For forty years, the Arcadia, once a luxury cruise ship, has been moored on the edges of what's left of America. Its residents are prohibited from leaving the ship, which has turned into a wild city in its own right. Esther, a loyal citizen, has been training to become a medic, one of the only ways to leave the ship behind. Nik, a son of rebellion, desperately wants to liberate the ship. The Arcadia is hurtling towards an ending. But will it be freedom? Or will it be death?

THE STRANDED is a dystopian debut novel that marks the beginning of a duology. It's marketed as a marriage between the 2014 movie Snowpiercer (apt) and THE HUNGER GAMES, which is a bit of a stretch. I find this book a hard one to describe without giving away too many of its secrets. 3 stars.

The novel is split into three points of view: Esther and Nik (as of this review, some editions are calling him Ben), both in first person, and the officer that oversees the ship, Hadley. In this near-future world, war has decimated Europe, and the people that were aboard cruise ships crossed oceans to anchor in what would later become a fractured version of America, unable to return to their home ports yet prohibited from making landfall. For four decades, the passengers and crew have made the ship into a city of haves and have-nots, all of them under the intense scrutiny of Federated States officers and soldiers, most of whom want them gone.

The setting of this novel is intensely interesting. A floating, rusting city with a rigid social classes, it reminded me a lot of MORTAL ENGINES (Reeve.) For me, the setting of the Arcadia is by far the high point of the novel. It gives off a strong dystopian atmosphere, one that's worn down by time and studded with fear of the conditions the people live under.

But, unfortunately, the characters of this novel failed to grab me. Esther, Nik, and Hadley are easily the characters with the most depth, but even then I didn't quite connect with them. The rest of the supporting cast have some intricacies, but they never feel fully realized.

This book is both a debut novel for the author and the beginning of a series. And so while it does have some aspects that are decidedly lacking, I can't deny that I have an interest in what happens for these characters. The book did not take the path I thought it would, and so I continue to wonder what its future holds. Some major pluses and some considerable minuses leave me hovering somewhere in the middle with this one.

Posted to Goodreads on December 15, 2022.

I have been wanting to read this one ever since I saw it on NetGalley, as I am a huge lover of dystopian novels. Safe to say, this one did not disappoint! The plot and the characters were all so interesting!

I have a love-hate relationship with multiple point-of-view books, but this one worked very well. I loved getting to see through all of the different characters' eyes and seeing their opinion on certain things. For a debut novel from Sarah Daniels, I am so impressed.

This book was definitely one of my favorite reads this year and I am crossing my fingers for a sequel because... what a cliffhanger!

I highly recommend this one!! Thank you. NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was craving a good YA dystopian novel and I got it!

Talk about a cliff hanger!!!

Ok, enough with the exclamation points.

This story follows the path of two sisters sometime in the future. A virus causes mayhem and panic across the world and governments topple. People are stuck at sea on cruise ships and generations of families live on these ships. Many of them have never been on dry land.

I don’t want to throw any spoilers out there but I loved May and Esther’s story lines running in tandem.

I have a hard time with multiple POV’s in a book and that slowed me down a bit. I was frustrated until about halfway through. Towards the end of the book when it’s mostly Esther and Nik, I feel like the plot really started moving quickly. Then it ends and I said “what the heck I want more”.

I enjoyed the authors story telling and that this is truly a YA novel.

Can’t wait for the next one!

I received this eARC from NetGalley.

The Arcadia was once a luxury cruise ship, but is now a refugee camp for those fleeing an apocalyptic war. Not only are the survivors battling other survivors, there is also a deadly virus.
As you can imagine, with any refugee situation, there are those who have power and those who don’t.
A good premise, I wish there was more of a backsory as to how everything ended up the way it did.

I have had my eye on the debut book ever since Sourcebooks had posted it. An apocalypse on a ship.. umm yes please!

A cruise ship is now a refugee camp after an apocalyptic war broke out. For Forty years the people aboard have been refused to step foot off into land until now. Everyone on board is finding ways to survive.. so can landing finally help or make it worse.

