Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the copy of The Stranded. I wish there had been more lead up to the virus and that I had gotten to know the characters better, because it felt like I was thrown into the middle of the story and I had to catch up for most of the book. This made it difficult for me to keep track of the characters until the middle of the book.
If you are looking for action, this book delivers, at least in the last part. It has a perfect ending that left me wanting to know more, so I will be anticipating the second book in the series. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I do not normally this genre, but it was interesting to me, so I took a chance.
I am blown away..

The feeling of isolation and the never ending twists have left me kind of in love with this book.

Characters were well fleshed out. and the pacing was excellent. Some parts were a little hard to read, but overall, this is a great story.

I love a good YA dystopia novel and this was a good one. Set on a former cruise ship, this is the story of people looking for a way off the ship that has housed them for generations, since a bio weapon destroyed Europe. This is a story of alliances and revenge, a tiny but of romance and a lot of action. Overall, a good story but there were a few choppy parts. I look forward to the next book and I enjoyed the lat 25% of the story a lot. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story is Snowpiercer meets the Hunger Games. I’ve been bingeing the Snowpiercer television series, about a climate disaster that kills all of humanity except those on board a luxury train, whose continuous movement and energy keeps the survivors from freezing to death. I saw the description for this book and jumped at the Read Now opportunity on NetGalley.

Like Snowpiercer, the denizens of the Arcadia experience class struggles. The ticket holders living on the residential decks versus those who stole aboard and live below the water line.

Like the Hunger Games, there is a perceived benevolent entity (the Federated States) and those blamed for the current state of affairs (the ships containing refugees from former Europe, whose weaponry created The Virus). The Federated States are synonymous with The Capitol, while the ships are like the thirteen districts. Several ships have even been “cleared” which is similar to the perceived destruction of District 13.

The story is told in 3 POVs, Nik (a Neath), Esther (a ticket holder in line for a career on land as a medic), and Hadley (a Coalie and citizen of the Federated States). The different POVs help build the world by showing the experiences of different classes on the ship. I do wish some of the other characters like Nik’s mom, the Captain, May, Enid, and Sylas were fleshed out more. Because the story jumps right into an active rebellion plot, there are no descriptions of everyday familial life onboard, nor do you get a sense of the overall world politics beyond surface level descriptions.

The story shares similar traits with many other dystopian action novels, but will probably not rank among blockbusters like The Hunger Games, Divergent, or The Selection. I would honestly be more interested in this book’s unwritten prequel detailing the viral warfare among Europe that led to refugees fleeing to the cruise ships for safety, perhaps even through Hadley’s relationship with the mysterious Celeste.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

One page in and I’m getting Snowpiercer (HBO tv series) vibes and loving it!

The Stranded was the best dystopian I have read in YEARS. It was so complex, well thought out, and well written. Like many said it was reminiscent of The Hunger Games and definitely reminded me of Snowpiercer as well. I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this one but it surprised me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This YA dystopian sci-fi was everything I wanted it to be. It brought me back to the days of <i> The Hunger Games and <i> Divergent which practically raised me as a teen.

The Arcadia truly is my worst nightmare where freedom stands on a fine line. I loved the switching POVs and the gut-wrenching suspense that most chapters left me with. This was such an amazing debut and a great way to ease into sci-fi books for those who are hesitant with the genre. I will read anything Sarah Daniels writes in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for offering The Stranded as a Read Now option. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Stranded is an apocalypse YA reminiscent to Hunger Games, Divergent, and other dystopian stories of the early 2000s. Esther is a student learning to become a medic for the Federate States and Nik is part of an ongoing rebellion to free the ship and its people. When Nik gets shot during a chase from the Coalies (police force), Esther is kidnapped by the rebellion and is forced to help save Nik's life. Esther's life changes as she becomes part of something bigger than herself...

I really like the way Sarah Daniels paced out the three POVs: Esther, Nik, and Hadley, who is in charge of getting rid of the rebellion. It was a nice change to read from the villains point of view and the characters are, for the most, part morally grey. I'm glad we didn't get very much romance as it was not needed. Esther does have a boyfriend, Alex and Nik is in love with May, who is Esther's older sister. There are little bits of pining and adoration but it's tiny moments.

The ending is abrupt which leads me to believe there is a sequel planned.

I don't know if I'll continue with the sequel or not but I'm curious of what Sarah Daniels has in store for future books.

3.5 or 4

It has been a long time since I have found a great dystopian book. If you liked the hunger games or divergent, this is a book for you.
Trapped on a boat that’s been dead in the sea since before she was born, Esther trains as a medic in hopes that she will be welcomed into the federated states.

This book may be directed to young adults, but it should be listed as for all adults. I loved this book. I could not put it down.
The story is of a people who had been stranded on a cruise ship forty years before and not allowed to disembark due to a horrible virus. People lived, had children, died, fought, loved all on this ship.
There is a rebellion. I was totally engrossed in the lives of the main characters. There are good guys, bad guys, in between guys, really bad guys and non stop action, adventure, fear, and suspense. Truly, when I am yelling while reading a book, you know I was drawn into it.
My only complaint is that the book ended far too soon. I hope there is more to come.


Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity of this early read.

This was SO EXCITING! I used to absolutely live for a dystopian YA book, and this brought me back to all my favorites. The characters were so well written, the stakes were high from page one, and I could not get enough.

I particularly loved how we got to see the villain’s POV as well as the heroes - so often this type of book involves teenagers fighting against a mysterious man in charge, but here we got the firsthand details of who this guy is, what he wants, and why. The changes between each POV were paced so well, keeping both the suspense & my stress level high.

I can’t believe this is Sarah Daniels’ first venture into writing YA because it was just that good. I’m already eagerly anticipating the sequel! 4.5 stars!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Daniels, and Sourcebooks Fire for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow!! I absolutely LOVED this book! These were the kinds of books I would seek out from the library as I went through grade school. I lived for the scary, suspenseful, adventures. This book took me right back to those days.

The characters were 100% relatable. The creativity that was used was AMAZING. I could not put it down.

I would 10/10 recommend this book to anyone who loves adventure, suspense, and a dystopian world. Can’t wait to read it again!

This review will be posted to my Goodreads and Amazon accounts immediately and to my instagram account @ginganinja333 upon publication on 1/3/2023.

What a fantastic YA dystopian debut! A cruise ship is such a creative setting. The characters were relatable, the storyline was so plausible it was a little scary, and the action/adventure was great!