“Don’t waste your damn life trying to smother a spark what wants to be a blaze.”

“When the Tides held the Moon,” by Vanessa Vida Kelley

It really did give The Greatest Showman vibes! The merman in captivity gave me The Shape of Water vibes too but make it M/M. This book focused a lot on minority and kick down characters just trying to make it and the forbidden romance of different species falling in love when they shouldn’t. I thought it was very heartwarming and sad at the same time seeing how unhappy both MMC’s were with their circumstances. I loved the historical fiction circus atmosphere and the unique type of romance because it was merman and man in charge of caring for merman.
I think this is a good book for readers who like M/M vampire books or readers who love kick down characters who fall in love with slow burn bonds.
4 out of 5 stars.
-M/M
-Historical Fiction
-POC MC
-Merman
-Circus
-Forbidden Romance

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

In enjoyed this MM story of unpredictable love, its story Of a new age little mermaid with ethical dilemmas. Definitely recommend.

The second I saw the cover and blurb of When the Tides Held the Moon I knew I was going to absolutely love it. A historical romance set in 1910s New York City at the famous Coney Island Sideshow??? Say less!! 🌊🎡

My expectations were already high and they were blown out of the water! Venessa Vida Kelley poured all of the emotions into the pages of this magical book and I couldn’t love it more! As someone who grew up OBSESSED with Sideshows by the Seashore and the Coney Island Mermaids - this book was a true love letter to Luna Park! It captures the magic, mystery and enchantment while also bringing to light the struggles performers faced. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, awe-inspiring, breathtaking and everything in between! Officially one of my favorite reads of the year!

Method Read: 📖 & 🎧
Lee Osorio and Joel de la Fuente did an absolutely beautiful job bringing the story to life!

🖼️ The artwork throughout this novel is STUNNING!! The endpapers, chapter headings and beautiful illustrations throughout the book made this read even more magical!

Thank you so much Kensington Books & Libro FM for sending copies my way!!

PS the 43rd annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade is coming up June 21, 2025!! 🧜🧜‍♀️🧜‍♂️

Admittedly I ran for this book as soon as I saw it as a Puerto Rican and someone who lived a train stop from Coney Island for years. This book was what cozy dreams are made of! It was part coming of age, but more so coming into your own skin, and part beautiful love story. The world that Venessa built is absolutely unforgettable. I desperately hope we get more from these two or at least more tales from the mer.

Thank you so much to Hambright PR and Venessa Vida Kelley for this review copy, I absolutely loved it.

Benny came to New York after the last of his family in Puerto Rico passed away. He doesn’t have memories of his life before he was found on the bank of a river after a Hurricane. Benny works as a blacksmith working long hours and putting up with less than decent coworkers at the forge. When an eccentric man comes requesting a large glass aquarium Benny is given the task since no one else seems to want the project. After it’s finished and his boss sees how much the buyer (a man named Morgan) loves it he takes credit and a series of events lead to Benny losing his job. Morgan recognizes Benny as the true craftsman and offers him a job at his side show"Morgan's Menagerie of Human Oddities" on Coney Island. Soon he finds out what this mysterious cage is for, a live Merman they are going to steal from the ocean. Benny becomes close with the Merman, who is called Rio, and wants to make sure he gets back home where he belongs. The two spend much time together and they both feel a pull toward the other.

This is one of the most beautiful romances I’ve read in awhile. The prose are gorgeous and the characters come to life. There’s a found family and self discoveries. Usually historical romances are usually underwhelming but I think maybe it’s just the Victorian and Edwardian one’s that aren’t for me. There are drawings throughout and the author is not only a talented storyteller but a great artist as well! I am looking forward to rereading this one as an audiobook because I’d love to hear the music and the Spanish language used throughout. I already know this will be in my top books of the year!

When the Tides Held the Moon is a poetic and politically charged novel that reads like a myth whispered through iron and saltwater. Set in the industrial underbelly of 1910s New York, it follows Benigno “Benny” Caldera, a Puerto Rican blacksmith and asthmatic immigrant, whose life changes when he’s commissioned to build a mysterious tank—only to discover it’s meant to imprison a merman named Río.

What begins as a tale of captivity and spectacle at Luna Park’s sideshow quickly deepens into a story of forbidden love, chosen family, and the cost of freedom. Benny and Río’s relationship is tender, lyrical, and defiant—an act of resistance in a world that seeks to cage both of them for who they are.

Kelley’s prose is fluid and immersive, echoing the tides that shape the story’s emotional rhythm. Her characters are richly drawn: Benny, a man scarred by colonial trauma and grief, finds healing in his artistry and in Río’s presence. Río, in turn, is a creature of myth and memory, whose longing for the sea mirrors Benny’s yearning for belonging.

