I loved this from beginning to end. The relationship, the NY historical setting, the luna park, the found family! All perfect ❤️
And those illustrations were spectacular 🤩

When the Tides Held the Moon is a beautifully illustrated YA romantasy by Venessa Vida Kelley. Released 29th April 2025 by Kensington on their Erewhon Books imprint, it's 464 pages and is available in special hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

Comparisons to The Shape of Water and The Greatest Showman are apt enough, but the additional wistful melancholy and aching desire of this story are nuanced and beautiful. The book is additionally enhanced by the artist/author's illustrations, which are intricate pen and ink and recall La Belle Époque. Much of the book is written around a framework of real history, Dreamland for example, was a real amusement park on Coney Island, where much of the book takes place.

MC Beni's ethical/moral dilemma (rescue/release someone he's fallen hard for and lose his found family as well) drives the plot and he's such a morally pure and admirable protagonist. His quandary is poignant and heartbreaking. The climax, denouement, and resolution are perfect and satisfying.

It's peppered with Puerto Rican Spanish phrases and words. They probably won't pose too much challenge in context, but the author/publisher have also included a handy glossary in the back of the book.

Four and a half stars. It's so well written. Recommended for public library acquisition, for fans of historical fantasy, and it would make an excellent buddy read or book club selection. One of the best reads so far in 2025.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

An absolutely wonderful book! I was so incredibly excited for this one as I've been a big fan of Venessa Kelley's artwork for years. I've seen art of Benny and Rio long before any information of this book came out and watching them come to life on page and in print has been amazing.

The book itself is beautifully written and each character easily captures your attention and heart. Found family, queer love and joy, surviving against all odds and prejudice- this book has it all and I'm so glad to have read it and brought these characters in to my life.

𝗔 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝗮 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵’𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹

"𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥, 𝘐’𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 🌱📚
Set in 1911 New York City, it follows Benny, a Puerto Rican blacksmith, who unknowingly crafts a cage for a merman named Río. Their unexpected bond blossoms into a tender love story, set against the vibrant backdrop of Coney Island's Luna Park.

𝗧𝗲𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀🍵🪽
I loved how this book blended history, fantasy, and romance so seamlessly. The setting? Stunning. The characters? So easy to love. Benny and Río’s relationship felt so soft and real, and the found family aspect added even more heart. Plus, the book has illustrations by the author, which made it even more immersive.

It’s a story about love, identity, and finding the courage to fight for what matters. And honestly? It made me feel everything—joy, heartbreak, hope. If you love historical fantasy with deep emotions and a bit of magic, this one’s for you.

Benny, is an immigrant blacksmith who comes to New York and finds himself working for a sideshow in Coney Island where he comes to know the 'attractions' that work there and a stolen merman. While working on his cage, Benny gets to know the merman he calls Rio and learns of his desire to return to the ocean.

This book has beautiful writing and lovely illustrations (done by the author herself) but the book itself seemed to take a long time to get the conclusion. I appreciate that the time was probably to show the relationships developing between the people working at the sideshow, but I thought it dragged and seems to ignore the urgency of other plot points.

While there's a lot to be enjoyed in this book (mostly the illustrations) the plot moves slowly and I have to say with all the time spent on the characters, I still got them confused at the end.

I really enjoyed this book--not sure whether to call it historical fiction, fantasy, romance, or what, but it was great regardless! I know I won't stop thinking about these characters for a while. Shape of Water if it was a little less freaky and set in a sideshow. I especially loved the illustrations, they were perfectly chosen moments in the story and were such a treat. Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was fun but could have given more detail--especially at the end. Benny's transformation into a mermaid is left so vague and up to the reader that it's never FULLY confirmed in a way that would have felt satisfying.

ultimately this book was fun but felt like the debut it was and could have, in my opinion, used more oomph. Will look for more from the author though.

