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In New York Times bestselling author Sara Holland's new novel, Break Wide the Sea, a young woman cursed with a fatal heartbreak-induced sickness must race against time to find a cure and protect her family legacy from the ancient finfolk that would destroy it, the fiancé that would kill her for it, and the boy who would love her if she forsook it.
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' life's work. 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 says 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 increasingly force her to put her trust in Silas. Yet Silas has secrets of his own, and they might be the most dangerous of all.
"Sea-swept horror and folklore elements fuse into a pulse-pounding parable of gender, love, and power." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"An extraordinary work teeming with magic, intrigue, and strong emotion." ―Kirkus Reviews
"Promises are made, lies are told, and secrets are revealed in this dark, briny YA fantasy." ―Booklist
"Break Wide the Sea is a spellbinding nautical tale of love, grief, and decisions that make us human. With lyrical writing that is as mesmerizing as the tides, Annie's story will not only hold your heart captive and steal your breath―you'll be thinking of it long after that devastating last line." ―Rebecca Ross, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divine Rivals
"Mercilessly plotted and gorgeously written, Break Wide the Sea is full of haunting imagery and animated by strange tides. I loved it right up to its gut-wrenching end." ―Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood
This information about Break Wide the Sea was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sara Holland is the author of Havenfall and the New York Times bestsellers Everless and Evermore. She grew up in small-town Minnesota and has held jobs in a tea shop, a dentist's office, and a state capitol building, to name a few. She now lives in New York, where she can be found exploring bookstores or finding new ways to put caffeine in her bloodstream.
If you liked Break Wide the Sea, try these:
by Charlotte McConaghy
Published 2026
An enthralling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Migrations and Once There Were Wolves.
by Hannah Stowe
Published 2025
A book to sweep you away from the shore, into a wild world of water, whale, storm, and starlight— to experience what it's like to sail for weeks at a time with life set to a new rhythm.
by Mark Helprin
Published 2024
Mark Helprin, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Winter's Tale and A Soldier of the Great War, presents a fast-paced, beautifully written novel about the majesty of the sea; a life dedicated to duty, honor, and country; and the gift of falling in love.
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