Interesting premise but disappointing follow through. You get thrown into the action right away but there’s not much explanation of what’s going on so I felt lost and confused for most of the book. The characters aren’t well developed either so I couldn’t relate to any of them. I get that the story needs to slowly unfold but there’s no backstory given for how they ended up here, why they can’t leave and what they stand for. DNF at 30%.

I know YA dystopian novels are a bit passé these days, but I'm still a fan, so THE STRANDED sounded tantalizing to me. The setting—a luxury cruise liner that unwittingly became a refugee ship 40 years ago when a deadly virus decimated Europe—is an intriguing one that I haven't encountered before. Although Daniels doesn't spend enough time explaining ship culture and how it has evolved over time, I think what she does describe makes for an interesting start. The novel is narrated by three different people, two teens and one adult (their nemesis, the cruel overlord who's in charge of the ship's security forces). All of them, unfortunately, are pretty much one-dimensional clichés in need of fleshing out. I cared about what was going to happen to Esther and May without feeling all that connected to either of them. As far as action goes, there was enough of it to keep me turning pages. Daniels tells the story in short sentences and quick chapters, which makes it feel like it's moving along at a fair clip. Still, it gets overly long in places (it IS long, at just under 500 pages). The plot is fairly generic, so the book doesn't feel as fresh as I hoped it would. All that being said, I enjoyed THE STRANDED for the most part. It kept me engrossed and entertained. While I didn't feel as invested in the characters and story as I wanted to, I'm up for another book. This one ends on a cliffhanger; I admit I'm interested to see what happens next.

If I could, I would give this book 3 1/2 stars. Since I can't, I rounded up.

I was fortunate to receive a prepublication arc of this novel. I was intrigued by the storyline, and it lived up to expectations, a worthy addition to the dystopian genre with a different approach. The characters were interesting and believable; the author unafraid to be fearless with their journey. I enjoyed the pace and mix of technology and privations of segregated living. We are left waiting (impatiently!) for the thrilling conclusion to come. Highly recommend!

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels

⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for providing a digital copy of The Stranded in exchange of a honest review.

It's been a while since I picked up a Dystopian Post Apocalyptic YA novel... well since The Hunger Games and Divergent! It was so full of adventure, great caracters and what about the concept.. A global pandemic world with hundreds of people stuck on cruise ships?? Highly recommend if you like the genre.

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A multiple POV dystopian YA, I loved The Stranded.

I found it fascinating that the author chose a cruise ship to use as an insulated base post apocalypse. It's a unique take that I very much enjoyed.

I spent most of my time reading this wondering what it would be like to never feel my feet on actual ground and the mental and emotional ramifications this has created for the inhabitants of the Arcadia.

This would make an amazing movie !

I really love the premise of this book - it's so cool and unique. It played out like a TV show in my mind. Overall, I enjoyed it but found it to be a little too long. But I'd definitely read more books by this author.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e arc of The Stranded by Sarah Daniels.
This is a near-future thriller dystopian novel. 4*.
Synopsis: " Welcome to the Arcadia. Once a luxurious cruise ship, it became a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. Now it floats near the coastline of the Federated States - a leftover piece of a fractured USA. For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. It is a world of extreme haves and have nots, gangs and make-shift shelters. Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out to have the rare chance to live a normal life as a medic on dry land. Ben is a rebel, planning something big to liberate the Arcadia once and for all. When events throw them both together, their lives, and the lives of everyone on the ship, will change forever . . .."
Things I liked:
1. The beginning started of at a fast pace
2. The MC
3. The setting
4. The writing
Things I disliked:
1. My interest fizzled off about 1/4 in, could be my mood, idk.
2. Didn't move to the next hook quick enough to hold me.
I was glad to read this one. I do plan to finish, but when I am in the mood.

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels
4 stars

[Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy to read and review.]

It’s 2094 and the Arcadia, once a luxury cruise ship, now floats on the coastline of the Federated States with passengers who are in “Quarantine” from a deadly virus. It’s been forty years since passengers have been allowed to make landfall and some passengers are tired of being controlled by the Federated States. Esther is a loyal citizen trying to pass to become a medic so she can leave the ship but when something happens, she’s pulled into a world she didn’t know existed.

When I started this (I read this book in 3 days), it started off a bit slow. I didn’t know where it was trying to go. But as you moved further into the story you realized a few things that really grip your interest until the very end. The writing style was easy to read, the characters were easy to love and hate, depending on the character, and the storyline itself was very unique. There are plenty of stories out there that have to do with a virus and quarantining but not on a cruise ship, so that in and of itself is unique and made me enjoy the story even more.

I’m going to try and keep this review as spoiler-free as I can, so I don’t want to say too much. But as we move through the story you really get to see Esther change from a loyal citizen to someone who doesn’t want to put up with the Federated States any longer. She really has great character growth throughout the story.

Nik is another character in the story who we read from their perspective. The story moves through a few different perspectives which I found easy to follow and really enjoyed. But something happens toward the end of the book and I can see how it hurts Nik but he blames Esther completely and yells at her and I didn’t like that too much. There’s too much blame on Esther throughout this book and I thought that was unfair. But that makes for great writing, right?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it! Thank you again to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for giving me this arc to read and review honestly. It was one I definitely enjoyed and I can’t wait for the sequel to come out!

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

The premise instantly appealed to me: a devastating virus has forced passengers of a cruise ship to remain onboard for decades -- several generations have gone by -- and no one is allowed to go back to the mainland for fear of spreading (or catching) the disease. As a medic-in-training, Esther is one of the few who can possibly leave the ship one day. Nik, part of a covert rebellion group, hopes to achieve liberation for everyone.

