Struck

With a very intriguing beginning, I was hooked immediately. I really loved how well her past was given to the reader without giving away too much.

What I loved most about this book are the great characters. The characters in the book are really developed and have a nice growth through out the

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book. I really enjoyed reading about each character coming into who they are meant to be.

The love interest in the book took very many twists. At first I was happy, then sad/mad, then happy again. I adored their time together as well as they learning about what their destiny really is.

I want to mention that my fave part about this book is the choice factor. I liked how well this one line really played well into the story. In life, we all have choices. You don't have to be what people say you are and you don't have to do what you don't want to do. You have a choice.

Struck is an amazingly well written book that captures the reader right away. The creativity and tension in the book keeps building till the reader can't take no more. A compelling story from start to finish, Struck is an amazing debut!

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I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. It sounded like a really interesting premise. While it started out pretty interesting; the characters and the story degenerated into your pretty typical paranormal-type YA book. In the end it was an okay story but nothing special.

Mia is

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addicted to lightening. She's been struck a number of times and has suffered some injuries but has never died from her numerous run-ins with lightening. Her, her mother and her brother live in Los Angeles now. A huge earthquake has happened and Mia and her family are trying to eke out an existence among the rubble. Her mother is out-of commission dealing with post traumatic stress syndrome caused by what she survived during the quake and is becoming increasingly obsessed with a man named the Prophet who is recruiting people to join his Followers. Mia's brother is being pulled towards a cult-like group that opposes the Followers called the Seekers. Mia is stuck in between them and is having run-ins with a mysterious boy named Jeremy who is warning her to stay away from both groups.

The idea of humans being struck by lightening and gaining super-human-like powers from the lightening strikes is an interesting one. Having the whole story set after a huge quake which precedes the supposed end of days provided an excellent setting for the story.

The above being said I had a lot of problems with this book. Mia as a character is nothing outstanding, in fact none of the characters in this book stand out all that much. Mia is constantly warned over and over not to do things and does them anyway. The book was basically a chain of Mia doing stupid things that resulted in bad things happening. I don't mind tragic heroines, but I have trouble reading about stupid ones.

Now lets discuss Jeremy and Mia's relationship. Jeremy has that stalkerish like behavior that for some reason is portrayed quite frequently in YA literature. He is looking into Mia's windows and constantly standing outside her house. That's okay though because Mia is inexplicably drawn to him. If this instant love of Mia for stalker-Jeremy isn't bad enough it gets worse. When Mia discovers that Jeremy was the one standing above her bed with a knife trying to kill her she gets a little angry. Does she avoid this creepy-boy? No, she falls in love with him and starts making out with him. I guess if people trying to kill you is what does it for you...but seriously what is up with this kind of relationship? Are these the kind of role-models we want YA readers to read about...seriously?

I wish I could say that was the end of the rant but it's not. This story is basically about two groups vying for Mia's "powers". The Followers and the Seekers. The Followers are uber-religious freaks who want the world to end because we are all sinners. The Seekers are uber-anti-religious freaks who want to save humanity I think...actually I am not sure of their agenda...the only thing made really clear about the Seekers is that they hate the Followers. If you are religious or non-religious you will find parts of this book offensive. Personally I don't care one way or the other, I just don't like reading books with a overly-religion driven plotline. So yeah, I pretty much thought all the fire and brimstone sermons were a bummer to read through. I didn't really enjoy anything that drove this story.

The book is decently written, the plot is pretty simple, but technically there was nothing wrong with it. It seems like a fairly self-contained story; everything was well wrapped-up.

Overall this book just wasn't for me. There is nothing technically wrong with it. The characters are so-so, there is that wonderful teenage boy stalks teenage girl and she likes it thing going on (which I can't stand), and the plotline is heavily religious but not really pro-religion (so there should be things in here to offend people from both camps). In general I was just disappointed, this could have been an awesome book...there are some really awesome ideas in here. Instead you get some typical YA themes with some lackluster characters. I would steer clear of this book and read some other apocalyptic YA like Blood Red Road, Hunger Games or Divergent.

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I have been on a little bit of a young adult kick lately, but I started to get worried when the plots began to blend together and all the books I was reading seemed to be very similar. Luckily, Struck is not one of those novels. It stands out among the crowd and will demand your full and undivided

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attention. I devoured the entire novel in one sitting. It is over three hundred fifty pages so it is not a small book, but I could not walk away from it without knowing the outcome.

The best part of this book was Mia. She was a strong leading female who did not just follow along with the crowd. She asks questions, she watches out for those she loves and she makes her own path. Mia is constantly fed a plethora of information from those around her. I admired her for taking the time to process what she is told and come to her own conclusions, not just jump on the bandwagon of others because they are pressuring her. One of the people vying for her attention is Jeremy. I clicked with him right from the start. It’s always the mysterious ones that I find intriguing and he was no exception. Part of what won me over was his habit of always looking out for what was best for Mia and not trying to get something out of it. Not everyone in her life was doing that, most of them wanted something for themselves and his intentions always seemed genuine and pure. His past is an enigma for most of the novel and by the end there are quite a few interesting revelations about him that I would never have guessed, but I really enjoyed him as a character.

There is a little romance in this book, but it does take a while for it to grow into something Mia is willing to fight for. While I am usually a big fan of the romance taking center stage, I appreciated Jennifer keeping it in the background for most of the novel. There were too many other events that needed to take place before Mia and Jeremy could make sense of what they were feeling for one another. Plus, Mia needed to discover more about herself and where she stands with the events unfolding around her before she could have some else stand beside her.

