I liked the premise of The Stranded and it was executed well though I thought it started off slow and took a hit to get to the action. I’m interested in the characters and would read the second to see where it goes.

Definitely check out this intriguing YA dystopia novel! It gave me Hunger Games and Divergent vibes. I really enjoyed how this novel was told from multiple viewpoints of the ships passengers! It was a really enjoyable, fast, and suspenseful read! I can’t wait for book 2! Definitely check it out!

Thank you NetGalley and Sarah Daniels for an eARC in exchange for my honest review

3.75 stars

CWs: death, rebellion, violence, blood and injury detail

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC vie NetGalley.

I’m feeling a bit conflicted about this one. It took me about 50% to really get invested in the story and the characters. I found the beginning was quite slow and drawn out. I appreciated the details that were provided to set the scene and the character relationships, but I wish that it hadn’t taken so long to really get into the action. I struggled to stay focused on the story and wanting to read it, but once I got to part 2 and pst the 50% mark, I flew through the rest of the book. In a couple of hours I finished it, while it took me 2 weeks to find the desire to read the first half. This is definitely a combination of me not being in the right mood, and the story just not quite hooking me fully from the beginning.
I liked Esther alright in the beginning, but once things started to get intense and go badly, I really liked her character. She stood up for things, she was strong and brave, and I was rooting for her. I liked her relationship with her sister, and I wish that we’d seen more of it.
I liked Nik from the beginning. Something about his character was perfect for this kind of story. He was well written and I admired his conviction and loyalty. I liked learning about the rebellion, but I wish there had been more details. Much of it was vaguely discussed even though Nik is a major part of the rebellion. This left me feeling conflicted about the rebellion and I wasn’t fully invested in it or the characters for more than half the story.
The story is told through 3 POVs that of Esther, Nik and commander Hadley. Esther’s and Nik’s POVs are both first-person, but Hadley’s was third. I didn’t mind this, and I actually liked Hadley’s POV a lot. As the villain he was pretty basic, but it was easy to hate him.

Thousands of people are stranded on the Arcadia, a cruise ship anchored off the US coast. What started as a safe haven away from a deadly virus and apocalyptic war is now a way of life for original ticket holders and refugees. But all is not well on board. After 40 years, some folks want off. And a fight is brewing between the upper deck, lower deck, gangs, and offshore influences.
Medic-on-training Esther and her boyfriend Alex, plus her military-bound sister May and handler Nik, will collide and face extreme decisions as they fight for survival. Who will "win?"
This book is indeed action-packed, especially the last quarter. It got my heart racing!
I like the first-person perspective and present tense. I felt like part of the story rather than a spectator.
But I felt a little letdown. I wanted a better picture of daily life on board. For example, we learn about food stores and the sewage dump, but no characters ever eat or use the bathroom.
And there's plenty of racism and prejudice amongst the characters. Thankfully, the author's political views are limited - present a bit but not preachy.
I will definitely be on the watch for part two of this duology!

This young adult dystopian novel had descendants of passengers (and a few others) who happened to be on the cruise ship Arcadia at the time of an apocalyptical war where a deadly virus was rampant. While the ship used to be a luxury liner, the years have turned it into a sad place to live and it is overcrowded and decrepit. The year is 2094. The ship has not been allowed to dock for fear of reviving the virus so they are at sea near the Federated States.
Each chapter is told from one of three points of view. The book starts off with Esther who is training to be a medic, her goal is to pass her exams at the top of her class and get a job on land which is a rare thing for those on the ship. Next we get Nik's chapter and he is planning a rebellion to get everyone off the ship. His girlfriend is Esther's sister, May. Eventually we get our third narrator's view. Hadley is the commander of the ship, he is ruthless and does everything he can to maintain order and control on the vessel..
The action was great in places in the book and had me on the edge of my seat while Esther saw to a crisis early on and the end of the book, but the rest of the book was more ho hum. The book centers around the rebellion and staying out of trouble from the coalies (soldier types) and the drones and does not go into life aboard ship (which would have been interesting) or even life on land.
I wish the characters had been more developed and more backstory or current life on the ship had been included. The premise is a good one, but it fell a little short of my expectations.

I want to thank Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Stranded follows a group of people stranded on a cruise ship that has withstood an apocalypse as they discover the truth behind their lives. This book is exciting and has an interesting premise, however, I have a hard time engaging with the characters because of the broken-up nature of the narrative. I find a multi-POV with young narrators creates space between me and the characters. Aside from this aspect however, the book is well written. If you like multi-POV, pick this up.

Holy cow was this book a lot of fun! It's pitched as Snowpiercer meets The Hunger Games and that is the perfect blurb! This book was fast paced and (dare I say) fun. The ending felt a bit rushed and chaotic, but overall this was great. Can't wait to read more from Sarah!

I couldn’t finish it, the idea was good. It didn’t pull me in. I like the idea of being stranded on a ship. I feel like it could have been more. It left me wanting more.

At the beginning of this book, I had envisioned a book similar to Hunger Games, Maze Runner and Divergent. What made this one different was , all the action takes places on a boat. A boat that had started out as a cruise ship and turned into a permanent home for its passengers. I found the idea intriguing but it just doesn't pack the same punch as any of the other books.

I liked this book. It wasn't so much the type of book I usually read but it kept me hooked till the end just the same. I liked the development of the characters and the side characters as well. It was easy to fall in love with the main characters and root for them as the book progressed. There were twists and turns I wasn't expecting which also made it that much more fun to get to the end. From the ending it looks like this book will be part of a series or at least a duology. I would really like to know what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This YA novel starts off with the captains daily message including days at sea. More than 43 years at sea and being stuck on this cruise ship is where the story starts. Generations living and not being allowed to leave the "Arcadia" naturally leads to a rebellion again the Federated States to move towards freedom and no longer being stuck on the ship. Setting the stage Daniels tells this dystopian story that immediately triggers stories of people stuck on cruise ships during the pandemic. The reality of the world we live in today and the possibility that this could happen with the fear that occurs around a virus like COVID-19. A battle between preserving ourselves and humanity.