The novel’s strength lies in its intersectional depth—weaving together themes of queerness, disability, colonialism, and class with grace and urgency. It’s a story about finding sanctuary in unexpected places, and about the courage it takes to love when love itself is a radical act.

“𝓜𝔂 𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓵 𝓲𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼. 𝓘𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓲𝓽.”

I finished this book and then had to emotionally reboot for a few days. It left me both satisfied and wanting to dramatically fling myself into the ocean just to process it all. It was absolutely STUNNING —this is one of those rare stories that unexpectedly fed my soul. Thank you so much, Venessa Vida Kelley, for this gem! 🫶🏻

Set in early 1900s New York, the story blends a bit of magic with a whole lot of reality—tackling themes of love, identity, and belonging with both tenderness and bite. Benny Caldera, a Boricua blacksmith with asthma and a heavy heart, is hired to work for the Menagerie—a sideshow troupe with The Greatest Showman energy. Think strongman, contortionist, “conjoined” twins, etc. And the fun part is that they all quickly become more than just “exhibits” to him. And not to be dramatic or anything, but they’re a found family I’d protect with my life.

“I ain’t a smart guy like you, Benny.” A bittersweet grin crossed his lips. “But if there’s anything I’ve learned just being human in this lousy, jacked up world, it’s that love and hate—they got something in common. They put blinders on you, so’s you can’t see nothing but whatever it tells you to see."

And then there’s Rìo! My dear, darling, Rìo. The merman Benny is hired to build a tank for and help capture...while accidentally falling for him in the process. Their relationship slowly shifts from one of guilt and hesitation to tenderness and longing; it’s the kind of love that leaves an ache in your chest. Told in dual POV (with Rìo’s chapters reading like dreamy journal entries), the story is a beautiful combination of heart and humor, with Benny’s panicked “Jesucristos!” and Rìo’s hilarious confusion over idioms, but doesn’t shy away from the era’s uglier sides either. Through discrimination and being forced to hide one’s true self, there’s both a sadness and warmth that felt like it seeped into my bones from the pages.

“’Cause the prettiest girl in Brooklyn wants me, but my heart wants someone else. Someone who knows me better than any human alive—including me. And I don’t even know his name.”

Tears were forcing their way into my eyes again.
“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.”

If I had 60 seconds to sum up this story in an elevator pitch, I’d tell you:

This book is magic. It's transportative, filled with grit and family, with equal parts aching and yearning—it's about finding your place, finding your people, and being seen and loved exactly as you are. “Ain’t no being free on the outside unless you’re free on the inside.” That line, like this book, will stay with me for a very long time, and I absolutely adore that. ❤️

🧜🏻‍♂️ Human x Merman
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The BEST Found Family
🪸 Calls Him Barnacle
🏳️‍🌈 Queer Romance
❤️‍🔥 Slow Burn
🎭 Dual POV
🖼️ Beautiful Illustrations

When the Tides Held the Moon by Vanessa Vida Kelley completely swept me away. Set in 1910s New York, it mixes circus performers, magical realism, and mermaids most beautifully. The story follows Benigno, a queer Puerto Rican immigrant, who gets tangled up in a scheme to capture a merman for a circus exhibit. As Benigno builds a tank to house Río, the merman, they form a deep friendship that slowly turns into something more. I loved how this book focuses on finding family, love, and self-discovery—especially as Benigno starts to open up to the circus performers around him. The romance is sweet and slow-burn, making every moment feel earned. While some of the side characters didn’t completely connect with me, I was so drawn to the main relationship and the stunning illustrations throughout. It’s an enchanting, emotional read that I think anyone who loves magical realism and queer romance would adore.

Mermaids and found family immediately sold me on this when I heard about it from a friend, and I did a little happy dance when my request for the arc was granted!

This story absolutely captured me from the very start. Benny is down on his luck, and the offer to join Luna Park seemed almost too good to be true. I am always a sucker for a found family story and even if it took Benny a while to fully trust the Luna Park crew, I really loved all their interactions. I also appreciated the way Kelley incorporated Benny's Puerto Rican heritage, the language, and the memories of his Titi Luz.

My mermaid loving heart was of course made very happy by the merman (keeping the name out of the review for now for spoiler reasons) and the beautiful lore that Kelley has created for the merfolk in this book. Their love story is absolutely a slow burn, but totally worth it. However, I wish Benny had given his lover a bit more of an extended explanation and apology for not freeing him sooner. The merman had to physically deteriorate for Benny to realize he had to jump into action, which made me a little sad. But I guess it is a very good example of "love makes you blind" - for better or for worse.