I cannot review this book without talking about the religion that is laced throughout. I know people can hear religion and run for the hills, but I promise you it is not like that with this book. In Struck, there is a Prophet who says God talks to him and tells him when the end of the world is coming so he is gathering followers. He predicts the end to be three days after when the book begins and this fuels most of the conflict in this world. It reflects much of what already surrounds us in society today with the end of the world theories piling up day after day. I am not really a fan of religious fanatics myself and would agree with Mia when she thinks:



“I had a special dislike for any organization, religious or otherwise, that pointed their finger at this person or that person and condemned them as evil…”

Just because there is religion in Struck does not mean it is pushed on you in any way. It is just a new take on an apocalyptic scenario and one that I found very interesting.

Another element that plays into this book is the survivors of lightning strikes. They posses something that many in this book refer to as “the spark” and have talents they can put to use because of it. Mia lists some of the side effects of a lighting strike at the start of the novel, but what she comes to discover is that not all of the effects are physical or are even ones that a doctor could explain. Mind reading, visions and many other things can take root in a person after they are struck and be used to help or harm society. Mia is not exactly sure of all the ways lightning has affected her, but as she learns more about others like her, she discovers she may hold more power than she ever thought possible. Storms have always fascinated me, lighting included, and Struck just amped up my interest in them. I don’t think I will be able to look at lighting quite the same way again.

The ending of Struck had my heart pumping so fast, I was flying through the pages. There are so many things happening and my eyes could hardly read fast enough. I thought I had almost everything figured out, but Jennifer definitely saved some of the best plot twists for the end. An array of emotions played through Mia and I felt all of them right along with her. I was very satisfied with the ending and can see this as a stand-alone novel, but have my fingers crossed that we have not seen the end to this world.

Honestly, I could keep going about this book, but this review is starting to get a little long, so I am just going to encourage you to read this book for yourself. In a young adult world fill with the same story recycled constantly, Struck is a powerfully original debut that will keep you up well past your bedtime to finish! It will suck you in from the first page and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last. I have been finished with the book for a while and as I write this review I still have climax replaying through my brain. I know this is a book I will not forget and Jennifer has made a lifelong fan out of me.

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The premise of this novel really intrigued me. A girl who wants to be struck by lightning? Definitely different. What really surprised me once I started reading it was how much the book dealt with religion.

When the story begins, Los Angeles has been hit by a massive earthquake and the city is

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devastated. There was much loss of life, and many have been left homeless. It's also mentioned that a major hurricane has wiped out a lot of the Gulf Coast and other plagues and natural disasters have affected other parts of the world. Thanks to a man who calls himself Prophet, many people believe that the end of the world is coming. Prophet spoke of the quake hours before it happened on his television show, so people are inclined to listen to him. His message is simple: Join him and be saved, or die when the end comes.

Not everyone believes Prophet, and Mia is one of them. Her mother, who was hurt and almost died in the quake, spends her days lying in bed watching Prophet's telecasts. She's terrified of the end of the world that is supposedly coming in a matter of a few days, and this drives Mia crazy.

When Mia meets a mysterious boy who warns her against both Prophet, as well as another "cult" who wants to take down Prophet and his group, she has no idea where to turn. Both groups want Mia, but which group should she trust -- can she trust? It's obvious they want her for something, and she can't help but think she may have something to do with the end of the world.

The story itself was very intriguing and moved at a brisk pace. I loved Ms. Bosworth's style and voice, and she kept me on edge for most of the book. My problem came toward the end, when the big reveal takes place and the culmination of events kind of fizzled. I was expecting a huge climax, because honestly, in my opinion, the book needed it after the tension-filled build up. For me, it was a little disappointing. I'm not sure what I wanted exactly. There were several different ways it could have ended. I guess I just felt everything was tied up a little too nicely.

All in all, it's a descent read, but it left me feeling slightly underwhelmed.

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As much as I wanted to love this one, I didn't. The idea was incredible, a girl that could continuously be struck by lightning and not be killed, how could that be? What genetic malfunction caused that? Or was it some type of experiment? Or was it Earth's polluted air as there are others that have

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been struck more than once and lived, but not to the extent that Mia has. She craves it like a drug and can use it like fire.
That question is never broached nor answered in this novel. Not once does even Mia question "Why me?" Given what she experiences, I think she's entitled to a little why me, but never does it cross her thoughts. I think that was a big part of the world building that was left out.

The devastation in L.A. after a catastrophic earthquake is complete. Numbers aren't even discussed as far as the scale goes. Thousands have died. Roads have gaping holes in them, chasms that go down so far you can't see the bottom. The earthquake is caused by a lightning strike on a fault line. I don't know if that is or isn't possible, it's one of those things I can buy into without knowing the truth of it. There are displaced people camping on the beach, Venice beach is right down the street from where Mia and her brother Parker and her catatonic mother live. Her mother wasn't found for four days after she was trapped in the debris of a building. Just as with any catastrophic natural disaster, food and water is in short supply. Somehow Mia had water and electricity and even Internet and t.v. again, a premise I'll buy into.
I just think about New Orleans and the Gulf Coast after Katrina and it's a little hard to believe. But, hey maybe that little pocket was far enough away that it had electricity. Everyone seemed to have t.v.'s in order to watch Prophet's t.v. show.

