Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this advanced copy.

We know that today isn't an era for Dystopian anymore, but The Stranded is a book that you Will love no matter it's an era For Dystopian story or not.

The story is thrilling since the first chapters, a little spark of romance is enough.

Definitely worth to read

Wow! Esther, Nik, & Hadley’s Stories Weave Together In This Dystopian Story Of Survival. The Arcadia Cruise Ship Braces For Impending Doom At The Hands Of The Federated States After Nearly 44 Years At Sea, But A Rebel Coalition Is Ready To Fight Back. Reminiscent Of The Hunger Games Series, The Book Captures Your Attention From The Start.


This is book one of what appears to be a duet concluding in book two, The Exiled, which picks up six months later.

ABOUT THE STRANDED:

The Stranded is reminiscent of The Hunger Games series. It also brings to mind Edward Everett Hale’s classic The Man Without a Country, the story about an Army officer, Philip Nolan, found guilty of involvement in the Aaron Burr conspiracy and sentenced to live out his life on a ship, never to touch the shores of his homeland again. Finally, it draws on recent history to paint the picture of a world in chaos following biological war in Europe and the release of a highly deadly and contagious virus. It portrays a new Federated States government splintering off from the United States, largely due to concerns about mass illegal immigration over the southern border in the wake of the virus.

The Hunger Games Fans will find a number of similarities in The Stranded. Although there are no games here, some of the personalities and triangles found in The Hunger Games ring familiar here. Like Katniss Everdeen, Esther Crossland (the heroine) is sixteen when the story opens. Esther’s older sister May is probably a closer match to Katniss, though, and Esther is more like Katniss’s little sister, Prim. Seventeen-year-old May is bold, and Esther has been sheltered. President Snow is the evil mind and authoritarian hand that oppresses the masses in The Hunger Games. Here, Commander Hadley plays that role but with a twist. He reports to a panel of ruthless admirals and is a puppet for the Federated States. He, too, is a victim, although his innocence has long been lost.

In The Hunger Games, there is a love triangle with Katniss, her boyfriend Gale Hawthorne, and her fellow Hunger Games participant Peeta Mellark. Esther’s boyfriend Alex seems to be a mishmash of both Peeta and Gale. Like Katniss, Esther has a difficult time with forgiveness. What is different here is the addition of May’s boyfriend to the mix. He is probably more like a Gale figure, but he is deeply rooted in the rebellion. The direction of this triangle is predictable, but there is a lot of self-righteousness and judgment when in actuality there is a lot of blame to go around.

Book one marks the culmination of the rebellion’s planning as the Federated States begin to issue clearance orders and time is running out for the passengers of the Arcadia.

IN THIS BOOK:

This dystopian story opens in October of the year 2094. Europe is a wasteland following the wars that broke out in 2050. Missiles carrying biological warheads wiped out millions on the continent in just a week, and worldwide panic broke out. There is a vaccine and a regular supply of boosters, but apparently being vaccinated isn’t enough to satisfy those that still fear the spread of the virus.

Ten cruise ships had taken off from European shores just as war broke out, and nearly forty-four years later, they have yet to reach shore. The ships couldn’t return to Europe and had banked on being taken in by the new Federated States across the Atlantic, but that was a bad call. They ran out of fuel and have been anchored off the 600-mile shoreline since. The fear on shore is that they have brought the virus with them, but it has been many years since a single person on board tested positive.

With no way out, the passengers are subjects of the Federated States. But the young country has its own problems. There are fights with the remnants of the United States and a problem with protecting their southern border. They have a hard time attending to their own citizens, so there is resentment about the fact that precious resources are diverted to passengers living aboard the cruise ships. They are viewed as leeches.

Maine, just beyond the borders of the Federated States, is the closest possibility of freedom, but the Federated States are more interested in controlling the ships and their passengers than helping them find safe harbor. They dangle a shed of hope to passengers by offering a few spots into medical school on shore and the opportunity for military cadets to graduate and go ashore to fight for the federation on the brutal southern border. Only about five hundred have been permitted ashore over the decades. Other than those coveted spots, most who leave end up imprisoned in work camps or executed, but since news is prohibited, those are only rumors.

