When I first started reading this book I didn't realize it was a graphic novel. It ended up being too quick of read as I loved the story. The images were perfect and the story captivating.

Mera: Tidebreaker is the first in DC's new line of young adult graphic novels under the new DC Ink imprint. The line introduces DC’s most iconic Super Heroes to a new generation of fans with stories told by some of the most successful authors from the young adult publishing space. DC Ink titles will be standalone stories, not part of DC’s ongoing continuity, and completely accessible to new readers who have no previous knowledge of DC characters.

MERA: TIDEBREAKER by Danielle Paige and Stephen Byrne is the perfect title to launch DC Ink. Princess Mera is teenage royalty and heir to the throne of Xebel, a penal colony ruled by Atlantis. Her father and the entire kingdom are expecting her to marry and introduce a new king. But Mera has other plans and decides to seize the opportunity to take control of her own destiny by assassinating Arthur Curry—the long-lost prince and heir to the kingdom of Atlantis. But her mission gets sidetracked...

Mera's journey is one of self-discovery. It's summed up perfectly in one panel where she questions her path to her mentor and friend, royal guard member Hikara. “Isn’t that my choice? Don’t I choose who I am?” In this story, we see Mera's rebelliousness and her selfishness. But ultimately, those are the hallmarks of a young woman trying to choose her own destiny.in the face of a path already laid in front of her.

And yet, somewhere during her journey, the power of her own choice gets rushed and lost in the development of her relationship with Arthur. And while Mera is one of my absolute favorite characters and the relationship she shares with Arthur Curry is one for the ages based on mutual respect and love, the story seems to flounder as it tries to balance Mera's choices with the iconic relationship. I wanted more from this book. It's a great read and is a perfect way to introduce these characters to new fans, but those who already love the characters may be a little disappointed.

The art is beautiful and almost entirely focuses on Mera's beautiful hair. The decision of the muted palette, with the exception of Mera's hair, is striking in the right ways. And the difference between her hair on land and underwater helps underscore the differences in the two realms.

Mera: Tidebreaker is a great first entry, but not quite as strong as I would have wished. That said, young readers and new fans will find a way to fall in love with Mera and Arthur through this first DC Ink title.

Mera: Tidebreaker is a YA graphic novel that offers up the origin stories of DC characters Mera and Aquaman.

Xebel princess Mera is tired of living under Atlantean rule and under the watchful eye of her father.  The King wants nothing more than to protect his daughter and see her marry her childhood friend Larken who can rule Xebel and protect Mera.

The King gives Larken orders to find the lost Atlantean prince Arthur and bring back his head.  When Mera overhears this, she decides she's going to find the prince herself and earn her right to the throne.

When Mera reaches land she makes immediate contact with Arthur. She's too weak from surfacing on land to kill him but he's kind enough to bring her back to his home to recover, no questions asked.

Once she regains her strength, Mera puts off killing Arthur because he's so... well, nice. It's obvious he has no idea that he is heir to the throne of an underwater kingdom.  The war between Xebel and Atlantis has nothing to do with Arthur.
Mera struggles with her determination to rule Xebel and overthrow Atlantis and laments the fate of the innocent Arthur.

If Arthur learns who he truly is, can the two change the fate of their kingdoms?

This read more like a middle grade graphic novel than YA for me.  
If this is meant to be an introduction for young readers to the characters Mera and Aquaman, I think it should've given some back story on why the kingdoms of Xebel and Atlantis are at war.

Also, it is not explained beforehand that the prince of Atlantis is in hiding and doesn't even know who he truly is.  It seemed like Mera left the ocean and chose the first Arthur she happened to meet. 

Annnnnd... the instalove.  I know this is YA and because it's a graphic novel the plot is more brief but I'm so tired of characters falling in love after two days and the love becoming the main focus.

Although there are plot holes or what feel like plots holes because of vague or missing explanations, the story still started strong:  Mera wants to rule her kingdom and be a strong warrior like her mother was and she isn't going to stand by and let other people decide her future.
When she takes her future into her own hands, she immediately falls in love and all those fierce beliefs take a back seat to Arthur, causing the story to suffer and the ending to be anticlimactic.

Overall, this was a decent graphic novel that targets middle grade/YA readers to introduce the characters Mera and Arthur (who will later become Aquaman).  I would've appreciated more of the story and a much stronger conclusion but this will appeal to young readers interested in the DC Universe.

3.5 stars. This was a fun graphic novel. I don’t read or watch much DC or Marvel, so I’m not super familiar with the characters.
But I liked the plot line and characters. I also liked the art style. However, I thought everything went too fast. This may just be how graphic novels are, I haven’t read many. But Mera and Arthur knew each other for like 2 days and were all of the sudden in love and Mera was ready to change everything about everything she was ever taught.
But overall, it was enjoyable and easy and quick to read.

I was a little confused at the beginning of this graphic novel as I have only seen the aquaman movie and know nothing else about this world. That being said I read it all the way through and it made a lot of sense by the end of it. Things are different in this graphic novel compared to the movie but I am okay with that. I really enjoyed it anyways. I love Mera as a character in this graphic novel. I enjoyed the relationships in this as well. All in all I think this was awesome. I hope there are more in the future!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this graphic novel!

My full review of Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige will be posted once the embargo lifts on April 2!

Start Date: March 14, 2019
Finish Date: March 14, 2019

I have read Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige previously before picking this book up and really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was intriguing, but I knew that there could be some improvement, and I think Danielle has really honed her craft a lot since her debut. I do not know much about the story of Aquaman, or Mera, or Atlantis in general, but I have always been interested in the concept of an underwater city. I know about the real world ideas of Atlantis, but not the DC or fantasy versions including Xebel, which is the main setting of this graphic novel.

I thought it was interesting that Mera leaves the sea to find the lost prince of Atlantis, Arthur Curry (Aquaman.) I didn't know that this book would partially take place on land, but I was pleasantly surprised. At first, I was confused, because I went into this book, under the impression that she would be looking under the sea for Arthur, and then try to lure him in to kill him. So, when Mera left the sea to go find Arthur, I was surprised but intrigued to see where the author would go with the story.

I liked the art style, and I thought it was more interesting and more creative when it was under water. I understand that there was more creativity involved, and more imagination to be incorporated, but I think it could've been better when the story was taken on land.

I liked the characters overall. Mera was interesting, and I think her personality was something that is seen a lot in YA. The feisty princess who wants to be a warrior. But, I cannot really pin that on this book because it is an origin story of an already established story.

I also think that the storyline was a tad generic. The girl who falls in love with the "evil" prince, but he isn't really evil. Once I realized it was the direction the story was headed, I was a bit wary but was pleasantly surprised with how it was executed. I think Arthur truly did not seem evil. Sometimes when the heroine states that the prince isn't really as evil as people say he is, usually it made me wonder how anybody could find this person nice. But, I think Arthur truly did have a good personality, that made him a likable figure.

Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It was a bit on the short side, and it didn't take long for me to read at all, because it was very addicting to read.

Title: Mera: Tidebreaker
Author: Danielle Paige
Pages: 136
Genre: Graphic novel, Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is an Advanced Readers Copy. That means that this is not the final version of the book therefore some facts and quotes are subject to change in the published book. I snagged a PDF copy of this book from Netgalley. I wish it was in a more mobile or physical friendly manner but this was fine.

This wonderful graphic novel is about Mera, the princess of the Xebel kingdom. Their kingdom is run by the Atlantians who are the enemy. When Mera finds out that her right to the throne is in danger, she must take a chance and be the first to kill the crowned prince. The only thing is this prince isn't half bad. This is very much like a disney film and even though there were plot holes, I really enjoyed it.

Oh No's
As I said, there were quite a few plot holes to me. One of the biggest ones that bothered me was that it was never explicitly said that the prince was in hiding. Because of this it just seemed like they just chose the first dude they found named Arthur.

Another thing that bothered me was that the Atlantians don't even show up until the very end. Because of this, it just seemed like a made up enemy. I wish they had more comic time rather than everything being focused on a small town in the middle of nowhere.

Yay's
The development of the characters. Well, mostly just Mera. We see her view toward the prince and how her view of the empire as a whole changes. She goes from rebelling with pettiness to putting her full force behind it.

I'm not sure if this will be an ARC only thing but Mera's red hair is the only thing colored throughout the book. Aside from her father's red hair as well. I absolutely loved this because it showed her as being the main focal point throughout. It also made it easier to spot her.

Finally,
I really enjoyed this book. The story could use some work but for such a short comic I was impressed by being able to read a completed story as this. I might be a little biased because I love the art so much but I give this a 5 out of 5 stars. I hope I can get my hands on a physical copy of this. P.S. This is official a DC graphic novel so yay! I hope we see more of Mera!

This is literally a mix of The Little Mermaid and The Lion King.

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-PM

This is a decent graphic novel. The story wasn’t too bad and the art is pretty good I didn’t love it at all though. I was actually a little bored during the whole story....

I wasn’t a huge fan of the insta-love that happened within 1 page. I also like a lot of color in my graphic novels and this has a base color of light blue and that’s about it. It wasn’t bad art but it wasn’t the best either. The story was also just okay, I thought it would be a little bit more action and a little less just talking and again insta-love.

I think this is a good installment to DC women especially for a younger age.

This graphic novel wasn’t quite was I was expecting, but it seems to be setting up great things to come! The art was beautiful, although sometimes made it difficult to differentiate characters. I was not familiar with Mera, or Aquaman, and their backstory prior to reading this so it was all new to me. I look forward to more from this story, and have high hopes.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this early copy.

