I requested When The Tides Held The Moon mostly because of the gorgeous cover. But also because it’s a mermaid story with Puerto Rican representation and, as a Latina, that appealed to me. Speaking of the cover, the author also created the cover illustration, the art on the end-papers, as well as a ton of gorgeous in-text illustrations and they do not disappoint! 😍 There are a lot of elements of this story that I enjoyed. The prose is beautiful, and there is so much Spanish woven into the text in a casual way, like how a bilingual person thinks. Never fear, there’s a not-so-little glossary! It came in so handy, especially for Puerto Rican slang and proverbs I’d never heard of.

I especially enjoyed how the author crafted the dialogue between the multi-cultural troupe of Luna Park, complete with the speech patterns of 1910’s New York! Each character’s voice was vibrating with unique personality, to the point of seeming almost plastered on like a mask. Given that they’re circus performers on the fringes of society, and only tolerated as long as they can provide entertainment, this is purposeful. As the reader get to know the other characters, we’re forced to think about survival, what face you show to the world, and what lies you tell yourself. This to me was the strongest part of the book.

Unfortunately, the romance was deeply disappointing, and since this is a fantasy romance that’s quite a large portion of the book I had issues with. The romance begins in a very difficult place, with Benny’s actions leading to the merman being captured. Not the best way to find a boyfriend. But I had hope, I knew these two were going to have to work hard to iron out their issues and I was looking forward to the Merman holding Benny accountable. But did any of that happen? No! Because the merman almost immediately forgave him! Then they spent the rest of the time falling in love…while one of them was trapped and the other doing diddly squat about it! Everything about their so-called relationship screamed ‘the magic of love will fix everything’. And yet it didn’t, it just felt like a dead (and very unromantic) fish. Pun intended. 😆

Thank you to Netgalley & Erewhon Books; All opinions are my own.
Rated 3.5 On Fable & The StoryGraph

Da ich ein großer Fan von Venessa Kelleys „Fanart“ bin, war schnell klar, dass ich auch their Debütroman lesen wollte, zumal man die Bilder von Rio und Benny von they als Abonnent theirs Kanals schon länger kannte.

Und was soll ich sagen? Das Buch hat mich nicht enttäuscht, im Gegenteil. Genauso schön wie they aus anderen Büchern Bilder malt (Simon Snow, Das Lied des Achill, RWRB etc.) und die Gefühle der Szene darin einfängt, genauso schreibt they auch…

Benny ist frisch eingewanderter Puerto Ricaner im New York der 1910s und arbeitet als Schmied. Zu Anfang ist er nur Hilfskraft aber ein Unfall sorgt dafür, dass er seinen Job verliert, aber gleich wieder einen bei einem Coney Island Zirkus findet und dort seine künstlerische Seite ausleben darf. So baut er einen großen Tank in dem die neuste Attraktion der Gruppe ausgestellt werden soll, ein Mermann, der das Kuriositätenkabinet auch finanziell aus der Misere holen soll. Und Benny soll direkt helfen, besagten Mermann zu fangen. Was durch eine List sogar gelinkt. Mermann Rio, ist mehr als nur eine mythologische Figur und allen voran Benny kann sich ihm nicht entziehen, will das aber auch nicht. Mehr verrate ich zur Geschichte nicht 😊

Vennessa hat es geschafft eine wunderbare Truppe an diversen Charakteren zu schaffen, ohne dass es einem vorkommt, als hätte they das um Biegen und Brechen machen wollen. Aber alleine schon das Kuriositätenkabinet gibt in diesem Punkt genug glaubhaften Hintergrund und macht Bennys Wahlfamilie umso sympathischer. Und auch die Beziehung zwischen Benny und Rio finde ich sehr schön dargestellt. Ein weiterer großer Pluspunkt, und warum ich das Print-Buch unbedingt haben musste, sind natürlich Kelleys Zeichnungen. Sowohl Cover, wie auch Endpaper und Illustrationen im Buch sind alle wunderschön und genau in dem bekannten Stil von ihr. Also meine Empfehlung für alle die eine schöne und recht cozy Romanze lesen wollen, mit Charakteren die sich (sogar als Mermann) ziemlich echt anfühlen. Thank you Venessa for telling us the Story of Benny and Rio. I hope you have more stories to tell us with time 😊

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This novel is a positively lovely tale that tells the story of a young Puerto Rican immigrant as he joins a sideshow group on Coney Island to seek his fortunes and falls in love with the merman this group captured.

