This was a great YA choice for anyone who loves a quick, dystopian thriller. Interesting premise that kept me curious.

4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars on here)

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
*
The marketing of this book was “The Hunger Games meets Station Eleven” and that caught my attention immediately. I absolutely loved the concept of this book and how it was focused on a cruise ship where people have been living for decades. I have to say that the start of the book started out very slow for me, which is where the 4.5 stars comes in. There were so many character POV at the beginning that it was very confusing at times and you spent a lot of time trying to figure out how all the characters fit together. It also had so much information that you just felt overloaded at times. However, that being said, once I got to around 40% of the book, the pacing picked up so much and I didn’t want to put it down. It was action packed and you became so invested in the characters and just needed to figure out what was going to happen. After finishing the book, I read that there will be a second book to follow up this one and I can’t wait to see where that one takes the readers! Overall, I think that if you can get through the first part of the book, you will really enjoy it!
*
This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

I want to thank NetGalley for an early copy of The Stranded by Sarah Daniels. I always enjoy dystopian young adult books. This one being set on a cruise ship where they have lived for many, many, many years, Forty years!! All because of a virus, sound familiar? The story is told from multiple points of view., including one that is the villain. An original take on a dystopian world. It was fast paced and action packed. I can’t wait for the next book to come out.

The premise of this book had me intrigued. Thousands of people living their whole life in a stranded cruise ship, denied landfall to the Federated States where they fled to after a war in Europe released a deadly virus. The deadly virus killed millions of people.

Their treatment gets worse and worse through the years. It gets to the point where even reading a book in a public place could get you killed.

You see things from multiple points of view and you begin to cheer for the rebellion and hope they will eventually get off this ship. It is an intense read and totally draws you in from the first page.

I was interested in the concept of this one: a YA dystopian book set on a cruise ship where people have been living for decades. Unfortunately, it failed to keep my attention and I think this was mainly due to the pacing and the characters. The beginning of the book is a bit overloaded with information, but not enough about the parts I wanted to know about! The stakes are high from the start, but I didn’t have enough time or background information to feel invested. The characters were also hard to connect with and I felt like I didn’t ever get to know them well. If this book had been a lot shorter, or if it were a standalone with a complete ending rather than a setup for the sequel, I think I would have enjoyed it more. There was nothing horrible about this book, but it wasn’t memorable and I won’t be reading the sequel. People who really love dystopian books and don’t mind jumping straight into the action may enjoy this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This brings me back to the classic dystopian era of the early 2010s. The appeal of dystopian fiction has lessened for me since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the parallels to our daily lives only increase. The Stranded is inspired by those early covid days cruise ships (and for the cruise-obsessed, you can note that Daniels uses names of currently operating major cruise ships), which is a new one for me. I would have Across the Universe by Beth Revis as a comp title - this is not sci-fi, but it has similar themes of a dying ship, hope of leaving, darkness, dubious morals.

HOLY WOW. I just read and read and read. I don’t even think I slept. This book is just gripping and the twists and turns. Esther is just trying to survive and Nik wants something better. Can either get what they want? Can anyone onboard? This book is outstanding and I can only hope that I can read the second book in this duology just as soon as humanly possible because I need answers and I just can’t stop thinking about what happened and what could happen next. I just want more please and thank you.

A near future dystopia, The Stranded sounded like a novel I would thoroughly enjoy. It seemed like the novel was going to have a fast paced plot, but I quickly realized that it wasn't moving along as quickly as I would have liked. I did enjoy how Daniels chose to weave all of the character arcs together. I'm not certain that my older middle school students will be interested in this storyline; it might just be a select few.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to enjoy this but was overly unimpressed with the relationships, the dynamic, and the plot felt convoluted.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!

This was such a fun read! A perfect post-apocalyptic dystopian that had me turning those pages as fast as I could!

I loved the idea of a generation that has grown up on board of a giant cruise ship that has been afloat for the 40 years since an epidemic ravaged Europe. I was a little confused and wished there was more information about where everyone was from. The ship set sail from London but often on Cruise ships there are people from all over the world so I was wanting some diversity? Maybe attention to different languages, accents?

The storyline kept me interested and I mostly liked the characters. I did love that all the characters were able to show different aspects of their personalities. The only one I didn't enjoy was Hadley because he was just all bad. No redeeming qualities whatsoever.

If you love dystopian reads as much as I do, I'd definitely say check this one out!

Out January 3, 2023!

A solid 3.5 stars for The Stranded, by Sarah Daniels! The Stranded is a YA dystopian that is likened to the Hunger Games, and Divergent. It definitely delivers! We have three POV's, and overall the story moves nicely! The synopsis of The Stranded is a society who has been on a cruise ship for 40 + years. It checks off all the goodies of a YA dystopian. Corrupt government, brave MC'S, action, a rebellion, drama, and tension. My only personal issues with this book is the pacing. It does lag a little throughout. However, for a debut novel, it is lovely! I will absolutely be picking up the sequel. Thank you so much Netgalley, and of course Sarah Daniels!

