Struck, Jennifer Bosworth

Book: Struck

Author: Jennifer Bosworth Her Site

Series: Struck (#1)

Genre: Si-Fi, Fantasy/YA Fiction

Rating: 3/5

Moral: 3/5

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.

Struck is an exciting concept, and brilliantly unique. It was interesting, but cheesy and half done.

The Plot:
Unsurprisingly, it was fast paced and exciting. It was original, but immature. Even though the story moved along smoothly, it felt lacking and hurried. The idea of a lightning addict is thrilling, but it wasn't fulfilled. There was magic, but it wasn't explained well. It moved in and out of the story so that I wasn't sure if it was real or not. Since it was so shady, the magic felt more like a burden. The concept was inspiring, but the actual thing needed to be developed.

The Characters:
Mia, the main character, was snotty and protective. Her attitude was very individualized to her, and she had some amazing pre-story development. Jeremy was annoying, and rather obnoxious. His and Mia's romance was gruesome and made no sense whatsoever. They pretty much just fell for each other at the end. It was irksome. Mia's mother was one of my favorites, she was so weird and very well developed. Her attitude towards the world was thoroughly depressing.

The Setting:
Struck takes place in LA. A big city that, in the book, is destroyed. You have this whole tent city that takes up the entire beach. How interesting is that! Sadly, you only get to visit it twice. I felt that the setting was written remarkably. Though, quite a bit cliche.

The Standout:
Though she had a traumatizing childhood, Mia's only priority was to protect a family she knew didn't except her. That made me think of her as a hero, and a great leader. Mia recognized that they just didn't understand her, and she chose to continue loving them with all her heart. Her family conflict was original and inspiring.

The Moral:
I love writers who write families. I love how Mia wanted so badly to help her mother and brother. I loved how she tried to hard to protect them. There was little swearing, and no sex.