Really, really cool premise for a dystopian YA novel. I haven’t come across moving part of the population onto a cruise ship before.

The rest of the book fell a little flat for me, though. The characters felt very typically YA and didn’t stand out.

2.5 stars

This was… fine… a bit boring and underwhelming, I found myself skimming large parts of the book. It had a cool premise, but didn’t scratch the itch I was hoping it would. The character development or nuance didn’t really exist, and Hadley read more like a cartoon villain than a real person. It reads a bit young, despite the dark content, which is fine, as older tweens and young teens may enjoy it a lot more than I did, or perhaps with a slightly less critical eye.

This book shows another view of how a virus can attack our Earth. This book has an interesting concept in living on a cruise ship (without going anywhere) and the States not knowing all that is going on. I loved the underbelly of the ship and all the different characters that we got to know. I wish we could have learned more about this virus that had infected so many years ago and why it took so long for this world to 'wake up'.
The alternating view points made the book read faster than if we only had one view for the entire story. I can't wait to see where the rebellion heads next!

Stranded is a new take on post-apocalyptic fiction. Instead of being stuck o an island, bare lands, or wild forest, the characters are trapped on an old cruise ship. Due to a virus, the ship was not allowed the land in Europe for quarantine reasons. But the surprise? It's been decades since the boat left Europe and there are people that were born on the ship and never seen land. They show no signs of virus but no hope of being allowed on land.
Sarah Daniels uses several twists to tighten an already taunt story that is life and death to the characters. The idea that safety is just yards away but denied echoes modern-day situations. Teh Stranded is a unique and great start to a new series.

The Stranded reminded me so much of the cancelled TV show The 100! A luxurious cruise ship is now a refugee camp after the world is fractured by an apocalyptic war. Two people true to their character-a rebel and a loyal citizen are thrown in the same situation to save the lives of everyone on the ship. The story is more concentrated on the lives of people rather than the reason for their current status, which I liked and isn’t something that is often seen in dystopian / post-apocalyptic fiction. Although categorised as YA, I feel adults will enjoy this more. The characterisation and writing is rich and top notch!!

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for the gifted arc!

This was a really fascinating idea and while I mostly enjoyed the book it felt a little too drawn out. A few parts were too slow and I ended up skimming them. I wish there had been more world building to explain how life on the ship actually worked. I had a lot of questions that went unanswered. The book ended on a cliffhanger but I'm not sure that I cared enough to read the sequel.

I could not get into this book. The writing and overall story was meh for me. Dnf. I had hear a lot of hype around this book so that may have made my expectations higher than what they should have been

The Stranded
by Sarah Daniels
Pub Date: 03 Jan 2023
Interesting take on the apocalyptic genre. In this dystopian society, those who were on a cruise ship when an infection shut down the world had to stay on the ship (with a few thousand extras that jumped on for safety as it departed). The government sends them supplies but only just arely and over the years the ship has become its own terrifying world with a military, crime bosses, and those working their way to be able to leave the ship if they are deemed "worthy" by the government, something that is becoming harder and harder to do.
The story follows rule-follower and land hopeful Ester who studies hard at being a medic to get off this God forsaken ship. Her knowledge is exactly what the rebels need to save one of their top rebels from a gun wound. This puts her and her family's lives in danger and changes her future forever.
#thestranded #sarahdaniels #netgalley

The Stranded wasn't bad but it's not super engaging. I thought the concept was fascinating and saw some reviews comparing it to the Hunger Games with the dystopian theme but unfortunately I couldn't care about the characters or where the story was going. Maybe I'll pick it up again in the future. DNF'd at 40%

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Sixteen-year-old Esther is in medical school on the Arcadia, a cruise ship quarantined off the shore of the Federated States for 40 years after a virus decimated Europe. Becoming a medic is ship-born Esther's way to dry land. When an illegal leaflet with forbidden information is dropped in Esther's vicinity, a hidden side of her sister May comes to light and sets in motion events that drastically change Esther's trajectory.

The world-building in this novel is exquisite! I felt like I was on the ship and could picture every detail of Esther's surroundings. The atmosphere of ever-present danger kept the tension strong, and the pacing was spot on. The narration alternated among the main characters and helped to paint a complete picture while building suspense with the anticipation of how other characters would react to new information.

This one is a winner if you love YA dystopian novels. In terms of quality of writing, creativity, and plot, I would place it in the same circle as The Hunger Games and The Enemy, and I can't wait to read the second book in this duology.

The Stranded is a dystopian novel set in 2094 after a world war has destroyed much of Europe. To get away from the plague that was sent in contaminated missles, people were sent to quarantine on cruise ships docked just off land of the Federated States. To get off the ships, kids must train as medics and soldiers for the Federated States. Otherwise, generations live and die on the ships. As with any city, neighborhoods pop up, complete with gangs, theft, bribes, and government corruption. The main story follows sisters Esther and May. Esther is top of her medic training class. Her life is turned upside down when she is kidnapped one night to tend to a boy that was shot. May is part of an uprising rebellion group that is planning to hopefully get people off the ship. Although the sisters don’t know about each other’s plans, their lives are about to be changed forever.

