Right from the beginning of this story I was absolutely absorbed. The first page you open is the Captain's announcement about the weather and how many days at see and virus cases which peaked my interest immediately.

As we move through this story we are following three points of view with three very distinct beliefs and motives in this story. I really enjoy all of their perspectives although one is a more dark, gruesome and sinister point of view.

This is a very unique and original story which I adored and had a great time reading. This book gives me The Hunger Games vibes which brought me a lot of nostalgia which was really fun. A lot of the characters are very reminiscent of characters in The Hunger Games which was fun to compare.

This story is quite dark which I always enjoy and explores things such as how much people will do and sacrifice for their freedom. I always love watching/ reading about different characters and how they each act based on their own thoughts and beliefs.

I had so much fun with this book

The Exiled is the brilliant conclusion to The Stranded duology, and its just as unputdownable as The Stranded. Those who survived the Arcadia’s crash are either across the border, or confined to a camp, where conditions are worse. There’s a lack of food, medical supplies and an outbreak Cholera. Nik’s in exile and Esther and Corp have been pushed aside from the Rebellion and that’s just the start. I tore through this, desperate to find out what happens and I was not left disappointed. I stayed up half the night to finish it and was on the edge of my seat, feeling all stressy. Pretty sure I was stress eating chocolate, too. Something I don’t often do.

The Exiled is, like The Stranded, told from multiple POVs, some of them I new. I love multiple POVs, they add extra context and I love reading different perspectives from different sides of the same event, the never being sure who to trust. Seriously, could not get enough! The tension between Nik and Esther is brilliantly written, I really feel for a certain someone though. A familiar face from the first book is properly introduced, this was one of my favourite parts as I hadn’t stopped thinking about them, they were in the first for seconds, yet took residence in my head and I couldn’t shake them off. I loved reading their POV, even though it broke my heart and made me despise Alex even more than I did already.

The Exiled is a high stakes, fast paced and gripping conclusion to the duology. I wouldn’t say no to another book after the ending, I won’t say why because spoilers. I cannot recommend these books enough, definitely grab copies to read asap!

Character wise Nik felt a little better developed than Esther who at times felt a bit two dimensional and slower to develop but not so much that I didn’t want to read her chapters.

The Arcadia itself is prevented from making landfall as there are fears that passengers may be carrying a dormant virus that wiped out large numbers forty years ago – so those who fled to presumed safety on the Arcadia are now trapped there.

Over the forty years the Arcadia has been at sea the society on board has developed it’s own hierarchy – those with money and resource live on the top decks and those with less live progressively lower down, it was a very physical representation society that hammered hoe the differences of the haves and have nots.

This was an interesting idea for a dystopian story and gave the author a good reason to have the story confined to a relatively small space.

It did feel like it lost a little bit of momentum in the middle – the start was strong and I thought the introduction to the characters and where they stood in society was good but then something happened and I’m not sure what but it felt a little slow before it all picked back up again later in the book.

I think it would have been interesting to have a bit more about the virus, it felt a little underused but maybe that is to come in the second book.

Huge thank you to The Write Reads and Penguin for having me on the blog tour for The Stranded by Sarah Daniels.

I have picked this book up in bookshops a few times, I love a YA novel set in a different location, and The Stranded definitely ticks that box. Set in a post-apocalyptic America where passenger ships which transported survivors weren’t allowed to dock, leaving generations of survivors living on these ships. The action is mostly based on one of these ships, The Arcadia, which is ruled by the Federation, the powerful force that runs the US, is where these people live, with little to no chance of ever touching dry land.

This is a really interesting and unique plot and setting for a YA novel, and i was interested to see how the author would handle it. There are obvious parallels to migrants and the treatment they currently receive, both in the media and by Governments which I thought were well described by Daniels, although they could’ve been more explicit for me, to really hammer home the message. However, the hints are there, and Daniels does a good job of allowing the reader to see the different viewpoints, and the power the media/the messages spread can affect the opinions of regular people.

