Jane is incredibly plain. Everyone says so: her parents, the villagers, and her horrible cousin who kicks her out of her own house. Determined to get some semblance of independence, Jane prepares to propose to the princely Peter, who might just say yes to get away from his father. It’s a good plan!

Or it would’ve been if he wasn’t kidnapped by a mermaid.

With her last shot at happiness lost in the deep blue sea, Jane must venture to the world underwater to rescue her maybe-fiancé. But the depths of the ocean hold beautiful mysteries and dangerous creatures. What good can a plain Jane do?

This was a magical, whimsical graphic novel that provided a good moral to the story, beautiful illustrations, and a fun plot. I enjoyed the stunning artwork and all the different characters. I really enjoyed the seal, which gave some comic relief to a heavy story. I love anything with an ocean and underwater scenes. However, it could’ve used more bubbles or something to make it feel like we were underwater occasionally. But it did use colors in a great way to show the depth of the ocean and how far down the characters went. I also really enjoyed the myths and folklore that were explored in this story. There were quite a few sea creatures, each with their own personalities and quirks that were entertaining. 

However, it felt a little disjointed for me because this is set during a historical time period, perhaps the Victorian era, but it was trying to tackle today’s societal issues and standards around aging and beauty. I also didn’t care for the blatant feminist perspective, always making the men look like the bad guys or weak guys. I think female leads can be made to look like a heroine without the story taking a feminist angle. 

But Jane is an enjoyable main character who ends up saving herself as she tries to save the man she thinks she loves. She endured quite a bit of bullying and verbal abuse about her looks and weight, which got tedious at times, but she finally stood up for herself and realized her own beauty within. So I did like the overall messaging, but it could’ve been executed a bit better. It felt a bit preachy, and the messages could’ve been conveyed more subtly.

Overall, it was an entertaining and pleasant story to read. I wished it focused more on the myth/folklore aspect of the story and less commenting on social issues. I like my fantasy stories to be lighthearted and fun, not so heavy and serious.