- Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction, LGBT
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 the eccentric sideshow proprietor who commissioned it. He invites Benny to join the show’s eclectic cast and share in their shocking secret: the tank will cage their newest exhibit, a live merman stolen from the salty banks of the East River. More than a mythic marvel, Benny soon comes to know the merman Río as a kindred spirit, wise and more 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. Releasing Río could mean losing his found family, his new home, and his soulmate forever. Yet Benny’s courageous choice may just reveal a love strong enough to free them both.
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Classical in form, grave, earnest and effortless.
- classical in formformally daring
- gravecomic
- earnestironic
- effortlessdemanding
- resolvedopen-ended
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Ask the title
A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
About the book
- Author
- Venessa Vida Kelley
- First published
- 2025
- Pages
- 464
- Publisher
- Erewhon Books
- Editions
- 1
- Language
- English
- ISBN
- 9781645661535
Where to read
Libraries first: a card gets you most books for nothing. Each opens that service’s page for this title.
On Open Library, 7 want to.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
Orphan train 201285% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
The Personal Librarian 202184% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
The Briar Club 202484% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
The Bones Beneath My Skin 201881% alikeBoth classical in form, grave, earnest.
The Calamity Club 202681% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
Wintersong 201781% alikeBoth classical in form, grave, earnest.
Both classical in form, earnest, grave.
The Rules of Magic 201780% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
My Happy Marriage 202389% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, earnest, grave.
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing 195587% alikeFilm · Both classical in form, grave, earnest.