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!

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire, Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All views and opinions expressed in this review are purely my own and not affiliated with any brand.

This was an awesome book!! Sarah Daniels created such a compelling dystopian world that draws you in right away. The action in the book had me on the edge of my seat! I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. The characters in the story are relatable and intriguing. I truly hope there will be a sequel.

I was actually quite looking forward to reading The Stranded based on the blurb—it’s been a while since I’ve done a YA dystopian novel, but those can always be a fun journey. However, I never found anything compelling in this novel. I found the world-building to be lackluster and unimaginative to the point that I was either confused about logistics or just thought it was lazy in handling details. And none of the characters really jumped off the page for me, which feels essential in this genre. A disappointment for something I had high hopes for.

A page turning, action packed, edgy debut dystopian novel by Sarah Daniels. This is one of those books that placed in the right hands can turn a non reading student into a reader.

It did take me a couple chapters to get into, as I navigated understanding a new world with “coalies,” “comgloves” and “neaths” on a massive ship that has been stuck off the coast of the “Federated States” for decades due to a virus that nearly wiped out all of Europe.

I really enjoyed how each chapter was told from alternating first person perspectives of the characters. The writing is layered and the connections between the characters slowly unravel as we learn more and more about them and their lives onboard the Arcadia.

I don’t normally read dystopian but I may have to reconsider after this one and I sure hope there’s a sequel.

Recommended for Grade 7 and up. Mild language, violence and themes.

Preorder now or find it in stores January 2023!

I grabbed this book as I was intrigued by the premise. 'Snowpeircer' on a ship is what I thought of and more or else held true, but with the standard YA tropes thrown in. The first half of the book did seem to drag a bit but that was mostly due to setup. Once the book gets going though, it's nonstop. Definitely a series incoming and I can't wait for the next one! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

3.5 stars

The premise of this grabbed my attention right away. I'm a fan of dystopian novels with viruses that wipe out the population. It feels so realistic, especially after the last couple of years. This has a lot of action and with three points of view, things are constantly in motion. There are the Coalies, aka the soldiers on board that keep the population in line, then the rebels who resist all the rules and are fighting for freedom. Tensions are high and I was kept on my toes as I rooted for Esther and Nik to make it off the ship.

I did think the rebel's plan was a bit simple and after all those years on the ship, you'd think they could come up with something more. For all that Hadley, the main villain, knows about the rebels, I also thought he would have suspected some people as being spies or guessed at their plan. The ending was chaotic and a bit hard to follow in a couple of places. With almost nothing wrapped up, I wonder if there are plans for a sequel?

This was a fun read and I flew through it with all the action and fast pacing. I think this would be a fun tv show and I hope to see more of the characters in a future book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the copy

As a fan of dystopian lit, I like the idea of this whole generation of people forced to live on a decommissioned cruise liner. I personally found going on a cruise a claustrophobic experience and I would not like to be stuck on one forever. I enjoyed the descriptions of imagined life stuck on the ship, but the actual story line stuck me a "sea" version of the show the 100 who grew up in space. The book overall was a enjoyable beach type light read and I would read a sequel to find out what happens when the boat folk reach land.

It’s 2094 and the Arcadia, a former cruise ship, has been stranded at sea for over 40 years after a virus sprung up and no country would let them back in. They are treated like filthy vermin by all of the “land dwellers” and have not touched land in generations. A team of guards from the fictional Federated States keeps the ship passengers living in fear. A large group of rebels starts plotting a way to break free. Two sisters, May and Esther, both get involved in different ways. Will they ever be able to be free?
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💭Thoughts💭
I really wanted to like this book a bit more than I did. It was definitely interesting and the world was very well fleshed out. However, it just fell short a little bit and some of the aspects of the future technology and the groups of different people weren’t fully explained, which led to some confusion.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
The end fight scene was really well done! My heart was pounding and I was really rooting for the rebels!
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Esther’s troubling boyfriend had a huge supply of meal ready kits. Try one out and see how you’d do if you had to rely on one of these to survive!

This was a dystopia that I was genuinely invested in. I loved how the main characters questioned the rules of their society and fought for what they valued. I was also very happy that there wasn't a huge spot light on love or romance. The characters were able to be developed without that extra element, which is rare for YA. My one and only issue was that I personally struggle with so many names. I found myself a few times reading and having to stop like wait, who was that?! That's also a true tell to being invested in the plot!

Unfortunately I loved the idea of this book more than the book itself. In my opinion, it takes too long to get all of the information to really know what is happening and why. I think some kind of prologue to explain the history of the virus and why they are stranded on the ship would’ve been extremely helpful.

