"Your emotions are not madness. Nor are you broken. Everyone else - the cowards who taught you that keep your heart safe meant caging it - they are broken."

This book made me sob in all the best ways. A pairing and backdrop that I would have never imagined. A scrappy Puerto Rican immigrant who unknowingly built a cage for an enchanting and determined merman in NYC 1910s. Not to mention and amazing array of side character who form this Puerto Rican's new found family?

As a queer Puerto Rican, I wish I could have handed this book to me ten years ago. The want to escape to NYC for the American dream is still something that holds very true, 100 years after this book is set. And the fact this was a queer love story but everyone who mattered did not negatively react upon finding out that our main character prefers men, warmed my heart. They welcomed him, all aspects, with open arms.

And we do have a villain in this story, the head of the circus performers who captured the merman. However, I think the author did a good job and not just telling us he's a bad man, but showing us as the story developed until I was sneering any time this man appeared on stage. You really begin rooting for this couple and feel just as helpless and just as much heartbreak as they do at times.

I also loved the ending that all the characters had. If you love a queer love story as much as I do, Puerto Rican representation, and mermen - this one is definitely for you.

This book had such a poetic feel to it. It truly swept me away - pun intended! - on a romantic, lush ride.

3.5 stars rounded up! As a fan of Venessa’s art for years, I was SO delighted to get the chance to read their debut novel.

This books was lovely. Very well written, incredible illustrations (I wonder if these are temp art pieces or if the final release will look different? regardless SO stunning).

Pacing could use some work, the first half was pretty slow. And I often had to pretend I didn’t see a perfectly good solution to every one of Benny and Río’s problems lol but they were very cute and the ending was 🙏❤️ so cute

very excited to read what comes next from Venessa! ty Netgalley etc for the ARC!

I recently read an e-ARC of When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley. (Thank you to NetGalley!) It was an amazing read! There were a bunch of things I liked about the book:

- Beautiful illustrations
- A lot of great disability representation
- Found family
- Enemies to lovers
- GAY! MERMAIDS!!!!!

I really liked the main POV character, Benigno Caldera, and having some snippets from the point of view of the Merman, Rio, gave the book a fuller feel than a normal single POV romance. I also loved how the relationship between Benigno and Rio developed.

rating: 5/5

I want to preface this review quickly with a personal note. I got an ARC of this book (thank you Venessa and NetGalley) in mid-October, right in the midst of a busy Jewish holiday season. I started reading it, but didn’t really have the capacity to really focus in on the book. By early November, I was ready to jump in, when I got the news that my godmother had been taken off dialysis and was dying. What followed was a series of trips back and forth to Las Vegas (where I’m from and where my godmother lived) and NYC (where I live) as I spent my godmother’s final days with her, said goodbye, attended her funeral and then spent Thanksgiving with my family. It was an emotionally and physically (and financially) draining month.

Basically, I was wrecked when December rolled around. And then I picked up this book. This beautiful masterpiece of art. This incredible healing story of love and family. It was just what I needed. I was transported.

This book is so gorgeous. The prose is exquisite. The artwork is stunning (Venessa is truly an artist…she creates moments and magic with every brush of her pen). It was like sinking into the ocean (which is one of my favourite places in the world) and letting the waves crash over you. It is well-researched as well, and I felt like the early 1900s Coney Island came alive. The historical detail was fantastic. I spend a lot of time on Coney Island, and experiencing it through this book was pure magic.

A brief synopsis: Benigno (Benny) Caldera is an ironworker transplant from Puerto Rico keeping his head down and just trying to survive, despite bad lungs, when he builds an iron cage. That kicks off his journey to Coney Island, where he meets the “exhibits” in Morgan’s Menagerie of Oddities and finds himself with a family. This is after inadvertently helping trap a merman, Rio, who he slowly gets to know throughout the book. Their slow-burn friendship to love was everything. There’s a delightful cast of characters, a nefarious villain, gangsters, and of course, Coney Island. Everything felt so real and so urgent and just so magical.