The characters-Mia is the main character and I don't understand her need for lightning. If I just knew her need for it, I think I could understand how she puts up with boiling blood and feverish skin and an hour or so of sleep at night. The way she describes it all, it sounds painful, yet the pain is welcome to her. And then there is the fact that she has to wear turtlenecks, long pants and gloves to cover the scars the lightning has left on her body. If you watch the trailer you'll see that all her veins look like they are popped up and red, crimson on her skin, like a road map. As far as who Mia is, she's a good character.
She seemed like she was close to her brother, but then kept secrets from him. And I realize there wouldn't have been a certain story arc if she'd been honest with him, but I didn't understand why she didn't come clean. There wasn't any mistrust between them. But, then, Mia has two cults basically fighting for her, both using unfair tactics to get her into their group. To her credit, she is so strong and smart, she is able to avoid joining both even when she's surrounded by the group and escape seems an impossibility. Her kryptonite is her family and both cults use that against her. But, you can't fault a girl for loving her family too much, especially when she almost lost her mother once.

There is a religious aspect to it, but I have a hard time relating it to a real religion. The Prophet is one side that wants Mia and he's preaching the end of the world and God speaks to him etc. And his Followers go around telling people they will all die in the fiery pits of hell unless they accept the Prophet's ways and become a believer in God. It's more of a cult than a religion. I don't like religious books and this was really more fanaticism than religion.

So, should you read this book? It seems like I didn't like it as I read over what I've written and I'm not even going to get started on the romance that happens over four or five days. And literally goes from one extreme to the other. I'm thinking that if you think the end of the world is coming or in catastrophic situations which are happening not just in L.A. but all over the world, maybe you do fall for someone quickly in an attempt to have someone for companionship. So that I'll give a pass.
The premise for it is incredibly amazing and I think, seeing that this is a series, I will get the explanation that I need for why Mia is the way she is and what is going on with the world. I'll understand the cults and everyone's role in it. And did I say anything about the writing? It's superb! Great descriptions, using words in a new way to describe the same old thing so that you see it in a brand new way. Like the Prophet's "snowy hair avalanched over his shoulders, thick and frosty as a polar bear's pelt" Kindle ARC
Everything was fresh and very original. A lot of the character's need some depth, I'm sure later to come.
Oh, and there is a lot of action. A lot of action! With two cults after you, trying to keep tabs on your family, the displaced eyeing you all the time, a yummy motorcycle riding love interest and trying to keep herself from being drawn to The Waste, downtown LA where the energy crackles in the air from the lightning, Mia is one very busy girl! So yes, I think you should read it and I'll be waiting for the next novel to see if my questions get answered.

***And please remember, though I had some problems with the novel, I finished it rather quickly, the ending is so spectacular, you can't help but hold your breath. And again the writer's words add so much to the experience.***

I received an ARC from the publishers Farrar,Straus, Giroux through Net Galley. This in no way influenced my review .

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What I Loved
Hook
The prologue hooked me from the very beginning, after I read those two short page I was like, "WOW! I really have to do some intense reading like now!" The quote that really had me very intrigued was "My name is Mia Price, and I'm a human lightening rod. Do they make a support group

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for that? They should, and let me tell you why. My name is Mia Price, and I'm a lightening addict!" This prologue sets the tone for the whole book.
Characters
Mia: I really enjoyed her character, she is the ever reluctant hero of the story. She just wants to be left alone and not bothered about her weird freakish dangerous addiction. I was completely intrigued by her ability to survive and crave so many lightening strikes. Love her ever stubborn attitude and completely loyalty and protectiveness to her family.
Jeremy: The mystery boy know one knows anything about. All the information about him doesn't get fully unveiled till the end of the story, but I had a feeling I knew where he was from by the last third of the book and oh man is it good.
Romance
As I like to put it the book has a side of romance. The main story doesn't fully focus on Mia and Jeremy's interest in each other. For me it was the perfect about, just enough for me to become invested in their happiness together.
Story
The majority of the book, besides the prologue and epilogue, took place over three days. Those three days contained a lot of information and action. Mass hysteria, starvation, end of the world predictions make for the perfect time for a religious fanatic to step in and control people with their fears. It is some crazy and intense stuff all throughout the book.

Love to Hate
I hate the evil/bad person being a religious fanatic, they scare me more then anything because there is no reasoning with them. But at the same time they make for the greatest villains in books because they are complete nut jobs and I get strong feelings against them.

Recommendation
A great read, got to go pick it up

Information
Struck Series
Prophet short story prequel
Struck
Currently Struck is a stand alone book with no more books under contract, but Jennifer has more planned.

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Life changed drastically after a major earthquake struck, destroying large parts of LA. Mia, who has been struck by lightning repeatedly, finds herself torn between two groups who desperately want her to join them. The Followers are under the sway of Prophet, an evangelic preacher. The Seekers come

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across as desperate and needy, and want Mia for a martyr. Mia must decide what to do before the end of the world strikes.

This book was well written and very engaging. The characters were interesting and I learned a bit about what happens when lightning strikes a person. At times the book was slow and I thought it was pretty predictable at times. Despite those flaws, I think many teenage girls will pick up the book and enjoy it.

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Whoa! This was my reaction when I saw the cover of this book and what I felt as I finished the last page. To say this book was good is a complete understatement. It was amazing and incredible. And I must thank Jennifer for sending me a copy.

