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laurareads87's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
What worked for me here: the concept is fun, the writing of the scariest scenes was well done, the slow build worked for me (some reviews criticize this but I prefer slower and suspenseful and thought it worked here), and the interspersing of statements from the network afterward were effective in giving the book itself the feel of a documentary. What didn't work for me: with this many characters and a page count this short, no characters stood out or felt multi-dimensional; I felt like the captain and first mate were most interesting but there just wasn't room in the story to let their relationship really unfold on the page. Even though I found this novella just okay, I do think I'll end up reading the novel that follows it in hopes that with a longer work, Grant can give the characters more depth.
Content warnings: blood, gore, violence, murder, injury detail, body horror, death
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Blood, Death, Murder, Gore, and Violence
harpoonholly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Body horror
nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
ilaxaria's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Ableism, Death, and Blood
roksyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Rolling in the Deep is a prequel to the excellent horror novel Into the Drowning Deep, which I have now read twice. After finishing this novella, I had to dive straight into that one (just like I dove straight into that pun - sorry!).
Although I could anticipate what was going to happen in this story, having read Into the Drowning Deep first, the knowledge I had didn’t diminish my enjoyment. I actually appreciated further insight into the fate of the Atargatis and the crew from their perspective, and I enjoyed re-reading Into the Drowning Deep even more as a result. Whilst I don’t believe in the existence of mermaids and the like, this whole story-line has still reinforced my feelings about cruises and being stuck over deep water in general; I am a land mammal, and I am quite happy to stay on solid ground as much as possible, thank you very much.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood and Violence
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It doesn't seem like it's specifically trying to leave something for later. Even knowing that a sequel eventually was made, this is a complete story that can be enjoyed on its own. The cast is pretty large for a novella but stays focused on a subset of named characters to make it manageable.
I like it, I just wish I'd been able to get a hold of it before reading INTO THE DROWNING DEEP, but this is harder to find copies of.
Graphic: Gore, Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing and Ableism
Minor: Racism
_forestofpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Death, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Ableism and Xenophobia
megj23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
tahsintries's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Gore, Blood, and Body horror
fromlindenmere's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Gore