This is a hefty book and I lost motivation to keep reading it a few times. I was seeking a young adult dystopian romance but this lacked the romance. You see I quite like the end of the world, impassioned love stories because I think it’ll be the last thing on my mind at the end of the world. But also because these are the classic ‘Love conquers all’ metaphors.

This book had all the ingredients. It had the jaded male teen. It had the good girl. It had a rebel girl who was the good girl’s elder sister. It had the love-hungry teen. There looked to be a love triangle and a sibling clash.

Instead it was a plot-driven book with little depth and no deeper message of worldly politics aside from free speech. The story couldn’t be translated to a different scenario, time or place. It was just what and where it was, nothing more. There was no universal lesson. The story and the characters will be forgotten. I don’t think this is one that will build a similar fan base to the Divergent series, for example.

I received this book through the publisher for review consideration. All opinions are my own and are completely honest.

I was going back and forth about whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. I honestly really enjoyed this book. some things just fell a little flat for me

I loved everything about this book from the amazing character and plot to the concept and the writing. I would definitely recommend this book, especially to people who like books with action, dystopian worlds, sci fi tech and strong characters. I think fans of the hunger games, divergent and the maze runner would especially love this. Overall, I’d give it 5 stars because It kept me engaged the whole way through!

I love a dystopian YA and thought this book was very apt having just lived though a pandemic. I did enjoy this book but not as much as I thought I would, maybe I just had too high expectations. I struggled to imagine the world on the cruise ship, and that's despite having been on many cruises myself. It also took me a little bit of time to warm to the characters and so ultimately I wasn't vastly invested in what happened to them and so wasn't overly eager to pick up the book.

This had a really promising premise but I felt the pacing let it down a little. It jumped between characters a lot and I felt this held back the pace. I definitely had characters I preferred to be with and felt I was rushing the others to get back to those. Good story but maybe not my speed.

Refugees from a war-ravaged Europe have been stuck at sea for more than forty years, confined to the cruise ships that were supposed to bring them to safety. A fractured US refuses permission for them to come ashore, fearful of the weaponised virus that might lie dormant in the bloodstream of everyone on board. On the Arcadia, desperate passengers live their lives in the ruins of ballrooms, crew areas, restaurants, and empty swimming pools. Rival gangs maintain a fragile truce, overseen by a sadistic administrator from the Federated States, and the current captain of the ship. Passengers fall in love, start families, and educate their children within sight of the shore, with no hope of reaching land. It's a brilliant dystopian premise, and a gripping read.

The story follows Esther and Alex, teenage passengers who were born on the Arcadia, as they train to be medics. The top students in their class will be allowed to go ashore to complete their training and begin new lives. Esther and Alex are planning to marry on board and leave together, finally completing their families' journeys across the Atlantic.

Esther's older sister, May, is working towards her own escape, as a member of the military cadets. If she keeps out of trouble, she will be recruited into the on-shore military, and given the chance to make her own new life on land. But her friend Nik is part of the resistance, and while May tries hard to protect her family, it is only a matter of time until Esther and Alex find themselves tangled in gang rivalries and rebel plots - everything they need to avoid if they are going to make it off the boat.

Narration is shared between Esther, Nik, and Hadley - the deliciously nasty administrator who is desperate to impress his superiors enough to earn a placement on land. As Esther's experiences develop her understanding of the politics of the Arcadia, the reader learns along with her, and the complexity and fragility of her position in shipboard society become dangerously clear.

As the story progresses and the plot twists kick in, we follow the narrators through acts of friendship and bravery, heartbreak, betrayal, and adventure. The action sequences are tightly written and exiting, and there are no guarantees of safety for any of the characters. Esther and Alex are respected for their medical knowledge, and it doesn't take long for their skills to be in demand.

I loved everything about this book - the excellent dystopian premise, the characters and their relationships, and their adventures as they try to make sense of the events of the story. Hadley's narration is deliciously nasty, Esther struggles with the path she must follow in order to leave ship life behind, and Nik is doing his best to maintain his precarious position on board while protecting the people he loves. The ending is a cliffhanger, and I'm looking forward to the next book. I'm hooked!

I love dystopian fiction and this YA novel is a great addition to the genre.
The setting seems to be rooted in real events as it reminded me of the cruise ships that were banned from making port in the early part of the Covid pandemic in 2020. Here, it is 2094 and the Arcardia is one of 10 gigantic cruise liners that fled a devastating war in Europe and are now moored off the coast of The Federated States which is a broken off part of the USA.
The ship has been refused permission to land for 40 years and has become a small world containing all parts of society from the wealthy in their suites on the top deck to the underworld that exists in the bowels of the ship. The Federated States provide food and medical care and the possibility of landfall for a favoured few. However, they are getting tired of supporting these refugee ships and rumours are spreading that the ships are being destroyed and their populations transferred to work camps.
The story is told through 3 POV, Esther, a promising medical student who is hoping to be able to leave the ship and study at university, Nik, a young rebel who is trying to save the ship and Hadley who is the Federated States representative on the ship and wants to destroy it. He sees all of the ship people as parasites and wants to be rid of all of them. I really loved the contrasting points of view and it really added depth to have the view of the villain of the story.
The world building was brilliant and it was a totally believable scenario with all the details carefully worked out but the reader was never overwhelmed with an infodump. I loved Esther’s character and her growth during the book. The book is full of action and there is a hint of romance with maybe more to come. I can’t wait to read the second instalment to find out what happens next
Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publishers for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a lover of dystopian books I was very intrigued as to what this story would bring to the genre. I was not disappointed. The story jumps from one character to the next which, at times, is a bit hard to keep up with. However the characters are all written well, the storyline gripped me right from the start, and the pace of it was good too. The ending leaves it open for a sequel and I can’t wait to read it too.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Thank you to @Netgalley and Penguin for this free copy in exchange for an honest review!