There are as many as ten thousand passengers aboard each ship, many of which are not accounted for. Ships are surrounded by flotillas of refugees, and gangs rule the lower levels. The black market thrives thanks to sparse provisions. There is a healthy fear of the security forces on board, as there is no such thing as a trial, and judgment is fast and harsh. A rebellion has been brewing for years, and there is a new urgency as news of an effort to clear the ships has begun circulating. Rumor has it that many have died aboard the Oceania, and those remaining have been sent to forced labor camps. The rebel forces in the Arcadia have a plan.

Esther Crossland, sixteen, has the promise of a bright future. She is one of the lucky ones. She comes from a good family that stays out of trouble. Her older sister May, seventeen, is a cadet and about to graduate. The idea of May leaving devastates Esther, but they have planned for it for years. May will earn a place in the Federated States and escape imprisonment on the Arcadia cruise ship where the sisters were both born. Esther hopes to follow, graduating from the medic program and earning a slot in medical school. Her boyfriend Alex is top of their class, and Esther is currently number two. She has known him since she was twelve, and he has become her anchor. There isn’t anything that he won’t do for her. They hope to be placed together after graduation, and there is even discussion of marriage. Esther loves him, but at sixteen, she is more focused on graduating than planning a future. She feels stifled by her parents, all her movements restricted in an effort to keep her away from trouble. They don’t want anything to interfere with her chances of earning freedom, but it feels unfair compared to May’s comings and goings.

Nikhil Lall, seventeen, has been working in the engine room for five years now, ever since his father was taken away. That was when everything changed. His godfather watches out for him, but it doesn’t replace the sense of loss. Nik still has hope that his father is alive, but his mother says otherwise. She has stepped up in his father’s absence. Today, she is more rebel leader than mother to Nik. He resents it, but he does believe in the cause. He has always understood his assignment, but the idea of letting May go fills him with anger. May has her own role to fulfill, and they will both play their parts, but it doesn’t mean that he has to like it.

Commander Hadley has spent seventeen years working as the head of Arcadia’s security forces. He is still paying for the mistake he made with Celeste, and his hatred for the ship-bound leaches is unabated. Desperate to reach dry land and escape Admiral Janek’s watchful eyes, Hadley’s prayers appear to be on the verge of being answered.

As the Federated States roll out a clearance program to finally resolve the issue of the ships anchored off-shore, the rebel coalition is forced into action. There are politics involved on both sides of the battle, and loyalties are tested. The book ends somewhat abruptly as the story begins to shift.

The Stranded continues in book two, The Exiled.

Wow! Esther, Nik, and Hadley’s stories weave together in this dystopian story of survival. The book captures your attention from the start. Esther is just trying to stay out of trouble and earn her ticket to freedom. Nik is working behind the scenes to help his mother and other leaders pull off a rebellion. Commander Hadley represents all that is wrong with the Federated States. He makes his own rules where he can and takes pleasure in his cruelty. The interesting twist is that he is also a victim of the powerful Federated States, yet he has let his feelings turn him into a monster. Their collected stories tell the dangers of living aboard the Arcadia – dangers that make the rebellion a necessity. Everyone, including the Federated State officers stationed there, desperately wants off the ship.

A few issues merit mention. *Spoilers* First, it is difficult to accept that the Federated States chose to keep the ships anchored offshore rather than attempt to find them safe harbor on the shores of a country with welcoming arms. Certainly, there would have been chaos in the early years after the biological war, but as the vaccines and boosters rolled out, it is hard to conceive that there were no countries concerned about the humanitarian conditions of the shipbound refugees. Indeed, we know that Maine’s government would allow them entry, but the Federated States stand in their way. Giving them fuel and the option to leave seems like a very simple solution to the problem. In the decades that have passed, it might be expected that other countries would have organized and perhaps sent fresh cruise ships to pick up the stranded. It makes sense that the Federated States would be disorganized as a new country, but their fixation on controlling the stranded as well as the level of cruelty employed feels off. Then again, this is a dystopian story so it goes with the territory. Next, the progression of Alex’s character didn’t feel authentic. Alex’s POV is not written here, but if it were, his story would likely be quite compelling. At sixteen he is too confident and self-assured given his circumstances, but his heart seems in the right place despite his naïveté. I find it hard to hold a desperate sixteen-year-old with so much to lose accountable when he has little information to go on. The other characters all share the blame. There are a couple of minor incidents that attempt to paint Alex not just naïve but evil, but it just didn’t ring true. It is minor enough that all could still be explained easily from his POV. I had hoped for that, but it looks like that might not be the direction of book two, unfortunately. I also don’t see Nik moving on so easily, so I suspect I will be disappointed. There is still room for Corp to have pulled off something behind the scenes and reveal a big surprise for Nik, so my fingers are crossed.

