I was unable to download the attachment. The link was broken. It was super disappointing as I wanted to read more about her. 2/5 stars.

This is a fairly simplistic story about Mera meeting Arthur (Aquaman). I don't read a lot of graphic novels, but this one seems to be aimed at young girls or tweens, not really complex enough for adults to enjoy. It also seems to change some of Arthur's story- or at least the story told in the Aquaman movie. All in all, a comic I think young girls could enjoy, but adults may find it lacking.

The writing was really choppy, unrealistic, and kinda cringe-worthy. I really loved the graphics and the storyline was good, but I just couldn't stand reading it...

I'm not much of a graphic novel fan but I HAD to read this. I mean, Mera?! Written by amazing goddess Danielle Paige? Sign me UP. I am so happy to say that it did not disappoint one bit. Fast paced, filled with vivid imagery, I adored Paige's take on Mera. I loved the art style used here and the monochromatic color palette which is only accented by Mera's flaming hair. It's actually a nice tactic for letting Mera stand out in the overall graphic novel. All in all, a great stand alone graphic novel.

Princess Mera is heir to the throne of Xebel, a penal colony ruled by Atlantis. The Xebellian Court is expecting her to marry and bring a new king in, and their military is plotting to overthrow Atlantis. Mera plans to seize control over her own destiny rather than follow through with her father's expectations by assassinating Arthur Curry, the heir to the Atlantean throne. However, the two fall in love, complicating her plans to free her people.

The art in this comic is done by Stephen Byrne, and it's all clean lines and blues (except for Mera's bright red hair) while in Xebel. Even up on land, there is a muted state to the colors, almost as if it was done with watercolor. That brings the feeling of the sea even to the land-based scenes, in keeping with the sea theme for the story.

The drawings of the action and fights really convey the tension from the very beginning of the story. While Mera tries to fight and generate a little anarchy to upset the Atlantean warriors that patrol the Xebellian territory. Mera is a teenage rebel, after all, and she values those actions more than dressing up and looking pretty to simper in front of Atlantean dignitaries. This is why she takes it upon herself to go to the surface world to find Arthur Curry, and intends to kill him to ensure that she would rule on her own. Because she doesn't know how to use her abilities on land for the first time, this means she's physically weak and taken in by Arthur to heal. Of course, she learns about him while hiding her purpose, and discovers that Arthur doesn't know about his Atlantean heritage and is a genuinely good man. We learn the truth of him and the history of their people as she does, and she does have difficult decisions to make.

Overall, this is a great story focusing on Mera and Arthur, involving hard choices and delving into the nature of honor when different kingdoms at war are involved.

I am not normally a fan of graphic novels. But with a daughter as an artist, I am gaining an appreciation of this genre. Mera: Tidebreaker, is very well done. Beautiful art work by Stephen Bryne and solid writing from Danielle Paige come together to create an enjoyable book. It was the perfect way to dip my toes into graphic novels.

What I Liked:

Illustrations:

The star of this book really is the beautiful artwork. The Illustrator use of a muted palette, punctuated by Mera's fiery red hair, creates a dreamy quality. The undersea scenes are haunting with the many details of sea creatures in every panel.

Characters:

I did not see the Aquaman movie, so my only knowledge of Mera is through this graphic novel. That being said, I could easily understand her character. She wants to be a warrior like her mother. She bristles when her suitor, Larken, shows marrying her is a means to his becoming the king. Everyone is making decisions for her. All she wants is a choice.

Larken is Mera's childhood friend and suitor. He is not a two-dimensional character. Although he can't see why Mera won't marry him, he does actually care about her. He really doesn't understand that Mera doesn't want to be taken care of. Also, he has no moral issue with killing Arthur if it will help him become king. While I didn't admire this about him, I also felt he was willing to be a killer so Mera wouldn't have to.

Moral Dilemma:

Choices, though, are not so easy. At first, she sees killing the heir to Atlantis as a simple matter. After all, it's easy to hate your oppressors from afar. But when she goes on land and finally meets Arthur, she realizes he doesn't even know who he really is. Can she kill an innocent person, just to become a ruler? It's the classic choice characters must make: are they villains or heroes?

What I Didn't Like:

I know this is a graphic novel so everything has to be packed in a short story. But I am just not a fan of insta-love. I thought throwing around the L word so quickly between Mera and Arthur was unnecessary. She didn't need the stakes to be so high in order for her to do the right thing.

This graphic novel, well written by Danielle Paige and lovingly illustrated by Stephen Byrne focuses on the backstory of Mera from the DC Aquaman series, while also introducing Arthur Curry, aka future Aquaman. Both characters' origin stories are included, but with Mera anchoring the story, which is a different take on the story that readers of all ages can enjoy, but I hope especially middle grade female readers who may traditionally be less included in comic book readerships. I would gladly give this to my 9 year old niece whose father is slowly indoctrinating her to the DC universe!

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! It gives a bit more backstory to a character I wasn't as familiar with within the DC universe, but I still admired her. And this is great and just the right length. The art is lovely, too!

I recently finished Mera: Tidebreaker which was given to me as an ebook ARC which is a graphic novel about Mera and Aquaman’s start.

