A great debut novel!
I love that it's a YA filled with action, rather than love triangles. The characters are all strongly written and give off their own vibes, rather than one character standing out a lot. If you loved Divergent, and The Hunger Games, you'll love this one!

Set 70+ years in the dystopian future, we open with a population of people living a threadbare existence on a cruise ship turned floating city. They are being held in indefinite quarantine because the “Federated States” are worried about a contagious virus. There are a lot of POV in this novel and for me at least, it’s difficult to remember who’s chapter you’re in. The author does a great job at revealing answers slowly which keeps you hooked.


I adore dystopian. Love the cruise ship component. Can’t wait to recommend this one when it’s out.

Besides fantasies, I am a sucker for dystopian novels, so I was excited to have had the opportunity to read this book as an advanced copy through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was first drawn to the premise. Set in the future, a catasphrophic virus breaks out in Europe leading survivors and escapees to fill up cruise ships seeking refuge. The ships sail across the Atlantic and end up anchored off the coast of what is now referred to as the Federated States (apparently the US had a little dismantling). Anyways, fast forward 40 years, and no one has been allowed to leave these ships except to go to labor/prison camps or in death. Esther has lived all her 16 years on the ship as has her older sister, May. Esther and May are some of the lucky ones, chosen to train as members of the Federated States. Once they complete their training, they will be allowed to leave the ship and continue their training on land; Esther’s path will take her to medical school.

Such a great setting! Literally 97% of the book takes place on this rusted, out of commission cruise ship, The Arcadia. In the belly of the ship, a rebellion grows with the goal to get off the ship and get to land. This book had so much potential and while I enjoyed the book and totally recommend it, I’m a little up and down on how I feel about a few different aspects of it.

While the setting is essential to the plot of the book, there feels to be a limited amount of character driven plot movement. May keeps her secrets, Nik is reckless, both cause Esther’s life to be turned upside and shaken up. Alex is a great character with such complexity. However, at the end of the book, I am left with some many questions about him. This is one of my issues. He was responsible for several moments that catapulted events, but we never really get clear explanations of certain aspects of him. Like the lifeboat. How did he get that? Who is he really? There is only the superficial level information, but I really want to see him under a microscope.

Hadley, I feel, was the only other complex and dynamic character in this story. We get his back story, and it really supports and develops his motivation for his behavior and decisions. However, is Celeste who I think she is? That wasn’t answered. What happened to Nik’s dad? That wasn’t answered. There were so many questions not answered that I am so thankful there will be a book 2, otherwise, this would be going much differently right now. This leads me right into the end of the book..

Ugh… really? There is no conclusion. What happens? I get there is another book coming, but this was a brick wall ending. We are in the midst of quite a bit and bam. Done!

I wasn't quite done talking about characters; apologies for the conclusion tangent. Back to characters real quick. I think for the most part we all hate when author’s kill big, important characters, but here there were some deaths that felt so casual, that I was like. Wait, hold up. We need to process this, and we weren’t able to. It was like, “Let’s kill this person real quick.” Part of me appreciated the fact that Daniels wasn’t so attached to characters that she wouldn’t kill them, but still! Another part of me was disappointed that I didn’t care more. When taking into account who died I feel like there should have been something more. I’m not sure what, but I just felt lacking.

For the first half of the book, I was a little up and down on interest and overall connection to the story. There were moments that felt a little slow, but I still loved how thoroughly the world on this ship was built. We have world building taking place in a very confined space, but I really felt that I could picture every level of the ship - from the upper deck to the flotilla. Great description and imagery. But when it came to the action, the peaks and valleys felt a little too stretched out. That is until you get to about the last third. Then, I really struggled to put the book down. This is part of why I’m frustrated with the ending. It was like it just ended. Daniels just decided to stop writing. My hope is that book 2 starts on a helicopter; as if no time has passed.

Although Esther annoyed me at times, I can appreciate the internal, moral dilemma that she was faced with. Everyone was keeping secrets from her and as a result, she wasn’t able to fully understand and comprehend what was happening to her. One moment she was struggling with the idea of getting married at 16 and the next she was being ‘kidnapped’ to save the life of her sister’s fellow rebel friend without having any idea of how anyone knew who she was. She always wanted to do what was right and what was best. She was so focused the red flags from both her sister and Alex were missed. The book really focuses on the determination and resourcefulness people can demonstrate when faced with adversity. Even putting differences aside to achieve a common goal.

What I liked:
- The setting and world creation - The ship's evolution from a ship to a city. The class system, the ‘dictatorship’, the gangs, the desperation created from poverty.
- Some of the characters - Hadley was a great and flawed antagonist. I did like Enid and Corps as well.
- The fast pace final push to the climax.
- The premise of the plot - so much potential and such a creative and fresh storyline with a definite look at social and political structures.

What left me a little disappointed:
- The other characters - While I liked them, I didn’t feel completely invested in them. I wasn’t overly moved when some died or got injured.
- The ending. Conclusions can be a make it or break it element for me. Kudos on a great cliffhanger ending resulting in so many questions. I will definitely be back for book 2, how can I not? I have so many questions. Like a lot, a lot!
- The moments between the peaks of action at times felt a little too long and slow moving.

Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until January 3, 2023 to read it for yourself, but it is one that you should put on your radar. The world building alone - the market, the neaths, the cafe, all of it drives the plot. I love character driven plots, but here is a very successful setting driven plot.. It’s a fun adventure. If you enjoy a good dystopian book add this one to your list so you don’t forget about it! And let’s begin talking about book 2!

With a society stuck aboard a ship after a plague and waiting for permission to leave, Daniels tackles the themes of revolution, how far to go for your future, and the willingness of those in power to keep the status quo. Not a happy book by any means, but one that will propel you to keep reading!