Benny washes up on the shores of New York from Puerto Rico and starts working in an ironworks department until he is discovered by the charismatic owner of a Coney Island circus sideshow. He then, through unfortunate circumstances, meets a beautiful merman. This novel features a touching romance, a loving found family, and is a story of learning to accept yourself despite how others view you.
Included in the book are the author’s gorgeous illustrations and endpapers which enhance the world building and heighten emotional moments.
I've followed this author for a couple years because of their illustrations so I was very excited to read their debut novel and support their works and writing. The book comes with a detailed author’s note complete with a researched historical timeline as well as a glossary. You can really tell how much care and thought was put into telling this story. I’m excited to see what Venessa Vida Kelley does next.

Late late ARC review; thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and Erewhon Books for the access to this ebook.

This was a nice, gay fantasy romance between a Boricua blacksmith and a merman, and it explores the immigrant experience and what it's like to be othered. I enjoyed my time with it, but what you see is what you get. There aren't many big surprises in the way the story develops, so it's very straightforward, not super exciting, and the worldbuilding was a little lacking, but the characters were likable, and I thought they were very sweet together, though I wasn't super emotionally invested. I wish this had more intense fairytale vibes or something a bit more substantial about it. I wouldn't say it's highly memorable, but I liked it while I read it, and it had great elements. I just wish things were fleshed out more, or I connected more with it. As it is, I think it's a solid 3-star book, and I recommend checking it out.

An incredible new york fairy tale that reads similarly to 'The Shape of Water'. Not only is the romance swoon worthy, but the very real and human depth to the characters was apparent.

This was such an interesting read. It is very reminiscent of THE SHAPE OF WATER. And who doesn't love a hot, grumpy merman to swoon over! The queer representation in this book is also positive and great. And the 1900's NY vibe was so fun. Thanks to Venessa, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Goddamn beautiful. If you watched The Shape of Water and thought to yourself “What a beautiful exploration of loneliness, exploitation, and the definitions of monstrosity and humanity … but I still want more. I wish it also tackled themes of race, found family, queer identity and the American Dream,” then this book is for you. I cannot wait to see what this author puts out next. She truly has a gift.

A mermaid romance set in a Greatest Showman dream-like show, with questions of identity, finding found families and true love, all set in the 1910s? This was a book I never knew I needed. Following Benigno, a queer Puetro Rican immigrant, and the mysterious merman, Rio, as they fight against the dark mechanisms of Dreamland and a world that won't accept either.

Venessa Vida Kelley creates a dream-like romance that weaves in themes of found family, connections deeper than appearances, fighting for what's right and the aching wish of belonging (which fits exceptionally well with an LGBTQ+ story). I fell in love with the story from the first page, with how she handles each theme and intertwines them so seamlessly that it feels real. The romance between Benny and Rio was so sweet and beautiful that I wished the book went on longer just to read more about them. The ending has me in tears.

The illustrations are also a delight to see, adding to the fantastic nature of the story, but also grounding it as they show each character's individuality in their personalities, bringing a new dimension to the story. They also add to the theme of found family as they show how each character fits into the group to create a family of friends and supporters.

Overall, When The Tides Held The Moon is a beautiful, cosy fantasy romance that pulls you in from the first page with its romance, magical realism and the realness of each character and how you feel like you found a new family with the characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing, for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A gay mermaid romance, what more could I ask for? This one took me a little while to get into, but once that happened, I was hooked and it flew by. This story is set in 1910s New York and follows Benigno, a queer Puerto Rican immigrant, and Rio, a merman. The themes of finding a home within yourself and others hit hard, and I loved the diversity of the characters. This was a highly enjoyable story that I will most likely be putting on my reread list!
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC, opinions are my own and given freely!

I’m not usually into period pieces, but this one completely pulled me in and I enjoyed quite a lot
A queer Puerto Rican blacksmith and a grumpy merman falling in love in 1910s New York? Very unexpected but ended up being very tender, emotional and story full of heart that i didnt expect liking as much as i did
I very much enjoyed how it leaned into found family, quiet connection, and the ache of belonging which fit very well with the lgbtq+ story.

It has been an honor to watch this story grow up--from inception to aspiration to release date; from plot tangles and rough sketches and research research research--into such a lyrical, emotional, magnificently illustrated debut of a book.

The era and setting felt like a faithful rendering; the characters and their dynamics were intriguing, delightful; and the multilingual text flowed easily across the page. But most of all, I adored Benny's determination and Río's empathy, and both of their beautifully kind hearts.