Esther, Nik, and Hadley battle it out as the Arcadia braces for impending doom. The Federated States has decided to get rid of the problem that has plagued them for nearly forty-four years, but the rebellion won’t go down without a fight for their freedom. The brutal battle isn’t without casualties, and both sides will need to reorganize going forward. Reminiscent of The Hunger Games, the story keeps you on the edge of your seat. The story is well-written and plot-driven. The characters are engaging and three-dimensional, although Alex’s character doesn’t quite feel authentic in a few spots. The self-righteousness also gets old. The story is told in first person in Esther’s POV for thirty-two chapters and Nik’s POV for twenty-two chapters. It is told in third person in Hadley’s POV for fifteen chapters. I rate this book 4.5 stars.

I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This a a fun twist on the teens saving lives at the end of the world genre. The cruise ship Arcadia has been at sea for years, despite many promises of letting the refugees get to land. Esther and May come from a "good" family with a decent cabin, and have a real shot at life on land. There's a sketchy love interest or two, some fascinating technology (bots, drones, and com gloves) and the Neaths, the below decks gangs. For fans of Hunger Games or Maze Runner, this is a fresh and fun take.

This book is perfect for fans of Lian Tanner's Ice Breaker and many of the classic YA dystopian series of my teenage years (Maze Runner, Hunger Games, etc.). Like many other reviewers, I thought that this story was a really interesting way of looking at what happens during pandemics to people on ships, much like beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the story was well written, but it did seem to drag a little in the middle. The characters were likeable, and showed growth over the course of the story. I'm excited to share this book with teens in my library.

4 1/2 stars

The Stranded was a book that I could easily envision as a movie or miniseries. There was a great deal of buildup - - which did at times feel like it was excessive. However, as the story really kicked in, I could feel the necessity of that world building and the detail the author had gone into to set the groundwork for each of these characters. From my perspective, it enriched the story as a whole.

The premise of this book likely comes from some of the stories we heard during our recent Covid pandemic where people were "stranded" on cruise ships in isolation for weeks because of potential virus exposure. The Stranded takes that image and expands on it. What if that happened and the people were never let off the ships? Instead, it's forty plus years later when this story picks up and the inhabitants of the ship are primarily children and grandchildren of the original passengers. Life on the ship, known as the Acadia, is harsh and closely monitored. Freedoms are few and hope has dwindled. But there is a rebel group with a plan if they can just complete the final steps.

This book is told from three points of view: Ester, Nik and Hadley. Each of them is critical in the building of this story. Esther, a sixteen year old medical student, seems to be weak and easily thrown by the events occurring around her. She's naive and only focused on her immediate "world" and how everything impacts it. Her boyfriend, Alex is pushing for a future that she isn't sure that she wants but she can't bring herself to give him an answer one way or the other. Nik is the son of a man who was taken away years ago as a criminal. He has a role with the rebel resistance and his mother is determined that nothing and no-one will deter him from that path. Nik is driven to fulfill his goals and has an unrelenting crush on Esther's sister, May. Then there's Hadley. He's the definitive villain in this tale. He's harsh, cruel and has no qualms about who he hurts. His only goal is to get off the boat and "redeem" himself to the higher ups in his government. Throughout his story, you learn a bit about his past and come to understand more about why he's so bitter and driven.

The Stranded was a creative storyline that was well-developed and entertaining. I'd have to say it was a unique YA dystopian that wasn't like anything I've read in a while. I'm pleased to see there is another book in the works to be released later this year and eagerly await it. I look forward to seeing what other adventures lay ahead for these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

3.5*

I enjoy post-apocalyptic/dystopian books so I was looking forward to reading this one. It was slow going at first, but once we got to know all the characters the story solidified and I really became engaged. It's a little gritty and tough to take at times, and definitely had a melancholic feel to it. But the story kept me intrigued, until I hit 71%. From there I skipped to the end, and then jumped back and skimmed through the rest. While I understand why the author did what she did, I didn't like it. It gave me that same feeling I had at the end of the Hunger Games and Divergent series. While I couldn't get past those books, and they kind of still haunt me to this day, I will give the next book in this series a try. I'm not sure what's to come for thes characters, but I want to find out.