I did enjoy how action packed the book was. Though some of the events seemed to be too easy. I also thought it was a bit anticlimactic and had a rather abrupt ending.

All in all, this story was just “eh” for me. I had great expectations since I loved the idea of it but the plot just fell flat.

I'm old enough to remember when dystopian fiction hit the YA market with a bang in the 2010s: Hunger Games, Delirium, Divergent, etc.. I gobbled them up from the library like they were food keeping me alive. Over time the genre settled down and died out a little and, at least as far as what's been on my radar, it's been awhile since we've had a really good one. If you love that classic dystopian YA you are going to love The Stranded by Sarah Daniels as well.

The Stranded is about a huge cruise ship called the Arcadia which is left in the ocean off the coast of the "Federated States" which separated from the United States when a virus broke out in Europe sending thousands of refugees to North America. The Federal States seceded because it didn't want to let the immigrants in. This is not so hard to imagine! It's also not hard to see where the inspiration for this novel comes from as several cruise ships were left stranded in the ocean when Covid-19 broke out. The difference here is that the people on the Arcadia have been there for generations and have had zero virus cases... ever. One could probably write a thesis about the Federated States and their attitude towards immigration, but I'll spare you that for now.

The reader is thrown in to the fast paced plot immediately, following siblings Esther and May,and her boyfriend Nik, as they run around the ship doing their respective activities. The book is also written from the point of view of Hadley who is an evil, evil man in charge of the whole ship. I love that the books as written from the POVs of the protagonists and antagonists, it created a really nice balance between good and evil. Hadley has a backstory as well and wasn't just written as evil just for the sake of it. Too bad that didn't earn him any sympathy points from me!

The beginning pace of the book was rather quick, but I noticed about halfway through the novel I was turning pages faster; I think I read the second half of the book twice as fast as the first half. The whole world of the Arcadia is fleshed out and it's easy to see which characters come from where and what their motivations are. The characters themselves are well developed and have their own unique points of view and in addition Esther goes through a fair bit of personal growth. The plot and setting are perfectly dystopian. We need more of this in our lives again.

I think the book would have been even better with some maps at the beginning. I would have loved to see a map of the Federated States vs. United Sates, and a map of the Arcadia itself could have been useful. I found the ending to be a bit of a stretch, but it plays on that scrappy YA protagonist quality that is classic to the dystopian greats of the 2010s. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. Bonus points for no YA love triangle.

It has been a long time since I read a YA dystopia and the premise of The Stranded had me intrigued. Set on a cruise ship that has been abandoned off the coast of what is currently the NE-United States, refugees fleeing from Europe have been stuck on the cruise ship for several generations. A virus was set loose in Europe during a war and the Federated States are afraid that these refugees will bring the virus to their shores.

The setting of the book was really interesting and set this book apart for me. It was an interesting concept and done well. I liked that the book never had a positive POV from an 'onshore' character, focusing on those born on the ship and their struggle to free themselves. It was nice to avoid the saviour narratives that often arise in these type of stories.

I am very interested in seeing how Sarah Daniels wraps this duology up.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own. :)

This near future dystopia, with its mentions of disease and corrupt government, was very fast paced and enjoyable. I enjoyed the story lines of all of the characters that we followed and watching them grow - especially Esther, she has a wicked character arc that was really interesting. You really get to watch Esther grow into herself a little bit and understand her mistakes while also figuring out what her values are!

On another note, I will say that maybe the writing style isn’t for me. Three of the four POVs that we have are written in first person, and Hadley’s is written in third. I’m not sure if this is an error or if it was meant to be like that, but it kind of threw my off a little bit. That, and Nik’s short sentences, for example “Told you no.” and “Won’t deny this…” I know were meant
to show how tough and serious he was, but towards the end it felt like it was happening too often.

I realize that this is a debut AND a duology, so I’m excited to see how Sarah Daniels grows in her writing and where this story will take us in the following novel! It really was an enjoyable experience despite the criticisms i’ve mentioned, and I’ll be sure to follow the next one that comes out! :)

Great world building in this debut novel about a young teen who has grown up stranded on a cruise ship. Unwittingly she becomes part of the rebellion to save the people on the ship before it is too late.

I was given this book as an ARC from the publisher for my honest review.

This story has 3 main characters. You see this dystopian world from each of their points of view. They are stuck on a cruise ship generations after a deadly virus is released by another country as biological warfare.

I do not particularly like multiple POVs. I can see why they would show it in this book to try to show the different socio economic levels on the ship. Still I think 2 would have been enough.

I felt the pace was inconsistent. It would have action and be quick and then it was slow with too much info dumping. I liked the idea of a group stranded on a ship for generations, but my attention to the plot came and went as I read.