Overall, I recommend this beautiful story that reads a bit like a historical fairy tale. A queer historical fairy tale.

p.s. Dear Venessa would you please give us an epilogue at some point clarifying if Benny becomes an actual merman at the end, thank you. :D

Thank you to Erewhon Books for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley!

"Son of Neptune, I answer. I am your harmony.

When the Tides Held the Moon follows Benigno "Benny", a metal worker from Puerto Rico tasked with creating an ironwork tank, and Rio, the merman he unknowingly condemned.

"When the waves return for me in my dreams, I capsize."

At its core, When the Tides Held the Moon is a story about loneliness and isolation. Its about embracing and celebrating differences through adversity. Its about finding our people and place in the world.

"You call me the moon,but it's you. You're the beacon."

Beautiful prose, poignant themes, an eclectic cast of characters, one of the best depictions of found family I have read. All is found in this book. That's without even mentioning the beautiful illustrations to be found within.

"I have collected your smiles, your laughter, your songs like precious pearls. When I was alone I held them close" - his voice caught in his throat - "to guard against my nightmares."

Whilst I found the pacing to be somewhat slow at the beginning, the rest of the book I devoured and it is so rare for a debut to consume me and make me cry so much. Highly recommend

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was such a beautifully written, surprise of a book. Set in 1910s Coney Island, it follows Benny, a Puerto Rican blacksmith who builds a tank for a sideshow, only to discover it’s meant to hold a merman Río, who he unknowingly helped capture from the East River.
What grows from there is a beautifully soft and slow love story, framed by themes of captivity, freedom, and finding connection in unlikely places. I really loved how the relationship between Benny and Río developed. It wasn’t rushed but grew through glances, gestures and small conversations that felt so tender and charged with meaning. And even though most of the story is told from Benny’s point of view, I really appreciated the short chapters from Río’s perspective. They were quiet and poetic but added so much emotional depth.
The writing has a lyrical, almost dreamlike quality that just added to the atmosphere of the setting so well. Coney Island, with its strange mix of wonder and exploitation, made for such a vivid and layered background. I also really appreciated the use of Spanish in the dialogue and narration. It felt natural, grounding, and added an extra layer of intimacy to Benny’s character and the story as a whole. The beautiful illustrations were a lovely touch too, giving the whole book a slightly magical, almost folktale feel.
Overall, When the Tides Held the Moon is a beautiful blend of historical fiction and fantasy, offering an emotional narrative that stays with you even after the final page. It's a story about love in unexpected places, liberation, and the quiet courage to do what's right, even when the tides are against you.
A solid 4.5 stars for me, rounded to 5. Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is how you write a book! When I read it, it changed in me...positive, I can't explain it! But, this is how you write a book! I'm in awe. Just - I've been slightly speechless since reading When the Tides Held the Moon yesterday, trying to find the right words to describe the emotions this churned inside of me.

First of all, I would like to say something about the characters. The characters of the so-called "Freak Show". They are all such different people and extraordinary, but in a fairly original way that I loved very much. They are all like family to Benny at some point and help him find himself.

I fell in love. I fell in love with the gentleness in which Benny slowly won the heart and patience and kindness of a creature that he helped in trapping, but he cared so lovingly for him. ❤️‍🩹 I loved the way Río spoke, how his thoughts echoed such hope and understanding of Benny.

There were so many painful sad moments where both helped each other and were there for each other. Even though Rio was trapped in the tank, he could always cheer Benny up and understand him!

The merman is more than a mythic marvel, though. Benny comes to know Río as a clever philosopher, an observant traveller, and a kindred spirit more beautiful and compassionate than any human he's ever met. Despite their different worlds, what begins as a friendship of necessity deepens to love, leading Benny's heart into uncharted waters where he can no longer ignore the agonising truth of Río's captivity—and his own.

Oh Rio, Rio this good-hearted man...he was smart and compassionate, and so sensitive to Benny's own emotions. Because Benny felt guilty for Rio's captivity, on the other hand Rio was really angry and angry. But Rio starts to see how nice Benny is grows to care about him.

Benny is namely a queer man of colour in an incredibly racist and homophobic era. He doesn't have it easy and finds a family and even love for Rio in this circus.

And God how I loved these joint scenes with the two, it was sooo beautiful and I didn't want it to end! This book will accompany me for a lifetime and I will have to buy it again so that I can take it everywhere! It is an enrichment, a work of art if you worship the many pictures that venessa has conjured up! A book I never want to close!

♾️/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!!!!!!