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Cover of Break Wide the Sea

Break Wide the Sea

by Sara Holland

🥛clean·spoiler·Break Wide the Sea #1·Ongoing Series

Why Read This?

A lush, atmospheric nautical fantasy with genuine ethical tension around the whaling of magical creatures. Annie is a curse-breaker who becomes the very thing her family hunts, and the world-building around finfolk mythology is genuinely compelling. The slow-burn enemies-to-lovers tension with Silas will have you turning pages.

Synopsis

In the treacherous waters surrounding Kirkrell, sailors hunting magic whales live in fear of the finfolk—bloodthirsty sea fae who sink ships and curse bloodlines. Nineteen-year-old Annie, as heir to the city's preeminent whaling company is determined to carry on her parents' lifework. But she keeps a secret from everyone: she's cursed to transform into a monster, with scales spreading up her arms and claws growing from her fingertips. Her fiancé, August, offers comfort, but their love falls apart when Annie discovers his plan to take over the company. Desperate, Annie makes a deal with Silas Price, a young captain rumored to be half finfolk. He claims he knows how to break the curse—but only if Annie promises to stop the practice of whaling forever. As Annie, August, and Silas sail north, Annie—wrestling with her family's legacy, the threat of the finfolk, and August's ambitions—is increasingly forced to put her trust in Silas. Yet Silas has secrets of his own, and they might be the most dangerous of all.

At a Glance

3.81 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🥛clean
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingslow burn

Top Tropes

enemies to loverslove triangleforbidden love

Mood

darkmysteriousadventurousatmosphericintense

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

3.81 ★

Page Count

324 pages

Published

2025

Primary Genre

Young Adult

Pairing

M/F

POV

Third Person

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Standard

Narrator

Eileen Stevens

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

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Mood & Vibe

Mood

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Characters

FMC: reluctant chosen one sign in to unlock

violencedeath of a parentdeathbody horrorgrief

World & Setting

historical sign in to unlock

Reading Context

the angst delivered sign in to unlock

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