Review: Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Struck

By: Jennifer Bosworth

Pub. Date: May 8, 2012

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

Pages: 384

Source: ARC

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.

When I first heard about the premise of this book I was excited for it. A girl addicted to lighting? I could not wait to read it! Struck did not disappoint. It was exciting and fast paced, and I could not wait to see how it was all going to turn out.

Mia has been struck by lightening more times then she can count. She feels when a storm is coming and it takes everything she has to not go into the heart of the storm. Her addiction puts everyone around her in danger, so she feels it is best to stay away from relationships. The only two people she is close to is her mom and her younger brother, Parker. But even those relationships have changed because of a 8.6 magnitude earthquake that hit LA and lasted over 3 minutes. Everything in Mia's life has changed, and it's about to get worse.

Mia was actually the only thing I really couldn't stand about Struck. I just didn't like her. I admired that she would do anything to protect her family, but at the same time I thought she was very weak and dishonest. I hated that she was never honest Parker. She just tried to control him and then wondered why he went behind her back to do what she wanted.

Mia's love interest was Jeremy. From the minute we met him, I knew there was something good about him. I couldn't wait to find out his secrets. I couldn't help but feel bad for him though because of all the guilt he carries within himself. I liked the connection between Mia and Jeremy, and I thought Jeremy was so cute and sweet with her.

Jennifer Bosworth created a very realistic world that scared the crap out of me! An earthquake of that magnitude and the destruction it caused could definitely happen, which is what made it so scary to read about. In times of natural disasters, I could definitely see fanatic, god-obsessed cults coming into power as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed Struck! I met the author at the Fierce Reads tour in Houston, TX and she was so nice and sweet and I can not wait to see what she has in store for us next!

I also read Bosworth's prequel story, Prophet, about 13 year old Rance Ridley, who later becomes the evil Prophet in Struck. His story was very interesting and I recommend reading it as well.

Books in the series: