I adore Danielle Paige and love graphic novels! I was so lucky to receive this from netgalley for review! It did not disappoint! The artwork is stunning!

I could not get wrapped into this, just like Catwoman, it completely missed the mark for me. I love Danielle Paige so much! But this was a struggle.

Princess Mera is teenage royalty and heir to the throne of Xebel, a penal colony ruled by the other no-so-lost land under the sea, Atlantis. Her father, his court and the entire kingdom are expecting her to marry and introduce a new king. But Mera is destined to wear a different crown....

When the Xebellian military plots to overthrow Atlantis and break free of its oppressive regime, Mera seizes the opportunity to take control over her own destiny by assassinating Arthur Curry—the long-lost prince and heir to the kingdom of Atlantis. But her mission gets sidetracked when Mera and Arthur unexpectedly fall in love. Will Arthur Curry be the king at Mera's side, or will he die under her blade as she attempts to free her people from persecution?

An astonishing graphic novel that explores duty, love, heroism and freedom, all through the eyes of readers' favorite undersea royalty.

From New York Times best-selling author Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die) and artist Stephen Byrne comes a Mera and Aquaman origin story that explores Mera's first steps on land, and her first steps as a hero or villain, forcing her to choose to follow her heart or her mission to kill.

Madison reviewing a graphic novel??? Egad!
This is how my descent into graphic novels and manga began....
I loved the artwork in this graphic novel and the story line, I mean it could have used more Aquaman, but it's title isn't Aquaman, it's Mera. I flew through this book in probably an hour with interruptions, but I really enjoyed reading through this novel.
I mean what can it hurt to have more Aquaman?
4 out of 5 stars
Maddy

This was a really cute introduction to Mera for kids and teens! It follows Princess Mera as she goes on a personal mission to find and eliminate Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman. We see her experience land and humans for the first time. Mera starts to have reservations about her mission, but her people are counting on her.

The art is really lovely (there are a few inconsistencies from panel to panel though) but overall the style is pretty and very simple. They storyline was a little too young for me, personally, but it would be PERFECT for someone aged 10 - 18-ish. It's a great comic to get young girls (and boys!) interested in comics and give them a new look at a well-loved character.

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalleyfor letting me review this title!

2.5 stars

While the art work in this graphic novel was really good (minimalist, yet detailed if that makes sense) I was honestly bored. Superhero comics are one and the same. They are all the same type of story and this just wasn't for me.

I didn't really have quite the right grasp of what kind of book this was when I started reading it, and I wish I had. I knew this was a teen imprint, but I don't think I realized how John Hughes-Esque it would be. I love John Hughes, but I wasn't expecting Mera to be a 1980's Molly Ringwald character. Is this a fun story? Yes. I would have enjoyed it more had I realized in advance that Mera, while determined and brave, would also come across as a little bit hormone-fueled. Yes, she has ambition and drive to become the warrior queen of her people to free them from the Atlantians. Sure, her character has a depth of complicated feelings and thoughts as she navigates a world that is not entirely what she expected and meets the prince of Atlantis who isn't at all who she was told he would be. But therein lies part of my problem. Arthur, Prince of Atlantis, the to-be Aquaman, and current teenage boy, is as rich and emotionally compelling as a blank poster board. For me, he just felt too good to be true. He's perfectly kind, he's perfectly heroic, I'm he's downright perfectly perfect and, in all honesty, it doesn't feel real. But Kate, it's a comic about people with superpowers who live in the ocean and can breathe water, why are you expecting it to be real? Because no matter how outlandish or crazy the powers are, I still want the characters to feel emotionally real, and feel flawed in some way.

The art isn't my favorite, either. It's good artwork, but the washed-out teal-bluish of everything just wasn't my favorite. I liked it for the "under the sea" parts, but I didn't care for it once the story shifts to being mostly on land.

Still, though, this was a fun read. I did enjoy Mera. I would definitely recommend it for teens.

I love Danielle Paige! I found the story to be really enjoyable, but I am a huge Aquaman and Mera fan. Danielle Paige is just such an excellent writer. I really love the flow of the story and in general I love graphic novels. I can understand how the formatting online isn't ideal so I really recommend people grab the physical copy! It's a must even if only for the art!

This was only okay for me. I found it hard to get into, maybe because I had trouble reading it in this format, but overall I think graphic novels aren't my thing.

An amazing rendition of The Little Mermaid. Great for all mermaid fans alike. I love the depth of description, it pulled me in and made me part of the story! Love the illustrations!

Danielle Paige is a stellar writer and the art of the comic was well made and detailed. The sea and its creatures, the fightings and her relationship with Arthur was a delight to read. Definitely, a must read if you like Aquaman.

I have to admit I wasn't able to open the file that was sent to me and I several people try to help me. The fact that the file was so locked up so tightly had me curious. Was the publisher afraid that someone would take the writers ideas? I eventually bought the book this week and it was an interesting turn from the original comics. I enjoyed the writing style and the plot kept me entertained. This book is aimed more for the 9-12 age group so keep that in mind. I seemed to struggle a bit with the story but would read more from this author in the future.

This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I don't think I like graphic novels and that's the main problem. I haven't read enough of them to feel like I had an opinion either way, but Mera: Tidebreaker has sold me on not being a fan.

I think the story itself was pretty good, at least a solid 3.5 out of 5. I hated the graphic novel format, especially on the computer (how I read it). It took forever to scroll and there weren't a lot of words to read before scrolling. Plus if you got even the tiniest bit enthusiastic with your scroll, you'd end up mid book. I still love Danielle Paige and will give whatever she writes a shot, but I think I'll be skipping out on graphic novels (unless it's a physical copy).