I will start this review off by saying that I love Dystopian books, but truly have not found a lot that I’ve loved lately. That is not the case with The Stranded! I absolutely loved the idea of being on these huge ships and a female protagonist. This book had everything from friendship and romance to adventure and fighting for freedom in a post apocalyptic future. Think Water World meets Hunger Games. This book was so entertaining!

The Stranded felt very reminiscent of the YA dystopian novels that shaped my 2010s reading experience. Despite the familiarity, Sarah Daniels created a unique setting and plot that kept me fully engaged and there were several things I didn't see coming. You learn the backstory of the way the world is throughout several chapters, prompting you to infer before you learn more. I liked this method of exposition, as it left me wanting more, therefore reading more and more. The characters brought very interesting dynamics to the story and I felt like I really got to know them. If you enjoyed reading Hunger Games, 1984, or Divergent, you would like this!

The Arcadia was an elegant cruise ship. Now it is a floating prison to thousands of people. It has not made landfall in 40 years due to an apocalyptic war in Europe .
The Stranded by Sarah Daniels states, ” the ship is their world…to survive they must end it.” Each chapter begins with an ocean report and , “ Daily report, Virus cases: zero. Days at sea: 15,934.”
The ships upper levels are where the refugees are trying to survive daily life. The lower levels are a network of gangs and thieves.
Esther is studying to be a medic. Medics are allowed to live on land , Esther’s dream. Nic however is a rebel who wants to liberate everyone and take the ship to shore.
For me the characters needed more depth. Dialogue exchange sometimes became confusing, not really knowing who was talking to whom.
Highly recommend this young adult story for its intrigue, power struggles, a little romance, a rebellion, armed guards, drones and a sprinkling of science fiction hardware like a digiscreen used to communicate.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. The story was good, it reminded me divergent. It makes you think of what could have happened if people were made stay on ships when covid hit. Kind of a scary thought.

Sooooo… I tried to get into this one. Nope. Couldn’t get into it which is odd since I usually enjoy these types of stories. Some sort of pandemic had happened and now this is what’s been happening since…. I cannot imagine a life like this…

This book felt like a fresh take on OG dystopian. Fans of books like Hunger Games and The Maze Runner will enjoy this new story. It holds the same appeal without feeling like a carbon copy.

For me, the one weakness of this book was character development. I never felt connected to any of the characters, and if their personalities had come with more depth it would have taken this story to the next level.

I read The Stranded by Sarah Damiels courtesy of Net Galley and Penguin Random House, and it was a delightful surprise - original plot, filled with suspense, lots of drama and interesting characters.

The Stranded is a dystopian novel set in the near future. The Arcadia., once a luxurious cruise ship, has become a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. The ship is divided into the haves, the have-nots, and the destitute. It has been forty years since most residents of the Arcadia have been allowed on land.

The Arcadia is a time-bomb waiting to explode.

Daniels does a remarkable job of balancing multiple plots and characters, effectively alternating between the alternating much like a screenwriter, building tension and uneasiness at every turn, with every twist of the plot. until it erupts. It is a terrific and enjoyable read. Sort of. Therein lies my problem with this book. And, I fear it's becoming a trend.

Good stories have a beginning, a middle, and a satisfying end. A 'conclusion', not a 'to be continued'
I don't mind sequels, but I truly dislike being left hanging when the words run out. That is my only hesitancy in recommending this book.

3.5 stars. I was really excited about this book because I thought it might be like Snowpiercer but cruise ships. It’s not. It’s different but somehow I’m indifferent about it. There were a lot of unbelievable or stretched plot points and people miraculously recovering. There was a lot of action but also a lot of descriptive gore. Nik and Esther’s relationship was very strange. I felt like there was supposed to be an attraction, but Nik is supposedly in love with May. I’m not sure the direction of the ‘romance’ of the next book, but in my mind Nik and Ester cannot be together because that is just too weird. Esther finally gets a backbone but it’s a little too late. The story ends with a cliffhanger until second and final book in series. I do think I will read it just because I want to know what happens after all the disaster of the first book. Overall it was an exciting and action packed read. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

I hope there is a part two? This book feels incomplete and I hope that's because it's part of a duology. Amazing concept (much like Train to Busan, give us something tried and true but in a different location) with cut out characters. Esther is much like Meredith Gray, supremely annoying but with much more interesting people surrounding her to make your time worthwhile. I'm glad the author did not spend the entire book on Esther as she is the least interesting person after Alex.