Through Net Galley, I was afforded the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Stranded by Sarah Daniels in exchange for a review. No additional compensation was received and the author/publisher did not set any expectations or parameters on my review.

The Stranded takes place in 2094 aboard a mega cruise ship, The Arcadia, that has been stuck off the short of the US east coast for decades. The Acadia fled Europe over 40 years ago to escape a pandemic that had engulfed much of the continent. Politics, war and fear of spreading the disease resulted in the passengers and crew of the Arcadia to not be allowed off the ship. Forced to reside on the ship for multiple generations, those still alive live in an authoritarian society where resources are scarce and oppression is everywhere.

This story follows the stories or two younger residents, Ester and Nik, as they are at the forefront of the underground movement to rid the ship of their oppressors. Fast paced, well written and action filled, this an excellent entry in the dystopian YA genre. 5 Stars.

My thanks to Net Galley, Sourcebooks and Ms. Daniels for the opportunity to read and review The Stranded.

The Arcadia has been floating on the ocean for FORTY years, a world within itself created after the world suffered massive disaster. Now it is a world divided into those who have money, access and freedom and those who do not. They can see the Federated States but no one has access to Alan’s unless they are incredibly lucky. The you g people on the boat hope and dream, and plot, for ways to have a different future. This dystopian novel is perfect for fans of Hunger Games and will have wondering if this is where our world is headed!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is not my usually genres but it was excellently done. The book takes place in the year 2094 on an old cruise ship. There has been a terrible virus that decimated Europe and the cruise ship was not allowed to land anywhere. The passengers were stranded on the boat and have been living there for years. The story centers on Ester, Nic, and Hadley. The ship has a society that is very controlled by the Federated States. Ester is trying to get an education in order to leave the ship. Nic is a member of the rebellion trying to take back control of the ship. And Hadley is in charge on security on the ship and is an oppressive element.
You will get immersed in the story and will want to keep reading to see what happens. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to #netgalley, #SarahDaniels, and @SourcebooksFire for an early copy of this book.

Thanks so much to Sarah Daniels and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Stranded was an excellent dystopian novel - I feel like I’ve uncovered only a portion of the world Daniels has created in this. Plenty of action, adventure, and sense of foreboding, and I loved how the POV switched between characters too!!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
Man, what did I read? This cover is gorgeous and pulled me along with the blurb. I can not imagine living on a ship, being born on a ship, and not living on land. I was amazed at how the author had the different classes that lived aboard. This book had everything to it well depth characters, a steady pace, drama, a bit of crushing, and action. Just everything that makes a story a darn good story. Not everything on this ship is good; you have the bad that resides within it, yet some people are rebelling, and it is excellent!
I will say a few parts had me picking my jaw up, which is a fantastic thing.
I am preordering this book for my school library as I want the students to read this. They are going to love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am rating this book based the stars due to lack of time to leave a full review. #NetGalley #TheStranded

Great post-apocalyptic novel—Very original! Great world-building, great characters! Would recommend to any lovers of dystopian fiction. 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the copy of The Stranded. I wish there had been more lead up to the virus and that I had gotten to know the characters better, because it felt like I was thrown into the middle of the story and I had to catch up for most of the book. This made it difficult for me to keep track of the characters until the middle of the book.
If you are looking for action, this book delivers, at least in the last part. It has a perfect ending that left me wanting to know more, so I will be anticipating the second book in the series. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I do not normally this genre, but it was interesting to me, so I took a chance.
I am blown away..

The feeling of isolation and the never ending twists have left me kind of in love with this book.

Characters were well fleshed out. and the pacing was excellent. Some parts were a little hard to read, but overall, this is a great story.

I love a good YA dystopia novel and this was a good one. Set on a former cruise ship, this is the story of people looking for a way off the ship that has housed them for generations, since a bio weapon destroyed Europe. This is a story of alliances and revenge, a tiny but of romance and a lot of action. Overall, a good story but there were a few choppy parts. I look forward to the next book and I enjoyed the lat 25% of the story a lot. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story is Snowpiercer meets the Hunger Games. I’ve been bingeing the Snowpiercer television series, about a climate disaster that kills all of humanity except those on board a luxury train, whose continuous movement and energy keeps the survivors from freezing to death. I saw the description for this book and jumped at the Read Now opportunity on NetGalley.

Like Snowpiercer, the denizens of the Arcadia experience class struggles. The ticket holders living on the residential decks versus those who stole aboard and live below the water line.

Like the Hunger Games, there is a perceived benevolent entity (the Federated States) and those blamed for the current state of affairs (the ships containing refugees from former Europe, whose weaponry created The Virus). The Federated States are synonymous with The Capitol, while the ships are like the thirteen districts. Several ships have even been “cleared” which is similar to the perceived destruction of District 13.

