♾️/5 ⭐️

♡ Human/Merman Romance
♡ 1910s New York
♡ Found Family
♡ Diverse Cast
♡ Us Against the World

The Shape of Water 🌊 meets The Greatest Showman 🎪 in this beautiful story of a young Puerto Rican immigrant who falls in love with the merman held captive at a Coney Island side show in 1910's New York.

"Boy Named Kind, when was the last time someone showed you kindness?"

This is an incredibly relevant story for today's climate as it takes us through the struggles on a brown immigrant boy who also happens to be gay and trying his hardest to survive in a world that is challenging at best and dangerous at worst. The side characters are rich in diversity, as well, with bilingual dialogue and cultural references. Add in merfolk, and we take a look at how we value a life and what's at the base of our humanity.

Benigno and Rio's story is one of forbidden love, tender yearning, and a fierce determination to live despite the bitterly cruel world that seems intent on caging them in one or another.

"I did not know my heart could bend toward a human's touch... Until you."

This book is one that will stay with me for the foreseeable future. I will absolutely be looking out for the next project by Vanessa Kelley, because Rio and Benigno are so dear to me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy I received, as well as Kensington books for the physical copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the ARC of When the Tides Held the Moon in exchange for an honest review. This debut novel blends historical fiction and fantasy with a queer love story set in 1910s Coney Island, where Puerto Rican blacksmith Benny Caldera is drawn into the world of carnival performers after building an iron tank to contain Río, a mysterious, captured merman. The premise is unique and the setting richly atmospheric, with beautiful prose and illustrations by the author adding texture to an already imaginative narrative.

While I was drawn to the concept and appreciated the emotional depth in Benny’s journey, the pacing felt slow at times, and I was left wanting a deeper exploration of Río’s character and world. The found family dynamic among the sideshow cast was a highlight, but I hoped for more from the central relationship. Still, this is an original, thoughtful debut, and I look forward to seeing what Kelley writes next.

Neutral 3 stars
——————

DNF @ 47%

I so wanted to love this book after reading the amazing reviews, but I just could not get myself to enjoy it.

The vibes of this book are so good. The setting and the cast of characters are really well written. The prose in the book is next level beautiful. It has all the makings of a really good book. Its downfall is that the summation of the entire book: man captures merman and befriends him while contemplating releasing him at the cost of his new family. The burn is so slow it just couldn’t hold my interest.

I won’t be reviewing elsewhere.

There is NOTHING I love more than a sleeper hit. You know those books you stumble upon, know nothing about and then it grabs you by the throat (just like Rio 😏). This was a Hambright PR arc opportunity, and because life was lifing, I just finished it last night. It’s also an Aardvark pick for May!

This was SO beautifully written- I highlighted so many quotes I could have had 20 edits. The illustrations included were my favourite, and done by the author 😍

🌊 found family
🌊 beautiful writing & illustrations
🌊 romantasy lite
🌊 diverse characters
🌊 queer rep

I cannot stress enough how much this book exceeded my expectations. Thank you to Hambright PR, Erewhon books & NetGalley for the review copy!

There's a lot to love in this book, but it isn't perfect. I liked the premise and fantastical elements, as it reminded me of two movies I had enjoyed: The Shape of Water and Water for Elephants. However, it is its own unique story. The characters are interesting and its an enjoyable read

However, the writing style was a little difficult for me. When the story shifts to Rio's point of view, the tone is flowery and obscure, which is a reasonable choice since you'd expect that a merman's perspective of the world is a very different framework from anything else. At times, it's not easy reading, but I get it. Benny's point of view is more personable and easy to follow along with, so you get caught up in his story -- but that's what makes the Spanish interjections jarring some of the time.

