Book Review: Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

December 15, 2025December 15, 2025 Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

Water Moon
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: 14 January 2025
Genre: Cosy Fantasy / Magical Realism

Panda Rating:

_{(3.75 pandas)}

📖 SYNOPSIS

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/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Abortion (mentioned), blood, death of a parent (recounted), murder & physical assault (mentioned)

TL;DR: Water Moon was a whimsical and magical read that evoked such vivid imagery that was strongly reminiscent of Ghibli movies. For what’s considered a cosy healing fiction fantasy, I thought this was fast-paced and action-packed. There were gorgeous moments that filled you with just as much awe and wonder that our MMC felt seeing this other-world unfold before him, but also heart-pounding moments being chased by soulless and sharp-taloned entities who were ready to rip our characters to shreds. The romance relies heavily on the “fated” trope, which was conveniently used to excuse away the instant love connection that forms between Hana and Kei in a matter of days. I can’t say that I was a fan, but Water Moon is one of the rare exception where the whimsy of the world-building was captivating enough for me to still be able to enjoy the overall story despite not enjoying the romance or feeling overly invested in the characters. If you’re looking for a cosy fantasy with some grittier elements set in a magnificently whimsical and magical world, I would recommend checking this out!

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [310]

December 14, 2025 Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.

Unexpectedly, I seem to have found myself in a slump? I’ve picked up several books over the past few days and nothing has really leaped out at me. I do have one read that’s been ongoing for over a week, and I’m enjoying it, but it’s feeling a bit slow thanks to the anxious ‘end-of-year’ mood that has crept over me. I’m feeling jittery and incapable of focusing, so I’m having a hard time sticking with anything. Here’s what I’ve got going on:

*^{Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb, A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone, Death in the Spires by KJ Charles, Better Not Pout by Maren Moore}*

I’m about 30% in Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb, and again although I’m enjoying it, I’m not making heaps of progress very quickly even if I do manage to read at least 2 chapters a day… I keep picking up and putting down A Merry Little Meet Cute, Death in the Spires and Better Not Pout, and while I like each one, my mind feel settled when I read them either—it’s so hard to focus! 🫣 I don’t know what other reads to try… 😮‍💨

What book are you spending your Sunday in bed with?

Let’s Talk Bookish: The Goodreads Choice Awards

December 12, 2025January 19, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Goodreads Choice Awards

Prompts: The 2025 Goodreads Choice Award winners were announced on December 4th! Do you vote for or keep up with the awards? Have you read any of this year’s winners or nominees? The categories have also changed in recent years, creating some controversy: the Romantasy category was added in 2024, and the Children’s and Middle Grade category was removed. What do you think about these changes? What categories would you like to see go away or come back? Are there any other changes to the awards that you’d like to see?

2025 Spotify Wrapped Book Tag

December 11, 2025 Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

It’s that time of the year where we’re wrapping things up and that means, of course, it’s time for the Spotify Wrapped posts to take over our feeds, lol. 😂 So why not add the Spotify Wrapped Book Tag to the mix? I had lots of fun doing it this tag for the last three years so it’s time to do it again now! I wonder if it’ll be easy to find good book matches for some of my favourite tunes this past year? Let’s find out! 🎶

Check out my previous posts: 2024 | 2023 | 2022

This tag was originally created by Rosina @Lace and Dagger Books!

#WWWWednesday: 10 December 2025

December 10, 2025 Dini @ dinipandareads21 Comments

Leslie and I are planning a group read for Dungeon Crawler Carl starting in January 2026! Find more details on Leslie’s page or at the end of this post!

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?

#TopTenTuesday: Let it Snow!

December 9, 2025December 14, 2025 Dini @ dinipandareads41 Comments

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is a: Books Set in Snowy Places (If snow isn’t your thing, pick another kind of place and share books set there!)

Book Review: The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon-Ran

December 8, 2025December 1, 2025 Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

The Midnight Shift
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Pub Date: 14 August 2025 (Original: 11 June 2021)
Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Panda Rating:

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📖 SYNOPSIS

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Death, suicide, dementia, blood, drug abuse, debt, murder

TL;DR: I loved the premise The Midnight Shift more than I did the execution. I don’t actually have that much to say about the book—it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me in the way that I thought it could’ve. It’s an interesting take on a vampire story and one that I don’t recall having read before, but overall, I felt so little emotional connection to the story, that it just fell flat-ish.

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [309]

December 7, 2025 Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

I’ve got a few reads on at the minute but I think I’ll spend my Sunday night in bed reading The Impossible Fortune. Leslie and I are wrapping up this buddy read and it has been such fun to read this series together 🙂 It’s been so easy to slip back into this fifth book. Returning to these characters feels like pulling on an old and comfy blanket over your shoulders and settling into a fluffy cosy chair by the fire. It may not be winter in the tropics, but the weather has been grey and stormy, so just as fitting! ⛈️

What book are you spending your Sunday in bed with?

Let’s Talk Bookish: Festive Reads

December 6, 2025January 19, 2026 Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

This week’s topic is:

Festive Reads

Prompts: Do you read holiday/winter-themed reads? Do you have any on your TBR this December? What have been favorites from past years? Are there any festive books you like to re-read during the holidays?

November 2025 Community Posts!

December 4, 2025 Dini @ dinipandareads16 Comments

We’ve somehow already reached the end of another month. It’s so hard to believe that another year is already pretty much over now that November has come and gone. With that, let’s take a look at the community posts from last month. I hope you’ll take the time to visit some of these creators and show them the appreciation they deserve! ✨📖 Happy reading! 📖✨