The Stranded (The Stranded, 1)

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There is tension, the rebellion and the characters themselves which kept me engaged and turning the pages. Note that I did read a very early manuscript which was riddled with typos, so I don't know how much will change between now and the final version!

Stranded Series by Sarah Daniels - Goodreads

Of the three POVs, I found Esther the most compelling, perhaps because she had the most significant emotional journey to undertake. This debut is gorgeously written and the setting, aboard the cruise ship Arcadia in the not-too-distant future, immediately hooks the reader from the early. The last 80 pages were top-tier action, but again, not enough to motivate me to stick with the series.Esther studied for years, beside her boyfriend Alex, to be become a medic; desperately hoping to gain entrance to med school in the Federated States. Nik is strong and rebellious in nature while questioning the status of things, also desperate to escape. 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 (Stranded, book 1) by Sarah Daniels The Stranded (Stranded, book 1) by Sarah Daniels

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? Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful.Maybe it will play a larger role in the next instalment, but I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series.

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

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. Honestly, I should have pulled the plug, but for some reason, I just felt like if I kept going, maybe I would have a light-bulb moment with it.

A single ill-advised decision by one of the characters in these volatile conditions will cause a ripple effect that would decide the fates of everyone: ‘And, like a lightning strike, my world is on fire. The characters’ emotions are described in evocative and intimate language, endearing them to the reader: ‘The ring (she) gave me weighs down my hand.