The language and writing is gorgeous, and perfectly captures both Benigno and Rio's feelings of not belonging anywhere but with each other. The sideshow cast is also a delightful collection of eccentric characters that show Benigno what family can truly look like.

And if the book wasn't beautiful enough already, it contains stunning illustrations also created by the author. I look forward to reading new books and seeing new art from them!

If you’re looking for a story, that is fun and romance, this is it but you get a little bit more than just that. You go back in time when people are starting to migrate to America and explore what the new world is. You get the political issues from then and that is still present today. You watch as Benny discover himself and accept who he is along with the people around him. You fall in love with all the people that become his family. This is a beautiful tail of love and diversity with a little bit of circus.

This was delightful, not just because of the characters but also the illustrations! So gorgeous. I got so hooked into the story I finished it in three days.

I absolutely adored this book. The story was so romantic and sweet. Benny and Rio were so perfect together and the development of their relationship from sort of enemies, to friends, to lovers, was amazing. The side characters were well-developed and the queer representation was awesome. The pictures were a fantastic addition to the story too. I would've liked a clearer/more definitive what exactly happened with Benny and Rio at the end, however, I know that the story ends with a very clear how you are supposed to interpret things. It was amazing, I look forward to what comes next from this author.

DNF @ 5% because I just couldn't get into it, even after attempting to start a few times (in different months and in different formats).

I was hearing a lot of good things about this book! However, my brain had a lot of difficulty parsing the formatting of eARC. After trying to start it a few times at different points in April and early May, I gave up on the eARC version. This could be a me-thing; I deal with migraines on and off during our rainy season in the Mid-Atlantic.

More recently, I borrowed the audiobook from my local library. The narrator did a great job, especially with accents and when he was narrating in Spanish. But out of the gate there was a lot of racism, particularly between different sets of immigrants (Irish vs. Puerto Rican, specifically) and that made me uncomfortable. I'm not in a place right now where I want to read about that while immigrants are being snatched off the streets and sent to internment camps.

I never did try the physical version, which may have been the best way for my brain to parse it. But after trying for months, I think I'm just going to say this one isn't for me.

There are some books that feel absolutely magical when you’re reading them. This was one of those books. The aesthetic of this book was the first thing that grabbed my attention when starting but everything was so breathtaking. The pictures, the people and the words.

I’m not going to lie, I did cry in the middle of the airport and on the plane more than once reading this book.

This book is diverse and enchanting. I love a circus trope because of the different type of people we see and it was so beautifully written. It was the greatest showman but mermen? I loved the whimsy and heartfeltness of it all, thank you netgalley and erewhon books for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC!

Set in 1910s New York City, the mythical, the fictitious and the realistic all meet on the shores of Coney Island. This story weaves together a tapestry of commentary on the views and treatment of immigrants and those who seem just a little different with a splash of the elusive mythical mer(man) guiding the plotline.

This was my first five star book of the year in the fiction category. The main character of Benigno (Benny) tugs on your heartstrings for the struggles he faced in Puerto Rico and the adversity he continues to face thousands of miles from home. His experiences could have easily made him bitter, but instead they drive him further in his love for his found family as part of the sideshow as well as for Río who he has promised to release from his captivity.

I believe even if up until this point, you haven’t enjoyed historical fiction, it just takes one book. For me, it was You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian last year. It takes a special author to take a particular time period and write a story that embodies the life, the struggles and the joy of that time period in just a few hundred pages without leaving the reader overly bogged down in the history. Of course this story includes mer-creatures, so the world is still a little more fantastical than the normal 1910s, but no one has ever said no to more fun.

The addition of Río, who is both of our world and not, is a good conduit to funnel the world through to get the reader familiar with the book’s setting and time period. His relationship with Benny is sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. Río spends much of his time in captivity and by the end of the book, his fate and Benny’s is open ended beyond it being a happy one, which is all I needed to know.
I believe this book will be in my top five of the year, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future (as soon as possible, please!).

Queer historical Puerto Rican mermaid found family romance is a lot of topics to throw in one book, but in this case, everything really worked. I didn't care much for the merman, Río, or most of his scenes, but every other character was compelling, no matter how small a role they played (Emmett and Matthias were my favorites). It's very slow-paced, which worked well for me because we got to know the rest of the group.

