Break Wide the Sea by Sarah Holland

The quick cut: A teen girl cursed to become a monster is determined to do what it takes to end it, even if it means killing the family whaling company. 

A real review: 

 Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing the arc for an honest review.

 Every family comes with its own legacy, but for a select few that comes with expectations and plans to continue the family business. For Annie, that means taking over the family whaling company, that kills magical whales for their healing properties. 

 Annie is mourning the loss of her parents, but she's got bigger issues at hand. One of those is the curse that is slowly turning her into a monster with scales and claws. Desperate to change her future, she goes to a guy rumored to be half finfolk and capable of finding a way to life curses. The cost to help? End your family's whaling business for good. Will she do it? Or will she turn into something else? 

 I wanted to like this story so badly, especially since it's a different spin on sea based fantasies. I love how it connects to real fishing issues and how our practices are leading to true reductions in the population. That being said, the story pacing is slow and the lead character is unbelievably boring. 

 For Annie being a girl who has taken over the family whaling business, she's very naive about its realities. I seriously doubt she would have had the growth journey she has throughout the book. It's asking a lot of the reader, especially when you hear stories of what her parents did as a kid to make her realize why killing animals is okay. 

 There is a minor long triangle, but I struggle to call it that. It's clear that one guy is painted to be awful while the other is trying to do good as far as you can see. There isn't suspense in it at all. 

 The book is definitely an opener to a series, but I am not invested enough to read the second story. I spent more time finding issues in the story points than being fascinated by the plot. Not my type of tale on the end. 

 A sea faring story that fails to intrigue.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5