Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

You know, the blurb for this book says something about this book being like if The Hunger Games met 2022’s highly-successful novel Station Eleven, but in my opinion it didn’t remind me of either of those. You know what this book did remind me of, though? The Eleven Trilogy by Jerri Chisolm. Of course, Chisolm’s entertaining YA dystopian novels with similar themes except set underground don’t have the same brand recognition as Katniss Everdeen, but I just want to point out that I never once thought of The Hunger Games while reading The Stranded.

This book was a little above average. It was engaging and readable, with a solid plot (no matter how familiar it feels I’m almost always down for adventures and daring-dos on a ship) and some interesting (even colorful!) characters. The antagonist was deliciously sociopathic and full of hate stemming from a personal incident that he’s turned into a towering inferno of rage and transferred to just about everyone. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even like himself and he just hasn’t realized it yet. I actually found the antagonist’s machinations to be the most entertaining parts of the book.

Sarah Daniels has a solid writing style and a good idea here. Some pages have said this is the first book in a series but others haven’t, so I don’t know if another book is on the way. This book certainly does leave room for more story in this universe, but it also could just stand alone without any follow-up. If Daniels did decide to write another book in this universe she has laid a very solid base in this book for the world she’s writing it in, giving it a solid history, a good current state of affairs, and a good working knowledge of who’s currently on what side and what they’re up to.

I’m not recommending to run out and buy it, but if you are a fan of this genre, it’s a solid enough entry to check it out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for granting me early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

File Under: YA Fiction/YA Mystery/YA Thriller/YA Suspense/Dystopian/Speculative Fiction

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital arc of this title.

As a high school librarian, I am always on the hunt for books that will appeal to students. As such, I'm often looking for variety of types of stories. This title is YA dystopian--which is not as popular as mystery, romance, and fantasy books for my students. However, I do have dystopian readers--and I am trying to bolster the collection in that section.

Set in the future in a world where deadly viruses rampage, wars were fought, and groups of refugees just float off coast in abandoned cruise ships, this title seems to be the first in a series.I will be adding this book to the collection in the near future. It's multiple points-of-view, world building, and action mean that it will appeal to some students. Like all dystopians, there is a rebel groups planning to liberate themselves and others.

From a personal standpoint, I felt like the book needed a bit of tightening up as it ran a bit long, but I felt the positives (action, love triangles, drama, agony) outweighed that negative.

I’m a fan of both the Snowpiercer movie and series, and The Hunger Games is always a favorite. These comp titles together was like a dream come true.

In the year 2094 decades after an apocalyptic war, several cruise ships are still at sea due to the possibility of the passengers spreading the virus to those on land. But after nearly 16,000 days at sea, the Arcadia has remained virus free for the majority of that time. The Federated States, most on the eastern seaboard, have split from the US and don’t want the ships to dock. They send supplies and very limited food rations, but life aboard isn’t easy. The Arcadia consists of fourteen levels, the lowest controlled by gangs and the top tiers for the wealthy. With a couple generations never having set foot on land, most staterooms are passed down within families. The world-building is well-crafted and fascinated me.

Opportunities for a future off the ship are almost nonexistent, but Esther and her sister May are both fortunate to have them – Esther as a medic and May as a soldier. Esther has kept her head down and worked hard so she and her boyfriend, also a medic, can leave the Arcadia and have a normal life. She just didn’t account for Nik and the rebel group. And then everything changes.

I certainly understood Esther’s motives, but I wasn’t her biggest fan at the beginning. She can’t see what’s right in front of her and pays the price for it. By the end, she redeems herself in my book. Nik is my favorite character and he’s prepared to give his all for the resistance, but suffers a significant loss along the way. Chapters alternate between Esther, Nik, and Hadley’s (a despicable villain) POVs. Pacing is a little uneven, but the last twenty percent is thrilling and moves at warp speed, almost like a domino effect.

The Stranded is a phenomenal debut novel, and I’m anxious to see what happens in the conclusion of this duology. I’d highly recommend it to dystopia/postapocalyptic YA and adult fans.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF 11%. Overall I found the writing very smooth and it definitely felt YA. I was just getting kind of bored.