When The Tides Held The Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley is a breathtaking, genre-defying debut that blends historical fiction, magical realism, and queer romance into something utterly unforgettable. Set in the gritty, electric world of 1910s Coney Island, this novel tells the story of Benigno “Benny” Caldera, a blacksmith whose handcrafted iron tank for Luna Park’s sideshow becomes the unexpected home and prison of a living merman named Rio.

What unfolds is not just a romance, but a heart-wrenching exploration of captivity, love, and the cost of doing what's right in an unjust world. Benny and Rio’s bond begins in necessity, but blossoms into something transcendent. Rio is more than just a mythical marvel he’s tender, intelligent, and profoundly empathetic. Watching Benny fall for him first in cautious steps, then with all his heart is a slow-burning joy that pulls you under like the tide.

The supporting cast is nothing short of extraordinary. The sideshow performers form a vibrant, diverse family whose own stories are rich and moving. Kelley gives each of them depth and dignity, never letting them fall into caricature. You come to care deeply about each one, making the stakes of Benny’s ultimate decision feel all the more urgent.

And then there’s the artwork gorgeous, evocative illustrations that elevate the reading experience into something almost cinematic. Every image is perfectly placed and adds texture to the already lyrical prose, breathing life into an already vivid world.

The final act of the novel is a whirlwind: emotional, action-packed, and full of twists that kept me on edge. Benny and Rio’s hard-won happily ever after feels not just earned, but essential. It’s a victory over fear, over cruelty, and over the cages both literal and figurative that try to contain who we are and who we love.

This is a book that will haunt you in the best way. It sings with sorrow and joy, iron and ocean, myth and truth. I will be thinking about Benny and Río for a long time to come.

When the Tides Held the Moon is about Benny, who finds himself in the center of a Coney Island oddities troop who has found a mer they want to include in their show. Benny ends up forming an unexpected relationship with the mer. My short blurb for friends has been MM The Shape of Water vibes. I loved the inclusion of other languages and how easily they switched. THE ART. Omg the art is such an added bonus. Given that the cover art drew me in first, I was so excited to see that more art was included throughout the story. So, so beautiful.

Thanks to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

This book was fantastic, the imagery was completely consuming and I loved it! Having the artwork through out the book was a great touch as well! it was a great, but slow, romance.

what a magically cute and exciting story! I couldn't put it down. I loved the wide variety of characters and how they grew with the storyline. The love between the two main characters had my heart melting! I enjoyed the Spanish and other languages that so easily fit in with the narrative and easy to understand.

When the Tides Held the Moon is one of those books that quietly wraps around your heart when you least expect it—like the ocean pulling at your ankles when you thought you were standing on solid ground.

Let’s start with the vibes. This book is dripping in aesthetic. We’re talking 1910s New York, queer circus performers, shadowy alleyways, a Puerto Rican immigrant protagonist, and—yes—a merman. Add in beautifully illustrated scenes (yes, actual art!) and I was hooked before page ten. It's like someone stitched together a vintage photo album, a sea-salted fairy tale, and a queer historical drama—and somehow made it work.

We follow Benigno, who’s down on his luck in about a hundred different ways. A queer Puerto Rican man in a time and place that is not kind to difference, Benigno gets pulled into a scheme to capture a mermaid. Except... it’s a merman. Río. And this mythical sea creature ends up locked in a tank Benigno designed, which is a very awkward setup for what turns out to be a slow, tender, unexpectedly swoony romance. (If you didn’t have “falling in love with a merman in your emotionally stunted immigrant era” on your 1910s bingo card, well... now you do.)

But here’s the thing—this book isn’t just a romance. At its core, it’s about belonging. About finding home—not a physical place necessarily, but people. The kind of home that sees you, even when you're still figuring yourself out. The side characters, a messy and lovable circus troupe, really drove that home for me. They are warm, chaotic, deeply loyal, and felt like the true soul of the story. I already miss them. I want to text them. I want to share snacks with them in a backstage tent somewhere.

Now, was it perfect? Not quite. I won’t lie—Benigno’s hesitation to act at certain moments had me whisper-yelling at the pages. Like, “my dude… now is the time!” But honestly, his fear felt real. Understandable. Painfully human. You just want to hug him and remind him that he deserves good things. Even (especially) if they come with gills and an attitude.