The element of this novel which I wasn’t so enamoured with was the characters. They all felt a little predictable and flat for me. We follow 4 teens who are two males and two females, and honestly they all felt fairly similar to each other. I would’ve loved a little more distinction between characters and their voices. Also they were in two heterosexual couples which just felt a bit meh to me, but I’m sure that’s just my personal taste!

The plot of this novel is non-stop. From the first page we are thrown into a world of gangs, deception and secrecy. I did find it was almost breathless at times, the quick switches from POVs and scenes made it all so fast, but I enjoyed the experience and the novel read quickly as a result.

I love a dystopian novel and this is a good addition to the YA genre. Hopefully in book 2 we get to discover more of the world the novel is set in, and our characters get developed further! Overall I enjoyed this YA novel, it reads super quickly and there is lots of intriguing elements that I can't wait to explore further!

Thank you so much to The Write Reads and Penguin for having me on the blog tour for The Stranded, and for sending me copies of the books to read!

This book is so complex but also a wild ride. I didn’t think it would be possible to have such a layered society within the confines of a cruise ship, but Sarah Daniels create an incredibly detailed world with class divisions, gangs and hierarchies all based on ship levels, ticket holders (or not) and some misplaced ideas about loyalty or disloyalty. It was such an interesting world to read about and completely unlike any dystopian society I’ve encountered before.

This book really starts off with a bang (although not quite literally). In the very first chapter we see Esther (one of our protagonists) getting caught up in a leaflet drop (which is illegal), and these leaflets tell of how another cruise ship has been destroyed further up the coast. The first glimpse we get of Esther is her panic at her being found by the Coalies (the police force) in this scene of rebellion and the fear that she might lose her place as a medical cadet, her only chance to one day get ashore and off the ship The Arcadia. Esther, at first, is quite an insipid character. She’s a rule-follower, a stickler for protocol and the kind of character that you know would just snitch on anybody. You see this when she actually abandons a poor girl to the Coalies to save her own skin at the leaflet drop. I really didn’t like her character at first, but as the story progressed, she became one of my favourite characters in the book. She is driven and sometimes impulsive, and the way her storyline develops is really intriguing.

Our other protagonist, Nik, is seemingly at first your typical bad boy, but later on proves to not necessarily be that. I wasn’t sure about Nik at the beginning, he comes across quite immature and selfish which kind of put me off him at first. He’s an upper decker, with the privilege of that. But his father had ties to the Neaths (a below deck gang) and he’s involved in the rebellion. His connections make him complicated, but his character wasn’t that complex to me, at least not until the story started to pick up. He really is defined by his relationships to other characters and it isn’t until he has to break away from them and choose his own path that he really becomes his own person.

The thread that ties these two characters together is Esther’s sister May. I won’t say much about May as it would give away too much of the story, but she joins Nik and Esther together in a way that they cannot break.

The real shining thing about this novel is the story itself. This is very much a mixture between a character and a plot driven novel. The first half is about the characters, about their place in society and how they react to different situations. But, under the surface of the first half bubbles the plot that bursts into the forefront in the second half of the book. This is a twisty tale of gangs, rebellion and spies all mixed up together. Hadley (the third POV character in this book) is an interesting enigma that brings the characters, plot and explosive moments in this book together until they collide in spectacular fashion. It’s a really fast-paced read.

Wow, what an amazing and gripping dystopian story! Sixteen-year-old Esther Crossland has worked hard training to be a medic to get the chance to leave the Arcadia and have a life on land in the Federated States. But when rebels decide to illegally distribute leaflets telling of a disaster, Esther soon finds herself getting into trouble and unsure where to turn and who to trust.

I love a good dystopian story and wow is this one so different and interesting. The story is set in 2094 and takes place on the once luxury cuise ship Arcadia. I don’t want to spoil the story by giving too much away as you slowly learn everything as you read, but after a huge disaster in Europe led to many people boarding cruise ships to get away from a deadly virus there, sailing away across the atlantic ocean, the Arcadia is now one of several ships stationed on the edge of the Federated States. Unfortunately after years of housing more people than it was ever meant to, the Arcadia’s engine, as with the other ships, no longer works and the ship is stranded permanantely off the coast of the Federated States.