What I enjoyed about this book: alternating storylines, strong female characters, fast-paced plot, the unique setting.

What I did not like: There were times I felt lost while reading. this could be due to some of the futuristic technology and lack of detail of it or maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention while reading.

I cruise a lot so I found the cruise ship setting to be intriguing. The thought of being confined to a cruise ship forever due to a pandemic was interesting. The author did a great job of including the different groups that would/could ultimately be formed in a situation such as this.

This book sounded so good from the description but after a few chapters I discovered it's not the YA book for me. It begins slightly clunky without much character development and that carries through during the book. If you like darker YA and apocalypses you might like this read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

Imagine if you had to fight for your freedom when all the rules were meant to suppress you. The Stranded is set in a dystopian culture of norms that obliterate freedom. At what lengths would you go to get it back.

A ya dystopian thriller where people are left on the Arcadia, a cruise ship that became a refugee camp after a virus and then apocalyptic war has stranded them 40 years prior.

Esther is 16 and a medic trying to get off the boat and into the Federated States - a piece of what was once the United States.

Nik is 16 and trying to help the rebellion that is seeking the truth of why they can’t get off the ship and onto land.

Hadley is the commander of the police and keeps putting more and more restrictions on the people that live on the ship.

Each chapter is in one of their POV. The book has a really interesting premise but it is slow going until the last third of the book. It’s more drawn out than it probably needs to be.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for this eARC. The Stranded is out now.

The Stranded was a good dystopian read that put me in mind of Snowpiercer yet with a ship rather than a train. A familiar premise of a protected teen drawn into a rebellion unwittingly.

Esther has only known of the ship Arcadia as her home - a home that has been afloat and prohibited to make landfall in forty years. She is determined to become a medic and take the narrow odds she'll graduate and be permitted to work on land. Her dreams are changed as her loved ones' secrets and betrayals come to surface, driving her further into a rebellion not of her chosing.

I look forward to continuing Esther's story.

Esther and her sister May have spent their entire lives on what once was a fancy cruise ship. They can see the shore, but their only hope of ever reaching land is by becoming a valuable asset to the government. May has worked hard to be trained in the military, and Esther has spent her time training in the medical field. In just a short time, their years of training should pay off and they should both have their ticket for freedom from their floating prison. Except they both have secrets they keep from each other, and ultimately, those secrets could cost them everything.

When Esther finds herself on the run with the rebellion working to free everyone from the ship, she will start to question everything she has always held to be true. Will risking everything, and losing what she most holds dear, be worth it in the end?

An interesting take on the post-apocalyptic world, this was a little harder to get into than I had hoped, but it did keep things moving along smoothly and there was plenty of action. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but most of that isn't too hard. A decent addition for those looking to add to their collection in this genre.

I love YA fiction for my 'slouch on the couch' escapist reading. My latest is Sarah Daniels' excellent debut YA novel - The Stranded.

Dystopian and post apocalyptic fiction are some of my favorite genres. Daniels has imagined a world set in 2094. Thousands of people were caught out on the European ship Arcadia and were denied permission to land on the shores of the Federated States when another pandemic hit. So they've been on the cruise ship for over forty years. New generations have no idea what it feels like to be on land. But they have a plan to try and find out....

Daniels' descriptions are detailed and bring the ship to life. The claustrophobic rooms holding more people than they were ever meant to, the rusty and decrepit machinery, gangs in the below decks, broken everything, shortages and more. At the same time, there are 'futuristic' items being used in a number of ways - health and weaponry.

And who's in charge? Not the captain, but a cruel, brutal officer of the Federated States. You're going to love to hate him for sure. And who are you going to be on board with? (Unintended pun, but I like it) The resistance and the teens who have a plan - Esther, her boyfriend Alex, her sister May and friend Nik. Your loyalty to one or more of the teens will change as the plot moves forward. I have to say that May was my favorite. There's some romance, but it's not overdone. There's a large group of supporting character, all with a role to play. Action and danger drive the book forward and kept me rapidly turning pages.

