Break Wide the Sea

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Her family is cursed.

She must guard her heart, or she will suffer that same fate.

Lady Fairfax has always been raised to know this knowledge. Of how, while she may observe as her peers fall for others and experience what true love can be, from the stumbling words to the hugs, the kisses, and the soft adorable moments that can come with true love....

Because she may find love, but she may never give her heart over more than she intends, for if she does, she will change.

This is the curse that the finfolk have laid on her family.

And now she is changing...

From the first page, Sara weaves a darkly lush world that will pull you under the waves ... whispering the sweet calling of a siren ... crafting a world where the sea is inherently full of dangers.... and yet carries a promise of magic, of hope, of dreams and prosperity...

Of love forbidden, and risks taken to experience it.

Annie, our main character, has an amazing complexity to her that adds to an already deeply complex novel. An heir to the Fairfax whaling company, and yet cursed by the finfolk to become the very thing many of her captains fear and hunt... the slow changes she experiences...and the betrayal of her fiance... this novel provides a dazzling look into how one's experiences and one's knowledge might not be all that it seems...of how love may not just purify but can also poison...

Both pulse-pounding, adventurous, and with a delicious twist of suspense, Break Wide the Sea does an absolutely fantastic job of bringing an amazing sense of adventure, with a deep journey of exploration through characters, and the perfect hint of dark mythology. It is a journey that reminds us of how we choose our families versus those we may be born into, of the horror and fear that can come from discovering yourself, and the monster that can sometimes be born due to the choices we make to defend ourselves for who we are.

This was beautifully captivating, and now I await Strike Down The Sun...