Once a luxurious cruise ship, the Arcadia is now a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. 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, studying to have the rare chance to live life as a medic on dry land. Nik 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 was initially drawn in by the premise of the book and the cover. It made me think of the cruise ships that were unable to dock during the worst of the Covid outbreak, and what it would be like being stuck on a ship for a prolonged time due to unforseen circumstances. Unfortunately, the book fell short of my expectations. The book seemed to drag in a lot of places, and the book itself was pretty long. I am not saying it was a bad book, just not the book for me.

I am in awe that this is a debut. It is pretty damn good guys! I felt like this one gripped me from the beginning and I was on a rollercoaster the entire time. How Daniels created a post-apocalyptic world, added some swash buckling antics and some dangerous situations all within 480 pages is beyond me. The imagination she must have?! Wow! How clever.

This is told in multiple rotating POVs and primarily takes place on a cruise ship. I loved that we got a POV from our villain and that he had his own backstory. The setting really helps to add to the claustrophobia and horror of the situation and the new world in 2094. The social divides and socioeconomic issues that play out in this are terrifyingly real.

This is the perfect blend of YA action, drama, social issues and a nasty government wrapped up in a tense and suspenseful story. Our characters are perfect for the genre and minus a few “bad words” this is pretty PG. If you enjoy Hunger Games, Divergent or Snow Piercer you will really enjoy this!

Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy!

This had a slow start, and Alex made me so angry the reading sped up so that I could find out what his fate was.. In the end though I wanted more. I wanted to know what happened, it felt incomplete. I enjoyed the premise, and the characters drew me in. But i hate ambiguous endings, and it pulled the rating down as a result. This was still a solid read and I would recommend to those who like ambiguous endings.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but it grabbed me from the start. The fact that this is just the first book in the series fills my heart with such joy. I loved watching Esther come into her own and figure out the truth behind the fate of the passengers of the Arcadia. I also love that Esther and Nik don’t have a love connection, but by the end of the story they have found something they agree enough on to fight for. I can’t wait to see what happens. Teens will eat this book up. It has suspense, technology and just such a horrid bad guy. Dystopian books are always hit or miss for me, but I will not be missing out on what happens next. I am so looking forward to recommending this book to patrons.
Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

This original and exciting novel leaves you on the edge of your seat! Perfectly primed for a sequel, you’ll be rooting for the characters and want to know what happens next. The plot is handled in an original way and the storyline is interesting. The characters are well developed and the author deftly provides enough background for each so we understand their motivations.

Two kids who have never seen land. One, a studious citizen is working hard to earn a rare opportunity to work as a medic on land. Another is rebellious, and planning something for liberation from the floating prison.
For reader's who love the "Hunger Games" or "Station Eleven" this will be their next favourite book. The two characters from different backgrounds make for fantastic dialogue. It also makes it easy for all readers to relate to someone in the story. Set in a future that doesn't feel real, but with just enough of the familiar for the lessons of the story to strike home.
This book will absolutely be finding a home on a shelf in the middle school library. Students will fall in love with the story and adventure.

✨ The Stranded ✨⁣
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⁣Imagine you are on a luxury cruise ship when an apocalyptic war breaks out in Europe. The ship quickly becomes a floating refugee camp with citizens who can no longer return home. For forty years, the Arcadia has floated of the coast of the Federated States- a fractured part of the US- that refused to let the ship or it’s residents to make landfall. Now there is a rebelling brewing and the people on the ship are about to rise up and fight. ⁣
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⁣This was a unique premise that I really enjoyed. Unlike many dystopian books, it felt almost realistic. I enjoyed imagining how it would feel to be born on a cruise ship and never experience life on solid ground. ⁣
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⁣The plot did seem to crawl a little bit near the beginning and some of the characters seemed a little basic. I wanted more character development!⁣
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⁣All in all, I enjoyed the YA read and will totally pick up the sequel! Four stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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⁣Thank you to @Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of The Stranded. It will be out on January 3, 2023.

Not my cup of tea. I got about halfway through before setting it aside, I can see the appeal and I definitely think that people would enjoy this novel. However, it’s not what I was after right now and with it being as long as it is, will not be picking it up anytime soon.

Will not be leaving a review on any social media, as I didn’t finish.

After an apocalyptic war, the once luxurious cruise ship the Arcadia is now a refugee ship. For forty years the residents of this ship have been prevented from reaching land. The ship floats near the Federal States, what used to be part of the U.S. Esther follows the rules and is working hard. Nik goes against authority and is planning something big. When the two meet things will never be the same.