I can see why Benny's perspective is like this. I speak three languages fluently, so there are times where a Japanese or Portuguese word or phrase has a stronger significance or impact in expression than in English, like how I only know the names for certain fruits or dishes in Portuguese but not English, or how the word "natsukashii" in Japanese holds more weight and significance for me than simply saying "nostalgic" in English. If exploring my POV, I would resort to borrowing different words and phrases from other languages to incorporate into the language I'm using. But I wouldn't do so without rhyme or reason. A favored saying from a loved one, an epithet, a expression -- it would make sense that Benny would resort to these in Spanish. This sounds genuine. However, very simple words that he already knows in English and would not need to pull from Spanish due to his level of fluency, like "cabello" -- it feels jarring and unnatural when peppered throughout the book. Let me emphasize: it's not all of the Spanish he uses that feels jarring. The curses, descriptors, and old sayings from his loved one all felt authentic to the character as Spanish is his mother tongue. It was the simple replacement words that didn't feel authentic to me and kept pulling me to the surface when I simply wanted to stay immersed within the waters.

Overall, the author is a fantastic storyteller and the illustrations included in the book are incredible, but I feel that this is only the beginning. I'm going to keep an eye out for new books from this writer in the future, since I think they have the potential to write more extraordinary stories and I won't be surprised if many of them will become five star reads for me.

This story follows Benigno ‘Benny’ Caldera, an asthmatic blacksmith from Puerto Rico living in 1910s New York. When a tank he is commissioned to create for a Coney Island playground, Luna Park, wows the proprietor, Benny is invited to join the excentric cast of the show and learn the secret of the tank. It will hold the brand-new exhibit for the show; a live merman stolen from the riverbank. As Benny soon learns, the merman, Rio, is not just a fiend from the sea, but a beautiful creature missing his home. As the two strike up a bond, Benny has a choice, follow his heart and release Rio, or stick with the first family and home he has had since landing on the shores of America.

First, I must give a massive shoutout because the art throughout this book is stunning. I am a visual reader, I love maps or graphics, and I always try and picture things in my head. With these stunning illustrations it made it all the easier. It helped you get a proper grip of the characters and the surroundings. Mixing it in perfectly really showed the authors famed talents for their art.

As a debut novel, this is brilliant. It has a very clear and concise storyline; Benny works for the show, falls for the merman, tackles on if he should free him. Yet in amongst that, there are struggles with gender, sexuality, masculinity, class differences, immigration and of course, Benigno’s very origins. I adored the full cast of the show, how their differences don’t come between them but instead make them a full family. I love found family in books, and this was just a perfect example of just that. How in the end, they all come together to help Benny rescue Rio; despite knowing they could lose everything.

Benny himself was very loveable. You really felt for him from the very start, struggling in a factory when he has asthma and seemed ‘weak’ to the other men. How he felt like he didn’t even fit in within his own community within New York. He did have a few moments of doubt, but it made him so much more realistic and relatable. In the end, he came together and built-up courage and strength to defy the home he’d built, to fight for the freedom for the man he had grown to love. Rio was a beautifully written character, and I adored his chapters. Not only from a stylistic perspective, but how you really got to understand the way he, and his people, spoke and thought about things. His grief was a topic I would have liked to see developed more, but he did have a lot of other things going on. His pain at the end was properly felt too.

I loved their relationship, with Benny starting out helping him out of guilt and fear to helping him because he wanted to. I love how their relationship started slowing, with touches between the class, food, seashells and music. Then it developed so beautifully into touches and teaching Benny breathing exercises and to swim. It was beautiful and slow and every so magical.

I really appreciated the ending, having the hint of Benny originally coming from the sea was ever so magical and how the epilogue was Matthias’ biography. A lot of the time with books with so many characters, at the end, you don’t get to see how they all are, but in this, with the epilogue, it wrapped it all up so beautifully. I loved that Sonya broke free of her shackles and started living her true self. She was a character that really spoke to me, her struggles as a young woman constantly putting on a performance for people to ogle at her. Seeing her ending gave out such hope.

Overall, this book was a mix of beauty and magic with the hard-hitting truth of being different in a time when that was not appreciated. A story of finding a family where you can, and pulling together to be better people than you were told you should be. With stunning visuals and a wonderful electric cast of characters, this book is truly perfect for a summers night read.

Final rating; 4.5

I’m not usually into period pieces, but this one completely pulled me in and I enjoyed it so much.
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.
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.

"Rio makes me feel free... like I don't gotta prove anything — because he thinks I'm enough as I am. When I'm with Rio, I feel like maybe all my dumb decisions weren't so dumb if they brought me to him."

Ohhhh, my aching mermaid heart!!!! 🧜‍♀️
I’m just so obsessed with this book.

It’s deeply heartfelt and emotional 🥹 your heart clings to these two characters so fiercely.
I wish I could just show you my feelings for this story because words alone don’t feel big enough.

Benny (Benigno) has lived an incredibly hard life, immigrating to America, grieving the loss of his family, battling asthma attacks that make it hard to breathe, learning English, and trying to find family again in the chaos of a new country and culture.

Life eventually brings him to a traveling circus of sorts, where he's asked to build a fish tank TO TRAP A MERMAN WHAAAAA
It’s a plan to boost ticket sales and bring crowds from all over to marvel at this captured wonder.

But little does Benito anticipate the deep, profound bond he’ll form with Rio... a bond where both quickly realize they are each trapped behind their own kind of glass.

This story is so beautiful and romantic.
It’s not a thriller full of shocking twists; you’ll likely guess where the story is headed but you won't be able to predict the depth of truth woven through every page.

Vanessa’s writing feels like a vulnerable, heartfelt love song to us readers.
I deeply appreciate the message that "the people who teach you to close off your heart are the villains. Don't mold yourself into what others expect. You are beautiful exactly as you are." THANK YOU, YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!

Benigno and Rio’s love story completely embodies that beautiful truth.
This is an infinity star read for me 💕 it hit me in all the feels.
Also... THE ARTWORK IS STUNNING!!!!!!

When the Tides Held the Moon brings found family to Coney Island. Benigno Caldera is an iron worker from Puerto Rico who ends up getting hired by Luna Park to maintain a tank he built for them.

What he wasn’t expecting was to become part of a merman capture plot. Or that the merman would be not only handsome - but human. Or for his new roommates and fellow park workers to start to feel like family.

This is a hard book to pin down genre wise - I find many of the plot points to be too dark to call it cozy, but it is perhaps a quiet historical fantasy. Everything is a bit of a slow burn - the plot, the romance, and the found family relationships.

The audio was fantastic - most of the book is in Benny’s POV, and that narrator was able to bring to life characters with a multitude of different accents.

The book itself is stunning, and has several illustrations.

Overall, I enjoyed this one, but wish that the pace had been a little quicker. The end was strong, and I loved how diverse the cast was!

This was an absolute pleasure to read. I’m kind of mad at myself for taking such a long time to finally read it because it was wonderful.

Here we confront grief, abuse, guilt, hurt, fear, and even violence, but we also get joy, love, devotion, happiness, friendship, family, warmth, and so much wonder. I loved every second of it.

Benigno’s story is about being a ‘hybrid’, the intersectionality of being an African-Puerto Rican and queer, coming from elsewhere and not belonging where you’re. It’s about history and finding a place and people to belong to and with. It’s about finding love in the unexpected and yet feeling like coming home. It’s also about coming back to oneself while continuing moving forward.

When the Tides Held the Moon is beautiful and touched me deeply. I could easily relate to Benigno even if our stories are so different. I’ve never met a mer person and fell in love with them, but my origins are also so far away from where I am now. I have a blood family back where I came from, but I still found a place and people to belong with more than I ever had in the past. I found my harmony after many struggles and I’m so much better for it.

Venessa’s characters completely stole my heart and their story filled me with joy and love. I can now say with certainty that they rocked it with their debut novel.

Also, I couldn’t end this without mentioning the gorgeous cover art and other art I’ve seen from within the book, as they were all done by Venessa herself. So much talent.

When the Tides Held the Moon is a beautifully written historical romance set in the early 1900s Gilded Age Coney Island, immersing readers in a vivid and richly detailed world. The story follows Benigno "Benny," a Puerto Rican immigrant and skilled blacksmith, whose resilience and resourcefulness make him a truly compelling protagonist-he is a fixer of all things and someone you can't help but want in your life.

The novel offers a wonderful point of view from Benny, capturing his journey of finding family, acceptance, and love in a society that often marginalizes him. The pacing is patient, especially before Benny meets Río, the merman, but the wait is well worth it-their romance is unapologetically tender, sweeping, and feels like floating with the tide. Their relationship is portrayed with emotional depth and poetic prose, avoiding typical tragic queer tropes and instead celebrating joy, love, and resilience.

The secondary characters, especially the found family of Carnies at Luna Park, add richness and warmth to the narrative. Their diverse backgrounds and struggles with "otherness"-ranging from size to gender and orientation-resonate strongly, especially in today's political climate. The inclusion of Spanish and cultural nuances adds authenticity without over-explaining, enhancing the immersive experience.

This is not a light read but a thoughtful, balanced, and very visual novel, complemented by stunning illustrations by the author herself that bring the story to life even more.

Overall, When the Tides Held the Moon is a heartfelt celebration of found family, identity, and love against adversity. I highly recommend it and gladly give it 5 stars for its lyrical writing, memorable characters, and evocative setting.

Steam: 🔥
Heart Flutters: ❤️❤️❤️

If you are looking for a queer historical fantasy romance that gives big “The Greatest Showman” meets “The Little Mermaid” then this has to be your next read.

The story is set in 1910 Coney Island New York and it gives amazing historical depth to the lived experiences of the main character, Benny. Benny spent his entire life trying to find where he belongs as a Puerto Rican in America. He finds a new opportunity with a sideshow/oddities performance group as the handy man where he meets the new spectacle, a captured merman Rio.

Benny and Rio’s love and experience was so beautifully done. It was definitely a slow burn where the characters took time to learn and better understand one another. As a reader, it wasn’t hard at all to fall for Benny and Rio.

The writing was poignant and beautiful. The latin representation and expressions were gorgeous and gave a rich and profound beauty in more raw and intimate moments.

The entire time, the author creates this weave of Benny and Rio’s perspective, nodding to the trials and tribulations of humanity for minority communities, and using it to propel a story about belonging, love, acceptance, and ultimately freedom.

A wonderful and beautiful mm romance!

In 1910s New York, a queer Boricua blacksmith falls for the merman he helped capture. Releasing him could mean losing his found family, his new home, and his soulmate forever.

Everyone seems to be adoring this book at the moment, and I totally see why.
🧜‍♂️ There's a very sweet slow building romance between a blacksmith and a merman in captivity, leading to complicated feelings about releasing him. 
🎪 But there's also a great story of friendship and found family between the performers at Luna Park. Despite the time period, most people were very caring towards Benny, as they slowly came to realise that he's a gay man in the 1910s... and also that he fell for a merman!??
💕 It felt very heartwarming.

The world building paired with the illustrations was amazing. There is no doubt this author is a talented artist!

I was promised “The Shape of Water meets The Greatest Showman” and unfortunately that isn’t what I got. The story and romance were lackluster and devoid of emotion. I felt no angst, no pining, I didn’t feel anything between Benny and Rio. The romance was rushed and underdeveloped. This read like a watered down and seemingly juvenile version of The Shape of Water with a side show backdrop.

