Cliches.

It was a bit like watching Mean Girls, but with Mer people thrown in. Or twilight. Or any of those millions of other YA books where there is a cute boy, and two girls fight over him, and there are mean girls, and there are outsider kids.

Yeah, you've probably read them all.

So, why am I giving it three stars? Well, I always liked tales of the silkie, those sea folk that can take to the land. It wasn't a bad story. There was some cool stuff in it, even thought there were also a lot of cliches. I did like the monsters.

So, go into this with a bit of a caveat, that you have probably seen, and read a lot of these troupes before.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Mer, as is rather obvious by the title, is about a girl who discovers a world of mermen that she has no idea exists. This was a quick read; I downloaded and finished it on the same day. One of the first things that struck me was that the characters and plot felt very much like a YA story line. This is not a bad thing, but most of the comics/graphic novels on Netgalley are aimed at the adult audience, and so I wasn't expecting this to be an exception.

This also influenced the fact that their were quite a few cliches/tropes in this book and that the plot did feel a little rushed, as if the premise needed more development. At times, the dialogue and actions of the characters felt forced, and the author definitely needs to look over their writing again so it can flow smoothly.

I did enjoy the general plot and characters however, and soon after starting, I was invested in the story and hoping everyone would get out safely. The ending, in my opinion, is a little ambiguous, so I'm not sure of there is a sequel or if the story ends like it does. Unlike other reviewers, I didn't mind the art style. I liked the written background on mermaids and sirens and the sketches at the end, outlining the design process involved for illustrating the characters.

3.5 stars rounded down

NetGalley Review
I am very specific and picky about the art style of a comic and graphic novel and this book just so happened to meet my aesthetic requirements. However, it failed to please my literature requirements.
First of all, Mer is packed full with high school tropes and annoying cliches. I understand that there is a page limit; however, the entire story felt rushed, realistically speaking. But then again just look at the subject matter of this book.
I strongly feel that the characters did not remain their true selfs. I mean, honestly, do you think a girl is going to march up to a guy she didn't even know and accuse him of stealing her necklace? Really?
Sadly, the art style is the only thing this book has going for itself.

Beautiful artwork and a fun story. Good read for teens!

The story didn't grip me much and Aryn was slightly obnoxious.

I really wanted this one to be good. It was a really cute idea but it just didn't pan out. The plot was so rushed and the artwork was not my style.

I liked it! At first it was a little weird and everything happened too fast, but finally I liked the story, the plot and characters.
The drawings are colorful and I loved that but sometimes the faces are strange, I don't know why but sometimes the faces showed strange emotions...
And the end... I woul love another end, with them together but I understand that is quite open... maybe for a second book?