When the Tides Held the Moon
Venessa Vida Kelley
With lush illustrations and buoyant prose, Venessa Vida Kelley blends historical fantasy with epic romance at the turn of the 20th century in this unforgettable New York fairytale of queer identity and found family. Benigno “Benny” Caldera knows an orphaned Boricua blacksmith in 1910s New York City can’t call himself an artist. But the ironwork tank he creates for famed Coney Island playground, Luna Park, astounds everyone, especially the eccentric sideshow proprietor who commissioned it. Benny’s work earns him an invitation to join the show’s eclectic crew of performers—his first welcome in the city—and share in their astonishing secret: the tank Benny built is a cage for their newest exhibit, a living, breathing, in-the-flesh merman stolen from the banks of the East River under a gleaming full moon. The merman is more than a mythic marvel, though. Benny comes to know Río as a clever philosopher, an observant traveler, 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 agonizing truth of Río’s captivity—and his own. A cage is no place for a merman to survive. Though releasing Río means betraying his new family, bankrupting their home, and losing his soulmate forever, Benny must look within for the courage to do what’s right, and find a love strong enough to free them both.
Publication Year: 2025
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“But if you’re the sort who needs to see to believe, come to the Iron Pier on a clear night when the tide is in, and the moon is full.”
A queer fantasy romance, sign me up!
Words cannot express how grateful I am to have received this eARC. When the Tides Held the Moon was one of my most anticipated releases for next year, I dropped everything to read it.
At its heart, When the Tides Held the Moon is a captivating story about love, family, and identity. This novel is told mainly from Benny’s perspective, with small excerpts from Río’s. Kelley’s portrayal of the merfolk, which I had not read before, can only be described as enchanting. The way Benny and Río’s relationship developed into something so heartfelt and the depiction of queer love through the stunning prose was absolutely a highlight for me. The cast of characters we meet at the menagerie are so lovable, and the way Coney Island is described makes it feel alive. I cannot forget to talk about the beautiful illustrations by Kelley themselves. I had to stop to take in all the details before I turned the page.
I want to mention the epilogue from Matthias’s perspective and the last page of the novel, where he receives a letter from Benny, because if I was not already crying, that would have done it.
In conclusion, I have already pre-ordered a hard copy so I can experience this again, and I am eagerly waiting to read what Kelley writes next. Even weeks later, I am still thinking about this book, and I need someone to talk to about it ASAP, so when the novel releases next year, I 100% recommend it.
Thank you, NetGalley and Erewhon Books, for the eARC.
0Thank you to Kensington Publishing for an early access copy, I was so interested in this book by the cover and description. I was not disappointed, I will admit did I struggle with the Spanish aspects and the words in spanish. Absolutely but that is not a knock against this book, thats more against my poor ability to learn languages. I loved the way this book was written regardless, the author phenomenally described New York City in a way that I could totally picture it during that time. I could picture the house that the company worked in, I could imagine the tank that Rio lived in. The way the other characters in this company are described you just can’t help but picture this rag tag team. I was so enthralled by the story and the budding romance between Buddy and Rio. I found myself really rooting for Sonia/Mary and Mathias and the others in the company. Except Sam but honestly he was written so well and it really was one of those things where you find yourself kind of okay with him at first and then gradually as the pieces fall into place and you start to get to know him you too begin to dislike him. The story was overall well done and the world was enchanting and a delight to read about. It meshed so well with the NYC backdrop.
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