2.5 stars, but honestly closer to 2.

There is absolutely so much to like about this. It has mer(men/maids), it has lore, it deals with bullying (albeit badly), death, and crappy parents. There is a lot going on here.... too much for how short it is.

Honestly, it really feels things were missing or moved at the speed of lightning. Hate --> Love, Friends/MISUNDERSTANDING!!!!! to omg I hate you in like one page. I just ????

I still don't understand what the bad person is and why they need Mer hearts to live. I also don't forgive people as fast as MC. And the ending.... so much confusion tbh.

I wanted this to be SO MUCH MORE. If it was double in size, I think it wouldn't be so bad and perhaps we'd have time to connect with all the characters. There was also SO MUCH to be explored by looking at our culture from another lens and allowing the reader to be 'huh', but the author let the opportunity wash by them.

So much potential... :(

In the end, I think it is worth it to read, maybe not buy, just to see how interesting the mers are and their thing. Other than that, I don't know if I'd rec this to anyone.... it is just way too fast.

I have fairly mixed feelings about Mer. For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed it; The art is amazing and I'm likely to purchase it for my library for that alone, but it just doesn't feel like a stand-alone graphic novel, despite all evidence that it will not be a series. If Mer does turn out to be a series, I will absolutely suggest it to patrons. As it is now, though, I am still likely to buy it for the collection, but not so likely to actively suggest it.

What a wonderful comic! In a similar vein to Lumberjanes which I love. I already can't wait for more!!!

The concept of this book was different from the books I've read, so I enjoyed it. The art was cool. I didn't like a few things, but I'd still say it's a good read. Go for it if you are looking for a fun, light read with some interesting things and are okay with some eye rollable stuff.

Maybe it's me...maybe I just went into this book with my expectations too high, but oh well. I enjoyed the pictures, and the story was good, it just wasn't as good as I had hoped. I wish I could say this was one of my favorite, and I can't wait to tell everyone about it, but this just isn't. I didn't hate it, I just didn't really care about it either way, which might be worse...

I was a bit wary with the tagline being 'Twilight meets Atlantis', but I am a sucker for mermaids and graphic novels are always quick reads so I figured I would give it a shot. First of all the art is gorgeous. I really like the colors and the character design so it was definitely very visually stimulating. The plot was definitely a little bit Twilight-esque, but nowhere near as ...well, awful. Although there was the whole insta-love thing, I thought for the most part the characters behaved in a relatable way, and the fact that she didn't run off to live with some random merman she just met a few weeks ago makes her lightyears more mature than Bella. Also Adrian was not an abusive manipulative jerk! So you know, that's good. And the book focused on friendships as well, not just romances. I was glad that the girls made up and were friends again at the end of it instead of letting a guy come between them. Overall it was a fun, quick story but still a little bit juvenile for my tastes. I think I would have really enjoyed it when I was in high school though.

Overall I enjoyed this quick read and only had minor issues with it. I'm not a fan of insta-love but can excuse it in this instance, as this is kind of like a gender swapped retelling of The Little Mermaid, which entirely revolves around insta-love. With the exception of everyone speaking fine, it had young love (the girl is a redhead and the dude is raven headed), an evil sea witch, an overbearing father and lots of talk about being a part of each other's worlds. I struggled occasionally with the flow of the dialogue boxes, as sometimes it wasn't clear how to read a specific page that was heavy in discussion versus action. My biggest issue, honestly, is just that the story wasn't much longer. I feel like to really flesh out the relationships and drama the telling should be stretched out a little more.

I truly enjoyed this book. I read it all at once in one sitting, I hope to see more from this author in the future. Look forward to ordering this book at my library.

Great story, great characters, and interesting plot. I was into it.

General

Mer by Joelle Sellner

Pages: 128 (paperback)

Published: Diamond Book Distributors (April 19th 2017)

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Mermaids



Links: Goodreads/Amazon

Overall rating: 2.5/5

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley, but that does not have a sway in my reviews. I am a human being with thoughts of her own, and I am not obligated to automatically give this book five stars.



The Review

Mer is Twilight meets Atlantis/Mermaid fantasy. The story follows an awkward and troubled girl named Aryn and her family's move to a new town in Connecticut for a fresh start. Like Twilight, this story is filled with teenage angst, shirtless leading men, and female rivalry.

There is so much and so little to say about this graphic novel. The fact that it is marketed as a Twilight-esqe novel seems a bit odd. Why not market it for what it is: A young adult romance between a merman and human. Why does it need to be qualified with Stephanie Meyer's vampire fantasy? The artwork is lovely and the story is fair, so why compare it to someone else's work? Let this work stand for itself.

Overall, it has a good premise, but the execution fell flat. It could be because the white, damsel in distress protagonist saved by the fantasmal beast narrative has been overdone, but it can also be due to the fact that this story was treated like a Twilight fanfic. Either way, Mer was a visually appealing novel, but it isn't the kind of graphic novel I would read again.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm new to the graphic novel format, but this flowed smoothly and the graphics gave the right amount of character to support the story. I look forward to more in this series.

Overall this was just okay. The art was really pretty and the color palette was gorgeous. I liked the character designs a ton. However the story felt incredibly rushed and unfinished. I wished the story had been spread out over the course of a few volumes instead of just the one. There was so much more I was curious about regarding the mer and Atlantis.

Aryn is a headstrong girl with a peculiar necklace. She comes into contact with a group of teens who may be hiding a secret. She manages to catch the attention of one of them, a boy named Adrian. To complicate matters, he happens to be the cutest boy in the school and the biggest crush of her only friend, Julia. Meanwhile, Julia's stepmon has secrets of her own, one that has the potential to endanger Aryn and the lives of those dear to her. A satisfying adventure story filled with mythical creatures with appealing illustrations and great characterization. It has just the right amount of romance as well that will appeal to teens as well as adults. Readers will want the story to continue after they finish this-I sure do. Highly recommended.

The basis of the story was good and the artwork was beautiful. The story seemed choppy and jumpy at times...and the insta-love was a little much. Overall it was a decent read and I'd read a volume 2 if there was one.

The beginning of this graphic novel gave me some serious Twilight vibes. It follows a girl who moves to a new town and immediately catches the eye of a mysterious guy who might not be entirely human. And, it pretty much held onto that for the entire story. It's Twilight, but with mermaids instead of vampires. That being said, the writing is fantastic and the artwork is absolutely gorgeous. So even if Twilight isn't necessarily your thing (and it definitely isn't mine), you'll probably still enjoy this story.

I only really got about three quarters of the way through this book, but even though I didn't finish it, the story, the art, and the characters drew me in right away! I started reading it with a family friend of mine (who's 12) and she absolutely adored it! She loved Aryn so much, and even said she had a crush on all the characters!
The story was intriguing, and brought a new twist to an old legend, and the characters were great

This was a fun read, and I liked the mythos and the "Buffy"-esque vibe of teen life challenges, although the four panel layouts per spread format felt a bit repetitious and limiting / confining to the story at times.

I enjoyed the book, especially the art. The pacing was uneven in places and the dialogue was a bit over the top at times. But overall, worth a read.

Basic plot is Merpeople basically come to land as teenagers to find a mate. Then, they must decide to leave the sea forever or bring their mate back to Atlantis. It's like the maritime version of Amish Rumspringa. Sirens also exist and to stay on land they need to occoisionally eat a Mer heart.

The artwork is great in this graphic novel. I'd say it's more for teens rather than younger children due to the type of artistic interpretation of this book.