SPOILERS AHEAD

In this graphic novel, we follow Mera a Xebellian girl who is the daughter of the Xebellian king and set to marry the other future leader. However, Mera has a mind of her own. She wants to be the one to save her people, not her future husband and to so she will have to go on a secret mission on land and kill Aruther. Mera begins this journey with a rocky start (having to be rescued and needing to spend days waiting for her powers to come back to her). In this time she starts to have feelings for Arthur and she realizes he doesn’t know who he really is. During this time Mera’s betrothed shows up and gives her an ultimatum, she now only has a small amount of time to kill Arthur or he will. However, Mera does not think she can do it but that could start a war or cause more problems for her people? Can Mera do it?

Overall, I enjoyed the story however, it was not as fulfilling as I wanted it to be. I wanted more from this story and maybe more is coming in another issue and I am just not being patient enough. This was my first encounter with both Mera and Aquaman so I was fresh to their world and I think that was an advantage. The other thing about this graphic novel that I really loved was the art style was amazing and the colors always made me want to keep looking at certain panels . I gave this three stars on Goodreads.

I had a chance to read a sneak peek of Mera: Tidebreaker last year and was excited to read more upon its release. Unfortunately, the strong start to Tidebreaker was quickly replaced by a predictable story that seemed keen to focus more on Arthur than Mera at times, which is understandable given the relationship between the two in the comics. That's one of my biggest issues with the story, because the beginning of the story is very-much centered on Mera as she struggles to accept who she is and what she's willing to do -- and risk -- for her own happiness. It's all about her getting to choose what she wants to do with her life. But then the story shifts to focusing more on Arthur coming to terms with his own identity. Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I'm not sure it's something I'll revisit.

As for the artwork? Stephen Bryne did a stellar job. In fact, I often found myself just staring at each panel for a few minutes, trying to take in all of the minor details.

In the end: Despite my issues with Mera: Tidebreaker, it's still an enjoyable read and I'm all for more Mera.

Mera wants to be a warrior like her mother. She hates the Atlantian rule of the Xebel and wants to be free of them like many of the Xebel. But her father the king has another path for her in mind. When she over hears a plot to kill Arthur Curry she decides that she will kill Arthur herself and will rule alone instead of by the side of her childhood friend turned king.

The Xebel don’t believe in killing an innocent so Mera decides to see who Arthur is while she gets used to being on land. She soon learns that Arthur is not the monster that she has been lead to believe. As she learns more about him she starts to fall in love with him and doesn’t want to kill him. But her life in the ocean is about to collide with Arthur’s life on land.

Before I start this review I will be honest. The amount of history I have of Aquaman is limited to the movie that was just released and some old cartoons from when I was a kid. Mera is a rebellious teen and opposing an arranged marriage and came across as spoiled. Arthur is a good guy but seems to fall for Mera was too fast.

This was a good read and kept me entertained. When I think back to the story there are some things that just don’t feel right. The ending was a glaring example. I think there could have been a little more put into the story to flesh it out.

I received a complimentary copy of this graphic novel. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

Thank you to DC Entertainment and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book.

Feedback will be left on April 2 2019

The artwork was beautiful, & I really enjoyed seeing this character fleshed out in this graphic novel. I will definitely be buying it in print when it releases.

This was a great read! I loved seeing a strong female character at the center of the story. It was well written.

I loved this book and I love Mera she is a kick ass women I would love to read more about her. The art was beautiful and very well done.

I was pulled into this one by the cover and the proximity in time to the big splash the Aquaman movie made. The story of Mera and her plan to claim her rightful place on the throne is doomed from the start. Her people are under the thumb of Atlantis and her father does not want her to be his successor. Then when she begins to execute her plan, she hesitates time and time again. High marks for the cover art and the incredible sea creature scenes. Those factors pulled this one out of the realm of the mediocre.

Thank you to NetGalley and DC Entertainment for the opportunity to view a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have very little exposure to graphic novels so I went into this pretty much with a blank slate.. I'm glad this was my first real graphic novel read, because I was able to go into it knowing I loved the subject and that I'd probably be very interested in the story. I think that helped a lot because quite a bit of the story felt rushed to me. I think part of that was my inexperience with graphic novels but also part of it was just that it . . . was rushed. I enjoyed it a lot, though. It was cute, fun, not super deep, and right in line with what I expected from Mera's story. The illustrations were gorgeous. I thought they complimented the story perfectly and the artist did a fantastic job highlighting Mera with the colors they choose. It was a crazy fast read, but I would read it again. I especially liked the ending. Danielle Paige is a talented author and I like how she handled Mera's story. This book was put together well and I'd recommend it to DC fans. General readers? Maybe not so much, but you never know!

A trope-y, yet modern take on The Little Mermaid that focused too much on the Romeo and Juliet aspect and less on developing the characters. Beautifully drawn and a gorgeous world, but the plot was hardly twisting.

I have to say I didn't know much about this character until I watched Aquaman and I grew to love her. I loved this graphic novel and I especially liked the artwork.

This graphic novel, Mera: Tidebreaker, tells the story of a lesser-known DC comics superhero. Mera should be the princess of an underwater kingdom, but her father, the king, has been dethroned. She trains herself to be a warrior, so she can claim the throne for herself. But when she realizes who she has to fight--a teen living in a lighthouse in Maine--complications ensure. How can you conquer someone you're falling for?

Mera is strong, passionate and driven, so she's not just another version of Disney's Ariel. I enjoyed this novel, and I think young adult readers will too, although I wish it had had more about Mera's mermaid life in it. My opinions are my own, but thanks to NetGalley for providing an e-copy of this novel.