I was really sad, and this book brought me so much comfort and love and joy. I love a love story, but even more, I love a story so full of love. Benny and his found family were more heartfelt than most anything I've held in a long time.

I cannot wait to hold a physical copy of this book in my hands. I can’t wait to listen to the audiobook. I can’t wait to read it again and savor the words…and let it heal me again and again. It was crafted with such care and I want every iteration in my life.

Bonus: Some of my favourite scenes (no spoilers) - When Benny goes on his first ride…I remember that feeling; Benny comforting Lulu (and really all of his little private moments with his new family - he was the glue holding them together when they didn’t even realise they were falling apart); “Let us take a turn together.” (my historical romance readers get this one…).

When The Tides Held The Moon Vanessa Vida Kelley
☀️☀️☀️⛅

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC copy!

This queer historical romance paints a vivid picture of 1910's New York City woven in with lovely fantasy folklore concepts to form a predictable but enjoyable read.

Firstly, I must acknowledge the gorgeous illustrations dotted throughout this book. My first introduction to Kelley was as an illustrator so I'm thrilled that she's incorporated so many into her debut. They really helped me to visualise the characters during key scenes.

The writing is good overall, and I appreciate the presence of so much untranslated Spanish (translating it in real time spoils the vibe), but some of the period appropriate language did come to feel repetitive and gimmicky by the end.

The found family aspect was probably my favourite part of the story, with the romance being sweet but rushed. The twist at the end was entirely predictable - a bit too predictable for my liking - but I didn't dislike it. The structure of the epilogue was a great choice.

Overall I thought this was a good debut with very solid vision and execution. I can't say I was captivated but I did enjoy myself and would recommend this to someone wanting a more realistic style fantasy romance.

"How would it feel to wake up to the ocean of his eyes? To measure his perfect dimensions against my imperfect ones, breathe in the turquoise sea of his skin, and feel like home had come to find me instead of the other way around?"

"I'd gotten so used to being treated like I couldn't feel pain; I was a machine meant to labor until the gears failed and I became just another punchline to a white man's joke. But I was one of Río's seashells in his hands--treasured, precious, apt to shatter if pressed too hard."

When The Tides Held The Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley is a spellbinding masterpiece that seamlessly weaves historical fantasy, queer romance, and the vivid charm of early 20th-century New York City into an unforgettable tale. With lush, intricate illustrations complementing its buoyant prose, this book is as much a visual feast as it is an emotional journey.

At its heart is Benigno "Benny" Caldera, a Boricua blacksmith whose artistry is as striking as his struggles to find belonging in a city that often marginalizes him. Benny’s ironwork for Luna Park becomes the anchor for a narrative that dances between gritty realism and ethereal fantasy, centering on Río, a mesmerizing merman who is as complex as he is mythical. Their bond, born of necessity but blossoming into a profound and forbidden love, feels both tender and electric—a poignant exploration of identity, freedom, and the cost of love.

Kelley captures the vibrancy and contradictions of 1910s New York with astounding detail, infusing the novel with a lived-in sense of place. The sideshow performers who welcome Benny into their family are just as vividly drawn as the central romance, creating a tapestry of found family that feels warm and authentic. Yet, the story doesn’t shy away from tackling heavier themes—captivity, exploitation, and the courage it takes to fight for liberation, both personal and collective.

The stakes are high, and Benny’s inner conflict is palpable as he must choose between loyalty to his newfound community and his love for Río. The result is a story as turbulent as the tides themselves, delivering an emotional punch that lingers long after the final page.

Kelley’s signature illustrations elevate the reading experience to something truly extraordinary. From the striking chapter headers to the detailed depictions of key moments in the story, the artwork adds depth and dimension, immersing the reader further into Benny and Río’s world. The use of aqua blue and black inks creates an enchanting visual aesthetic, perfectly echoing the story’s maritime themes.

Fans of TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea will appreciate Kelley's unique blend of whimsy and poignancy, but make no mistake—this novel stands wholly on its own as a luminous tale of resilience, love, and the power of liberation.

When The Tides Held The Moon is a triumph, destined to be a cherished favorite among readers of queer fantasy and romance. Kelley has crafted a breathtaking ode to finding your voice, your family, and the courage to be free—no matter the cost.

Thank you to NetGalley, Venessa Vida Kelley, and Erewhon Books for the eARC of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book is what you get if you combined the Shape of Water with the Greatest Showman. It’s an unexpected romance with a side of found family. It approaches a conversation about ethics and morality in the face of evil and wrongdoing. It talks about learning to accept and appreciate that which is different. All in all I enjoyed this read, but it did feel slow at parts. The artwork throughout the book was beautiful.

I really was not expecting this book. nor was I expecting to love it as much as I did. From the first chapter I was hooked by beautiful writing and then I learned about the characters and plot and it just got better and better.

When the Tides Held the Moon tells the story of Benny, an ironworker from Puerto Rico, who's trying to make a place for himself in New York. He hasn't had much success when things change after he is charged to make an unusual cage for an unusual man his Coney Island sideshow.

Caught up in the plot of capturing a real, live merman, and meeting the colourful characters that make up the Luna Park company, Benny starts to find his place in this odd little family. And in the kindness of Rio, the merman yearning for his freedom, Benny begins to find something more.

Reading about them finding love, peace, and home with each other, and knowing it's not enough when they're both still caged. Seeing them choose each other and fight for each other, and be brave because of it, despise it all - this is really a lovely tale about two kindred hearts.


Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and, Vanessa Vida Kelley for the ARC of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

Benny+Rio 🩵

This beautiful story is set in New York in the early 1900’s, which follows the Puerto Rican immigrant Benny as his life changes completely when he is tasked to create an unusual water tank that he finds out later is for the imprisonment of a merman. From this moment on, he finds a home with the rambunctious crew of the Luna Park menagerie as he also tries to fulfil a promise to the merman’s mother.

I really enjoyed this! I loved learning about Benny and the other characters within the menagerie and all of their different backgrounds and how they came to be at Luna Park. The story is so incredibly beautiful, both plot wise and how it is written with the characters bringing this story to life and there are a few little twists along the way.

The only slight downside was that there was some Puerto Rican Spanish that is present within the story but there are translations at the end of the book so it definitely wasn’t a deal breaker for me but it may make it difficult for some readers.

If you enjoy found family of outcasts, fated romance, and mermen - then I’d highly recommend this book - plus there are incredible illustrations that are scattered throughout that make this book even more enjoyable.

This was such a cute fantastical book fill with adventures and heartfelt characters that you can all relate with. It was interesting to read the only reason it look me longer than normal to finish was the fact I don’t normally read or speak Spanish . But other than that it was beautiful written,

I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is in of a new adventure !

Thank you net gallary for letting me read and fall in love with this magical story.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Beautifully written and extremely atmospheric! Between the romance and the vibes, this was like a warm hug of a book. Really recommend curling up and losing yourself in this!

When the Tides Held the Moon is a beautiful book featuring Benny, a Puerto Rican in New York desperately trying to survive and live, and Rio, a merman who was captured the same night that he lost his mother, along with a found family circus troupe that really fill out the story. This book is heart-warming, has incredibly lush world-building, and is an absolute tear-jerker.

I loved this book and especially the illustrations that accompany it. The slang and descriptions of Benny's circus family really brought 1910s New York to life for me, someone who didn't know much about the setting before reading this book. I also really loved the lore of mermaids and the descriptions of Rio- they were truly beautiful and really put me in the world of this book.

Without spoilers, I will say that I wish the ending had been explained a bit better and explored a bit more. I also loved the found family aspect of this book, but I wanted just a bit more personality from the members of this family. I fell in love with them and wanted more!

Over all this book was beautiful and I had a delightful time reading it and I do recommend this book!

There are no words to describe this book other than BEAUTYFUL!

Fantasy? Yes. Historical? Yes. Found family? Yes. Adorable? Also, yes.

I can’t remember how many times I sobbed and then swooned over the main characters. One is desperate to find a home and the other to get free. Meanwhile, being afraid of losing each other. The way their story unraveled had me hooked in it.
There’s an amazing representation of multiculturalism and distinctness, too - with all the side characters having something to offer into the storyline.

I didn’t know when I picked the book that there would, also, be illustrations in it! Just, exquisite. I can’t say no more.

I really enjoyed this book. Although the plot seemed v familiar, it was a great read. Characters were built really well!

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and, of course, Vanessa Vida Kelley for the ARC!

Wow, this book was delightful. I usually don't like books with as heavy of a romance plot focus as this had, but I really thoroughly enjoyed this. The characters are diverse in every way imaginable, the plot is compelling, and there is something really magical about the way Vanessa Vida Kelley writes. I can't wait to read more from her! There are also gorgeous illustrations peppered throughout the book.

It's touching, substantive, entertaining, and heartbreaking all at once. It's also an incredibly detailed social critique disguised (masterfully) as a romance novel.

Kelley weaves together a narrative that highlights the desperate struggles that the main cast, all of whom are members of an oddities show and are marginalized in differing but parallel dimensions, face while contrasting them with the open kidnapping, imprisonment, and display of the merman. It's insightful, it prompts reflection (hopefully!), and it strikes the perfect blend of strong and clear messaging without being too heavy handed/transparent and losing the fantastical nature of the allegory.

Kelley also contrasts Benny's position at the ironwork factory, where the workers of differing marginalized identities are pitted against each other, with his position at the oddities show, where shared struggles unite the workers and how that allows them to do great things. I'm a bit of a nerd about this, because my schooling is in social psyc and sociology, focusing on group affiliation and how it motivates pro and antisocial behaviors, and I can't overstate how well she did this. She's able to distill so much information about sweeping social pressures and the fabricated need to step on others for survival into interactions that perfectly represent them.

While delivering this very thoughtful critique, Kelley also tells a comforting and heartwarming story of found family and unconditional love and acceptance.

I really can't recommend this book enough, especially after seeing people on booktok say they don't like to read diverse stories because they "can't relate" to the characters. Perhaps picking something like this up can help them develop greater empathy and understanding for those around them.

What I absolutely loved about this book and what drew me in in the first place were the stunning art, the premise and the way this story has a Puerto Rican and a Merman fall in love in a carnival/circus kind of setting.

The characters are diverse and the background of an old timed American city was beautifully set up.
Sadly, the writing style was not for me and so I struggled to finish this book.
I wanted to love it more, the time and cast of characters made this wonderfully exotic for me but I could not get into it.
I can see other readers adore this story though and give it the attention it deserves.

Oh, this book. This beautiful, beautiful book.

It's essential to note that I'm no stranger to Venessa Vida Kelley's work—she's an artist of a particular kind, who can put every emotion on the page in a single image. Love, joy, despair, longing. The pictures she produces are vivid and pull you into another world. And how fortunate we as readers are to have, now, her writing, that does the just the same in captivating detail with enormous care.

When the Tides Held the Moon focuses on our protagonist and narrator, Benigno “Benny” Caldera; an orphaned boy from Puerto Rico in the early 1900s who found his way to New York after losing all the family he has back home, searching for something...more. He finds it in a sideshow in Coney Island, where, after a spiral of events, he ends up mixed in with the group and their plans to capture a real, live merperson. The merman they capture becomes part of Benny's "something more", too; Rio, as Benny calls him, is homesick from the sea and caged from the life he should be living as a sideshow attraction at Luna Park, not dissimilar to the way Benny is caged as a closeted man of color in a time where the world seems to pigeonhole him. As the two fall in love, and the stakes become higher, Benny has to grapple with loving Rio—and therefore wanting him free—and knowing that means he'll never see the merman again.

I have no shortage of praise for this book—so many pieces of it feel as if it was written for me. For one, the lush setting of Coney Island and the surrounding city was brought to life with such impeccable detail, and, along with the early 1900s setting, such research. I'm a massive nerd for historical accuracy—tiny details about the way people speak in a certain time, or restaurants that might have existed on a street, or events that coincided with the events of a story. And I could see that care and detail for the time and place of Kelley's story poured onto every page.

So many people love to believe that stories that are "historically accurate" might preclude diverse groups of characters—race, sexual orientation—but the way Kelley immediately dispells that narrative with a crop of impeccable characters who feel lived in, loved, and real is a rare gift. I am incredibly fond of a found family dynamic, and the cast of characters at Luna Park were that and more—they were messy, and honest. They had journeys of their own that I would read books about each and every one of them. Each character had their own, smaller arc; pieces of the puzzle that made this lush group of oddities into a family. Standouts for me were Matthias, the "strong man" of the group whose greatest strength seemed to be his kindness and intellect, Lulu—the menagerie's "largest woman", whose position as a caretaker often masked her own struggles, and Eli and Emmett, the so-called conjoined twins with more in common with Benny than he knows despite their early clashing.

But this book, truly, is about Benny and Rio. The way Kelley works in her own experiences as a queer Puetro Rican woman into Benny, and parallels his struggles with Rio's displacement from the ocean was masterful. The pacing of the relationship had me aching, watching the two of them messily realize their similarities—and differences—and how they'd slowly but surely found home in one another. Kelley did incredible work also crafting original lore for her merpeople, and by the end of the book, I still had questions—and yet found myself alright not having them answered because of the wistful feeling the story left in my chest.

Somewhere around halfway through the book, one of my favorite feelings reading books like this hit me—the awareness that, while this is a romance book, and, by definition, I know the characters should get a happy ending, but I still don't entirely know how that's going to happen. And what a journey it was getting to piece that together, bit by bit. I'm already eager to reread the book knowing the way it all comes together in the end, which is for me the sign of a lasting favorite read. I'm particularly eager also to see the final illustrations in the book—as a longtime fan of Kelley's beautiful art style, and having seen what the eARC calls "unfinished sketches" (which on their own are captivating), I know they'll be as stunning as the text they accompany.

I am so incredibly grateful to have gotten to read this book ahead of its release, and cannot wait to read more and more from Venessa Kelley after this touching debut. It's going to stick with me for a long time. Thank you Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review—I am so eager to tell the world how much I loved this one.

When the Tides Held the Moon is a beautiful and heart-wrenching tale of love, acceptance, and found family, featuring lovely lyrical writing and absolutely stunning artwork throughout.

Set in 1911 New York, this whimsical tale follows a struggling Puerto Rican immigrant and blacksmith, Benny, tasked with building an complex aquarium-like enclosure for a mysterious wealthy client, Sam Morgan. Through a series of unfortunate events, Benny finds himself taking a job from Sam and learning the cruel truth behind the tank's existence: to serve as a prison for a merman that is to be the main attraction for Sam's menagerie. While helping restore the menagerie's grounds to their former glory, Benny is drawn to the dubbed "Prince of Atlantis" and as their bond deepens, he finds himself facing his own secrets about who he is and whether he has the courage to do the right thing.

This was so much fun! A very quirky, whimsical, feel good tale with a diverse cast of characters and excellent BIPOC & queer representation.
It took me a minute to get into this one but once I got going, I couldn't put it down! Despite the plot being pretty straightforward and predictable, I still found myself up at 1 a.m, crying, unable to stop reading. While I enjoyed the writing style, it does have a quirky/whimsical element to it that I recognize might not be for everyone. The multi language phrases featured throughout were a fun touch, although I did find it broke my reading flow to keep having to go translate them. (It was only after finishing that I discovered the very convenient glossary of phrases at the back..oops)

I adored both the MCs, and their love story was just lovely - I only wish I'd had more time with them! Benny's struggle with his sexual identity and his journey of self-acceptance was heart-warming. The wonderful and chaotic cast of misfits in the menagerie gave this book a lovely found family element as well. The artwork was, of course, absolutely stunning, and really sold the emotional weight of some of the scenes.

Would absolutely recommend giving this one a go, and I will be picking up a physical copy for myself when it comes out!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the eARC. I appreciate having had the opportunity to read this one!

⭐4.5/5 (rounded up for NG/GR)
🌶️ 0/5