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 manages to weave current social and political undertones alongside a future that is bleak yet could be sadly realistic. 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. Snowpiercer meets The Hunger Games in a gripping near-future dystopian: romances, betrayals, and fights for freedom in a world turned upside-down...

THE STRANDED | Kirkus Reviews THE STRANDED | Kirkus Reviews

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels gets 4.5 ⭐️ from me. I believe it’s her debut novel and a book two is definitely coming. Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author. Besides that, I think the villain was okay. I can't really complain about Hadley. He was just okay in my eyes. Then again, I feel like the rebels weren't being very rebellious either. Like things felt too simple and I'm not exactly sure why. Still, it was entertaining to a point. A gripping near-future thriller: love triangles, betrayals and fights for freedom in a world turned upside-down . . . 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.The book is multi-viewpoint, but I’d personally say the main protagonist is Esther. Raised on the Arcadia, she is currently training to be a doctor as part of a programme that is supposed to get top candidates in highly skilled profession (like doctors and military officers) admittance to the Federated States. The Arcadia is currently a sort of panopticon, run under a martial law imposed by officers from the Federated States, ostensibly to protect citizens from the gangs that previously threatened the ship, but mostly about enforcing control. When Esther, previously unassuming and diligent, is present at an illegal leaflet drop she gets pulled into a rebellion that has brewing for generations. The other POV characters are Nik, one of the rebels, who is in love with Esther’s sister, and Hadley, the sadistic representative of the Federated States who has been assigned to the Arcadia as punishment for a previous indiscretion. A gripping near-future thriller: love triangles, betrayals and fights for freedom in a world turned upside-down . . . for fans of Suzanne Collins, Emily St John Mandel, and Bong Joon-ho's Snowpiercer. The world building is utterly convincing and as the complexities of the plot are revealed, the tension ratchets up as does the action. This is the first of a duology and I predict students will be queuing up for the sequel when it arrives. This is an impressive debut novel which manages to add something new and different to the genre. I enjoyed the two good MCs and the bad guy was a true villain. It was nice to see Esther grow and develop into a more mature and stronger person and take in more responsibility. Nik was a loyal friend and all around good guy.

The Stranded | Sarah Daniels | 9780241507964 | NetGalley The Stranded | Sarah Daniels | 9780241507964 | NetGalley

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. Betrayal , romance, and a fight for freedom: The Hunger Games meets Station Eleven in this gripping near-future dystopianDaniels crafts an invigorating microcosm of society aboard the Arcadia via a protagonist whose ever-expanding worldview imbues this cinematic-feeling thriller with suspense and intrigue. Publisher's Weekly Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out for a rare chance to live a life on land. Nik is a rebel, intent on liberating the Arcadia once and for all. LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. Not only that, there is a new villain in town. With the fall of Commander Hadley, it's left to the ruthless Admiral Janek to deal with the traitors, and her own past is beginning to catch-up with her.