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Erica Robyn Reads

a horror book review blog

Recent Posts

Black Out The Stars by Christopher Bond - book sitting on wooden flooring. Book cover of Black Out the Stars by Christopher Bond, cover illustrated by Todd Kiesling. The design showcases a dark, atmospheric pond and sky filled with swirling fog and scattered stars. The title is prominently displayed in bold, white, pink and purple lettering, contrasting against the deep purple and black hues of the background.

Black Out The Stars by Christopher Bond | Book Review

Indie Bookstore Day 2025 | Book Event

A tablet lies on dry grass and surrounded by dandelions in a natural outdoor setting. The screen displays the cover of the book Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon. The cover features a colorful, fantastical illustration of a female figure with glowing eyes and curved horns, holding something mysterious in her hands. Stars and swirling cosmic elements fill the background, giving the cover a magical and otherworldly feel. The title text is in bold, colorful letters across the top and middle, with the author's name at the bottom.

Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon | Book Review

[Book Review] Rolling In The Deep by Mira Grant

May 28, 2019      Erica Robyn      10 Comments

Rolling In The Deep by Mira Grant book photo

Rolling In The Deep by Mira Grant is a horror novella that really packs a punch!

This tale takes place before the full length novel, Into the Drowning Deep.

Let’s dive into my review!

My Thoughts on Rolling In The Deep by Mira Grant

In this novella, we follow the crew of the ship, scientists, divers, mermaid performers, videographers, and TV talent on the first trip to the Mariana Trench, where they joke about finding mermaids. Little do they know, they’re about to get exactly what they wished for, but these mermaids aren’t the cute Disney type.

The fateful events of this tale were what prompted the second trip (covered in Into The Drowning Deep) out to the same area.

At just 128 pages, this tale begins with a sense of dread. As they set sail, the suspense begins to grow. Once the first water test comes back to the ship with some blood in the sample, the story really takes off.

Having read the full length novel first, I really enjoyed learning a bit more about what had happened to kick off the second trip.

Just like my thoughts about the novel, this novella was wonderfully written. It had a bit of a slow start that introduced the readers to the various people on the trip. While I say this was slow, it also helped to really set the scene.

The characters were developed wonderfully in just a short time and they were characters that you either loved and wanted to protect, or wanted to throw overboard yourself.

The tale overall had great pacing and the plot was horrific but awesome. I felt that it gave you just enough to make you want to dive immediately into the full novel if you hadn’t read it yet, but if you had read the full length novel, I felt that this was a satisfying chunk of backstory.

My Favorite Passages from Rolling In The Deep

Alien eyes watched the strange metal object as it floated upward. There was blood in the water. Their home had been invaded. 
They would respond.

Was there any reason in the world to expect a deep-sea predator with that many teeth to be friendly? 

My Final Thoughts on Rolling In The Deep

I highly recommend checking this novella out! I really enjoyed it.

I think it would work well reading either before you pick up the full length novel, or afterward. Whichever you would prefer would be fine in this case.


Snag a copy through your local bookstore or feel free to use my Amazon affiliate link:

Thanks for reading!
I’m ALWAYS looking for new novellas to check out, especially horror novellas. Feel free to send me your recommendations in the comments section below!

Here are a few more recent posts you might like:

  • Black Out The Stars by Christopher Bond | Book Review
  • Indie Bookstore Day 2025 | Book Event
  • Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon | Book Review

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Priscilla Bettis says

    May 28, 2019 at 7:52 am

    I got this novella confused with the book. I didn’t realize there was a separate novella. It sounds good, too!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      May 28, 2019 at 5:49 pm

      Oh no! haha It was so much fun to get a little more backstory!

      Reply
  2. Barb (boxermommyreads) says

    May 28, 2019 at 8:54 am

    One of my favorite authors. Seriously I will give anything she writes under any name a chance. I read this 2 summers ago and LOVED it. It’s such an action packed and interesting novella. I still need to read The Drowning Deep but I will get to it! Have you read any of her Wayward Children series (under McGuire)? I really think you’d enjoy them if you haven’t.

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      May 28, 2019 at 5:50 pm

      YASS! I need to read more by her! And not yet, but I keep hearing great things!

      Reply
  3. Tanya @ Girl Plus Books says

    May 28, 2019 at 6:02 pm

    Glad this one was such a hit! I’ve yet to read anything by Grant but I see such rave reviews!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      May 29, 2019 at 5:27 pm

      I definitely recommend this one! I can’t wait to read more by her!

      Reply
  4. Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum says

    May 28, 2019 at 11:38 pm

    I really think I should read this, to get more background on Into the Drowning Deep. It’s going on the TBR! 😀

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      May 29, 2019 at 5:28 pm

      Definitely!! Enjoy!

      Reply
  5. Olivia Roach says

    June 2, 2019 at 12:18 am

    I am always worried about being able to enjoy the novella as much as the full length novel but it sounds like Mira Grant has really hit the nail on the head!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      June 2, 2019 at 4:59 pm

      Definitely! It was so fun to get a little more information!

      Reply

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Erica Robyn of Erica Robyn Reads
Hello! I’m Erica, a Mainer living in New Hampshire who runs on hot tea, good books, and loud music. Join me as I seek out amazing horror tales and help support the indie horror community!
 

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