If you've liked the movie/series of Snowpiercer and the Hunger Games books, you'll enjoy The Stranded. I did! This book is listed as Stranded #1 - I will be watching for #2. I'm eager to see what's next - there's more story to be told.

This book was absolutely phenomenal! I enjoyed every single page and finished it in one sitting because I simply could not put it down. I LOVED the ideas and themes presented and found myself absorbed in not only this new world and experience but in the writing in how it flowed and mesmerized me as well. I LOVED this!

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

I'm not sure exactly what drew me to this book, but I'm guessing it was the word "dystopian" in the description. This book felt more realistic than most dystopian novels I've read though. In most of them, society drastically changes and there are only whispers of resemblance to our society now. It wasn't a great leap for me to imagine a completely fractured United States with a portion of it absolutely refusing to take in refugees. And the tactics they use to keep them separate and controlled harken back to a past notable regime from Europe. It's definitely a different world, but not that different.

This story jumped around between a few character's perspectives, giving us a pretty clear view of the whole story. That made some aspects of the story more frustrating for me because I knew more than the character whose head I was in at the time. While I enjoy knowing more than the characters, it's less satisfying when I've been spoon fed the info from someone else in the book.

I feel it's worth noting that the author doesn't pull many punches with the characters, and life on the ships is brutal. The main characters live fairly privileged lives compared to most on the ship, but we get to see the dark underbelly of things as well.

Even with getting to see upcoming plans from a variety of sources, I was still anxious to see how things would play out in the end. I'd say the author set things up really well for at least one sequel, but this part of the story still felt complete.

Overall I give this book 4.1 out of 5 stars.

All in all, a ok read. Dystopian YA without any love triangles, as said in previous reviews, gives off Hunger Games and Divergent vibes. I found the book difficult to follow at times with the multiple POVs. It would tend to get jumbled together. Good concept.

When the world war to end all wars takes place, biological weapons are key. The folks who survive with no virus exposure are people with berths on cruise ships. A whole society is formed with totalitarian leadership that controls everything. The upper decks have it a bit better but the lower decks are rife with crime and gangs. Ester and her sister May have a chance to get off as a medic and military cadet respectively but they get caught up in the rebellion and they have to weigh there own futures with that of the greater good.

Man oh man is this one packed with action. Literally from page one, there is danger and strife, good guys and bad guys. If you like layered characters who are unexpected heroes or villains than this story is for you, although the one baddie is a super baddie that you will love to hate.. The backstory unravels for us slowly throughout as the fight for survival and rebellion take place. At first it's a bit overwhelming to keep straight all of the facets of the ship, the new government and who is really in control of what but if you go with it, everything is revealed in time. My investment in the characters was a bit lacking though, while I was interested to see where things went, I wasn't rooting for the main characters as much as I would have hoped. Check this one out if you liked Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

Living aboard a cruise ship…sounds nice, right? Now what if I told you the ship was well past its glory days, the world had suffered a horrible pandemic, the ship hadn’t been allowed to make landfall in decades, and there is revolution in the air. I know the book is billed as Hunger Games meets Station Eleven, which I can definitely see but also in the same way people often said the movie Speed was Die Hard on a bus, The Stranded is Snowpiercer on a ship. Featuring a solid cast, some cool action, and political intrigue, I really enjoyed The Stranded, and very much wouldn’t mind returning to the fascinating world Sarah Daniels has created. I’d like to thank SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Stranded.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R34WLXTVMJ8N83/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This book about people living on a cruise ship is set in 2094; however, it felt like it could be now (or let's say 2024). A virus has decimated Europe, the United States has split into two countries, there is a border dispute. Sound familiar? Oh, and the people on board the cruise ships aren't being allowed to come ashore because they might be carrying the virus even though they are regularly tested and have been virus free for over 15,000 days. (The captain tracks this and announces it daily.) This all might be what lead to the book feeling familiar, as though I've read it or something very similar to it before. And, while most of the book felt incredibly predictable, it still made for an enjoyable read and only increased my desire never to take a cruise.

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
The plotline, the setting, the characters, the story ... EVERYTHING was just....mwah