They say lightning never strikes the same place twice,

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right? That isn’t the case for 17 year old Mia Price. She is craves the lightning and has been struck more times than she can count. A terrible earthquake has hit Los Angeles. People live in fear craving comfort; afraid of what’s going to happen next. They look towards religion, listening to the Prophet as he preaches the end of the world.

How does one trust when so many are lying to you? How do you know the truth? Do you go with your gut instinct? What happens when the ones you love won't even speak to you?

This is a great read for those who loved The Gone Series by Michael Grant. All I can say I never expected such an ending.

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Mia Price and her family moved to Los Angeles because lightning rarely strikes there. Mia is a lightning addict and has been struck countless times. Red lightning scars cover her body, a mark of each strike. A huge earthquake hits LA, leaving devastation in its wake and thousands of people

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displaced, injured, traumatized, or dead. Mia is trying to pick up the pieces of her family and make them whole again. Her mother is practically catatonic and her brother is distant. She and her brother go back to school to get rations from the government and they are approached by two different cult-like groups: the Followers of the Prophet and the Seekers. Both want to enlist Mia for their cause and are kind of creepy. The Followers and the Prophet paint themselves as God's chosen ones and claim to know the exact date of the end of the world. The Seekers want to stop the Followers. Mia just wants to be left alone to pick up the pieces of her life, but she gets sucked into the two cults' conflict anyway. Which side will she eventually end up on?

I really like a lot of the concepts in Struck, particularly the warring cult groups, the setting, and the supernatural aspects. Religious fanaticism is one of the scariest things in the world to me. Anyone can interpret religious texts to say whatever they want and manipulate a group of people into doing insane things as a result. The Followers and their blank, serene stares and their all white clothes are just creepy. The Seekers are slightly less creepy, but not by much with their brands, masks, and red cloaks. People in this book and in real life do the most horrible things in the name of religion and it makes me sick. This aspect is by far the most disturbing thing in the novel. I love the setting in Los Angeles. It's one of my favorite cities and I have been to most of the places she talks about, so I can easily envision how it would look all ruined and post-apocalyptic. The supernatural aspects like her affinity for lightning and the powers of the different groups are unique and never really explained. I enjoyed that it was simply a part of this universe and a different kind of power than is typical.

I have a few problems with the novel. First of all, Jeremy is plain creepy. A guy trying to kill you in the night with a knife is a not a cue to ask him on a date. News flash: abusive, dangerous guys are not sexy and never will be sexy. Please stop writing them this way. Mia had a lot of decision making problems throughout the novel that were kind of annoying. I also just felt that there was something missing in the book. It was all pretty straight forward and the ending fell a little flat to me.

Overall, Struck is a fun YA dystopia that brings in elements I haven't seen mixed together like creepy cults, lightning and energy powers, and LA in ruins. I would definitely read what Jennifer Bosworth writes next.

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3.5/5 stars.

Struck was an interesting read for me; I'm sort of over the whole dystopian thing, but the "it's the end of the world as we know it"-type books where time is ticking away toward a huge apocalypse hold quite a bit of interest for me. I was also intrigued by the idea of a girl who longs

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to be struck by lightning, and has already been struck several times. Add to that the religious intrigue - it's the end of the world so OF COURSE we have a crazy cult proselytizing to everyone and telling them they have to join them if they want to be saved - plus quite a lot of personal family drama surrounding our main character, and you wind up with a book that was pretty engaging from start to finish.

I thoroughly enjoyed the author's way with words, and the way she built suspense; each of the book parts was labeled according to the days left until this supposed "end of the world" storm hits, which helped you keep track of what was happening and when. Jeremy, the main male character and romantic interest, also has the ability to see things that are going to happen, which also helps keep the reader interested. Or at least it kept ME interested, because I wanted to know if he was right or wrong. There's a paranormal aspect with this book as well, in terms of the characters' abilities, and I enjoyed the whole concept behind the abilities and how said abilities came about. I also want to give props for the author's world-building; the descriptions used to describe a ravaged Los Angeles, and the people's attitudes was absolutely first-rate, and that also goes for the backstories of the characters and how they came to be the way they are.

My one problem was that it took Mia a very long time - like 300 pages - to figure out what was going on, when I was fairly certain what was going on just a few chapters into the book. Nonetheless, there was enough drama going on elsewhere in the book that it continued to hold my attention. And the part of me that grew up reading cheap romance novels just wants to mention that the kissing scenes between Mia and Jeremy were exceptionally well written and, quite frankly, very hot, which is always a plus in my book!

While not being the best book in the world, Struck was an entertaining read that kept me thoroughly interested in what was happening in its pages. Mia is a strong, stubborn girl who tries to do what's best for those she loves, and makes a lot of mistakes along the way. I appreciated the thought put in to the author's world-building and the interesting look at the fanaticism of religion in a very dark time. If you're looking for a well-developed book about the impending apocalypse, I'd definitely recommend this one!

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Struck wasn't what I expected. Something about that blurb just made me think that this novel was going to head in a different direction than it actually did. While this did bother me somewhat at first, I quickly got over it. Despite my misconceptions, Struck turned out to be a fantastic novel with

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fast-paced action, a fantastic main character, great writing and a completely engrossing plot that made me desperate for more.

Mia has been struck by lightening hundreds of times in her life -and shes' still alive. In fact, she seems to attract the lightening. Once in Los Angeles, Mia hopes that she's safe from the lightening, only to find that a devastating earthquake devastates the city, and everything is plunged into chaos of end-of-the-world proportions. The city is overrun by strange cults, and isn't not long until Mia finds herself drawn into the strange web of religion, romance, betrayal and the end of the world.