The story is told in 3 POVs, Nik (a Neath), Esther (a ticket holder in line for a career on land as a medic), and Hadley (a Coalie and citizen of the Federated States). The different POVs help build the world by showing the experiences of different classes on the ship. I do wish some of the other characters like Nik’s mom, the Captain, May, Enid, and Sylas were fleshed out more. Because the story jumps right into an active rebellion plot, there are no descriptions of everyday familial life onboard, nor do you get a sense of the overall world politics beyond surface level descriptions.

The story shares similar traits with many other dystopian action novels, but will probably not rank among blockbusters like The Hunger Games, Divergent, or The Selection. I would honestly be more interested in this book’s unwritten prequel detailing the viral warfare among Europe that led to refugees fleeing to the cruise ships for safety, perhaps even through Hadley’s relationship with the mysterious Celeste.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

One page in and I’m getting Snowpiercer (HBO tv series) vibes and loving it!

The Stranded was the best dystopian I have read in YEARS. It was so complex, well thought out, and well written. Like many said it was reminiscent of The Hunger Games and definitely reminded me of Snowpiercer as well. I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this one but it surprised me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This YA dystopian sci-fi was everything I wanted it to be. It brought me back to the days of <i> The Hunger Games and <i> Divergent which practically raised me as a teen.

The Arcadia truly is my worst nightmare where freedom stands on a fine line. I loved the switching POVs and the gut-wrenching suspense that most chapters left me with. This was such an amazing debut and a great way to ease into sci-fi books for those who are hesitant with the genre. I will read anything Sarah Daniels writes in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for offering The Stranded as a Read Now option. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Stranded is an apocalypse YA reminiscent to Hunger Games, Divergent, and other dystopian stories of the early 2000s. Esther is a student learning to become a medic for the Federate States and Nik is part of an ongoing rebellion to free the ship and its people. When Nik gets shot during a chase from the Coalies (police force), Esther is kidnapped by the rebellion and is forced to help save Nik's life. Esther's life changes as she becomes part of something bigger than herself...

I really like the way Sarah Daniels paced out the three POVs: Esther, Nik, and Hadley, who is in charge of getting rid of the rebellion. It was a nice change to read from the villains point of view and the characters are, for the most, part morally grey. I'm glad we didn't get very much romance as it was not needed. Esther does have a boyfriend, Alex and Nik is in love with May, who is Esther's older sister. There are little bits of pining and adoration but it's tiny moments.

The ending is abrupt which leads me to believe there is a sequel planned.

I don't know if I'll continue with the sequel or not but I'm curious of what Sarah Daniels has in store for future books.

3.5 or 4

It has been a long time since I have found a great dystopian book. If you liked the hunger games or divergent, this is a book for you.
Trapped on a boat that’s been dead in the sea since before she was born, Esther trains as a medic in hopes that she will be welcomed into the federated states.

This book may be directed to young adults, but it should be listed as for all adults. I loved this book. I could not put it down.
The story is of a people who had been stranded on a cruise ship forty years before and not allowed to disembark due to a horrible virus. People lived, had children, died, fought, loved all on this ship.
There is a rebellion. I was totally engrossed in the lives of the main characters. There are good guys, bad guys, in between guys, really bad guys and non stop action, adventure, fear, and suspense. Truly, when I am yelling while reading a book, you know I was drawn into it.
My only complaint is that the book ended far too soon. I hope there is more to come.


Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity of this early read.

This was SO EXCITING! I used to absolutely live for a dystopian YA book, and this brought me back to all my favorites. The characters were so well written, the stakes were high from page one, and I could not get enough.

I particularly loved how we got to see the villain’s POV as well as the heroes - so often this type of book involves teenagers fighting against a mysterious man in charge, but here we got the firsthand details of who this guy is, what he wants, and why. The changes between each POV were paced so well, keeping both the suspense & my stress level high.

I can’t believe this is Sarah Daniels’ first venture into writing YA because it was just that good. I’m already eagerly anticipating the sequel! 4.5 stars!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Daniels, and Sourcebooks Fire for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow!! I absolutely LOVED this book! These were the kinds of books I would seek out from the library as I went through grade school. I lived for the scary, suspenseful, adventures. This book took me right back to those days.

The characters were 100% relatable. The creativity that was used was AMAZING. I could not put it down.

I would 10/10 recommend this book to anyone who loves adventure, suspense, and a dystopian world. Can’t wait to read it again!

This review will be posted to my Goodreads and Amazon accounts immediately and to my instagram account @ginganinja333 upon publication on 1/3/2023.

What a fantastic YA dystopian debut! A cruise ship is such a creative setting. The characters were relatable, the storyline was so plausible it was a little scary, and the action/adventure was great!