The Stranded

by Sarah Daniels

Overview

A floating prison. A fractured society. Two teens caught between obedience and revolution.

Once a gleaming cruise liner, the Arcadia now drifts off the coast of a fractured United States—its passengers trapped for decades, forbidden from ever stepping on land. Inside its rusting walls: a harsh regime, brutal class divides, and a population clinging to hope or plotting rebellion.

Esther knows the only escape is to follow the rules. As a medic-in-training, she dreams of earning one of the rare passes to the mainland. Nik knows the only way out is to fight. A rebel raised in the ship's depths, he's ready to risk everything to change the system.

When their lives collide, a dangerous secret surfaces—one that could ignite the uprising the Arcadia has feared for years.

The Stranded is a gripping young adult dystopian thriller packed with high-stakes action, forbidden alliances, and the fight for freedom in one of the most claustrophobic worlds imaginable. Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Snowpiercer, and Divergent.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728280097
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	01/03/2023
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 5.50(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Sarah Daniels is a former bookseller who studied archaeology and now lives in rural Lincolnshire, UK. Her work has been published in various online magazines and has been nominated for Best British and Irish Flash Fiction.

Editorial Reviews

2022-09-28
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.

It’s 2094, and the refugees have been stranded shipboard in the Atlantic for 40 years—the isolationist Federated States, which seceded from the United States, will not admit them. Sixteen-year-old Esther and her boyfriend, Alex, are part of an elite group studying to be medics who will have the opportunity to work on land. Esther lives in her grandparents’ former honeymoon cabin with her parents and sister, May. Secretly in cahoots with Nikhil, her love interest, May and other renegades strive to liberate the passengers in a large-scale rebellion against Hadley, the ship’s authoritarian commander. Classism and systemic oppression persist, although race does not seem to be a factor, with comfortable upper-level cabins juxtaposed against poverty-ridden passengers known as Neaths who live beneath the waterline, are ruled by gangs, and never see the light of day. Over time the ship has become decrepit and food, scarce. Possession of outside information is cause for arrest. This fast-paced, action-packed, near-future thriller explores social and political issues that feel relevant today. The characters are well fleshed out through chapters that shift between various points of view. Esther’s arc, in particular, embodies an eye-opening journey. A morally gray cloud surrounds many characters, supporting plot twists. Main characters default to White; Nikhil and his family are British Punjabis.

An addictive, original debut that will leave readers clamoring for more. (Dystopian. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews