Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige, Stephen Byrne

Mera: Tidebreaker

by Danielle Paige and Stephen Byrne

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.

Reviewed by Liz (Bent Bookworm) on

4 of 5 stars

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Confession: this was the reviewer version of a cover-buy. I know absolutely nothing about Mera, or Aquaman, or the DC version of Atlantis. I requested a review copy because I saw it on NetGalley and went, "Ooooh a red-haired girl with a trident!" Then I read it, and it said Atlantis, and I still thought maybe it had something to do with Greek gods because of the trident. So sue me. I STILL ENJOYED IT! So I am living, breathing proof that you don't have to have back story to enjoy this graphic novel.

Mera: Tidebreaker is an origin story for Mera, but even without knowing her future (I didn't, I only looked it up after I finished this book) I thoroughly enjoyed the story, mainly for the stunning artwork. It has a brighter look and feel to it than a lot of the graphic novels I've picked up and it made it much easier to read and very engaging. Mera is such an intriguing character - immature, headstrong, but with ability and heart - and a TON of potential. Then there is the ongoing battle between Atlantis and Xebel, with SO MUCH there that wasn't explained - I'm guessing because it is explained in the actual comics. And Arthur - I'm very interested in his back story, like how did his parents ever meet and why did he grow up as he did?

My one complaint with this story was the instalove. SO MUCH INSTALOVE. Why?!? I feel like even a teenage girl of Mera's character and inclinations wouldn't just suddenly -poof- fall in love with a boy just because he was nice to her. It seemed so off for her, so strange and jarring...maybe there is something there that I'm missing due to my lack of knowledge about the rest of their story, but I just really felt like that didn't belong. Why does she have to end up paired up right now? Why not just assume that happens later, but that they MEET right now?

Regardless of that, 4/5 stars for beautiful artwork and engaging story.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 19 November, 2018: Finished reading
  • 19 November, 2018: Reviewed