It pains me to only give this 3 stars, and that's a nice rating.

First and foremost, I am a comic fan, I am an Aquaman fan, and I am a Mera FAN! This comic did her no justice. I felt absolutely no connection to the characters either. It felt very rushed and there was no real character build up. They quickly fell in love with each other in a matter of a few days.

In my opinion, this retelling was poorly developed. It could have been so much more.

This is a cute introduction to Mera and Aquaman written by the author of the "Dorothy Must Die" series. While it's listed as YA, I would classify it more as middle grade, but still fun for those who are older. The artwork and engaging story make it a good choice for reluctant readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My favorite part of this was the artwork. Unfortunately the story overall fell a bit flat for me. It was still enjoyable, but just not to my taste. A bit too much of a repetitive YA story feeling if that makes sense. Definitely still recommend for those who love comics/superheroes.

Sometimes we need a reminder that there are two sides to a story. That even with a widely accepted hero, there may be another perspective that sees him as a villain. And that's what we're seeing here. Aquaman is a hero, Atlanteans the good guys, right? But when you have two cultures, one being subjugated, its not that simple. We're always the hero of our own story. That's what's happening here. Mera has a clear, black and white view of the world. And as always happens in these stories, she sets out to kill her enemy and finds him to be a "good person".

Mera: Tidebreaker was a fresh twist on traditional (kind of dark) DC Comic books. It's definitely geared towards readers a little younger than me, as it mostly deals with teenagers not having freedom to do what they want - in this case, Mera does NOT want to get married to the person her dad has set out for her since she is getting no say in the issue. That being said, I would say this book is geared towards the older end of middle grade readers.

Now, the actual content of the book:
Mera was honestly just another typical strong female lead, and there was nothing that set her apart from any other character in other books. Also, I've read a large array of DC's Aquaman comics and Mera in the comics has a very different personality and is definitely less of a pushover (not that she really is in this book, but she's even more headstrong in DC canon).

That being said, the comics themselves are incredibly well done and the art is impeccable. If not for anything else, I would definitely pick up this book for the art.

Mera and Arthur's love story bothered me as well. It was almost too easy for her to find him and then attempt to kill him before they magically fall in love over the course of what, 48 hours? It's a little concerning that Arthur was ready to break up with his supposed girlfriend so fast for Mera. I understand that character development is harder in comics, which is why each series has so many issues, but this book definitely needed more time spent on character development so that all the supporting characters weren't so one dimensional.

I've always been a sucker for Arthur's dad and mom's relationship and this book didn't fail me when writing their reunion, which was definitely a positive. Also, I did enjoy the way everything was revealed to Arthur, it was definitely one of the best parts of the book.

All in all, good book, lost some points for character development.

This was so amazing!
I am not a huge fan of Aquaman and when I was approved for this eARC I was dubious of how much I would enjoy it... but Danielle Paige has a way with her writing that keeps you so intrigued. I really enjoyed this story and I hope we might see more in the future?

First off I'd like to thank Netgalley as well as the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this comic to read and review! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

After seeing the not so positive reactions on Goodreads to this, I wasn't going in with all that high expectations. And even with that, I was still let down.

Let me start off by complimenting the art. For the most part, it was quite gorgeous, and I loved the colors used. Even here though, there were moments when faces looked weird, and I feel like the artist could have done a lot more with some of the clothes. Generally though, I did quite like the style.

The story was what really let me down. It felt very weak and shallow, and while Mera is supposed to be a warrior first and wife/lover second, she still seems to quickly be defined by love and romance later on, which was unfortunate. However, the book still ended with the pair separating, but not after a long ballad of not wanting to ever leave each other's side and it all felt very dramatic but also very shallow.

It was also insane insta-love, and I get that this comic is coming from source material that already existed, and it wasn't an authorial choice, I feel like more depth and intensity could have been given to the characters before this great love. Instead, the instant love was only amplified in speed by the format and length of the comic it appears in, and overall I just wasn't into it at all.

I'll be giving the rest of the DC Ink line a chance for sure, as I love the characters it seems to be focusing on, but I'm not impressed so far.

Mera: Tidebreaker is a graphic novel written by Danielle Paige and illustrated by Stephen Byrn. Mera is teenage royalty, heir to the throne of Xebel, the other not-so-lost colony under the sea. But Mera is destined to wear a different crown, that of Atlantis. When the inhabitants of Xebel plot to overthrow their homeland of Atlantis, Mera is sent to kill the heir to the throne, Arthur Curry. As the unrest between their colonies grows, Mera and Arthur unexpectedly fall in love...will Arthur Curry be the king at Mera's side in Atlantis, or will he die under her blade?

Mera: Tidebreaker is a young adult graphic novel, but sometimes feels like it is slanted for a younger audience. Mera is the expected princess that wants more that what she sees ahead of her, she wants to make a difference, so she breaks the rules and breaks away. Things do not go as planned, because they never do. Some of this worked for me, I enjoyed the artwork and thought the colors and style were perfect for this particular story. However, some of the scenes ended abruptly and parts of the relationship buildng of the story just did not flow for me. Perhaps it is because I am so far from the target audience, but I read a good deal of middle grade and young adult materials so I am not sure if that is the problem. I was kind of hoping to get a better understanding of some of these characters, since I am behind on my DC universe lore, and in some ways I did that, but it did not really help me like them any more.

Mera: Tidebreaker was a mixed bag for me. I think there is certainly an audience for it and the art is very well done, but I think I was expecting more.