The Stranded (The Stranded, 1)

Product Information

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased. A gripping, near-future thriller - The Hunger Games meets Station Eleven, for fans of pacey, disruptive TV, such as the Noughts and Crosses adaptation The Stranded is told through multiple points of view. A couple of these views are told through first person and a third point of view through third person. I didn't enjoy the change in narrative, and I didn't enjoy the characters either.

Stranded, book 2) by Sarah Daniels The Exiled (Stranded, book 2) by Sarah Daniels

I loved the idea of a generation that has grown up on board of a giant cruise ship that has been afloat for the 40 years since an epidemic ravaged Europe. I was a little confused and wished there was more information about where everyone was from. The ship set sail from London but often on Cruise ships there are people from all over the world so I was wanting some diversity? Maybe attention to different languages, accents? I'm not going to say much about the plot past the basics as I don't want to spoil anything. This story definitely kept my attention from start to finish. I kept finding myself contemplating what living on a ship for years and years would actually be like. I don't think I would like it! And I could definitely see the problems depicted in the book actually happening to people forced to live like that as refugees. Very interesting premise! This is the start of a series. I will definitely be reading more!

Featured Reviews

A gripping near-future thriller in a world turned upside-down . . . for fans of Suzanne Collins, Emily St John Mandel, Bong Joon-ho's Snowpiercer. This is honestly one of the best action centred books I've read in a while! Think Titanic meets The Hunger Games !.' Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments I found myself wondering about family, and culture, because on this ship that had been afloat for approximately 40 years, there was no mention of Grandparents, or where their family that had got on the ship had come from - the ship was said to be from Liverpool, but I saw no mention of differing accents, or British culture.

The Stranded | Sarah Daniels | 9781728258126 | NetGalley The Stranded | Sarah Daniels | 9781728258126 | NetGalley

The narrative follows three different characters, none of which I felt were particularly well-developed. Additionally, I didn't feel the world was developed at all. I wanted so much more from it.

Advance Praise

Not so much a spoiler: It IS awesome. We have three alternating POVs: Sixteen year old Nik who is trying to help cause a rebellion: A act to liberate the Arcadia. Also sixteen year old Esther who is trying to just study and be a doctor. She gets dragged into the rebellion. And of course we have a POV of a baddie: Hadley. Boo! Recently, I felt inspired to go for it. I was itching to get into a dark and high-stakes YA-Dystopian world. 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. The Arcadia used to be a luxury cruise ship. But for 40 years it's been the home of refugees who aren't allowed to step onto the mainland. The POV alternates in this story between a girl struggling for the life she dreams of, a rebel and the villainous captain of the ship. Normally I really don't like POV changes, but for this story it works well. It adds dimension to the plot and expands the characters, rather than creating confusion.

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels | The StoryGraph The Stranded by Sarah Daniels | The StoryGraph

Welcome to the Arcadia. Once a luxurious cruise ship, now it is home to the stranded. For forty years, they have lived, and died, on the water. A place of extreme haves and have-nots, gangs and make-shift shelters, its people are tyrannized by a country they can see but can't get to. Once a luxurious cruise ship, now it is home to the stranded. For forty years, they have lived, and died, on the water.The storyline kept me interested and I mostly liked the characters. I did love that all the characters were able to show different aspects of their personalities. The only one I didn't enjoy was Hadley because he was just all bad. No redeeming qualities whatsoever. Formerly a luxury cruise ship, the Arcadia became a refuge for those fleeing Europe after a deadly virus was unleashed during biological warfare in this duology opener.

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels | Waterstones

Unfortunately, this book was a complete miss for me. After the initial set-up, I'm talking the first 5-8%, I was feeling good about it, but then nothing happened. 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. What a fantastic debut! This is YA dystopia at it's best. There's a fantastic yet claustrophobic setting; switching POVs that, at this point at least, aren't love interests along with the villain in 3rd person; a snappy and fast moving storyline and a host of strong characters.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.