When the Tides Held the Moon

by Venessa Vida Kelley

Overview

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.

“Venessa gives life to the most unexpected things. I have a strong, strong feeling that this is the start of something special.” —TJ KLUNE, New York Times Bestselling author of The House in the Cerulean Sea

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.

"When the Tides Held the Moon is a beautifully illustrated novel with artwork throughout by Venessa Vida Kelley, known for her stunning romance and fantasy art. This novel includes two different full-color endpapers for front and back, fully-designed chapter headers, and 27 pieces of detailed illustrations throughout, using beautiful two-color, aqua blue and black inks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645661535
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	04/29/2025
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	57,475
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Venessa Vida Kelley is a Nuyorican writer, illustrator and sequential artist. Their work focuses on magical realism, fantasy, and romance in a culturally diverse world, and has been featured in Discovery Girls Magazine, Buzzfeed, and in board games and activism campaigns for Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, creator of the La Borinqueña comic series. They hold a BA and MA in English Literature with concentrations in film from the University of Delaware and George Washington University.​​ They live in Washington, DC with their spouse and two sons, and can be found online at VenessaKelley.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/20/2025

Kelley debuts with a captivating and perfectly balanced blend of history, fantasy, and good old-fashioned carnival magic. In 1911 New York City, Puerto Rican immigrant Benny makes a meager and dangerous living as an ironworker. When a commission comes in to craft the elaborate metal support for a huge glass tank, Benny seizes the opportunity to prove his worth. The satisfied customer turns out to be Samuel Morgan, owner of Coney Island’s struggling Luna Park carnival. Morgan offers Benny a home with the rest of the carnies and a better job if he comes along to catch the tank’s intended inhabitant: a real live merman, soon to become the star of the Luna Park sideshow. Benny is seduced by the promise of a better life and finds acceptance among the sideshow workers, but he knows that he’s made a terrible mistake immediately upon meeting the merman, Rio, with whom he is able to communicate. Deep beneath Rio’s fury and despair at being trapped, there is a heart as huge and untamed as the ocean. Though they’re from opposite worlds, the men grow closer until Benny must choose between the only place that has ever welcomed him and a love like nothing he’s ever known. The setting is transporting and the romance is heartrending. It’s a triumph. Agent: Saritza Hernandez, Andrea Brown Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for When the Tides Held the Moon

“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, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Cerulean Sea

“Kelley’s writing lands like music, infusing early 20th century Coney Island with palpable magic. I’m head over heels for Benny, Río, their unforgettable found family, and this love song of a book.” —Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling & award-winning author

“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, internationally bestselling author and New York Times Editors' Choice Pick for A Marvelous Light and A Restless Truth

“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, USA Today bestselling author of Long Live Evil

“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, Sunday Times bestselling author of Winter's Orbit and Ocean's Echo

“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, Two-time National Book Award Finalist and New York Times bestselling author

“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, New York Times bestselling author of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love

“Lush and romantic, WHEN THE TIDES HELD THE MOON is a love story unlike anything you’ve read before.” —Camryn Garrett, NAACP Image Award-nominated author

“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, award-winning author of Prince of the Palisades

“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, winner of the LAMBDA Literary Award for The Grief Keeper
 
“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, author of Something More

"With prose as lush and intricate as her illustrations, Venessa Vida Kelley’s romantic debut is sure to enchant and captivate readers.” —Mia García, author of Even if the Sky Falls

“A luminous and romantic fantasy from a gifted storyteller and illustrator... prepare to be swept off your feet!" —Sher Lee, author of Legend of the White Snake
 
“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, author of The Taste of Sugar
 
“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, author of They Thought They Buried Us

“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, author of A Delicious Dilemma

“This book was one that I wanted to savor while reading. The writing was so vivid and just immediately pulls you into the story. I really enjoyed the complexity of Benigno and Rio, whose romance was such a carefully crafted tale of forbidden love and finding a home with someone where you least expect it.  Found family was the centerpiece of this story and really highlighted the importance of doing the right thing for those you love despite the consequences. I also just LOVED Benigno’s journey of self-discovery and how big of a role Rio had in that. THE SWIMMING LESSONS!!!!” – Meghan Molinari, Lark & Owl Booksellers (Georgetown, TX)

From the Publisher

★ 03/01/2025

DEBUT When a young Puerto Rican immigrant begins to fall for the merman he helped capture, he risks losing his career, community, and life. Only one person ever cared for orphaned Benny, his Tití Luz, who must send him to New York before she dies. There, Benny's blacksmith skills gain him the attention of a Coney Island amusement park owner—and a new job. Though the park's workers and side-show performers accept Benny into their family, he is used to hiding his true self, and it's only his interactions with the imprisoned merman Río that begin to set him free. But even if he can admit that his growing feelings are romantic, will Benny risk harming the only community he's ever felt like he belongs with? Kelley's debut novel features their own lovely illustrations, which pair well with the beautiful prose and the message that true freedom only comes with self-acceptance. Fans of C.L. Polk's Even Though I Knew the End or Ruthanna Emrys's Winter Tide will be particularly delighted by the novel's romance and worldbuilding. VERDICT Kelley's debut might draw comparisons to Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water, but this powerfully queer story will stand tall in its own right on any shelf.—Matthew Galloway

Library Journal