The Shape of Water meets The Greatest Showman in this beautifully illustrated queer historical cozy fantasy, as a young Puerto Rican immigrant goes through a journey of love and self-discovery after capturing a merman for a Coney Island sideshow act in turn-of-the 20th century New York.
"A lushly illustrated historical romance . . . This book is a charming fable — an elemental dance of fire and water." ''THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
A Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist | BookRiot Best Books of the Year | Amazon Best Romantasy of the Year | Reader's Digest Top 10 of the Year
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 side-show 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.
‘This is the start of something special.’ —TJ KLUNE, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Cerulean Sea
Genre: Fantasy
"A lushly illustrated historical romance . . . This book is a charming fable — an elemental dance of fire and water." ''THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
A Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist | BookRiot Best Books of the Year | Amazon Best Romantasy of the Year | Reader's Digest Top 10 of the Year
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 side-show 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.
‘This is the start of something special.’ —TJ KLUNE, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Cerulean Sea
Genre: Fantasy
Praise for this book
"Kelley's writing lands like music, infusing early 20th century Coney Island with palpable magic. I'm head over heels for Benny, Rio, their unforgettable found family, and this love song of a book." - Becky Albertalli
"Her prose is as beautiful as her art; her understanding of history and character, deep as the ocean. . . . Save some talent for the rest of us!" - Sarah Rees Brennan
"A beautiful, lyrical love story between two fish out of water determined to save each other. WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON is a stunning debut by a brilliant new voice in romantasy. It made me cry four times!" - Lex Croucher
"With prose as lush and intricate as her illustrations, Venessa Vida Kelley's romantic debut is sure to enchant and captivate readers." - Mia García
"Lush and romantic, WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON is a love story unlike anything you've read before." - Camryn Garrett
"WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON is at once a quiet love story between Benny, an orphaned blacksmith from Puerto Rico and Rio, the stubborn but soft-hearted merman he unknowingly helped capture, as well as an epic historical fantasy with a cast of diverse and loveable misfits. On Benny's bumpy path to finding himself and his place in 1920's New York City he stumbles upon found family and true love--which grounds him in a way he never could have expected. With luscious illustrations by Vida Kelley that accompany this truly heartfelt and original story, readers will find themselves easily immersed in Benny and Rio's journey." - Jackie Khalilieh
"I can't believe Venessa Kelley exists. Here is an artist who is not only extraordinarily talented, but she can write too? We are so lucky to be around at the same time as her. WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON may be a debut, but it reads like someone at the top of their game. Lush prose, diverse characters, and a love story to swoon over? This book has got it all. Venessa Kelley is a dynamic writer who understands that little details matter just as much as the narrative itself. A feast for the senses!" - TJ Klune
"A luminous and romantic fantasy from a gifted storyteller and illustrator... prepare to be swept off your feet!" - Sher Lee
"Venessa Vida Kelley's debut novel proves she can achieve the same effortless luminosity with words as with her artwork, creating a page-turning story which brings 1911 New York and a vivid found family of characters equally to life. This is an achingly fantastical and painfully romantic book; it plunged me deep and took my breath away!" - Freya Marske
"When the Tides Held the Moon made me fall in love with 1920s New York, with the scrappy circus, and with the beautiful central relationship at its heart. Gorgeously compelling and romantic right up to the last page." - Everina Maxwell
"Be prepared to be transported and transformed as you dive into Venessa Vida Kelley's scintillating early 20th century historical fantasy that brims with glittering prose, swoon-worthy romance, and page-turning suspense. Venessa's powerful debut is a gripping examination of immigration and the treatment of the "other" in American society that rewards readers with fairy-tale love, found family, and unrelenting hope for a world worthy of her protagonist Benito and his beloved Rio." - NoNieqa Ramos
"Steeped in the rasp of metalworks and the salt of the ocean, this novel is a delight for the senses and a balm for the heart. WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON lives evocatively in the intersection of romance and justice, of land and sea." - Eliot Schrefer
"Venessa Vida Kelley's WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON is a triumph of tender and evocative storytelling that is as much a story about love and found family as it is a novel of place. Kelley transports the reader to Coney Island of the early 1900's through the eyes of Benicio "Benny" Caldera, a Puerto Rican blacksmith who left his island in search of opportunity in New York City and stumbled on a miracle beyond his wildest dreams. Rich in enchantment, intrigue, and the kind of love that only happens once in many lifetimes, this novel draws you in like the waves of a salt-water estuary that carries the moon on its frothy current. It leaves you breathless with its stunning prose and the proposition that really seeing someone for all the things that they are is the most transformative kind of love. A true gem of a novel!" - Sera Taíno
"Venessa Vida Kelly's beautiful illustrations and prose pulls us like an ocean current into a queer love story rich in history and myth." - Marisel Vera
"With a cast of characters to fall in love with and a sweet, slow-burning romance, WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON evokes the magic and mystery of a lost New York with cinematic lushness." - Alexandra Villasante
"A breathtaking and illuminating love song to culture, language, found families, and the depths of the heart, WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON is the richly compelling historical fantasy romance readers have longed for. Venessa Vida Kelley's melodic prose and enchanting characters will pull you under until the very last page!" - Julian Winters
"Her prose is as beautiful as her art; her understanding of history and character, deep as the ocean. . . . Save some talent for the rest of us!" - Sarah Rees Brennan
"A beautiful, lyrical love story between two fish out of water determined to save each other. WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON is a stunning debut by a brilliant new voice in romantasy. It made me cry four times!" - Lex Croucher
"With prose as lush and intricate as her illustrations, Venessa Vida Kelley's romantic debut is sure to enchant and captivate readers." - Mia García
"Lush and romantic, WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON is a love story unlike anything you've read before." - Camryn Garrett
"WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON is at once a quiet love story between Benny, an orphaned blacksmith from Puerto Rico and Rio, the stubborn but soft-hearted merman he unknowingly helped capture, as well as an epic historical fantasy with a cast of diverse and loveable misfits. On Benny's bumpy path to finding himself and his place in 1920's New York City he stumbles upon found family and true love--which grounds him in a way he never could have expected. With luscious illustrations by Vida Kelley that accompany this truly heartfelt and original story, readers will find themselves easily immersed in Benny and Rio's journey." - Jackie Khalilieh
"I can't believe Venessa Kelley exists. Here is an artist who is not only extraordinarily talented, but she can write too? We are so lucky to be around at the same time as her. WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON may be a debut, but it reads like someone at the top of their game. Lush prose, diverse characters, and a love story to swoon over? This book has got it all. Venessa Kelley is a dynamic writer who understands that little details matter just as much as the narrative itself. A feast for the senses!" - TJ Klune
"A luminous and romantic fantasy from a gifted storyteller and illustrator... prepare to be swept off your feet!" - Sher Lee
"Venessa Vida Kelley's debut novel proves she can achieve the same effortless luminosity with words as with her artwork, creating a page-turning story which brings 1911 New York and a vivid found family of characters equally to life. This is an achingly fantastical and painfully romantic book; it plunged me deep and took my breath away!" - Freya Marske
"When the Tides Held the Moon made me fall in love with 1920s New York, with the scrappy circus, and with the beautiful central relationship at its heart. Gorgeously compelling and romantic right up to the last page." - Everina Maxwell
"Be prepared to be transported and transformed as you dive into Venessa Vida Kelley's scintillating early 20th century historical fantasy that brims with glittering prose, swoon-worthy romance, and page-turning suspense. Venessa's powerful debut is a gripping examination of immigration and the treatment of the "other" in American society that rewards readers with fairy-tale love, found family, and unrelenting hope for a world worthy of her protagonist Benito and his beloved Rio." - NoNieqa Ramos
"Steeped in the rasp of metalworks and the salt of the ocean, this novel is a delight for the senses and a balm for the heart. WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON lives evocatively in the intersection of romance and justice, of land and sea." - Eliot Schrefer
"Venessa Vida Kelley's WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON is a triumph of tender and evocative storytelling that is as much a story about love and found family as it is a novel of place. Kelley transports the reader to Coney Island of the early 1900's through the eyes of Benicio "Benny" Caldera, a Puerto Rican blacksmith who left his island in search of opportunity in New York City and stumbled on a miracle beyond his wildest dreams. Rich in enchantment, intrigue, and the kind of love that only happens once in many lifetimes, this novel draws you in like the waves of a salt-water estuary that carries the moon on its frothy current. It leaves you breathless with its stunning prose and the proposition that really seeing someone for all the things that they are is the most transformative kind of love. A true gem of a novel!" - Sera Taíno
"Venessa Vida Kelly's beautiful illustrations and prose pulls us like an ocean current into a queer love story rich in history and myth." - Marisel Vera
"With a cast of characters to fall in love with and a sweet, slow-burning romance, WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON evokes the magic and mystery of a lost New York with cinematic lushness." - Alexandra Villasante
"A breathtaking and illuminating love song to culture, language, found families, and the depths of the heart, WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON is the richly compelling historical fantasy romance readers have longed for. Venessa Vida Kelley's melodic prose and enchanting characters will pull you under until the very last page!" - Julian Winters
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