Esther and her older sister May have worked hard to get the chance of a new life on land, Esther as a training medic and May as a cadet in the military, and Esther’s looking forward to graduating from her training, but things don’t go according to plan, especially after rebels drop illegal leaflets and Esther finds herself soon entangled in their plot. The book switches viewpoint between the chapters, following Esther, Nik and Hadley, with Esther and Nik’s chapters told in the first person perspective and Hadley’s in the third. Esther and Nik are such different characters and both their stories are interesting from the start. I liked Esther, trying her best to be a medic and get good grades to graduate and get a chance to live on land, something the Federated States allows for a select few living aboard the ships. Nik on the other hand is a complete rebel, not wanting to follow orders and it’s interesting how his and Esther’s paths soon cross in an unexpected way.

A lot happens in this story and it is a dark one. The fact that people are trapped, never able to go on land, living on a cruise ship for decades, meaning new generations of them like Esther and Nik are born aboard is dark in itself, but it really has a dystopian vibe when you find out more about what is really happening, how the Federated States came to be and how they treat people both on and off land. It’s also a dark story when you learn more about the control that Hadley has on the Arcadia as the head of security on the ship. Hadley’s character is an interesting one to follow as he’s unlikeable, yet there is a depth to him and we get to see what he’s doing and some of the reasoning behind his initial behaviour.

While Esther tries to follow the rules, Nik is a complete rebel and their stories soon collide with so much happening and so much action and tension throughout that it was hard to put this book down. I love the descriptions of the action and the setting on the ship. Everything was described so vividly that I felt like I was watching a movie in my head while reading this. There are shocking moments and twists and I like how we find out more about Nik, the rebels, gangs and what’s happening below deck in neath territory too.

The story builds up to a brilliant and exciting ending. There’s so much happening but it all plays out so well and leads to such a dramatic finish. I like Esther’s character, her story, how she grows in this book especially after a certain event happens, and I don’t want to give it away, but the ending to this book does set up the story ready for book two which I’m so keen to begin reading, although if I’m honest it was a bit of a mixed feeling ending as I had hoped for a slightly happier ending than the one in the story which was a mixture of emotions and left the story on a sort of slight cliff-hanger rather than a completely satisfying ending. There are some heart-breaking as well as some very dark moments in the book too, mentions of deaths, violence and blood and there is one use of the s swear word. Inside the book’s front and back pages there is a map of the ship which I thought was a brilllint touch to the story helping you to visualize the setting better.

Overall this is a really brilliant dystopian story and a great first part of this duology. The dystopian nature of the tale is amazingly dark and so good. There’s some interesting future technology that’s not too advanced from our own but while some of it is clever, a lot of it is scary, especially those bots which appear later in the story! There are some very dark and twisty moments regarding some of the characters in this tale and I love how detailed this story is, and honestly how creative and dark it is too. Perhaps it feels all the darker as there are already stories in the news of immigrants potentially sent to ships so it makes thie story in this book, not only a brilliant and gripping read but a darker warning about the future.

Although the ending isn’t as complete or happy as I would have hoped for, I do think it’s a good and satisfying ending for the conclusion of this part of the story and I can’t wait to continue this adventure and see what happens to everyone in book two The Exiled! 🙂

It’s been a while since I’ve read Dystopian, which is surprising to me as it used to be one of my favourite genres. There aren’t really any that have caught my eye recently. So when I saw The Write Reads doing this tour, I signed up straight away because it was the perfect excuse to get back into the genre.

I loved this book from start to finish and I found it really hard to put down. I got completely lost in the story and I found the world building amazing. The author has done a great job at painting the lives of the different groups of people aboard the Arcadia cruise ship that has been stranded at sea for 40 years after a deadly virus was released. It can be a bit slow towards the beginning as we learn about the upper and lower class passengers, how life is run in 2094 and what actually went wrong in the world that resulted in everyone, well nearly everyone living aboard these cramped cruise ships. All of this information we get is totally worth it though. It felt like I became a part of the life on this ship and could picture everything and everyone in this eerie and deadly world.