A slow start but once the rebellion is in full swing I couldn't put it down.

Interesting premise but disappointing follow through. You get thrown into the action right away but there’s not much explanation of what’s going on so I felt lost and confused for most of the book. The characters aren’t well developed either so I couldn’t relate to any of them. I get that the story needs to slowly unfold but there’s no backstory given for how they ended up here, why they can’t leave and what they stand for. DNF at 30%.

I know YA dystopian novels are a bit passé these days, but I'm still a fan, so THE STRANDED sounded tantalizing to me. The setting—a luxury cruise liner that unwittingly became a refugee ship 40 years ago when a deadly virus decimated Europe—is an intriguing one that I haven't encountered before. Although Daniels doesn't spend enough time explaining ship culture and how it has evolved over time, I think what she does describe makes for an interesting start. The novel is narrated by three different people, two teens and one adult (their nemesis, the cruel overlord who's in charge of the ship's security forces). All of them, unfortunately, are pretty much one-dimensional clichés in need of fleshing out. I cared about what was going to happen to Esther and May without feeling all that connected to either of them. As far as action goes, there was enough of it to keep me turning pages. Daniels tells the story in short sentences and quick chapters, which makes it feel like it's moving along at a fair clip. Still, it gets overly long in places (it IS long, at just under 500 pages). The plot is fairly generic, so the book doesn't feel as fresh as I hoped it would. All that being said, I enjoyed THE STRANDED for the most part. It kept me engrossed and entertained. While I didn't feel as invested in the characters and story as I wanted to, I'm up for another book. This one ends on a cliffhanger; I admit I'm interested to see what happens next.

If I could, I would give this book 3 1/2 stars. Since I can't, I rounded up.

I was fortunate to receive a prepublication arc of this novel. I was intrigued by the storyline, and it lived up to expectations, a worthy addition to the dystopian genre with a different approach. The characters were interesting and believable; the author unafraid to be fearless with their journey. I enjoyed the pace and mix of technology and privations of segregated living. We are left waiting (impatiently!) for the thrilling conclusion to come. Highly recommend!

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels

⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for providing a digital copy of The Stranded in exchange of a honest review.

It's been a while since I picked up a Dystopian Post Apocalyptic YA novel... well since The Hunger Games and Divergent! It was so full of adventure, great caracters and what about the concept.. A global pandemic world with hundreds of people stuck on cruise ships?? Highly recommend if you like the genre.

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A multiple POV dystopian YA, I loved The Stranded.

I found it fascinating that the author chose a cruise ship to use as an insulated base post apocalypse. It's a unique take that I very much enjoyed.

I spent most of my time reading this wondering what it would be like to never feel my feet on actual ground and the mental and emotional ramifications this has created for the inhabitants of the Arcadia.

This would make an amazing movie !

I really love the premise of this book - it's so cool and unique. It played out like a TV show in my mind. Overall, I enjoyed it but found it to be a little too long. But I'd definitely read more books by this author.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e arc of The Stranded by Sarah Daniels.
This is a near-future thriller dystopian novel. 4*.
Synopsis: " Welcome to the Arcadia. Once a luxurious cruise ship, it became a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. Now it floats near the coastline of the Federated States - a leftover piece of a fractured USA. For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. It is a world of extreme haves and have nots, gangs and make-shift shelters. Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out to have the rare chance to live a normal life as a medic on dry land. Ben is a rebel, planning something big to liberate the Arcadia once and for all. When events throw them both together, their lives, and the lives of everyone on the ship, will change forever . . .."
Things I liked:
1. The beginning started of at a fast pace
2. The MC
3. The setting
4. The writing
Things I disliked:
1. My interest fizzled off about 1/4 in, could be my mood, idk.
2. Didn't move to the next hook quick enough to hold me.
I was glad to read this one. I do plan to finish, but when I am in the mood.

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels
4 stars

[Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy to read and review.]

It’s 2094 and the Arcadia, once a luxury cruise ship, now floats on the coastline of the Federated States with passengers who are in “Quarantine” from a deadly virus. It’s been forty years since passengers have been allowed to make landfall and some passengers are tired of being controlled by the Federated States. Esther is a loyal citizen trying to pass to become a medic so she can leave the ship but when something happens, she’s pulled into a world she didn’t know existed.

When I started this (I read this book in 3 days), it started off a bit slow. I didn’t know where it was trying to go. But as you moved further into the story you realized a few things that really grip your interest until the very end. The writing style was easy to read, the characters were easy to love and hate, depending on the character, and the storyline itself was very unique. There are plenty of stories out there that have to do with a virus and quarantining but not on a cruise ship, so that in and of itself is unique and made me enjoy the story even more.

I’m going to try and keep this review as spoiler-free as I can, so I don’t want to say too much. But as we move through the story you really get to see Esther change from a loyal citizen to someone who doesn’t want to put up with the Federated States any longer. She really has great character growth throughout the story.

Nik is another character in the story who we read from their perspective. The story moves through a few different perspectives which I found easy to follow and really enjoyed. But something happens toward the end of the book and I can see how it hurts Nik but he blames Esther completely and yells at her and I didn’t like that too much. There’s too much blame on Esther throughout this book and I thought that was unfair. But that makes for great writing, right?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it! Thank you again to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for giving me this arc to read and review honestly. It was one I definitely enjoyed and I can’t wait for the sequel to come out!

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.