And when I finally closed the book, I clutched it to my chest and cried like a proud tia at the wedding of her favorite sobrinos.

Perfecto. Perfectísimo.

Thank you to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start out by saying how much I loved the premise of this book and Kelley did an incredible job of bringing it to life! In this historical fiction fantasy, Benny is an orphaned, immigrant from Puerto Rico who came as a dying wish to his adopted grandmother. He works as a blacksmith in New York, until he has a work accident which ends his employment. He’s given a new opportunity to build a giant tank for a side show in Luna Park, where he joins the crew and finds a found family that he never even dreamed of having.

The entire crew of the Menagerie are an eclectic group who all have different talents in their show, but they welcome Benny in to the fold. I loved getting to know all of these characters and how they truly are a family.

Río + Benny have my heart! I love them. It’s so easy to immediately feel this way, especially about Benny. He’s such a great MMC. He definitely is struggling throughout the book with his feelings for Río and coming out publicly about his sexuality. I think this part of Benny’s journey felt so realistic and authentic. And Río… a merman, the unlikely friend that Benny never saw coming. I love how their friendship and relationship slowly evolve through the book. Through their discussions, you really get to learn about each of them individually—learning about Río’s experience as a merman and being one with the sea and about Benny’s experience growing up in Puerto Rico with his grandmother, having asthma, and hiding his sexuality. You get some really beautiful, vulnerable moments just between the two of them, and I loved it. I especially loved when Río began teaching Benny how to swim. My heart!

Also— there needs to be a moment of silence for the artwork in this book!! I absolutely loved every illustration. I loved seeing certain scenes displayed so beautifully.

CW: racism, homophobia, kidnapping, racial slurs, injury/injury detail, gun violence, blood, sexual assault (off page, side character)

Definitely a must read! I read no idea what this book was about - well that's not true, l knew the book was set in New York 1910s, I knew there was possibly going to be a merman/mermaid (based on the cover and knew that this book was part of the LGBTQ2S+ family!
Fcking loved this book. It did take me a while to get through the first little bit, I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to finish as the writing style was one that was new to me but holy jesus read this book. Oh and one of the best parts in the book is the pop surprise Illustrations by Venessa! I also love that Venessa had the character be bilingual, it's a
"trope" a really love, probably cause I'm jealous they can speak two languages
We meet Benigno or as the Americans call him Benny, an orphan blacksmith in 1910s New York. It doesn't seem to matter what decade we are in, an immigrant of color always seems to be treated differently. Even the white immigrants treat him differently (how the hell does that work?), but an incident at work Benigno finds himself in the mix of sideshow performers. Who would have thought the tank Benigno built would hold a beautiful, mythical creature - a merman.
Guilty that he was part of stealing the merman from the East River, Benigno tries his best to befriend the merman. Rio is untrusting, aggressive and rightly so at first, but Benigno doesn't let that stop him from trying to make Rio's life more comfortable in the tank. An unforeseen friendship starts to bloom between the two, that I can't get over.
Never in his wildest dreams would Benigno have found himself working with sideshow performers, but the more he gets to know them and them, they form a beautiful found family from different walks of life, religion, body types and views on love.

Tropes
Found Family
Queer Romance & Merman
Slow Burn
• Beautiful Illustrations Throughout the Book by the Author
1910s New York Circus

5 out 5 stars
No spicy chilies

A gorgeous, lyrical and vibrant novel that has haunted me ever since I finished reading it. Kelley has created a masterpiece with vivid characters and a slice of the hot sticky heat of summer. A beautiful story about loneliness, isolation, and finding your way through adversity to the family that choose to love you. I adored this.

I loved the writing, plot, characters, and the illustrations! I didn't want the book to end so I took my time reading it
I enjoyed the messages throughout the book. This is definitely one of my favorite books! I love the family Benny made. I also enjoyed Rio's chapters! I loved reading his thoughts/messages to his mother. I love the lgbt content and background stories that the side characters. It was also interesting how the author wrote Morgan and his story line. Overall loved it!