As well as having amazing world building, there is great character development and also a lot of brutal action that helps pick up the pace of the book. I could really feel that these people are fighting for their lives and a better future, that’s how consumed I was by this book. I’m also a big fan of multiple povs and I LOVE that we get to see this world from so many eyes around the ship. Esther and Nik are my absolute faves though and I can’t wait to see them in action again.

One thing I would have liked because I love a good deadly disease (fictionally), is more about the virus. What it is, what it does and where has it gone? I’m hoping there is more of an explanation in the next book.

Overall, The Stranded is such a gripping, unexpected book full of action, betrayal, rebellion and even has some very slight romance in and I loved every word of it. It checks all of the boxes for me and I can’t wait to start the next one to find out what happens in this twisted world!

Wow! When I signed up for this tour I had a strong feeling this would be a good book however, this is an amazing debut and I am so excited to read Exiled following on.

The Stranded is a young adult, dystopian fantasy book but maintains a huge amount of reality. Set in the aftermath of an apocalyptic war, what were once cruise ships are now being used as homes to refugees. Monitored by a strict militant regime, life develops on The Arcadia pretty much the same way it does anywhere: law abiding citizens, the rich classes, the rebels and the criminals! It’s a world that echoes many aspects of our lives now but in a harsher and more stark contrast.

The setting of The Arcadia was perfectly described but not in chunks of description. The vivid detail was woven in and out of the character’s actions, dialogues and as a backdrop to the story. From the very beginning, the atmosphere was tense and grim and it was easy to immediately begin to sympathise with the habitants of the ship. The different sections matched the people who lived or lurked there so well.

I enjoyed reading the multiple perspectives of the narrators - it gave me an insight to the different lives on the boat and how they all worked. The main players - Esther, Nik and Hadley are all well developed throughout this first instalment of the duology and time is taken to do this.

I found this book to be an absolutely addictive page turner and I highly advise you have book two at the ready to go straight to - I didn’t and I need to get hold of it as soon as possible!

It’s a thrilling ride and would make an excellent film series!

The Stranded is a YA dystopian that follows a group of rebellions who are planning to free the people who have been forced to live on a cruise ship as they aren't allowed ashore after a virus hit decades earlier.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints, which I thought would be confusing, but it worked well as we get to see the bigger picture of what's going on. I loved the fast pace and action throughout the story. yes, there were a couple of slow moments, but I still raced through those, too.

This is not the first time I've read a dystopian set on a cruise ship, but I still found the whole concept interesting. I loved the world-building.

The characters were well done. They felt relatable and engaging. I loved watching the different friendships growing between the characters, but at the same time, I found some of them annoying and would have loved to slap a couple of them.

Before starting the book, I was a little worried that the whole story would be taken over with a romance subplot like most YA books, but it wasn't, and I liked that. Yes, there are a couple of characters in relationships, but it wasn't the main focus.

A fab start to this duology.

Thought provoking dystopian read. I struggled a bit with keeping track of the characters and therefore connecting with them but the story was still engaging and had that 'this could happen one day' undercurrent throughout

The Stranded is set at the end of the 21st century after a virus has ravaged the world. Refugees have been stranded on board the luxury cruise liner Arcadia for forty years and are prohibited from going on land despite the ship being virus free. The Federated States enforce strict laws and make life on board the vessel miserable, oppressive and claustrophobic. Anybody considered to be a threat or plotting a rebellion is either executed or sent to a labour camp. But, oppressive regimes will always inspire rebellion in the hearts of those who aspire for freedom and a better life.

The story is told from the viewpoints of multiple characters and it takes a little bit of time initially to connect with each of them; to understand who they are, their roles on the ship and where their loyalties lie. Not everyone can be trusted and it is a nail-biting read making sure favourite characters survive. The story is very fast-paced with nail-bitingly tense scenes and plenty of twists and turns.

This book will keep you up into the wee hours of the morning as you won't want to put it down.

Really interesting and different from what I have read in a long time. I enjoyed this book although I didn't connect as I had hoped with some of the characters.

The world and worldbuilding was fascinating though and I liked learning about it !

THE STRANDED is the start of a dystopian series that calls back to the "classic" YA dystopia age of the early 2010s while standing as something new.

