With the popularity of Aquaman DC has now added by creating young adult novels from many of the characters. Watching and knowing of many of these heroes, I took at the chance to read about Mera. After watching the movie, I loved the character even more so even after reading the comics. 

Mera, Tidebreaker is about a princess of Atlantis who is a hero in her own right. The illustrations and story go back to a Mera before we even meet her love, Aquaman aka Arthur Curry. Just a side note that this story doesn't add up with the story we have seen on the big screen, but nonetheless brings the elegance and defiant character that I love. Mera will find out the truth about the Atlantis she grew up in, but what will she do with that knowledge? Yo0u'l have to find out as Paige keeps you on your toes and this is a page-turner. I wish we had more stories like this growing up!

I really enjoyed this graphic novel, and I also had my 10-year-old daughter read it, and she LOVED it. The illustrations are beautiful and expressive--I always knew exactly what Mera was thinking. I read the whole thing in one sitting, and then I went back and read it more slowly again. Wonderful characters and great energy. I would like to see more in this series!

I'm fairly new to reading graphic novels and so I am very pleased to have been accepted for this review. I must say that growing up I was always a DC fan but grew more into Marvel, BUT stuff like this make me want to discover what else is new in the DC universe.

I gave this a solid 4 stars. Only because some of the content I wish wasn't as cheesy, but it is for the YA age group. I thought the art was stunning. The colors of it all perfected the take of the story without being overly dramatic. I am not sure if it was completed or not, but from this ARC I believe it fit it perfectly.


Mera: Tidebreaker was an outstanding stand alone graohic novel. It showed a background story of Mera before Aquaman. Please know that this doesn't match up perfectly with the movie. So if you are reading this book because you loved Mera in the movie, then just know that this is not the "same" Mera. While yes, the character is still the same. The background story of Movie Mera could be different from this.

I wish stories like these existed when I was a little girl. I was really into heroes growing up because I lived with my dad and brother. My dad grew up in the 60's and 70's and therefore superheroes became his favorite and most collected thing. Just, as I was growing up, there wasn't much out there for the girls. Yes there was Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn every so often, but come on, lets be real. The ratio of boy heroes and girl heroes is widely different.

This definetley put a nice fresh face for a new audience for DC Comics.


Mera proved her worth to the readers in this. She is a strong, independent, teenage princess who only wishes to follow in her mothers powerful footsteps. Along the way she actually discovers her truth and the truth she discovered the actual world to be. She is a strong warrior and not one to be messed with. I personally loved this take on Mera. She is a new face for the crowds and has made a great impact for girls everywhere.

Danielle Paige knocked me out my socks with this. I loved how she wrote this and made Mera such a inspiration for girls. Stephen Byrne has creatively conveyed each artistic detail and set the tone with this novel. The vibrancy of Mera's hair and the dull-ness of her girly outfits. This is defying the typical teenage girl role, and that is what makes Mera: Tidebreaker a breaker of traditions and stereotypes.

As much I want to spread the word and get this review out there, DC has asked not for any more reviews to be published until release day of APRIL 2!

So this will be published then and I hope you all go out and find this book, read it, then let me know how much you enjoyed it. Honestly, I LOVE how DC is not afraid to give its readers and young readers the ability to grow with all their characters. By doing the DC Icons series, the YA GN books, the adult GN's they do, DC is definetley there for everyone in their audience. So THANK YOU DC for this!

I have a few more to come your way from DC
so Stick around and stay tuned!!
Love,
DauntlessReading

The file for Mera: Tidebreaker kept crashing for me while I tried to read it, but what I read of it before it would crash was very interesting and I enjoyed the art style.

It's hard for me to really pin down how I feel about this, since Aquaman and Mera are a fairly sizable gap in my DC knowledge. Since this is set as a sort of origin story of the characters, though, maybe that's perfect to give this an unbiased opinion.
Overall this is a pretty fun book. The art's pretty good. The story line, though not exactly anything fresh or overly original, worked well enough to be compelling. There are places that things break down a little-- some of the terminology used in Xebel didn't parse well-- for example, it seems weird that an undersea nation uses "douchebag" the same way Americans may-- but other than a handful of issues along those lines, and a handful of instances where people totally change their minds about big important things in a couple of lines of dialogue, this was pretty solid.

I really wanted to like this graphic novel, but i just couldn't get into it. I really wanted to like Mera but she just was just kind of an eh character to me. So were the other characters i just couldn't connect to any of them. I do enjoy reading other YA books, and graphic novels but this one just seemed too young for me. I did like some of the art, but the color pallet was kind of distracting.

Mera: Tidebreaker is a story about a young woman's journey. It's about realizing the ways we should speak up, using our own power, and growing into our own voice. I loved the art style in this graphic novel, it was colorful and detailed. The story was high paced and wonderful to see come alive on the pages.