I was most surprised at author Jennifer Bosworth's heavy use of religion in the novel. While I was a little concerned about where it might be going, Bosworth handles the topic brilliantly, and uses it as an effective device to create a fascinating, tight plot with interesting comments about how humanity acts in the face of oblivion. The use of religion and prophets might make some people uncomfortable, but I thought it was intelligently executed without becoming an attack on religion.

From the very beginning, I was drawn into Bosworth's writing style: crisp, clean and strong as well as emotional and descriptive. Not only that, but she does an excellent job of balancing emotion with character development, plot and description to create a unified and well-woven novel that's got all the right elements. And Bosworth doesn't let the reader down -Struck offers endless twists and an action-packed ending of epic awesome that's beyond satisfying.

It's been a long time since I've read a book that was the complete package, and Struck has it all. More intelligent and powerful than the average YA novel, Struck is an electrifying debut that hits all the right buttons.

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This had the potential to rock my socks off: a new twist on the dystopia trend so prevalent in today's YA market (religion versus progress), an intriguing 'hook' for the main character of Mia (tell me more of this 'lightning addict!'), and a post-apocalyptic setting of a toppled and chaotic Los

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Angeles ("Hell-A") - what could be more intimidating for a struggling seventeen year old? I wanted to love it, and almost almost did before Struck and main character Mia, let the ball drop. Unfortunately the execution falters in delivering the most interesting and promised aspects of the novel; Struck gets a bit too caught up in the religious overtones to the overall detriment of the far-more-original lightning addict part. Less religion, more natural disasters, please! This is a bit of an uneven read; the first-half of the novel is far stronger than the the middle and ending, and by the time it came to turn the final page, I was more than ready to put this down.

Like I said, Struck gets off to a great and original start - it's nearly impossible to not be pulled in and intrigued by Mia's introductory paragraph - and if only that level of uniqueness had continued, this would be a much different review for a much different novel. But enough with what could've been. Mia herself is plucky, determined and cutthroat for her circumstances; no wishy washy bullshit about survival here. With a younger sibling and a mentally incapacitated Mom after the earthquakes, (Katniss, is that you?) Mia's situation is hardly revelatory, nor is her position as head of the family, but she works well in that capacity. Mia will do what is necessary for her and her brother to survive and it's always easy to admire and root for a fighter/survivor. What is less easy to admire about Mia is how completely and totally brainlessly she can and does act during the book. She makes dumb, plot-advancing, obvious decisions that keep her in the dark, goes out of her way to be outside of communication with anyone else, which, consequently, lands her into trouble/danger fairly frequently.

In this earthquake-rocked future, Mia's constantly caught between two massive cults vying for power and influence after the world ended: the religious Followers of the Prophet and the cryptic and mysterious anti-Prophet "Seekers". With her mom going one way and her brother going the other, it's easy to understand Mia's motivations for distrusting both powerbases. For one: both groups are unnecessarily and repeatedly cryptic with what they want and two they're both presented as sinister. For the much of the bulk of the novel, the reader has absolutely no idea why Mia is so important. It's quite frustating reading endless rigamarole, obvious traps and lies without having any idea why such manuevering is needed. While I get doign the "big reveal" closer to the end, I might've bough the machinations of both cults more if I knew the reasons. I might've tolerated the wait better if anything to do with the lightning had been shown, but no. For a book about a lightning "addict", there's very little explained about the phenomenon. I just wish there'd been much less discussion on religion and the Prophet versus the dangerous and Spark-enhanced Seekers, and more about the natural disasters/Mia's lightning.

I felt very unsatisfied with the worldbuilding here. There are some details given initially that seemed to bode well for how this vision of Armageddon would commence but they dried up early in favor of religious fervor and drama. The infodumps used to indoctrinate the readers aren't as bad as the ones in say, The Rook, which had chapters and chapters of amusing and diverting details, but they aren't camouflaged very well either. Eavesdropping, remedial lessons, etc. serve to inject the slight history needed but it felt incomplete. Another issue not explained to my satisfaction was the relationship the "conductors" and the "bonds" used for the lightning - Bosworth kinda throws the ideas out there fairly early on in Struck, but never fully comes back around to expand on how such a thing is done. The romance angle (you knew there had to be one..) ... I'm not even going to fully go there. Let's just say I called Jeremy's big twist very very early on (it's incredibly obvious and telegraphed to the audience early) and I wasn't a huge fan of his motivation, characterization or actions. While he doesn't inspire me to the anger that many, many other YA male love interests do, he's no prince either.The repeated cyrpyic remarks he refuses to clarify, the required mysterious and painful past... I just found him to be too much of a cliche to invest overmuch in him. Mia, though not what I wanted, at least has the distinction of being a three-dimensional, original character/

To put it baldly and in the simplest terms: Struck just plain-old disappointed me, but it isn't necessarily a bad book - it's just not for me. All that potential and what I got was far from what was anticipated from the blurb and synopsis. There are kernels of a good story here in Struck and Mia is far from the worst protagonist I've come across, but in the end, I must go with my conscious and admit this left a lot to be desired upon finishing.

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I really, really wanted to love this book. Absolutely everything about it sounded so completely awesome to me: girl with magical powers from lightning, earthquakes, dystopia, cults. The plot sounded so intriguing and unique, and right up my fantastical alley. Unfortunately, the book really just did

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not work for me, from the beginning to the end.

