Break Wide the Sea, Sara Holland
Break Wide the Sea, Sara Holland
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Break Wide the Sea

Author: Sara Holland

Series: Break Wide the Sea #1

Narrator: Eileen Stevens

Unabridged: 10 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/11/2025


Synopsis

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.

"Listeners will be drawn in and left wanting more by Eileen Stevens's engrossing narration..." —AudioFile on Everless (Earphones Award winner)

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books

About Sara Holland

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.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer on November 11, 2025

From the first page, Break Wide the Sea pulls you under its dark, swirling depths with the inexorable force of a riptide. Sara Holland has crafted a lush, atmospheric fantasy where every crashing wave carries both promise and peril, and the line between human and monster dissolves like sea foam on t......more

2.25⭐️ ╰► 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝗲𝘄! 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦: 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 11, 2025 ❰ 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭. 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰! ❱ ₊˚ʚ ➼➻❥𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨📋 ╰┈➤ 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙖 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗳𝗮𝘅, 𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸, 𝘄......more

Goodreads review by jenny reads a lot on November 13, 2025

Break Wide the Sea is fresh, interesting, and utterly unique. It has merfolk, magical whales, curses, romance, high seas adventure, betrayal, and heartbreak. Everything you could hope for in a historical fantasy! This book was an absolutely wild ride. Impossible to put down, unpredictable, perfectl......more

Goodreads review by Maeghan 🦋 HIATUS on & off on November 08, 2025

Huge thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for a chance to review this ARC!! Break Wide the Sea is definitely a unique story. Annie is the head of a company that hunts whales. Humans need the magic the whales give them to survive. It’s a quick and captivating read. I was intrigued by the concept and......more

Goodreads review by Mystery, She Read on November 05, 2025

4.5 🌟 Mood/Seasonal Reading: takes places across spring and summer but is mainly cold so I would say Novemberish which is perfect cause that’s when it comes out This was a breathtaking novel! It was one of the most unique plots I’ve read in a good long while. The setting and characters leapt off the......more


Quotes

"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

"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

"Sara Holland weaves an enchanting and unforgettable story of that will have readers swooning." —Laura Sebastian, New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Princess Series

"Break Wide the Sea is a spellbinding journey through treacherous waters and even more treacherous hearts. With haunting magic, high-stakes adventure, and a romance as fierce and fragile as the sea itself, I found it utterly unforgettable." —Patrice Caldwell, Internationally bestselling author of Where Shadows Meet