and the stranger embark on a magical journey to find her father that spans two separate but parallel universes where time is being bent and folded as easily as origami.  

Well- origami isn't that easy...if you're interested, try out this tutorial on making a frog.  

   This book also wasn't that easy for me.  It had many beautiful quotes, all regarding our life choices, and life paths, but in-between the utterly high-lightable quotes, the plot seemed to flow out sort of like a sluggish stream. Hana is on a hero's journey that no one requested, not really ever her.  Her partner in the search is really on a journey for Hana, a woman he had not really known prior to just jumping into a pond with her. They are being chased by some truly terrifying monsters that are somehow in charge of souls, but we don't really get to meet these bird like creatures, so most of the horror is never realized.  I feel like delving into that actual horror of a soul harvester, might have made the book a whole heck of a lot more interesting. The story is told in third person which is something that I've not enjoyed so much now that I've read a number of first person and dual point of view novels.  

I think this is an interesting read that gives some nice space to examine life choices, regrets, and the chance occurrences that really shape our lives, but somehow, I just couldn't dive right into it, and I was both surprised and delighted when the narrator started in on "we hope you have enjoyed..." It may have been the time that it was read,  I don't have any particular "icks" about the book, it was "fine" so if I had picked it up say even two weeks later, I might give it a different review. 

    So Onwards, Another one down that involved water but...didn't seem to add to my knowledge.  I think I'd recommend A letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall over this still, and Cathrall has book 2 in that series coming out as well!!!  (You can request Book two via NetGalley! 

It's possible  I missed the mark with this one, and failed to see the grand scheme, let me know all about it in the comments!