From the very beginning, I sensed that I was going to have some serious trouble with this particular read. Very early on, Mia, who suffers from insomnia, manages to fall asleep. She wakes up in the middle of the night to see a boy standing over her bed holding a knife. He drops the knife, picks it up and leaves, all while she watches. Then SHE GOES BACK TO SLEEP. Not what I would do but she thought it was a nightmare, so okay. In the morning when she wakes up, she notices a cut in the floor right where the dream dropped a knife AND SHE STILL THINKS IT WAS A NIGHTMARE. This may be a small point, but I really could not get past it, and it's a perfect example of why I could not relate to Mia.

Normally, I really identify with main characters that are outcasts, because I know what that feels like. Maybe if there had been a bit more background about Mia and her family I would feel more attached. As it is, I was just frustrated by her inability to put things together. Realizing she was NOT dreaming takes her forever, even though it was INCREDIBLY obvious to me (and I really don't think that's a spoiler, since there was a cut in the freaking floor).

Another example is that, as all of the paranormal business gets explained to her, they keep mentioning a quality she has in excess but other people have somewhat. I swear it takes her like a hundred pages to figure out where that power came from, when I totally thought we all knew from the beginning and it hadn't been stated explicitly because it was so obvious no one needed to. About a hundred pages later, she has another revelation that was clearly the plot of the novel. The main character should not be so incredibly shocked to learn things on page 300 that I knew on page 25.

None of the other characters felt especially real to me, either. The one we get closest to is Jeremy, who is described as looking "like a European underwear model," except for the Clark Kent glasses he wears to hide his "beautifully tortured blue eyes." When I read those bits, I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. Why can't Jeremy just be an attractive, real person? Why does he have to look like an underwear model, specifically European? What are beautifully tortured eyes? None of the other characters really seemed to have much depth to me, though, to be fair, there's a reason Mia's mom is catatonic through to much of it.

Then there are the cults. They're fascinating and terrifying, yes, but I feel like I don't really know anything about them. The Prophet's crew reminds me of the church in True Blood. They're crazy, and they don't require too much of a mental leap to imagine, but I'm having real trouble with the Seekers. It would be one thing if they formed to combat the crazies in white, but they came from some prophecy from yesteryear. How did they know? And how did they maintain interest for so long?

That's one thing I wonder about. The powers are seriously cool, and fortune-telling certainly is one of them. What I wonder, though, is where the heck these powers came from. Am I supposed to see them as coincidental? Is there some sort of god granting the powers? I just don't know.

Something else I would really like to know: WHAT'S HAPPENING IN NOT L.A.? L. A has a devestating earthquake, thousands die, and no one comes to help? The rest of the country just leaves the city to die of starvation and to be taken over by a crazy cult? I don't have much faith in humanity particularly, but I'm pretty sure their would be support from the government, like food and aid workers, unless there was drama going down elsewhere too. There is no mention of this, though. What's going on?

As you can see, I was left with more questions than anything. The concept here is great. Bosworth's writing definitely shows promise, and she definitely had a style to her syntax. I also really appreciate that she did not shy away from touchy subjects. Though this came out as a resounding meh for me, I am definitely not writing Bosworth off completely. There was enough good here, in the concept and writing, to give her another chance. I hope to find her next book a bit more well-planned.

Seriously guys, do not judge this one off of me alone, because I know other folks really enjoyed it. Just because I wasn't impressed, doesn't mean you won't be blown away by it.

Note: on my blog's rating system, I gave this a 2.5. According to Goodreads, it's a 1 because I was closer to didn't like it than to it was ok. Overall, I felt meh, but I think it needs serious work. I'm not left angry, mostly just disappointed.

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Struck is a highly unique book that is sure to stand out in 2012. I was so excited about this one! There are so many of these end-of-the-world books out there at the moment that they sometimes start to blend into each other but Struck is very different and certainly has a unique feel to it. Even

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the cover is striking and the description makes it sound very intense!

I didn't love this one but I did really like it. Mia Price is a lightning addict- not something you hear about everyday! The place where she's living has been devastated by a terrible earthquake and cults start forming, each claiming their way is the best way to deal with the disaster they believe is on its way. I loved learning about these different groups and the religious group was fascinating. Scary- but fascinating! Mia has no idea what she's going to do; she can't seem to trust anybody and they're all after her.

Not only does Mia have the end of the world to worry about, she's also having family troubles. Her mother is slowly losing her mind and Mia is struggling to find the drugs to help her. She also worried about her younger brother and has no idea how to protect him. Then along comes the mystery guy, Jeremy, just to add to Mia's confusion! I did like Jeremy but I don't feel we got to know him very well until the very end so the reader doesn't really get much of a chance to connect with him so that took the spark out of their relationship for me.

This book is pretty intense but it did move way too slow for me. I felt like I was waiting and waiting for the story to get to the point. A lot of the time, we're just getting Mia's thoughts and nothing else is really happening. I would have loved this one if it had moved faster! I was dying to know what was going to happen but was almost fed up by the time we got there. I do think lots of people will adore this one. It's so different and some parts so possible that it's sure to be a winner with many people.

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Warring religious cults battling for power after an apocalypse level disaster shreds civil order, a teenage girl irresistibly drawn to lightning which scars her body and bestows a power she can’t control, Los Angeles in ruins after a powerful storm destabilizes a geological fault and sets off a

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calamitous earthquake--it can’t get much more exciting than that.