By the time I hit the midpoint, the pages started flying by. And by the end, I wasn’t reading—I was feeling. I closed the book with that strange ache we get when we’ve been seen in unexpected ways. Like maybe the parts of ourselves we think are too weird, too soft, too much… maybe those are exactly the parts that deserve love the most.

Would I recommend it? Wholeheartedly. Especially if you like your romance with a side of sea-tinged melancholy and your found family with a dash of glitter and sawdust.

Honestly,
the book itself is not bad. The build-up is rather slow paced and takes a bit to really get into the more thrilling filled obstacles. You will feel the sea spray, you will feel the sails beneath your hands. However, if you expect to a fast paced story, I'm terribly sorry. It will take some time but it is worth it.
I am just taking a star off as I was sadly not in the right mood to appreciate the book as I possibly should've.

On the surface, this story is about a merman and a human, both trapped in different ways, finding comfort and love with each other. But more than that, this story takes a deeper look at what it means to experience humanity in a world that is not made for everyone to belong in. But while humanity seems to grow under diversity, it is never able to truly bloom without safety and acceptance.
This is a low spice, high swoon, slow burn historical romance featuring a Puerto Rican immigrant in 1911 New York and a Merman that has been captured to be a part of a freak show on Coney Island.

For years, I have seen Vanessa Kelley's art as an indicator for next reads. I have picked up multiple books as a result of seeing her art alone, so it was exciting to see and original work.

The story was fun and fresh, the cast of characters diverse and the interspersing of Spanish in the middle of the text really made me feel like I was in Benny's head. It had me reaching for google alot (as I don't speak Spanish) but I liked that. It was a window into someone else's experience.

The art scattered throughout the book really elevates the story, and after seeing Kelley art of things that I have loved (The Darkness outside us, A Lady for Duke etc), it's so nice to see it telling an original story, and it just really lifted it for me.

I haven't rushed through this story, I have slowed down to savour it!

Thank you, Kensington Publishing | Erewhon Books and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Benigno "Benny" is an orphaned Boricua blacksmith and he doesn't see himself as an artist, but the ironwork tank he created for the famed playground, Luna Park, has impressed everyone and the side-show proprietor who commissioned it and Benny's work earns him an invitation to join the other performers. He will soon learn his tank is to be a cage for a merman captured from the bank of the East River. Benny starts to know the merman, called Rio, as more of a mythical creature, but as a clever, witty, smart kindred spirit, while their friendship morphs into something more during time and Benny will have to choose if betray his new performers family or to follow his own heart and do the right thing.

I got the pleasure to know Venessa Vida Kelley through her fantasy and romantic art and I couldn't wait to read this novel and it was absolutely perfect. It's lush, brilliant and illustrated historical romance between a Puerto Rican immigrant and a captured merman and if this incipit doesn't make you want to devour this book I don't know what will.
The story is wonderful, heartfelt, cozy and I was in love with every piece of art and every page. The love story between Benny and Rio is absolutely magical and I loved how the author talked about their struggles, their, different but still..., captivity, their love and bond. It was fantastic, unique and I truly recommend this book to everyone.

4.25 stars

Benny's life was irrevocably changed the moment he agreed to build a massive ironwork tank for Luna Park. it's both a blessing and a curse for him, because he just landed a better paying job, but also his handiwork directly led to the captivity of a majestic mythical sea creature: a merman.

thinking that it's already too late to change anything, Benny determined to at least ease the merman's living situation the best he could. eventually the merman soften to him, and even let Benny give him a name. as their friendship grows, something also started to bloom in Benny's heart.

I loved Benny and Rio's interspecies star-crossed lovers dynamic, their chemistry was unmatched, it would be thoroughly a lovely romantic read if it's not for MORGAN, Luna Park's owner. God I hate him so much. So the whole time reading I was half eager to see how their relationship turned out but half anxious about everything else.

There's also a band of human oddities under Luna Park employment that formed a wholesome found family despite their stark differences. I love that the narrator gave distinct accents to each of them, respectful to their backgrounds. it added soo much flavor to the narration.

Oh BTW the setting also captured the vibes perfectly, felt like I could see the scenes inside my head frame to frame. plus IT'S ILLUSTRATED by the author herself, how cool is that??? I'm obsessed.

I would easily give this a full 5 stars if it weren't for the ending. it's all so cryptic and too short, I mean yes I could interpret and imagine the ending by myself but after everything Benny & Rio were through I needed the aftermath to be spelled out clearly in the pages for me pleaseee. but overall I loved this book!