The setting is a luxury cruise ship turned into a refugee camp. It has its gangs and inequalities, making do and mending as best they can while the government the ship has fled to ignores them, abuses them, and keeps them on the edge of death. It's definitely very easy to see the parallels to refugee camps around the world today and the way governments treat them.

The crumbling luxury cruise ship is a really cool setting as it lends itself well to territories. Instead of different parts of a city, different decks belong to different groups. Plus there's a flotilla around it because, in 40 years, they've needed more space. There's a real vulnerability to it all - a breach in the hull and they're all gone. And the ship is not exactly undergone routine maintenance in four decades.

The book is told from Esther, Nik, and Hadley's perspectives. Hadley is the head of police, working for the government and with a vendetta against the ship-bound people. I liked getting his perspective on events, seeing the behind the scenes of his plans to destroy the ship to get a better sense of the threat.

The book ends quite explosively, with plenty of action scattered throughout the book too. I am looking forward to reading the duology conclusion!

I unfortunately could not get into this book. But this might be for another type of reader, and wish the best for the writers.

It was really interesting to see how the hierarchy of the ship worked and seeing the multiple generations, some of which had been born on the ship. I really enjoyed how they dealt with the abuse of power from the authority figures keeping them on the ship, and controlling the circumstances under which very few people could leave and go to land. The characters were well written and their backstories really helped to show their motivations behind their actions in the present.

This book was a ride from start to finish! I couldn't stop reading. It was ripping and tense and full of unexpected twists and complex characters and a unique setting. I highly recommend picking up this debut, and I have my fingers crossed for a sequel!

This book had me thinking so much while I was reading it, giving me a Titanic vibe throughout, I always wondered what would happen if you was stuck on a boat and something like this happened so it was really interesting to see how Sarah thought it would play out.

Wow! I was hooked from the very first page.! This is a deftly plotted dystopian novel with so many twists and turns you will nor know who to trust! It is clear that there are more titles to come as this books does not neatly resolve anything. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next title to find out how the story progresses.

The novel is set on an old cruise ship which has been existing just off shore for many, many years to protect those on land from a deadly virus. It is years since the virus has actually been reported, but the people who are exiled on the boat are unable to leave and there seems to be a greater reasons for this control, though it is never made explicit. The younger generation on the boat can work hard and 'earn' a place on mainland - but these are few and far between. There is clearly a life beyond the ship but only for a few who are loyal to the cause.

The story focuses on two sisters: May and Esther - along with their extended circles of friends and acquaintances. Both are portrayed as strong, driven individuals who intend to succeed and win places on prestigious programmes on 'terra firma.' May is the first to win her place on mainland and her family are delighted for her. Yet, it is only a matter of days at the most before she is back on the ship and Esther is forced to question all that she has ever known.

Nothing - and no-one - are quite as they originally seem. This was such an exciting read! Lots of futuristic technology and it has a '1984' feel throughout. Do not miss this - destined to be a huge hit with a thrilling plot.

A luxurious cruise ship, has now become a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. Now it floats near the coastline of the Federated States.

For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out to have the rare chance to live a normal life as a medic on dry land. Nik 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.

This was such an interesting and also mind opening dystopian read. It was superb

The Hunger Games meets Station Eleven? Umm not really. There might have been a bit of Snowpiercer vibes but just very mildly. Appealing premise, but the execution just seemed lacking and the story wasn't propulsive at all. It's a supposedly dystopian universe but didn't feel cut-throat. There was action but I didn't feel tense. There was a body count but I didn't feel sad.

I didn't care for any of the characters and found Esther particularly annoying. There was one part where another character thinks, "She's pathetic — a jelly mess wallowing in self-pity. I resist the urge to kick her." LMAO I felt that. The only interesting person to me was Hadley.

There was also a lot of wasted opportunity: Unsatisfactory world-building as I wanted so much more details and background. No twists, turns and morally grey characters despite an intricate plot. Highlighting of social issues as such racism and displacement that didn't really go anywhere.

Overall, this was a dull read that I slogged through. Ugh, the cliffhanger!