Mia Price, lightning addict. has survived countless strikes and so is being pursued by both the Seekers and the Followers, rival cults who hope to make use of her power, but Mia is more concerned about keeping her family safe. Her mother is in thrall to the telegenic leader of the Followers and her brother is far too trusting for his own good in the barely functioning world they now live in. There’s also a cute but enigmatic and possibly dangerous boy, Jeremy, who’s constantly showing up and telling Mia what she should do but refusing to explain why.

I’m always slightly irritated by stories that depend on people not explaining themselves, but, that weakness aside, for me Struck lives up to its high tension premise. The strong relationship between Mia and her family gives this aftermath of a disaster story a poignant intimacy, and I love that the author made belief movements spawned by calamity part of the plot.

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According to the National Weather Service, the odds that you'll be struck by lightning (at all) even once in your life is about 1 in 10,000. Mia Price probably skews those odds, though. She's been stuck by lightning more times than she can count.

The beautiful, burning pain of each strike has left

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her addicted, drawn to lightning and the next time it decides to shoot down from the sky and hit her.

After an incident that forced Mia and her family to leave their hometown in Arizona, however, they've moved to Los Angeles - the city where it supposedly never rains. Several weeks ago there was a giant earthquake, part of a series of natural and other disasters across the world, that all but leveled the city of Los Angeles and the surrounding area. In this post-apocalyptic time, Mia is struggling to maintain order in her life and that of her younger brother, Parker - all while helping her mother through her shock and depression.

As school starts back, Mia is forced to leave her mother home all day - watching Prophet's The Hour of Light Prophet, a self proclaimed prophet of God (who hears the voice of God) predicted the quake and has gained more and more Followers since.

Between Mia's ability to absorb lightning strikes and not die, Prophet and whatever he and his Followers have planned - or claim to know about, as well as the new people she encounters at school, Mia has her work cut out for her just surviving. And, perhaps, making sure everyone else does, too.


Whether it was because I didn't read the synopsis fully or something else, Struck was not at all what I expected (and by now I've completely forgotten what ever it was I did expect). I love that it has so many elements - Mia and the lightning, it's post-apocalyptic, the fanatical Prophet and his Followers evangelizing all over town, the religious end of the world element (through Prophet), some good vs evil, and of let's not forget, some romance - yet they all work together.

Mia and Jeremy are definitely the strongest characters in Struck. The other - Parker, Katrina, Mia's mother, etc - aren't quite as strong and in a few scenes I did wish for a little more from them, but I love that we're given so much description for them. It's easy to picture the characters of Struck, Jennifer Bosworth does an excellent job describing not not only their physical attributes but also the feelings they give off to other characters - it makes them easy to picture right away.

The relationship between Mia and Jeremy will leave you not only pulling for them, but also hoping everyone makes it out of it in one piece.

The description of Los Angeles is also nice. We don't get all of it right away. As things are told by Mia, readers learn about different things and places as she either goes to those places or hears about them. It's still a fantastic job of building the world of Los Angeles after it's been quite nearly destroyed by a giant earthquake.

Plot twists in Struck never failed to grab me - especially towards the end. Things really came together beautifully then (including just what Mia's lightning attraction really was and what it meant as I was somehow not quite grasping all of it earlier).

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I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for reading and reviewing it.

For the first two thirds of this book, I was pretty sure I didn’t like it, yet I couldn’t figure out why. The initial premise seemed exciting and original – Mia has been struck by lightning hundreds of

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times, and has a love/hate relationship with the feelings it producers in her. Additionally, she can channel the energy of the storm, but isn’t sure whether this is a curse or a blessing.

The setting is Los Angeles shortly after a storm (complete with lightning) triggers an earthquake that ravages the city. Mia struggles to hold her family together, as her mother was injured during the quake and is recovering plus there’s also a younger brother to care for. Many of the expected dystopian themes make an appearance, including the disparity between those who have and those who are destitute, along with the struggle to get things ‘back to normal’. There is also the rise of religious fervor, symptoms of stress disorder and the partial breakdown of law and order.

In the end, I think that was the source of my problems with the book – too many varying issues competing for my attention. The religious and anti-religious factions both believe Mia is central to their future plans and try their hardest to recruit her to their side. Then there’s the boy who’s either trying to kill her or save her – Mia isn’t sure which – but who she can’t seem to stay away from. Not knowing who to trust can make things very difficult, but in the first two thirds of the book, I don’t think Mia made a single decision that didn’t irritate me in some way.

Then I came to the last part of the story, and suddenly it seemed like I was reading a different book altogether! The pacing was much better, the action moved along and Mia became a heroine I started to like a little. It helped that the story didn’t quite take the expected route to the conclusion, and I began to find myself devouring the pages to see how things were going to turn out. Also good was that, while this is intended to be a series, the book had a satisfying conclusion with hints that there was more to come.

Generally, this was a good YA read, but not a fantastic one. Still, I would at least try the next book in the series when it comes out, and if it’s written like the last third of this one, I’ll be very happy about that.

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Here's a quick rundown for you since I won't be posting a full review. There was little to no character development and I just didn't like Mia. The writing style felt rushed and so did the ending. I enjoyed the premise, but honestly felt cheated out of the ride to the conclusion.

Find this review and more at On The Shelf!