Though I read just just a few weeks ago, I'm struggling to remember much of anything...and that's not good. At the beginning of each chapter, the heading lists the number of days that have gone by without contamination, the number of healthy passengers. Because this opened each chapter, I thought the virus would play a much bigger role in this story than it does. Maybe in a sequel?

Sadly, everything about this one seemed more like a checklist of How to Write A Dystopian YA. An almost cartoon-level villain. A hurried backstory about How We Got Here. The Good Girl who's a loyal citizen and the Bad Boy who's secretly part of the resistance. It all fell flat for me.

This book just wasn’t for me. I felt like the pacing was a little too slow and I never found myself eager to pick the book back up. It wasn’t the writing that I didn’t care for but the development of the story.

The premise of The Stranded sounded so good; unfortunately, for me, the actual novel fell flat. I have been trying for a good month to continue reading with no luck. As a result, The Stranded will be a DNF for me. Does that mean I won't talk this book up to other readers? Absolutely not! The Stranded will definitely be coming up during my reader's advisory sessions when my readers are seeking out similar titles.

I really enjoyed this YA dystopian novel! I have always been a fan of post-apocalyptic/dystopian books where people have to do everything they can to survive devastating circumstances. This book was right up my alley and was full of action packed, nerve wracking and shocking plot points! The author did a great job with the Arcadia’s descriptions, I felt like I could clearly picture this floating city. The first half was a little slower building up to the plot, and the second half was fast paced and full of action. Esther was a great character who definitely grew strong willed and fierce by the end of the book. Nik was a good character as well, I enjoyed his POV. Hadley was evil and sadistic, but I guess that’s what makes a good villain! After that ending, I can’t wait for the next book!

The plot is great, but I struggled with the execution. The beginning of the book felt like I was starting on book two of the series. I was lost and confused on what was happening and who was who. I mean I understood the premise that they were on a cruise ship waiting out the virus, but there was no character explanation or development. I didn’t understand how and why they were actual put on the ship. Then I had no idea why Hadley was so angry and why there were rebels. Later this was kind of explained. The book felt like an incomplete sentence or thought.

This book is way longer than it should be given the lack of information provided. I love the dystopian world, but something was missing.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

There's an entire city of people living just off the east coast of the US, stranded on a derelict cruise ship. The US won't let the passengers in (fear of a deadly virus that definitely isn't an issue after 40+ years) so they just live there, waiting for some kind of international government to ... save them?

Story is fast-paced but trying to do too much (deadly virus, resource scarcity, illegal immigration, military industrial complex, despotic government) and as a result the whole book feels rushed and shallow.

The Stranded was a nice surprise for me. This IS my type of book for sure. Dystopian YA is always fun!

The Arcadia is an old cruise ship that is now home to many that are basically stranded at sea due to a virus that swept the world years ago.

The pacing here is slow and it took me a few times of going back to read it to finish it. I did enjoy it and it’s reminiscent of Hunger Games as sisters Mae and Esther (each with their own agenda really) fight the good fight. It’s not a happy go lucky read.

I did enjoy it and it’s well written!

This was a futuristic dystopian story set on a boat after an apocalyptic war set off by a virus. The people have lived on the abandoned cruise ship for over forty years and they've settled into a lifestyle divided by classes. And the majority of the people have had enough.
This was a bit too slow of a start for me to get excited about this one and it took me a bit to get into. Once I was following the storyline and had my characters clear, I was sucked in. It was a unique storyline for a dystopian set on a cruise ship, but scarily not far off from possibly becoming a reality one of these days. After Covid, nothing seems impossible.
This book has been compared to Hunger Games- I guess because it's dystopian and YA. But otherwise I was expecting some fight to the death type of plot. Don't hold you're breath, it is a story of survival and of fighting for freedom but not individuality.
Check this one out if you enjoy YA (without gooey romance) and Sci Fi thrillers. I am curious about #2 and to see where this story will go next.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A gruesome, enraging, but also engaging YA dystopia set on a cruise ship. I found many of the characters irritating and brutal, although this was fitting with the setting. I will be on the lookout for the next installment, as I do want to find out what happens next!

This was an interesting premise and great adventure of a story! Stuck at sea for years, the Arcadia is filled with multiple generations that haven't lived on the land, only at sea. A war and unsafe land has kept them at sea, floating along trying to keep the boat going. Few still remain that once lived on land and remember what it was like.

But you don't get much history or story on the boat to start. You are quickly thrown right in to a rebelion and left, a little, scrambling to understand what's going on. I think, because that confusion, the beginnig is a little slow going. I struggled, at times, to picture the layers of the boat and how each section lived. There were the richer up top but I didn't get a good feel for how their life worked. Those struggling lived lower down, making do with very little and living in danger with gangs and violence. It was all interesting and I liked the adventure of it. The main characters were interesting and I liked learning their motivations and their secrets. There were so slow parts as I struggled to fully flesh out the boat, the lives and the residents, but it was worth it in the end. I enjoyed this one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Book Review
The Stranded by Sarah Daniels
3.5 stars rounded up. 

This book in 3 words: Gripping. Innovative. Complex. 

The Arcadia is a luxury cruise ship turned refugee camp due to a deadly virus and apocalyptic war. It's composed of the haves and the have-nots, people who want more, rule followers and breakers, and REBELS (of course). 

This book is solid. The pacing is a bit slow at times but it's perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent.
Here's what worked well:

1. Multiple POVs create a complex web of perspective and action. 
2. One of our main characters, Esther, is easy to root for. 
3. Loved the old and new tech on the boat. Makes the story feel tangible and like it could happen. 
4. Lots of action and twists in the later half of the book. 

My biggest critique is the pacing and lack of character development. I wanted a little more richness with characters but I'll still pick up the sequel. This is an impressive debut by Sarah Daniels.