This had every possibility of being very entertaining and original. However I found that this graphic narrative fell short. The first warning bell to me was the description of “Twilight meets the legend of Atlantis”, as I was never a Twilight fan to begin with. I was wooed in however by the beautiful graphics.

I will say that aesthetically Mer is beautiful. Boeh has a captivating art style that I find to be wholly original. The concept behind this story is also unique, as mermaids/men are an untapped resource in the YA fairy tale retelling market. Despite all this promise Sellner did not deliver plot wise.

Mer seemed to skip around, leaving out connecting scenes that would help the reader make sense of how the characters got from point a to point b. I was also disappointed in how quickly the protagonists Aryn and Adrian (there were several A names in this novel, which get’s confusing when you aren’t invested in the characters) began to develop feelings for one another. Now I know there is a certain degree of speed to the plot when graphic novels are concerned, but I’ve read good graphic novels with believable developments. This was not one of them. The love story progressed too fast for me. Also, once Aryn discovered that Adrian was mer there was no reaction from her, which I found to be unbelievable.

In short I did not form any kind of attachment to the characters in this story, so when *spoiler alert* one is possibly mortally wounded I did not find myself overly concerned. Sellner’s pacing was well done action-wise, but lackluster in all other aspects. The cliffhanger ending also left me uninterested, probably because I have no investment in these character’s relationships. However, despite my misgivings I will look for another installment, as Boeh’s artistic ventures will most likely continue to be stunning.