This was my Random Read for June, and since I was on vacation and finished the book the day I was getting on the plane, I am now able to finally post my review. This was the first book I have read that involves cults, and it sounded like it could be a

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pretty intense read, plus, the book trailer was one of the best I’ve seen. I can’t say this one held up to my expectations, though I did enjoy it I wasn’t blown away by it. The idea of someone being a lightning was also tugging at me to read it, but I didn’t really feel the “addict” part of it.

Mia was mostly a pretty good character. It took a lot to shake her up (it would take a lot to shake me up to if I had been hit my lightning so many times) and she stood her ground for what she believed in. She had a lot of hard decisions to make, sometimes making the obviously wrong ones, and she had a ton to deal with like a stubborn brother and a sick mother.

Jeremy was interesting and I thought it was cute how Mia compared him to Clark Kent at times because of his glasses. By the end of the book, I had some mixed feelings about him because of some of the things that happened. Rachel, one of the main Follower characters, I greatly did not like. If she were a real person, I would have liked to punch her in the face a few times. But, I’m sure this is what the author was going for, so, well done on her.

The book was written pretty well as were the descriptions; I just wasn’t wowed. If you are interested in reading it, by all means, still pick it up because it was an enjoyable read and I liked the way it ended. Also, if you have time you should look up Lichtenburg scars (the scars the MC has), they are pretty awesome looking!

Good descriptions, interesting story, good ending, didn’t wow me.

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Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Though the second half of Struck falls flat, the premise and great narrator leave a strong set-up for a series.

Opening Sentence: I don’t sleep much.

The Review:

Earthquakes and storms have ravaged LA, leaving most of the population homeless.

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With Mia’s mother brainwashed by a powerful televangelist, called Prophet, and her brother trying to join up with the opposing cult, the Seekers, Mia’s having a hard time keeping her family united and sane. Both groups believe the Armageddon is coming. Both think they need Mia’s special ability. It doesn’t help that Jeremy, her beautiful protector, is deliberately vague in warning her away from the Seekers, making Mia wary of trusting him.

Mia’s ability to attract lightning feeds her addiction, but beyond that she’s a very relatable character. I expected, and had hoped, Bosworth would take Mia’s ability much further than she did. I felt so sorry for Mia and everything she went through as an addict, but I wanted to know how it started. My biggest problem was that the plot, such as it is, wouldn’t have existed if Mia had a serious conversation or two. She is not the most intelligent heroine I have ever read. Even Jeremy, whose good looks are really all I liked about him, gave Mia only vague warnings when the truth would have made his point for him. Honestly, the secondary characters were probably the best because they were the only ones who made me yearn to know more about them.

The aspect of Struck I really loved was that in the midst of chaos, black and white all turned dark gray. There’s the evil priest, Prophet, and his flock who are evil, but the alternative group, the Seekers, are only marginally less horrible. The religious mythology Bosworth plays with in Struck is really well done — if you liked Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons, Struck has the same kind of feel to it. Based around religious prophecies and the seventh seal, this is really where the story takes on a more paranormal vibe than science fiction. The intrigue built around these elements gave me chills and added layers to a mystery I otherwise wouldn’t have cared about. I will say, however, there was a lot of fire and brimstone — not in any preachy sort of way, but enough to make me uncomfortable enough to put the book down for a bit.

I will say that Struck has a very unique premise and plot that I think might appeal to a lot of dystopian readers. Though the plot falls flat at times, there are some great action sequences that had me turning pages. Her writing style is well balanced and easy to read; I hope the sequel gives me more cause to connect with Mia — or whoever the narrator is, it could be a spinoff — so I can invest more in the next novel.

Notable Scene:

The heat of the lightning was still burning inside me, making it impossible to think clearly. A man walked toward me with purpose… a man big enough to pick me up and toss me over the edge of the bridge. And he wasn’t alone. The mob pressed in around me, hate in their eyes. Hate and fear.

“You’re evil,” the big man said when he was a few feet away from me. “You killed that girl. You’re evil.” He said it plainly, not as an accusation, but as fact. Everyone knew it. I was evil. I was a murderer.

A monster.

FTC Advisory: Farrar Straus Giroux/Macmillan provided me with a copy of Struck. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

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The plot of Struck is interesting and new. The premise is also believable, that a religious leader could gain so much power and influence after a natural disaster that isolates one of the largest cities in the US. Mia’s addiction to lightening is interesting, and I think the author does a great

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job in balancing the familial and paranormal aspects of her story. I must say that the twist in the plot is pretty obvious. I saw it coming a mile away and wasn’t at all surprised when it was revealed. One of my favourite aspects of the book, however, is the villain. Like the most impressive bad-guys, he is intelligent and ruthless, and his followers are reverent and genuinely believe that are doing the right thing.

Mia’s voice was the first thing that grabbed my attention when I started Struck. She is obviously self sufficient and mature and I enjoyed the way she told her story. Mia loves and protects her brother fiercely, sacrifices everything for her mother and her deep love for her family was wonderful to see. It’s unfortunate that Mia has no close friends throughout the novel as I would have loved to see her connect with someone like a friend. But then, her interactions with Rachel and Jeremy bring that out that part of her a little, so that aspect isn’t lost. The growth of Mia and Jeremy’s relationship was well paced and filled with wariness from Mia’s side so I liked it.

Struck is an enjoyable read and a great debut for Jennifer Bosworth. If there is a sequel then I will definitely want to read it.

You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.

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