by Sophia L. Hansen
publisher’s synopsis
What if fear itself is the deadliest undercurrent of all?
Nica would do anything to avoid the hassles of her sister’s bonding ceremony—the wrap fittings, hairstyles, and braided fire coral—but she never imagined that the waters covering her planet would be broken. As the heavens rained fire and stone, mountains erupted from the sea and dry ground was birthed on the Deep, dividing the water—and the Olomi people—for the first time in their history.
In the wake of her world’s violent re-formation, Nica’s family is shattered. When the rookie Guardian leaves the safety of the Deep to find her sister, she is abducted by strange landwalkers who possess strength and technology beyond her imagination. Nica realizes that the disaster from above was by their design—a calculated plan to terraform the water planet and conquer her people. All Nica wants to do is find her sister and swim home to safety, but with the landwalkers closing in, escape may not be possible. And if Nica can’t save herself, how can she hope to save her sister—or her people?
Hansen has a writing style that’s very unique from most other YA voices. It honestly maybe felt a little more adult at times. But the difference in writing style will probably make Water’s Break stand out more in reader’s minds.
I’m not a huge “not-human characters” sci-fi reader, which might have contributed to some of my struggles while reading Water’s Break. It took me a while to feel grounded in the world-building. I think some of the turmoil happening after the Breaking didn’t quite hit its emotional mark since I didn’t know what the Olmoni world was like before the Breaking. I didn’t understand how exactly the Breaking changed things.
Aside from being able to further understand how the Breaking changed the Olomi’s world, I do wish more page time had been spent in the Deep to explore the worldbuilding that Hansen did. It was clear while reading Water’s Break that she had a well-developed culture for the Olomi. But since the bulk of the story took place on the surface while they’re captives, that culture didn’t get to fully be explored. Though, I just really enjoy worldbuilding, so this might simply be a me-thing. 🙂
The Greek naming convention didn’t throw me off all that much, except for when it was used for a character who was typically called by their actual name. There were also a few passages of time in the first quarter of the novel that felt unclear.
The themes of courage, bravery, and community were skillfully woven throughout the plot.
Overall, Water’s Break was a fine read but it wasn’t a read for me, most likely due to personal reading preferences.
Cautions: non-graphic violence; light romance; SPOILERS AHEAD: several female characters are impregnated as part of a scientific study without their knowledge (non-sexual); a brief birth scene, non-detailed
I received an eARC from the author and publisher. All thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Hailey Huntington 
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