Future Release Review: Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Title: Struck

Author: Jennifer Bosworth site

Format: eARC, 385 pages

Release Date: 5/8/12

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books for Young Readers

Source: Netgalley

Challenges: Ebook Reading Challenge (hosted by Workaday Reads)

“Mia Price is a lightning addict. She's survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn't who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.”

-Goodreads

Characters:

Let’s be honest, an unwilling heroine is nothing new in YA fiction. It’s a character that has been done countless times, and, in all probability, will continue to be done. And Mia is no exception. She doesn’t want to jump into all the action; she’s not trying to be courageous. She just wants her family together and safe. Mia’s character is by no means original and probably not realistic, but I still liked her.

The rest of the “cast” also had the same problems. They weren’t very original and didn’t seem real. The adjectives that come to mind are “okay” and “fine”, I just couldn’t get excited about the characters.

Plot and Story:

Struck is centered around these two feuding cults, the Followers and the Seekers. The Followers are a religious cult who believe that the coming end of the world is a sort of cleansing brought on by God, and that in following “Prophet” they will be spared and brought to heaven.

The Seekers take the opposite view. They believe that the Followers are being controlled by Prophet’s supernatural power, and that the end of the world needs to be stopped.

Both sides try to lure Mia to their side by different means, and Mia really just wants to stay neutral. But it’s really hard when both of her other family members have chosen the opposite side.

Although there were some twists and turns in the book I didn’t see coming, I found some large parts of the plot obvious. Like Jeremy’s true identity for example. Again, there isn’t anything out-right wrong about the book I just wish it could have been more unique and original.

Overall:

Struck ended up being one of those books that after I read it I thought I liked it, but when I go to review it I ended up seeing it in a new light. Unfortunately, this new light wasn’t as flattering. Having a main character that’s a “lightning addict” was such a cool idea, and the cover really intrigued me. I’m sad to say that, in the end, I was left disappointed. I give Struck 3 of 5 stars.

 I don’t mean to sound harsh. Struck is a fine post-apocalyptic YA novel and it kept me entertained. It was well structured and paced, but it is very similar to countless others of its kind. My blog isn’t about just finding enjoyable books; it’s about finding books that break the mold. Books that stand out for all the right reasons.