Book Review: The Stranded by Sarah Daniels #TheStranded #TheWriteReads #UltimateBlogTour @SarahDanBooks @PenguinUKBooks @The_WriteReads @WriteReadsTours

Synopsis

Welcome to the Arcadia.

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.

For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. It is a world of extreme haves and have nots, gangs and make-shift shelters.

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 . . .

My Review

The Arcadia was once a luxury cruise ship, but since the virus forty years ago it has become the home of the stranded which is governed and overseen by The Federated States. Esther abides by the rules and Nik is part of the rebel movement. When Esther and Nik’s paths cross their destinies will be entwined forever.

The Stranded is a must read for any fan of the dystopian futuristic genre and it was a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I also read it whilst listening to the audiobook so I really enjoyed listening to the voices of Esther, Nik, Hadley and the announcements made by the captain. The story was slow paced to begin with but then it started to build up speed. I quite liked the slow pace because it set the scene for the type of place the Arcadia was and the word that the characters were living in. The story is told from the point of view of three characters: Esther, Nik and Hadley. Esther is someone who is very focused on what she wants to do. She follows the rules as laid down by The Federated States and her goal is to complete her studies so she can leave the Arcadia to pursue a medical career but that is all knocked off track when she is kidnapped to help Nik, a rebel, who is injured. By helping Nik Esther inadvertently becomes involved and part of the rebellion. When Esther suffers a personal tragedy it changes her as a person and seals her fate as part of the rebellion movement. Nik is the complete opposite of Esther. He doesn’t follow the rules and his ultimate goal is to free everyone from the Arcadia. However, together they work so well. Becoming involved with rebels does open up Esther’s eyes to what’s really going on and how they are being treated on the Arcadia. What was once the norm she starts seeing in a different light. Hadley is a member of the military who ensures that no rules are breached on the Arcadia. It was intriguing to learn more about his back story and how he got his role which appeared to be more of a punishment than a promotion.

What I really liked about the story was learning more about the beginnings of the Arcadia which was explained later on in the book. It was so interesting to learn about how the Arcadia was initially set up as a safe haven to protect people but despite the virus becoming dormant and no new cases the Arcadia turned from a haven into a prison. Its occupants were controlled on a daily basis and by boarding the Arcadia to save themselves they also gave up their freedom.

The end of the book ended on a cliff-hanger where the fate of Esther, Nik and the other inhabitants of the Arcadia was uncertain so I will be reading the next book as quickly as I can.

Stay tuned for my review of the second book The Exiled.

Author Bio

Sarah Daniels is an ex-archaeologist who escaped academia and now writes stories from her home in rural Lincolnshire. Her work has been published in various online magazines and has been nominated for best British and Irish Flash Fiction and Best Small Fictions.

If you want to contact her, you can do so at the following locations:

Website:  http://www.sarahdanielsbooks.com

Instagram: @sarahdanielsbooks
TikTok: @sarahdanielsbooks
Twitter: @sarahdanbooks