This was such a fun, quick book I didn’t want to put down. I haven’t read a good apocalypse book in awhile. Water our main character is training to be a medic, which will help her when she’s back on land. My only downfall was the name of the ship. Just reminded me too much of Resident Evil since that was also the ships name. But all in all I enjoyed the characters and the struggles of survival and finding one’s footing.

Loved the Multiple POV, the plot in this book was pretty awesome, I loved the comparison to Hunger Games, which was the vibe I was getting. But there were parts that lagged for me, it’s a fast paced read, but it took a little longer for me to get hooked.
Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to Sarah Daniels, the publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my review.

I was intrigued by the setting of this book, but for some reason it was really hard to get invested into the story and the characters. Usually I like a multiple POV perspectives in fantasy and thrillers, but this one did not work for me sadly.

Another YA thriller mystery has an interesting setting (cruise ship). While the plot was interesting, the multi-POV made the book drag a bit for me. Not so much because it was more than one but each sounded the same and didn't really have that compelling of a stake/individual narrative.

I can’t believe this is a debut novel, it’s so good! The suspense is amazing with the rotating POVs leaving you hanging after each chapter and the storyline was so unique and interesting. This book definitely gave me the same vibes as The Hunger Games, which was the perfect mix of nostalgia and the excitement of a new storyline in that type of world! The characters were great and I loved how we got a villain POV with Hadley. The descriptions of the ship and the social divides, politics, and acts of the rebellion were amazing and really helped readers to picture the way people functioned on the ship. Definitely recommend picking this one up!

The premise of The Stranded seemed so appealing, but unfortunately, it was underwhelming.

Apocalyptic war and a deadly virus forced passengers on board the Arcadia to reside on the former luxury cruise liner for decades. Now, the ship floats off the coast of the Federated States, and no one is allowed to disembark without special permission for fear of spreading the long-dormant virus. Wealthy passengers reside on the upper decks, while the impoverished lives on the lower levels.

Esther is a training medic, studying hard so she can try to get off the ship and secure a job on land.

Nic is deep into planning a rebellion.

Hadley is the commander, in charge of keeping order on the ship, and will do so at any cost.

This YA thriller is fast-paced and has multiple POVs.

I thought I would enjoy it more than I did. It lacks character development. Many of the characters were merely caricatures of good versus evil. Especially Hadley. He’s identical to every villain in a poorly acted budget action film.

I’m not sure why I thought the virus would take up more pages, but alas, it was only mentioned a few times. Maybe it will play a larger role in the next instalment, but I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series.

The last 80 pages were top-tier action, but again, not enough to motivate me to stick with the series.

Some YA books can be enjoyed by all ages, but I’d only recommend this to those that really adore YA. It reads on the younger side, even though it has some darker content.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

Esther is a med-student, but instead of being at university or a hospital, her classes are on the ship she and her family live on---the same ship she’s lived her whole life on. Nik has also spent his full life on this ship, but he and his family are on the side of the rebels, the group planning to take the ship ashore and liberate all of the passengers. After the war, the ship has remained off the coast of the Federated States, but now Esther and Nik are forced to work together since Esther’s role as a do-gooder are going to try and do some good for the other side. A YA novel set in a dystopian future, the book moves fast, not always clear on why everyone has been stranded out to sea (other than perhaps a vague political threat). At times, a little difficult to follow just due to the hectic running around and the chaos of the scenes. Definitely held my interest, so I will likely read the second book, coming out next year.

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a YA Snowpiercer on a cruise ship. I don't now...I've tried to read it twice now, and each time can't seem to get invested in the characters or the plot. The worldbuilding feels off to me and I can't quite wrap my head around what and why anything is happening.

Sorry to say this isn't for me.

I went into this book based solely on what the cover looked like. I envisioned a spooky, haunted cruise ship and that is not at all what this book is about. The story is set in the future after a pandemic. Families who were already on a luxury cruise ship were awarded the chance to stay in their purchased rooms and live out their lives safe and away from the sickness on land. After 40 years at sea, the refugees on the ship are becoming restless and anxiously awaiting their turn to return to land. Gangs run the bottom levels of the ship, drones are constantly monitoring peoples' actions, and one wrong move could mean death. When a certain group of people attempt a mutiny, it brings disastrous consequences to everyone on board.