I'm new to the DC comic universe and I felt that this was a great introduction to it for younger readers. I will be checking out more of the upcoming YA comic editions of the popular DC characters. The writing was good, Mera was a strong main character, and the art was well-done.

This was an interesting YA take on Mera’s story. I love how fierce she is, and she has a lot of insecurities that felt realistic for her age. The art was nice (though muted, but maybe that’s just the ARC?). The pacing was a little rushed, but if there’s a sequel, it would make a bit more sense. Overall, though, a good read.

This was a great quick read. I loved the muted colored palate. I enjoyed reading it and loved reading Mera's story.

Thanks to net gallery and publisher for let read an advanced copy im exhange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this bit of history from Aquaman's backstory! Very neat to see life under the sea and the art is gorgeous.

I was so excited to read Meara: Tidebreaker I may have bounced up and down just a little when I was chosen for a review copy.. I love everything I have ever read by Danielle Paige and this graphic novel was no different. Plus I really enjoy Aquaman and Meara in the Aquaman comics. The beginning of Meara and Arthur Curry aka Aquaman's love story comes to life in beautiful shades of blues and greens and Meara's striking read hair. A teenage Meara, princess and warrior in training, resents Atlanteans rule over Xebel. She is also angry at her father's plan to give ruling of Xebel to her unwanted fiance Larken in return for the Atlantean prince's head on a platter. Determined not to marry Larken and to rule Xebel herself, Meara strikes out to bring Arthur Curry's head home to her people. Her heart has other plans as Arthur is too good for her not to fall in love with. A sweet love story with a strong female lead, Meara: Tidebreaker is sure to be a favorite and worthy to be read over and over again. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

I have a confession to make; when I first requested <i>Mera Tidebreaker</i> by Danielle Paige and illustrated by Stephen Byrne I did so without fully reading the entire synopsis. It looked fun, interesting, and I was totally down to read it. And so I went in, knowing absolutely nothing about Aquaman and genuinely unaware of the fact that this was actually a retelling of his and Mera's meeting. And so, for the first half of this wonderful graphic novel, I legitimately believed that it was a retelling of <i>The Little Mermaid</i>. And, in all fairness, an argument could totally be made for this idea and therefore I can't help laughing. Now, I've never read the comics and I have not seen the film that came out recently, so my background knowledge of these characters is basically nill. But I did enjoy <i>Mera Tidebreaker.</i>

The artwork was wonderful while the story and characters were incredibly fun to read and experience. I loved the motivation behind Mera's character and how, though she was willing to fight for her kingdom she also never failed to make the choice that she knew, in her heart, was right. When her father decides that the heir to the Atlantean throne must die to save their kingdom and sets the task on the young man to whom he has promised his daughter in exchange for making him the heir, Mera sets off to prove that she is worthy and capable of ruling their kingdom entirely on her own. But killing someone, especially someone innocent is a difficult task that goes against everything Mera and her people believe in and young Prince Arthur may be more innocent than she realizes.

The story of Mera and Arthur isn't perfect. It was too quickly paced and at times I genuinely found myself questioning how Arthur fell in love with the young sea princess. Her feelings are a little more clear, despite the fact that they don't actually spend a great amount of time together. And it is this piece, them not spending a large amount of time together, that makes me question how deep their feelings actually are. It comes very close to feeling like insta-love, which I am definitely not a fan of. But I can excuse that a little bit in a graphic novel.

All in all, <i>Mera Tidebreaker</i> was a very enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to any future graphic novels that follow if this ever becomes a series.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Review will be posted on my blog (linked), Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon on the date of publication.

The drawings were gorgeous and the story was great! I really loved getting to know more about Merida!

I really enjoyed the artwork in Mera:Tidebreaker and it was a wonderful foray into the DC Comics. I love Mera’s zeal and conviction. She wants to put Xebel above everything else and she is not only willing to fight for it, but she wants to fight. And of course we’re introduced to Arthur Curry as well, and I have to say, he is the biggest sweetheart and I was immediately smitten. Arthur and Mera has wonderful chemistry and excellent flirty banter.

The pacing was a little off for me. I found the climactic battle to be rushed and low-impact. It was over way too quickly and I didn’t feel any of the weight. Also, there was a lot of mini time jumps through the story that was hard to discern how much time had actually passed. But overall, this was an enjoyable, cute story that had a lot of nice character beats.

I want to thank Netgalley, DCComincs and Danielle Paige for giving me an opportunity to read an E-Galley of Tidebreaker.

I loved everything about this comic it was such an amazing comic to reintroduce Mera from Aquaman. I really enjoyed the diversity in the comic as well as how each character was introduced. It was really nice being able to read from the view point of Mera and not just Aquaman. I really love her character and her developement and hope there is more to this story.

This is a fun take on Mera’s story and I think that readers familiar with Aquaman will enjoy this! The art style is wonderful and engaging. I will be recommending this students I work with.