While I was a little leery about reading a dystopian novel about a global pandemic, this novel utilized the subject in a way that did not tap into COVID-fatigue at all; the context was fresh, inventive, and each character's voice was vibrant and engaging. While some chapters alternate first-person perspectives, the decision to put the villain's perspective into third-person was one that kept me invested and raised the sense of urgency within the novel. I will eagerly await the follow-up!

I start with the comment that I wanted to love this book. It sounded original and different. However, it fell flat for me. I wanted more world building. It took me a third of the book to realize that Hadley was an adult, though I will say that he was an excellent villain. As a matter of fact, he was really the only character that I really connected with.

This post apocalyptic/pandemic novel was very well written and very enjoyable. The writing was elevated, and the characters well rounded. This was more of a YA novel and I didn’t quite believe that a 16 year old revamped a huge ship engine or was becoming a doctor. But the story of rebellion was fun and I look forward to the sequel that I can anticipate coming. Good effort for a first novel.

Book received for free through NetGalley

The combination of a situation I could see, in all reality, happening and characters I immediately feel for combine into this real feeling dystopian that could easily continue past the end of the book. Glad I came across it.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Generations of people stuck on a cruise ship because they happened to be on board when the world went belly-up. Gangs and factions have formed, no one goes to the lower decks and somewhere a rebellion is forming. Some people are frustrated and want to leave the boat and take their chances on land. Others are determined that this will never happen and will go to any lengths to crush the rebels.

An interesting read with some good twists, definitely sets itself up for sequels.

This book was a little disappointing to me because I really thought the premise would interest me. Alas, I stopped about halfway through because I couldn't really get invested in the characters. I might try to pick it back up eventually but overall this book just wasn't for me.

The Arcadia is a ship that's been floating off the coast of the Federated States for the past 40 years. No one is allowed to leave the ship and there is strict enforcement of the rules to ensure everyone complies.

You are thrown right into the action of this book with not a lot of background information at the beginning. As the book progresses you learn more about the ship and the virus that led to the passengers being confined for the past 40 years. Once you learn more the story starts to piece together, and you get a better understanding of the plot.

The chapters alternate perspectives between several characters. You have Esther who is studying to become a medic, Nik who is part of a rebel group, and Hadley who is the leader of the government. I enjoyed that one of the perspectives you follow is from the villain of the story.

The pacing of the book was pretty steady throughout with a fast-paced ending that leaves you on a cliffhanger. There is mix of politics, rebellion and betrayal.

I'm usually a big fan of YA dystopian and miss the days when it was more popular. However, The Stranded didn't really keep my attention. The idea was interesting, but the execution wasn't the greatest. I wasn't a big fan of any of the characters except for Esther, so the parts that weren't in her POV were a little boring for me. I might give it another try at some point, maybe if there's a second book.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review. I really, really enjoyed this book.

YA dystopian story about a cruise ship that has been at sea for 40 years. (I'll leave it at that)

A real page-turner, the action-packed book had me on the edge of my seat! I couldn't wait to see what would happen next, this is a definite must-read book.

I thought "Stranded" had a very unique premise. The characters living on the ship and the struggle between classes (lower, upper, gangs, enforcers, etc) kept the plot moving along. It was a little hard at first to get into the numerous POVs in the book (2-3 first person views and 1 third person view), but it wasn't long before I could keep them all straight. I did appreciate that one of the POVs was from the antagonist on the ship. It was interesting to see things from both sides of the conflict in the story. I thought the world-building off of the ship on the mainland could have been more detailed, but I'm guessing that will get more fleshed out in the sequel. It took me awhile to get into it, but after finishing it, I do think I'll read the sequel when it comes out to see how the story progresses.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy for me to read and review.

I haven’t read a lot of YA books, especially dystopian future ones, but I was drawn to the premises and the ship cover.

The story captivated me and the world came alive with the descriptive pages. I can see this becoming the next big YA series.

I had really high hopes for this one but I was a little let down. I still would recommend though to my audience!

The Stranded sets sail with a heart-racing YA dystopian novel where a ship has been forced to remain at sea for over 1,500 days after a virus ravages the mainland, leaving the cruise ship inhabitants to create their own hierarchy of survival.

I was really drawn to the description and concept of this book. It sounded almost like a Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent hybrid set on sea. The interconnecting characters and storylines were really interesting as well, with a lot of it setting up a brand new, but familiar, world.

One of my main issues was that this book hits the ground running - but it doesn't tell you where it's heading. It took far too long to understand what was going on and what everything meant. I also didn't feel particularly connected to the characters, as points of view changed. It left me to wonder if this would have benefited by focusing on one character the entire way through. I also would have loved a preface explaining the virus, people, and situation leading us to this point.

The Stranded had a lot of promise, but it just wasn't the book for me. Sarah Daniels has a lot of promise though and I'm excited to see if she ever ventures into thrillers and horror because I would love to read it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

LOVED THIS ONE! I'm a big fan of YA and dystopian novels to begin with, so to have both genres in one was awesome. This book was well-written and the story was compelling. This novel also resonated with me because of its commentary on the treatment of refugees. The characters were fleshed out well enough for me to either despise them or root for them-which doesn't always happen. My only gripe is that the book ended very abruptly. I felt like there could have been a few pages of a conclusion.

All in all, I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Sarah Daniels, Sourcebooks Fire, and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this novel. This has a very interesting premise, though ultimately the writing style was not for me. Overall, a very solid YA novel; recommended for those who enjoy YA and particularly dystopian YA.

What the heck!?!! That was crazy! I haven’t ever read a book that set out on the sea! I’m so happy I read this book. The writing was so amazing!