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.

I received this as an ARC novel from NetGalley and I really enjoyed reading this. The author took the idea of a viral epidemic and gave it a fresh and interesting setting. What really drew me was that this takes place on a ship and I enjoyed seeing how this played out.

This one was so good. It had high stakes, action, pacing was immaculate, very strong characters and even though its YA it's still very tense. I love how Sarah Daniels challenges our current society throughout this novel and it was a brilliant time

Very interesting premise. I came into the book thinking it would be similar to the Titanic, but I liked the added element of science fiction. It’s more of a dystopian novel in that sense, and I particularly enjoyed how the author crafted Esther and Nik’s individual backgrounds as a student and a rebel.

I was excited about the premise of this book, but it was a bit disappointing. The characters were mostly annoying, especially the Federated States employees on the ship. It's definitely an interesting idea: people stranded on cruise ships after a virus. Coming out of the COVID pandemic, I could almost see this happening.

To be honest, when I read the blurb for The Stranded, I thought it would be a fun fast read, something to enjoy and quick to pass the time but I didn’t think the story would stay with me or have any kind of lasting impact. Oh, how wrong I was!

Every page of The Stranded felt like I was reading a brilliant end of days, tension filled story that can stand next to the likes of The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Fifth Wave and The Host and never feel inferior or like an impostor. This story is bound to become the next classic in YA dystopian reads.

The brilliant way the story unfolds, the way the characters develop and that lovely tension that makes the reader gasp at moments of uncertainty and shock, really mastered the emotions and the horror of such a read.
The Stranded is a ride and a half and one that I will enjoy reading repetitively as well as sharing with all the readers in my life. It is promoted at a YA read but it really ticks the boxes for any age reader looking for a new and bold dystopian read.

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire and I am leaving an honest review. I cannot wait for a hard copy of this on my shelf!!

This is a YA dystopian story about a cruise ship that has been at sea for 40 years. It is at anchor off the coast of the US and full of people who fled Europe when a deadly virus struck. A brutal government- American Federation is in charge and will not allow people to leave the ship and imposes very harsh punishment or death if rules are not followed. Hadley is the leader of this government. And he is a very twisted and evil person.

There arises a rebel group to oppose the Federation. Two sixteen year olds are the main characters. Esther is studying to become a doctor and is reluctantly dragged into the rebellion. Nik is the son of a women who is one of the leaders of the rebels. Nik’s girlfriend May is Esther’s sister. And May is also secretly part of the rebellion.

Daniels is a debut author and for a first book, this was a good read. Lots of action and nice plot twists.

I enjoyed the two good MCs and the bad guy was a true villain. It was nice to see Esther grow and develop into a more mature and stronger person and take in more responsibility. Nik was a loyal friend and all around good guy.

Arc received for a voluntary and honest review.

Gods, I loved this book. It gave me so many flashbacks to early 2010's dystopian YA and I just cannot wait for the sequel that needs to happen. I need so much more of this world and these characters!

The premise of this book played on all of the things that I am absolutely terrified of, so of course I had to read it!! The constant background thrum of a pandemic, plus the setting of the cruise ship gave this book a wonderful, atmospheric setting. I could feel the complete claustrophobia of the ship, and that helped to ratchet up the intensity of the story.
This is an AWESOME dystopian-esque YA thriller. This is not usually my genre anymore (loved them as a YA, but have since moved to other genres), but I absolutely loved this book. I'm so excited to recommend it to my YA-reader friends when it's published.
My favorite thing about this book is the multiple POVs, especially since one of the POVs is from a (very very) bad guy. I think that's a really fun twist on the trope.
The only thing I'll say is that if you're looking to be completely satisfied with the ending, I would say that this might not be your book, or that we should wait to figure out if we're getting a book 2, because to me, the ending felt rushed and unsatisfactory.
Overall, this is a GREAT genre novel that is quick and enjoyable to read.

I loved all things about this book! I loved the connections between the characters, but also the turmoil. The book was paced well, and the characters were fully developed. The Stranded satisfied my want to read an enjoyable dystopian novel. What do you do when you get on a cruise ship...and then never get off and are left to raise your family there? Arcadia sounds like a living nightmare, but there are some strong-willed residents who are trying to make a difference. I couldn't help but root for a rebellion! Sarah Daniels did great right out of the gate!

This book has everything you want in a ya-distorts. The character development was great, I loved the various POVs you get to read from, I loved the imagery and the fight scenes.

The only reason I didn’t give it five starts is because I wanted more backstory to why they are in the position they are in, the virus is vague the reason they are on ships is vague.

Overall a great read.

Wow! I blew through this one in a couple of hours. Such a unique premise! I loved the setting of a cruise ship that everybody had been trapped on for 40 years! I loved learning about the government and this dystopian world. I thought this did a fantastic job of weaving in the real life issues that we are going through right now.

I loved that this was told from multiple perspectives and you could really understand the motivation of each of the different characters and tie it all together.

The ending of the book was such a page turner and kept me on the edge of my seat. So good!

Dystopian thriller set on a cruise ship? Yes, please! I devoured this one, and I truly think this might be one of the big YA up-and-coming books. It had it all-political intrigue, rebellion, romance, action-and I flew through it. The premise-when a catastrophic virus is spread throughout Europe following a continent-wide apocalyptic war, passengers on a luxurious cruise ship found themselves stuck, floating near the now-defunct USA. Decades later, they are treated as outcasts and are refused the right to make landfall by the government. The ship itself is also a world of gangs, upper crust, and have nots. Told through varying perspectives, our heroes AND villains, fight for their freedom and for control.
This was a great one and I cannot wait to add it to the library when it’s released in January 2023!

This was an exciting and action-packed book that had a new development in almost every chapter. Because of this, I kept wanting to read more. I also liked the alternating perspectives since that created some cliffhangers at the end of some chapters. However, one drawback of this technique was that I sometimes had to flip back to the start of the chapter to see who the narrator was because the voices of Nik and Esther were so similar. Most of all, I really loved how complex the characters were. Nobody was completely good or completely evil, and everyone had realistic motivations and conflicts. I also liked that this book avoided some of the more tired YA tropes, like a love triangle with the heroine in the middle. I’m excited to read the next installment in this duology!