I really wish I loved this more.

okaaay... i didn't expect that despite that the author wrote her debut novel, she also drew the illustrations. now talk about talent 😌✨

onto the book, i was in awe at how beautifully written this book is. i appreciate the (non) family dynamics between the people from morgan's circus, benny, and the merman; even though they're not related, they are still family to me (except some of the characters.) also, i love how benny and río's chemistry upgraded from (slight) enemies to friends to lovers. and despite the book is medium paced, i still enjoy reading it

but i expect more of the parts, especially the ending. nonetheless, incredible novel by ms. kelley and i'm excited to release her works in the future

Like a merperson yanked up from the deep by the light of the moon, my love for Benigno and Río surfaced all at once and quite alarmingly. Set on Coney Island in the 1900s, TIDES is a deeply compassionate and poetical historical fantasy, with a compelling, heart-tugging queer romance between main characters who are fighting at the bonds of their own cages, both physical and metaphorical. Unsuspectingly roped into the capture of a merman from the East River, Benigno, Benny, finds himself increasing torn between his guilt and his bonds to his Menagerie found family who depend on the show remaining open. But as their relationship deepens through acts of compassion, trust, communication and empathy, Benny and Río forge a bond that surpasses anything they could have expected.

They find solace in each other, stolen moments which turn into salvation, and let me just say the communication!! Top tier! This is a gorgeous historical romance led by a moderate slow burn, a love held on the cusp of being realised and totally worth a good feet-kicking session. Río’s perspective chapters are damn near poetry!

But TIDES is also a novel which deeply explores identity, and Benny’s struggle to define himself is a heartfelt story which will resonate with those whose identities cross borders, and are on the path to finding themselves. This novel explores an important intersection in history, and Benny’s challenge to define himself in an era defined by shifting politics, resisting cultural expectations and with the heavy hand of colonialism always present, this is an important discussion on identity and self-acceptance. I particularly enjoyed the author notes at the back providing important context to the historical period this story takes place in. TIDES is about acceptance, prejudice, oppression, and the beauty of being known by others, and it is so special.

My only criticism is that I would have liked slightly higher stakes to compound Benny’s conflict towards keeping Río in the tank despite alarming deterioration. While I understood the ramifications for the rest of Benny’s found family should the Menagerie close, I struggled to align this with the dire circumstances Río found himself in and Benny’s endless compassion. I think some more development for Benny’s relationships with the other Menagerie performers as individuals could have resolved this and given these stakes much more grip, especially considering the potential for it with Matthias. While I found Benny and Río’s relationship was naturally the heart of this story, the ultimate dependency on the Menagerie cast to help them out of a potentially fatal situation for Río could have benefitted from more intense personal links between Benny and his new family. I think this was also compounded by the ultimate security of all performers - due to their wit and determination, sure! - but slightly higher stakes than the lingering threat of ruin would have made Benny’s conflict seem more founded.

I also would have LOVED more chapters from Río’s perspective; especially given some elements of his backstory - the reason he could not leave the estuary to find his harmony, for example - which I am still hazy on the reasoning behind. While Río is portrayed as achingly complex from Benny’s perspective, it would have been wonderful for him to have more time on the page to develop in his own right.

However, the banding-together of the whole cast for Río’s safety and their love was so wholesome! I loved seeing a “heist” dynamic.

But, that said, I know I’ll follow Benny and Río anywhere. PLUS Venessa’s incredible artistry is sprinkled through the pages which just makes this ever more captivating.

Thank you to Erwhon Books for an early copy of undoubtedly one of my top reads of the year!

This book is very obviously not for me. I felt no emotional connection to the story and had to force myself to read any of it. Even when the merman was being captured, my heart barely raced, and I felt nothing was at stake. Even for a cozy, I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to feel SOMETHING. This is probably a "me" problem versus a them problem.

Usually, I don't read romance books. Not so often, at least. But I'm happy I chose to give a chance to this one, 'cause I abso-tively (that's not a typo, it's a quote from one of the characters) loved it!