Although I was hesitant at first to read this books because of some bad reviews, I ended up being more invested in the characters than I thought. It is a bit long, but the story development is good and the characters are well developed. I ended up liking (or hating) characters and want to read the next book to find out what happens to them. If you like dystopian novels, this is a great story. And a bit different since it is set on a ship.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of The Stranded! This was the first book I read on my tropical Mexican vacation back at the beginning of January, and man, it was the perfect read by the pool!
The Stranded 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: A gripping, near-future thriller - The Hunger Games meets Station Eleven, for fans of pacey, disruptive TV, such as the Noughts and Crosses adaptation
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 . . .
I really liked the premise of The Stranded and I liked Nik and Esther as characters. Hadley was not my favorite, but somehow his over the top evil-ness seemed to work. The Arcadia is such a cool ship- every time I see a cruise ship, I think about how it really is like a little city, so it was so interesting to see how that played out over 40 years and evolved. I wish we had seen more of the actual virus, because it seemed to be this looming thing in the background that we didn’t have too much information about, but that’s ok because we got so many other things happening- at times it was almost too much, but I love action, so I was always super engaged and ready to see what happened next! Overall, I really enjoyed The Stranded and I can’t wait to see what comes next! Pick this book up today.

*Link to be added as soon as post goes live*

I liked the premise of The Stranded and it was executed well though I thought it started off slow and took a hit to get to the action. I’m interested in the characters and would read the second to see where it goes.

Definitely check out this intriguing YA dystopia novel! It gave me Hunger Games and Divergent vibes. I really enjoyed how this novel was told from multiple viewpoints of the ships passengers! It was a really enjoyable, fast, and suspenseful read! I can’t wait for book 2! Definitely check it out!

Thank you NetGalley and Sarah Daniels for an eARC in exchange for my honest review

3.75 stars

CWs: death, rebellion, violence, blood and injury detail

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC vie NetGalley.

I’m feeling a bit conflicted about this one. It took me about 50% to really get invested in the story and the characters. I found the beginning was quite slow and drawn out. I appreciated the details that were provided to set the scene and the character relationships, but I wish that it hadn’t taken so long to really get into the action. I struggled to stay focused on the story and wanting to read it, but once I got to part 2 and pst the 50% mark, I flew through the rest of the book. In a couple of hours I finished it, while it took me 2 weeks to find the desire to read the first half. This is definitely a combination of me not being in the right mood, and the story just not quite hooking me fully from the beginning.
I liked Esther alright in the beginning, but once things started to get intense and go badly, I really liked her character. She stood up for things, she was strong and brave, and I was rooting for her. I liked her relationship with her sister, and I wish that we’d seen more of it.
I liked Nik from the beginning. Something about his character was perfect for this kind of story. He was well written and I admired his conviction and loyalty. I liked learning about the rebellion, but I wish there had been more details. Much of it was vaguely discussed even though Nik is a major part of the rebellion. This left me feeling conflicted about the rebellion and I wasn’t fully invested in it or the characters for more than half the story.
The story is told through 3 POVs that of Esther, Nik and commander Hadley. Esther’s and Nik’s POVs are both first-person, but Hadley’s was third. I didn’t mind this, and I actually liked Hadley’s POV a lot. As the villain he was pretty basic, but it was easy to hate him.

Thousands of people are stranded on the Arcadia, a cruise ship anchored off the US coast. What started as a safe haven away from a deadly virus and apocalyptic war is now a way of life for original ticket holders and refugees. But all is not well on board. After 40 years, some folks want off. And a fight is brewing between the upper deck, lower deck, gangs, and offshore influences.
Medic-on-training Esther and her boyfriend Alex, plus her military-bound sister May and handler Nik, will collide and face extreme decisions as they fight for survival. Who will "win?"
This book is indeed action-packed, especially the last quarter. It got my heart racing!
I like the first-person perspective and present tense. I felt like part of the story rather than a spectator.
But I felt a little letdown. I wanted a better picture of daily life on board. For example, we learn about food stores and the sewage dump, but no characters ever eat or use the bathroom.
And there's plenty of racism and prejudice amongst the characters. Thankfully, the author's political views are limited - present a bit but not preachy.
I will definitely be on the watch for part two of this duology!

Dnf @ 20%. Underwhelming and drawn out, little conflict, and I was not aware when requesting that this was going to be made into a series. As someone who is not the target audience, I’m going to call it quits here and let those who are more qualified share their thoughts.

This young adult dystopian novel had descendants of passengers (and a few others) who happened to be on the cruise ship Arcadia at the time of an apocalyptical war where a deadly virus was rampant. While the ship used to be a luxury liner, the years have turned it into a sad place to live and it is overcrowded and decrepit. The year is 2094. The ship has not been allowed to dock for fear of reviving the virus so they are at sea near the Federated States.
Each chapter is told from one of three points of view. The book starts off with Esther who is training to be a medic, her goal is to pass her exams at the top of her class and get a job on land which is a rare thing for those on the ship. Next we get Nik's chapter and he is planning a rebellion to get everyone off the ship. His girlfriend is Esther's sister, May. Eventually we get our third narrator's view. Hadley is the commander of the ship, he is ruthless and does everything he can to maintain order and control on the vessel..
The action was great in places in the book and had me on the edge of my seat while Esther saw to a crisis early on and the end of the book, but the rest of the book was more ho hum. The book centers around the rebellion and staying out of trouble from the coalies (soldier types) and the drones and does not go into life aboard ship (which would have been interesting) or even life on land.
I wish the characters had been more developed and more backstory or current life on the ship had been included. The premise is a good one, but it fell a little short of my expectations.

I want to thank Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Stranded follows a group of people stranded on a cruise ship that has withstood an apocalypse as they discover the truth behind their lives. This book is exciting and has an interesting premise, however, I have a hard time engaging with the characters because of the broken-up nature of the narrative. I find a multi-POV with young narrators creates space between me and the characters. Aside from this aspect however, the book is well written. If you like multi-POV, pick this up.

Holy cow was this book a lot of fun! It's pitched as Snowpiercer meets The Hunger Games and that is the perfect blurb! This book was fast paced and (dare I say) fun. The ending felt a bit rushed and chaotic, but overall this was great. Can't wait to read more from Sarah!