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deedireads 's review for:
When the Tides Held the Moon
by Venessa Vida Kelley
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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When the Tides Held the Moon was a fun, queer, found-family historical fantasy about a Puerto Rican man who joins a sideshow on Coney Island in the 1910s and falls in love with the merman the crew captured for the show. I had a few quibbles with it (and with the way it was marketed), but ultimately I had a good time with it and would recommend it to anyone who felt drawn by the premise.
Here’s how the book was introduced on NetGalley: “The Shape of Water meets The Greatest Showman in this beautifully illustrated queer historical cozy fantasy.” Those comps are perfect, but I wouldn’t call this cozy by any means. It includes real stakes (lives threatened) and heavy themes (lots of racism, homophobia, and even sexual assault). That said, the romance aspect is definitely toned down in a way I’d expect from more of a “cozy” book. So it felt like it walked a weird line between cozy and high-stakes at times. There were also some plotlines that I felt could have been better resolved, tbh.
But overall, net positive on this one. It was a little predictable but not in a bad way, and the found family vibes were excellent, as they always are. The pacing was good and the ending was exciting. I mostly listened to this on audio and I feel like that’s a really good format for it. Also, when you understand the title, you’ll squee!
When the Tides Held the Moon was a fun, queer, found-family historical fantasy about a Puerto Rican man who joins a sideshow on Coney Island in the 1910s and falls in love with the merman the crew captured for the show. I had a few quibbles with it (and with the way it was marketed), but ultimately I had a good time with it and would recommend it to anyone who felt drawn by the premise.
Here’s how the book was introduced on NetGalley: “The Shape of Water meets The Greatest Showman in this beautifully illustrated queer historical cozy fantasy.” Those comps are perfect, but I wouldn’t call this cozy by any means. It includes real stakes (lives threatened) and heavy themes (lots of racism, homophobia, and even sexual assault). That said, the romance aspect is definitely toned down in a way I’d expect from more of a “cozy” book. So it felt like it walked a weird line between cozy and high-stakes at times. There were also some plotlines that I felt could have been better resolved, tbh.
But overall, net positive on this one. It was a little predictable but not in a bad way, and the found family vibes were excellent, as they always are. The pacing was good and the ending was exciting. I mostly listened to this on audio and I feel like that’s a really good format for it. Also, when you understand the title, you’ll squee!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Sexual assault