If there’s any genre of book that I love but barely read any of, it’s YA Dystopian. So, when I saw this on Netgalley, I’ve never pressed the request button faster.

And it didn’t disappoint.

The main characters felt real, their emotions were realistic in the way they were reacting to certain situations and sometimes they made stupid mistakes, which while frustrating, made them even more human.

I also really enjoyed the futuristic world this was set in with the technology intertwined with their every day lives, which made it feel more realistic rather than jarring the reader out of the world - it was clear to see this had been really thought out well!

With regards to the storyline, I did enjoy it. However, I did feel it dragged out a little in the middle and the ending was very abrupt. But, if there’s a sequel, then I’m going to be first in line to get it!

For lovers of: Dystopian, political intrigue, rebellious characters fighting for their lives.

Thank you Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the arc of The Stranded by Sarah Daniels in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I was intrigued by the premise of a book described as The Hunger Games meets Station Eleven, and this book didn’t disappoint.

A near-future dystopian story set aboard a scuttled ocean liner following a worldwide virus war. The inhabitants are barred from landing and imprisoned on a ship that is the equivalent of a floating prison, the only hope of escape being to qualify for conscription into an army or medic core.

However, within the Arcadia beats a rebellious heart that has been slowly but steadily increasing pace, and Esther is unknowingly pulled into its epicentre.

The pace, world building, characters and politics of this story are written in such a way that thus YA novel will have a wide appeal and I was grabbed, reading this in a day! I’m already anticipating the concluding part of this duology, and look forward to see what Sarah Daniels has in store for Esther and Nik.

I was sent a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This was a really interesting story which kept me interested in knowing what would happen, and I would really like to read the next book in the series, if there is one planned!

Quarantined on it for generations, and with nowhere to go, the inhabitants of a decrepit cruise ship fight for their survival.

This is a gripping thriller that keeps you turning the pages, right up until the final moments.

I have been more into dystopianesque books recently - which is no surprise with how the world is. I really enjoyed this, it was well written with a compelling storyline and well-developed characters. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Arcadia: once a luxury cruise ship and now a refugee camp with no possible escape, all of this is added to by the fact that commander Hadley keeps changing the rules on what is and isn’t allowed. One of the only ways to escape is to graduate from your chosen subject but only if you are in the top three candidates. This dystopian follows the story of Ester, Nik and Hadley. Ester is a medical student in training her only goal is to graduate and find her way to land, Nik on the other hand is rebuilding the ships engine and planning a rebellion along with Ester’s sister May meanwhile Hadley is attempting to thwart these plans and make sure only the graduates leave the ship. This debut is action packed all the way down to the final page. I loved the first person narratives, especially Hadley’s POV which is the only viewpoint written in third person; an extraordinary skill which I have never since attempted in a book before. My only complaint is that the story uses one bracket speech marks meaning that it is sometimes difficult to determine who is speaking. But overall this is a thrilling debut from Sarah Daniels and I look forward to reading the conclusion.

#TheStranded #Netgally

Overall I enjoyed this. A great premise and the descriptions of life on the ship were really well-written. An interesting concept with good characters.

Excellent dystopian tale. I loved the cruise ship setting and the societies that had been formed. A good story, would have liked a bit more back story on what happened but that's just my nosy nature. Looking forward to the sequel already!

The stranded is a dystopian book of the future for the world today. An engaging slow burner as the story and and characters are developed, then the story goes full ‘steam’ ahead’.. A viral pandemic has left the passengers on ships off the American coast stranded for years, without any real hope of being disembarked. Life in the ships depends on your status of cabin given to your family or possibly the worst being left to survive in the neath. Within this static caldron of life and ambition comes a story of escape, heroism, rebellion, and retribution. This a story that kept pulling me along, well worth a read. Thank you to Sarah Daniels and NetGalley for letting me read an ARC. The views are all mine, freely given.

This book was so good. Set in the future. A virus has been let out in europe and ships/cruise ships that are from europe aren't alowed into the USA. Now known as The Fedarated States, which is a part of the former known United States of America, so all these ships are basically stuck in quarentine.

Without saying to much this book is so good I honestly can't wait to purchace a copy once its published and can't wait to read book 2 as I have heard its going to be a duology.

Thanks to netgalley for giving me a ebook copy of this for an honest review. Fans of The Hunger Games, Divergant and The Maze Runner series will love this. Can't wait for book 2.

Not for me. I can see why it will appeal and do well but dystopian reads apparently no longer for me unfortunately

In a dystopia future, biological warfare has wiped out Europe and ships full of refugees have fled to what remains of America. Two generations later, the passengers still haven't been granted permission to disembark and instead exist in a limbo on the ships that were only ever supposed to be temporary.

The world building in The Stranded is brilliant, painting a picture of a bleak and harsh world. The characters took a few chapters to warm to, but once the various connections were clear it was much more engaging. The plot is fast paced and full of twists that left me guessing right up to the devastating conclusion!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.