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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
As so many others have said, the idea of this book was exciting and interesting, but the execution was poor. It was slow, too long, and the characters were poorly developed. Instead of bringing the reader into the rebellion and what drove the characters to want to change their circumstances, most of the details of the rebellion were kept a secret until the end. I didn't feel I had much understanding of the Federated States especially in relation to other nations, how so many people could possibly fit on a cruise liner, the way technology worked, or many other aspects of this world. Maybe this would be more appealing for teens. As is, it wasn't a YA book that worked for me.
the fact that I was only 50 pages from the end and didn’t care to finish it…. yeah. 2 stars because I didn’t DNF but I deserve a medal for finishing this book. super cool concept and some of it was interesting but it was too long.
Forty years after an apocalyptic war, the decedents of the passengers of Arcadia are still on the ship. Some have a plan to get off the ship and onto the mainland, but many know that they are stuck until their last breath because the residents of Arcadia are not allowed to leave. Esther is working hard to better herself, but life is not fair and many obstacles are in her way. Nik wants to liberate the Arcadia and is willing to do anything to break free. When these two lives cross, the lives of everyone around them are also changed.
The Stranded is the first book in the Stranded series and it isn’t really in one genre. I would almost say it is a sci-fi adventure, but that doesn’t do it justice either. The entire time I was reading this book I was thinking about how I would react … how would I behave … what would I do to survive? This is a series, so there isn’t a clean ending, but readers are not left with a cliffhanger. I will definitely be looking for book number two next summer.
The Stranded is the first book in the Stranded series and it isn’t really in one genre. I would almost say it is a sci-fi adventure, but that doesn’t do it justice either. The entire time I was reading this book I was thinking about how I would react … how would I behave … what would I do to survive? This is a series, so there isn’t a clean ending, but readers are not left with a cliffhanger. I will definitely be looking for book number two next summer.
4.5⭐️ I don’t read/ watch much dystopian so my comparisons are quite narrow, but this really did give me Hunger Games and Divergent vibes.
Synopsis: In 2051 luxury cruise ship known as The Arcadia was set to leave Liverpool when a deadly virus broke out. People took refugee on the ship but were never allowed to disembark for fear that the virus that has wiped out most of Europe and the world will resurface, despite not seeing cases aboard for a long time. It’s now 2094 and The Arcadia has been stranded for 15,934 days at sea. After years of meticulous planning, a rebellion group begins an uprising to finally get the people to land and what follows is an action-packed sequence of events that will have your heart racing.
Thoughts: I loved how from the very first page we were drawn into this dystopian society and how easy it was to be transported there. The futuristic technology set against an old, rotting ship made a nice contrast, and Daniel’s descriptions of the sights, smells, and people made it easy to vision the social and political divides. This story was told through three unique POVs, and I love how each character brought a new perspective on each event, even the horrific villain Hadley. There were times where I felt the action scenes could have been a bit shorter but besides that, I am very happy I took a chance on a book outside my comfort zone.
Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the ARC! Pub date: 1/3/23
Synopsis: In 2051 luxury cruise ship known as The Arcadia was set to leave Liverpool when a deadly virus broke out. People took refugee on the ship but were never allowed to disembark for fear that the virus that has wiped out most of Europe and the world will resurface, despite not seeing cases aboard for a long time. It’s now 2094 and The Arcadia has been stranded for 15,934 days at sea. After years of meticulous planning, a rebellion group begins an uprising to finally get the people to land and what follows is an action-packed sequence of events that will have your heart racing.
Thoughts: I loved how from the very first page we were drawn into this dystopian society and how easy it was to be transported there. The futuristic technology set against an old, rotting ship made a nice contrast, and Daniel’s descriptions of the sights, smells, and people made it easy to vision the social and political divides. This story was told through three unique POVs, and I love how each character brought a new perspective on each event, even the horrific villain Hadley. There were times where I felt the action scenes could have been a bit shorter but besides that, I am very happy I took a chance on a book outside my comfort zone.
Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the ARC! Pub date: 1/3/23
I believe this was Daniels’ debut, and if so, this is an incredibly promising start. I see a bright future in store.
The Stranded is a wonderful YA dystopian! It hits all the right notes: romance, adventure, action, plot, character growth, etc.
It’s close enough to our reality (mysterious virus, war, stranded on a cruise ship) to not be entirely unrealistic, yet at the same time, it’s not too close that it’s painful to read.
Want an enthralling, fast-paced escape? Read it!
The Stranded is a wonderful YA dystopian! It hits all the right notes: romance, adventure, action, plot, character growth, etc.
It’s close enough to our reality (mysterious virus, war, stranded on a cruise ship) to not be entirely unrealistic, yet at the same time, it’s not too close that it’s painful to read.
Want an enthralling, fast-paced escape? Read it!
The premise of the book = A
Execution = D
Felt way too long, characters were boring, and nothing really happened. Had to really power through after I decided to not drop it.
Execution = D
Felt way too long, characters were boring, and nothing really happened. Had to really power through after I decided to not drop it.
2.5⭐
✨ "Take it from someone who's lost people: what you're feeling now, this is it. Forever. They will tell you it get easier. It doesn't."
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!
Thank you to the publishers for the Netgalley ARC.
✨ "Take it from someone who's lost people: what you're feeling now, this is it. Forever. They will tell you it get easier. It doesn't."
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!
Thank you to the publishers for the Netgalley ARC.
DNF @ 50%
This book has some great ideas. Unfortunately, they're not realized, and many character decisions seem to come out of nowhere. I can see why they exist, they just aren't integrated well. The previously devoted boyfriend turning traitor after one misunderstanding, for example--seeing that character turn to the villains would have been really interesting, but it needed to be justified, it needed to be his arc instead of just a plot point. Esther being loyal to the Federated States was a really cool idea for a protagonist, but she never was, and it felt like the author didn't see why anybody would be... so why did she try to include this? There are so many interesting ideas here that I genuinely like, but the execution was bad and dull to the point that I wondered what the point was. Is this... supposed to be a romance? Between which characters?!
My final breaking point came when a POV character was involved in some kind of failed rebellion *off-page*. The author wasn't writing her story particularly adeptly, but deciding to not write it at all!
This book has some great ideas. Unfortunately, they're not realized, and many character decisions seem to come out of nowhere. I can see why they exist, they just aren't integrated well. The previously devoted boyfriend turning traitor after one misunderstanding, for example--seeing that character turn to the villains would have been really interesting, but it needed to be justified, it needed to be his arc instead of just a plot point. Esther being loyal to the Federated States was a really cool idea for a protagonist, but she never was, and it felt like the author didn't see why anybody would be... so why did she try to include this? There are so many interesting ideas here that I genuinely like, but the execution was bad and dull to the point that I wondered what the point was. Is this... supposed to be a romance? Between which characters?!
My final breaking point came when a POV character was involved in some kind of failed rebellion *off-page*. The author wasn't writing her story particularly adeptly, but deciding to not write it at all!
This book was a random grab for me from the bookstore on my last trip and I absolutely loved it. I have been trying to expand what I read and I really enjoy dystopian books, so I was excited to delve into this one which is YA, a genre I haven’t read in a while. The rusted ship with people peering through the windows on the covers is what initially had me picking it up.
Stranded on a former cruise ship years in the future, a group of rebels plan their escape. This is extremely relatable to current events with the fear of a deadly virus, and a very haunting future. The ship was broken down by class and is told from multiple perspectives, from various members of the different classes. One of the best parts of this for me was that we had the POV of the villain of the story, Hadley, so you got to see both sides of the rebellion. Esther, another main character, was originally looking for a legal way off the ship with dreams of going to medical school, when she was dragged into the rebellion by her sister, May.
This was a very unique take on a dystopian novel and kept my attention through the whole book. For a roughly 450 page book, there were no slow parts. The ending did leave me wanting more, BUT I know this is meant to be a duology so it didn’t bother me that I felt this way.
Stranded on a former cruise ship years in the future, a group of rebels plan their escape. This is extremely relatable to current events with the fear of a deadly virus, and a very haunting future. The ship was broken down by class and is told from multiple perspectives, from various members of the different classes. One of the best parts of this for me was that we had the POV of the villain of the story, Hadley, so you got to see both sides of the rebellion. Esther, another main character, was originally looking for a legal way off the ship with dreams of going to medical school, when she was dragged into the rebellion by her sister, May.
This was a very unique take on a dystopian novel and kept my attention through the whole book. For a roughly 450 page book, there were no slow parts. The ending did leave me wanting more, BUT I know this is meant to be a duology so it didn’t bother me that I felt this way.