The story takes place in America, in the 1910's. Benigno, our main character, is a hardworking blacksmith from Puerto Rico that's trying his best to survive and make a living, even if his job is dangerous for him (he's got ashtma and can't breathe well).

Everything takes a new turn when some strange people lure him in a new job that involves... A merman. And a Luna Park. And an oddities' show. Benigno finds a new family, a warm bed, and a love so deep and meaningful that it will teach him how to be breathe and feel alive for the first time in his life. But things aren't simple as they seemed to be initially.

I loved that Río's short povs where written in an unusual way, more like poetry than prose. It fits well the idea of mermaid's enchanting way of talking and singing, making all his thoughts aetherial, even the sad or dark ones.

Reading this book wasn't the easiest for me, because english's not my first language and all the characters talk in a mix of Spanish, Hindi, Russian, Brooklyn's dialect... I liked the representation and culture's mix, but it made it a little more difficult.

I also loved that the ebook had drawings and illustrations in it (I thought only the printed version had them). The style was simple but charming, and the characters are just like I pictured them in my head.

I loved all the characters, not only Río and Benny but also all the side ones (especially Vera and Igor). The epilogue was really sweet and full of hope, and I liked the way the author let us know what became of all the characters, not only the main couple.

Roller coasters feature much more literally in WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON (Erewhon Books, 464 pp., $29), a lushly illustrated historical romance about a sideshow found family, a Puerto Rican blacksmith and a captured merman meant to be the next big attraction at Coney Island’s Luna Park carnival.

In New York in 1911, Benigno “Benny” Caldera takes on a project nobody else wants: crafting an enormous metal cage for a saltwater tank, a commission from the Luna Park impresario Sam Morgan. Benny’s work is so good his boss tries to take the credit — and fires Benny when he speaks up. With unctuous graciousness, Morgan offers Benny a new job, and reveals the tank’s secret: It’s meant to hold a merman, as soon as they can capture one.

But the merman, when they do find him, turns out to be sentient — and the most beautiful creature Benny’s ever seen. Soon the blacksmith is spending his nights whispering secrets across the glass barrier to Río, as he calls him, while the date for Luna Park’s opening creeps ever closer. Morgan knows how to craft a spectacle, but can he be trusted? Will Benny choose to keep Río imprisoned, or set him free even if it means losing him forever? This book is a charming fable — an elemental dance of fire and water.

I was fortunate enough to get an e-ARC of this novel via NetGalley.

I will admit that my interest in this novel came from the huge crush I have on Venessa’s art. I pre-ordered my copy the moment pre-orders opened, and when I got to ARC I was over the moon. Is it May already? I want my physical copy in my hands now!

I don’t think there’s anything about this story that I didn’t like. Well, I hated one or two characters, but I think I was supposed to dislike them. 🤭

I loved all of the found family, and I admire the way Venessa represented diversity in so many different forms with all of her characters. All kids of diversity, LGBTQ+ included, have always been around, but people who are different have been forced to hide or conform for so long. I keep hearing that things have gotten better, and I guess they have in a way, but there’s still a very long road to travel. However, I also know that acceptance has always been shown, and that’s reflected in this book, too.

I cried a lot, but I’m a crier to begin with and following Benny’s journey to getting to know and accept himself, seeing himself through Rio’s eyes, was heartbreaking and so fulfilling at the same time that I just couldn’t stop crying.

The art included in the book is wonderful, and I can’t wait to see it in the dual-tone I know it’ll have on the physical book.

I’m a Venessa-groupie, and this book has made me a fan of her writing as much as I already was a fan of her illustrations. She depicts the struggles of immigrants, Nuyoricans specifically, in such a vivid way through her main narrator that it makes you want to read and learn more about a conflict you had no idea of.

It took me a while to get around to my review because I sometimes feel that I don’t really know how to review, but I just saw KURIOS by Cirque du Soleil, and it made me think so much of the characters in this book that I decided to come and try to write this review.

Everyone should give this book a chance!!