I really wanted to like this book, but it took me FOREVER to read and I was so glad when it was over. The chapters were written from multiple POVs and it was very hard to keep the characters straight. Nothing really happened for the majority of the story, and by the time something did happen I was too confused to care. This just wasn't for me!

⭐️💫 I loved the cover. I loved the synopsis. I just really didn’t love the book.

I was really looking forward to this one, but I was disappointed. A YA dystopian book set on a ship at anchor where no one can leave to prevent a virus, a rebel group is secretly operating to take over. I think it’s a great idea for a book, but the story never came together for me. I didn’t think that the backstory was explained well and I was left confused.

Themes: 🚢🦠

My thoughts: 🤔🫡🥱😞

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I thought the beginning of the book was just a lot of information and could be toned down but as I got into the story I couldn’t put it down and the. It ends, looking forward to a possible series! Very interesting concept! Worth a read!

The Stranded is going to be the next big hunger games. The story takes place on the Arcadia, a ship outside of the Federated States. Generations have lived on this ship because Europe is a wasteland and the Federated states are worried about a virus that hasn’t been seen in recent history.

Buckle up, it’s a doozy!

This was a terrific debut! This reminds me of the covid pandemic when many cruise ships were quarantined. In this story, the Arcadia is a luxury cruise ship which became a refuge for those fleeing after the virus in Europe. The Arcadia was not allowed to land anywhere for over 40 years. The main characters were May, who was deeply involved in the rebellion plans, and Esther, her older sister, who wanted to be a doctor. Also, Nik who was part of the rebellion and May’s friend and Alex, Esther’s friend. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out how the rebellion would progress and what part the four main characters would play.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Welcome to the Arcadia

The Arcadia was once a luxury cruise ship but now serves as *home*,a refugee camp for those who were driven from Europe after war. The Arcadia floats in the waters off the coast of what is known as the "Federated States", a fractured part of the United States. For forty years people have lived on the Arcadia. They cannot go on land, they are separated by the haves, the have nots, and gangs. Where you live on the ship tells your story.

Ester is sixteen years old and training to be a medic. This means that she will one day be able to work and live on land. When all you know is living on the Arcadia, living on land, sounds like a dream.

Nik is sixteen years old and trying to help the rebellion.

Hadley is the villain. He is also the commander on the Arcadia.

Ester, Nik and Hadley have their own POVs in this dystopian, trapped on a ship, novel. I found this story to be enjoyable and entertaining. There is tension, the rebellion and the characters themselves which kept me engaged and turning the pages.

What would it be like to grow up on a ship? To never have the ground beneath your feet, to feel grass, or see animals? What would it be like to be stuck and trapped?

This book had me thinking of many things while reading it. The descriptions of where people resided with the haves and the have nots reminded me of the Titanic with the poor staying below deck. The book also reminded me of the beginning of the titanic and people on cruise ships not being able to make port.

I also enjoyed the beginning of the chapters which told how many days on ship, etc. I thought that was very nicely done.

Entertaining and enjoyable.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a dystopian YA novel, and while it took me a little bit to get into, the second half really ramped up, it got SO intense, and then you realize at the end that this is not a standalone novel 😂. THERE WILL BE MORE. Which is fine, I just wasn’t expecting it.

I’ve never been on a cruise, so I had a hard time grasping the massive size of this ship that this story was taking place on, with its separate communities and the fact that someone could throw a grenade in one area and other areas of the ship could not be impacted at all.

I was a little confused on some of the backstory for how all these people ended up on the ship, and what was going on in the surrounding land areas, but I got enough of it for the story to move along. This book was described as Snowpiercer meets The Hunger Games, and I did catch some of those dark areas that were in line with The Hunger Games Trilogy, while fitting into their own storyline.

This novel is told from three different points of view, and I thought the author did a good job at letting us into three VERY different characters. I thought getting the POV of the villain was an interesting take.

Overall, the pacing and writing were good, well-written characters, and the story was interesting. If you like dystopian YA, I recommend checking this out!

This book is out January 3, 2023. 📚

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The writing was excellent (you would never know this is a debut novel). I can't imagine being stranded on a cruise ship my whole life and the author really brings this world to life. The action is non-stop and starts right from the beginning. If you enjoy dystopian books you definitely need to pick this one up!