Stranded by Melinda Braun

Stranded

By Melinda Braun

Book Synopsis: In the tradition of 127 Hours and The Edge, a fascinating and suspenseful novel about a group of teens battling for their lives against the most violent villain in history—Mother Nature.:

                   It’s human instinct to survive…but Mother Nature has other plans.

Plagued with guilt after surviving the car accident that took her sister’s life, Emma ventures into the rugged and mysterious wilderness of the Boundary Waters in search of some much needed peace. But when a freak windstorm kills her guide, Emma and a handful of other campers are forced to fend for themselves. Lost, hungry, and exhausted, the small group must rely on their survival instincts as they travel through the forest towards Lake Superior.

              But the Boundary Waters is vast and unpredictable, and as the days drag on, it becomes clear that the group is no match for what Mother Nature has in store—and time is running out.

As they continue to battle the elements, Emma realizes that nature isn’t her only threat: there’s one camper who will do whatever it takes to make it out of the Boundary Waters alive. Even if he’s the only one…

            With ripped-from-the-headlines drama, this stirring story of heroism and survival will have you at the edge of your seat until the very last page.

My Review: I was casually glancing the book aisles in Barnes & Noble when I came across this book. It looked really interesting but I was kind of hesitant since I feel like there's been multiple books written about this. But I hadn't read a book like this and it turned out to be really good. I like the characters and the writing. I feel like none of the characters were boring but they did fit into the typical stereotypes like the  Jerk, The Attractive Nerd, etc. The characters were a bit underdeveloped though. And I will say that Emma's reaction to one of the first catastrophic event what completely unreasonable and made her and the others seem a bit heartless (Wish I could say but not going to spoil it, just watch for the freak windstorm and what that causes). The plot and events were very realistic too. They encountered struggles that I thought were completely probable. Overall, I would give this book 3 out 5 stars. I enjoyed it and was not bored during the novel but I did feel that the characters needed a bit more work and at times the plot fell a bit flat and predictable.