Mera of Xebel wants more than anything to fight for her throne, but no one seems to be listening. Everyone, including her father, expects her to marry her childhood friend, Larken of the Trench, and let him take over their country's long-running rebellion against Atlantis. Mera, determined to follow in her mother's warrior footsteps, hatches a plan to eliminate the heir of Atlantis. But the Atlantean prince turns out to be not who Mera expected to find.

I always enjoy Mera when I read Aquaman titles. She's consistently portrayed as a strong partner to Arthur, and I'm delighted to find that this origin story stays true to this characterization. Paige writes Mera as a believable teenage young woman, pigheaded and trying to figure out who she is.

Mera: Tidebreaker is an excellent introduction to the Queen of Atlantis, appropriate for young readers. I would readily put this in the hands of my 10 year old as a next step up from the DC Super Hero Girls series. If this is representative of what DC is trying to do with their new DC Ink (young adult) and DC Zoom (middle grade) series, then the series is off to a great start.

The story is beautifully illustrated in muted colors, with Mera's flaming red hair the brightest part of every page. Stephen Byrne's illustrations are full of strong lines, the scenes are uncluttered, and the emotions are clear.

I was provided with a complementary copy of this book via NetGalley in order to facilitate this review.

This was an enjoyable graphic novel, but it also felt a little typical, following a very Little Mermaid-y plot, with obvious themes and romance. Many things you saw coming a thousand miles away. Mera was at times empowering and at other times highly annoying, while Arthur was overly perfect? The artwork was well done, and I loved the underwater scenes. It's a quick read, and I definitely recommend it to fans of Mera and Arthur!

I'll preface this by saying that I am only moderately familiar with the overall Aquaman story. Based on what I do know, I think this fits into the world well, and I thought it was such a cute addition to these characters' histories. 

Mera is so rebellious and badass, and I loved getting this background from her perspective. And the wholesome relationship between Arthur and his father was nice to see. 

The familial dynamics in this do get pretty dramatic though, which I didn't mind at all—and actually enjoyed—but I don't know how others will receive that aspect of the storyline. 

I'm a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope and thought it was done well in this. I didn't even mind the insta-love, which is a trope that normally annoys me. 

The artwork is stunning, and I think it perfectly fits the vibe of a YA comic. I also loved the monochromatic coloring, and the vibrancy of Mera's hair in contrast to it—it really helped to keep the focus on her without taking away from the rest of the panels.

I started to connect to the characters, but I don't think there's enough time here to really develop everyone, so I guess the only thing I need to know now is: Will there be more? Because I need more.

Mera: Tidebreaker introduces you to Mera and Aquaman. The story is interesting and the art work is entertaining. I think the characters could have been a bit more developed to really make me feel invested in the story. But overall it was an enjoyable quick read.
Thank you to DC Entertainment and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. My opinions are my own.

Girls taking back their birthrights, controlling their own narratives, and saving their people? YEAH!! I loved the concept of Mera: Tidebreaker. Unfortunately, the execution left a couple things to be desired. That being said, a sequel could make the problems go away.

Let's start with the good:
Mera is super cool. She was determined yet compassionate, and kept an open mind.
Side characters! Usually I dislike them, but here I actually wish they'd gotten more page time. I think pages are more valuable real estate in comics and graphic novels since there are illustrations to consider, but that's a loss in this book. I wanted to find out more about Mera's friend Pilan, and her trainer, Hikara, both of whom are seriously COOL.
Even though Mera's mother, Nerrisa, wasn't alive, I liked the panels that showed them together, and their relationship. The scenes with the statue of Nerrisa were some of my favorites because of how beautifully drawn they were.
Speaking of the art... I was drawn to the style of Tidebreaker because of the uses of color. Byrne used shades of blue and green for the whole book, except on Mera's hair and face. She starred in every panel she was in, and I loved that.
This doesn't mean a lack of detail, though! Full-page action scenes were packed with details, and backgrounds had depth and texture.
Because this is a YA novel, I kind of expected this, but I'll still point out that Mera's fighting outfits were totally appropriate for action. No bikini-clad warriors or high-heel wearing fighters in this story. I love that.

Then there's the bad:
Those neat side characters I mentioned earlier? I don't know a lot about them, and that's sad.
The plot was a bit difficult to grasp at first, and then became overly generic. I predicted the whole thing about halfway through.
There's insta-love. At this point, I can appreciate it if it's done well and followed by real character development and growth, but in this book I would have preferred a platonic friendship.
Boys and girls can be friends sans romance, 'kay? We need more of this. Less romance can be a good thing. A good romance is never used as a crutch in place of character development.

I'm awarding Mera: Tidebreaker 4/5 stars on the premise that all of my issues with the story could be solved with a second installment. Pick it up!!

A promising start to a new series, perfect for an age where female superheros are being allowed to rise to their potential. Purchase especially where readers have already blown through Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and the like.

Review will post closer to release date.

Mera is the origin story of Mera meeting Aquaman. At this time, Xebel and Atlantis are feuding over reign in the kingdom. Mera is the princess of Xebel and has taken it upon herself to go after Arthur (Aquaman). Mera is looking to kill him and he has no idea that he is even part of her world.

I really enjoy graphic novels, but the are more than words and images on paper, there is a way to do them and do them right (in my opinion) and this one was ok but fell short for me.

I really love seeing things adapted into graphic novel form, but what that means is that the author should be telling the story with more image than text, and this one was VERY text heavy. So much so, that it was hard to stay focused. I read these on my phone and so when there is so much text I have to zoom way in and it takes away the experience of seeing a whole page come together.

As far as the plot goes, it was a good book. I liked Mera's determination and stubbornness. I liked the struggles that were portrayed and I really liked the illustration that brought it into graphic novel form.

If you enjoy DC comics and the Aquaman story line though, you may get a lot more from this than I did. I was hoping for a good starting point, and I think that this graphic novel does that but it was more reading than I expected from a graphic novel.

Mera is one of my favorite characters from dc and Danielle is such a good writer. She did so well with this story and the artwork was absolutely gorgeous. I read it so quickly and absolutely enjoyed it.

I have wanted to read this graphic novel since it was introduced at ALA Midwinter last year. Having read it now, I think I hyped myself up for it a bit too much. I appreciated the muted color palette, though the art was rendered such that many characters looked the same--as some other readers expressed, I mixed up some of the female characters who had similar hairstyles. I also thought the romance between Arthur and Mera was a little lackluster and could be developed more.

Overall, however, this was a fairly enjoyable YA read, and I look forward to seeing what Danielle Paige does to build on the series.

I loved this story. It was very well written and the graphics were beautiful. I thought the story was interesting and it makes me want more from this author. I am hoping this becomes a series and that the story continues on. I felt for both the main characters and the side characters were awesome too. I would love more of a backstory on how the feuding started. I think there is a lot of material here for many more stories.

I received a copy of Mera: Tidebreaker from DC Publishing and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this one! The art is really good. I'll admit that the muted colors threw me at first but I definitely enjoyed the art.

The story felt a little quick to me? Mera and Arthur were together for 2 days? Was it their heritage that connected them so?

I did like Mera and Arthur together. It just seemed a bit fast.

This is obviously a little different from the usual novels I pick up, but I love art and comics (like Webtoon!) so I requested this from Netgalley and I was really excited to read this!

Let's start with the art itself! It was absolutely GORGEOUS. The style was detailed and clean which and the organization was really nice as well. It was very aesthetic.

However, the plot itself fell flat for me. The concept was interesting and felt like a mix between a classic princess story, an arranged marriage, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, and Merida from Brave. However, it felt much too predictable and I'm hoping that in future parts to this story the plot and characters can become more complex.

This is what my review will look like when it is posted on release date as per the requested publisher embargo on reviews!

*I received a review copy from DC Comics through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way affected the content of my review!*

I really enjoyed this one and found it to be a pleasant surprise!

I first saw this one I believe through a fellow reviewer on Goodreads. The summary seemed interesting, plus the cover was gorgeous!! The reason why I say it was a surprise is that I don’t have much knowledge of DC Comic storylines/characters, so I was worried I wouldn’t connect with this one because I wouldn’t know what was going on. I felt that this comic gave me enough information to not let that problem be there and allow me to remain interested in the comic.

The Story
I really enjoyed the story and despite some scrolling issues with the format, I found it very easy to lose myself in the story. Also when I read this, I was in the middle of a slump but I read this one in just a few days with no problem at all. And as I said, I don’t have much knowledge of DC Comics outside of Wonder Woman, but that never became an issue with this one!

Mera
I really loved Mera as a character, she was really strong and true to herself. She remains the warrior she wants to be while also allowing her vulnerable side to shine through when it needs to. She’s not afraid to stand up to the men in her life who try to control her and make decisions for her or to consider who a person is, and not just what she’s been told. I really loved her as a character and would love to see her again!

The Art
The art was a little iffy for me at times because sometimes I really wanted a full color comic like I am used to, but I also grew to like it and I think it really fits the novel. The color scheme allows for the reader to focus on the story and not be distracted by all the color/background info. The colors also fit really well together and in with the underwater setting of the novel.

The Romance
Pretty much the only issue with the comic was the timeline. In like two days, we got a romance from characters who previously did not know each other and with one character that had come to kill the other. I think if it were more drawn out, it would have been less insta-lovey and more believable. I do understand though that it fits the timeline of Larked coming to kill Arthur so he could get to the throne, but I feel like I would have enjoyed the romance a little bit more if it had been more fleshed out.