I wanted to like this but it was so boring. Maybe it was the writing style but I couldn’t get into the story at all.


Thank you netgalley and sourcebooks for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel! In a dystopian future, a cruise ship is stranded at sea due to outbreak of a deadly virus (sound familiar?). Except it's stranded for decades! People have lived in this ship for a couple of generations by now, with children born there - but not taught how to swim, so they can't leave. A class society has emerged, with "ticket holders" living in the upper decks as an impoverished upper class and "neaths" living in the bowels of the ship as the rebellious lower class. Though previously a luxury vacation vessel, the ship has turned into something more akin to France before the French Revolution.

Most of the characters are teens and young adults, though in my mind this is a novel appealing to a broad audience. Sabotage and revolution are afoot, and our young heroes plot to overthrow the evil law enforcement commander and his army of drones, bots, and armed security forces. This novel is action packed.

I hope to read more from this author!

This YA thriller is very intense and leads a dynamic cast of teenagers. While the world has suffered a deadly virus, others have taken cover on the ship Arcadia to escape the war and virus ravaging mankind. After being out at sea for 40 years from the coast of Europe, some are wanting to anchor off the shores of the U.S. now known as Federated States, but no one is allowed to disembark.

Esther is a 16 year old medic wanting to set shore and become a doctor one day. Her friend, Nic, is also 16 years old and wants to start a rebellion demanding they let them go. The fear of the virus spreading onboard keeps the passengers from leaving their own freewill.

This is told through multiple POVs and gives a slight demonstration of our current situations and the recent bout we have had with a deadly virus. The cruise liner filled with viral infected people off the coast brings back bad memories of how far we have come. The war and tension that extends over the world now seems to be at the forefront of everyone's mind when you read this. There is always an antagonist that doesn't have the best interests of everyone in mind. You will see Evil vs Good and a lot of action-packed drama in this book. It is a Young Adult more geared to the older such as high school and not for everyone. As far as it compares Hunger Games...hmmm...maybe some dystopia features.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

This one had a lot of promise and I was so ready to jump back into the dystopian genre, but this was unfortunately a letdown.

The idea behind the book was great and well-timed. I loved that all these people were stuck on a cruise ship because of an illness and it was essentially it's own little world they were trying to escape. But I wasn't drawn into the story. There are three povs, which gave me a full view of everything happening around the ship, because there is a lot happening, but I still found myself bored. I didn't love any of the characters and I didn't find the plot sucking me in.

I tried really hard to love this one, but I couldn't. Maybe this will be an incredible book for someone else, but it wasn't for me.

Page turner!! This book had me from the very first sentence. It has an exciting story line and is filled with a host of memorable characters. It is such an interesting, creative story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I cannot wait for the the sequel to come out. Read this book...you won't regret it!!

I ended up really liking this one! Was longer than I thought and took me a while to get into but read the last 200 pages in one sitting and it was like an action movie! I think there could've been a better way to introduce why they were on the ship, etc. (maybe starting the book with a newspaper article?) but by about halfway through I started to figure it out. I think the characters are complex and I'm excited to see what happens next!

This was such an exciting read! The tension starts right from the beginning and doesn't really let up for the whole story. There is definitely a Hunger Games vibe-not in plot but the suspense that comes from fear of a dictatorship and constant surveillance.
I liked the different POVs, especially the villain's POV, which we don't always get in YA.
I'll admit there were some parts that kind of lost my interest and were a bit repetitive, but it picks up for sure.
If you like classic YA dystopia with an unusual setting I strongly recommend <i>The Stranded</i>.

I requested an advance copy of this book based on the description, a luxurious cruise ship becomes a refugee camp after an apocalyptic war, and thought it sounded fascinating. I didn’t pick up on a few things, though, that would have told me this book is not for me: it’s YA dystopian, a genre I’m generally sick of, it’s the first in a series, and it’s mostly a disaster plot.
The luxurious ship hasn’t had any luxury for a long time before the book begins, and it’s all grim and war and death and poverty. I didn’t connect with the characters nor care what happened to them, and I think it’s mostly because of my preferences as a reader right now.
If YA dystopia is your jam, or your child’s genre, definitely look into this one. It’s action-packed and high stakes. There’s a touch of romance but it’s very minor.
Not for me, but I can see the work that went into crafting this world and a good set up for a series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.