Struck [Hardcover]

Jennifer Bosworth (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 8, 2012

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...compelling."--BCCB

“With a complex plot, several intriguing characters, and a believable future L.A., this novel should earn a spot on supernatural romance shelves.”--School Library Journal

"Part apocalyptic survival fiction, part supernatural romance, this taut novel is entirely absorbing.”--Horn Book

 “A creative premise and developed setting with a fast, fun...plot." —Kirkus

“Bosworth’s debut catches attention with vivid descriptions and a snazzy premise…”—Publishers Weekly

 

“Cinematic! Struck builds into a massive, darkening, electric storm of a novel.” —Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why and The Future of Us

 

“Fast-paced and crackling with action, Bosworth’s gritty saga of a lightning-kissed girl with a dangerous gift kept me rapt until its final riveting pages. Struck is a striking debut.”  —Ransom Riggs, author of Miss Peregrin’s Home for Peculiar Children

 

“The premise is wonderful . . . This story has a solid build up and a terrific ending.” —Terry Brooks, author of the Word & Void series

 

 

About the Author

Jennifer Bosworth lives in Los Angeles, California, where lightning hardly ever strikes, but when it does she takes cover. She is the writer half of a writer/director team with her husband, Ryan Bosworth. Learn more about her at http://www.jenniferbosworth.com.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1 edition (May 8, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374372837
• ISBN-13: 978-0374372835
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Cults and destruction and lightning--oh my! May 29, 2012

By Mary VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Positive: Cults. Granted with cults, there comes a lot of religion woven throughout the story. However, it's never preachy--it's just a fact of life. The world is coming to an end. It's only logical that many people would turn to religion and, from the masses regaining (or finding) faith, an enigmatic prophet--The Prophet--emerges. He's a man with a plan, one that involves Mia and her lightning-struck self. To some, Mia can save the world. But others fear she'll end it and seek to destroy her first.

Positive: A storm is coming... There's such wonderful build-up about Mia and her potential. I wanted a lot more of Mia and her fascination and connection with lightning and I'm hoping that might evolve in the next novel. She's drawn to the lighting in sick kind of way. It calls to her and, each time she's struck, she adds another disfiguring scar to her collection. Still, she knows when a storm is coming and seeks it out. More lightning and Mia using that lightning to kick butt, please!

Positive/Wish: Jeremy's seemingly dual personalities. When Jeremy first arrives on the scene, he's been stalking Mia, standing outside of her house and staring. At one point, he even breaks into her house and stands over her with a knife. He's supposed to kill her but he can't. Despite his murderous, stalkerish ways (which I wish were a bit less...intense), Jeremy grew on me. He's mysterious (aren't they all?) but he's also sweet, once he decides not to do what he's ordered to do, and he truly cares for Mia and wants what's best for her, unlike just about everyone else in the story.

Wish: Look before you leap, Mia. Being a teen in a pretty terrible world, Mia doesn't always have the luxury of taking her time with things. But there were times where I really wanted to shake her and ask her what in the world she was thinking. Truly, several of the tight spots she got herself in could have been avoided if she'd just thought things through a bit or had a deep conversation with someone.

Overall: STRUCK blazes onto the scene with an electric story filled with enigmatic characters and post-apocalyptic chaos.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A very intriguing read! May 24, 2012

By TheReaderBee

Format:Hardcover

After reading the synopsis for Struck, I was extremely excited to start the book. It sounded completely different than anything I had read lately, and I love finding books that are different from the norm. Struck definitely did not disappoint.

Mia has an addiction; lightning. She's addicted to the lightning that has struck her more times than she can remember. This puts not only herself, but anyone around her in danger. With the city of Los Angeles in a state of disaster, two rivaling cults vying for her attention, and the end of the world bearing down on her shoulders, it's up to Mia to find the power within herself to save the people she loves.

Mia was an interesting character. She was definitely determined to do whatever she had to do to keep her family safe, and she was not a person that was easily swayed. Her addiction to lightning was fascinating. Mia's love interest in the story is the mysterious Jeremy. I like that the romance between the two didn't overpower the storyline of the book. However, it did come off as a bit awkward and rushed for me. I think that is because I didn't really know if I truly liked Jeremy up until the last few chapters of the book.

The world that the author created in the book was easy to envision, eerily enough. This is definitely something that I could see happening in real life; massive earthquakes, and other natural disasters leaving people displaced and helpless. And I could definitely see cults taking advantage of people's fears during a time of chaos and doing exactly what happened in the book. The book had lots of action and suspense, and that definitely kept me flying through the pages.

Overall, I found this to be a very intriguing read. I was hooked to the pages. I should also mention that I love the cover, it's awesome! I'm very curious to read more from this author in the future.

Happy Reading!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great start to a series May 24, 2012

By Amy L. Fournier

Format:Hardcover

* I rated this as 3.5 stars on my blog. It wasn't quite a 4 star book for me, but I felt it deserved more than 3.

When I first heard about this book I was super excited to red it. It just sounded so unique and creative. Being someone who has in fact been struck by lightning, (thought indirectly) it sounded extra appealing to me. (If you want to know more about that feel free to tweet me or email me about it.) It was definitely an interesting book. I liked Mia and some of the other characters. There was a lot of religion in it, and being someone who is not religious I can say it didn't bother me. It wasn't annoyingly preachy, it was just a main part of the story. It was done very well to be honest.

Mia has a special gift though she feels like it's a curse. She doesn't really know the extent of the power she carries from the countless lightning strikes. She has different people telling her who she can and can't trust on opposing sides and she has no clue what to do. I feel like in the situation she is stuck in she really does pretty well. Yes, she makes some bad decisions, but who doesn't. She's confused and trying to take care of her mother who has basically shut down completely after the earthquake.

Jeremy is kind of stalkerish, but it's okay. He's totally hot! Really though, he is a great character. He is a bit creepy, but there is a lot of creepy weird people in this book. When you have the end of the world looking you in the face there are going to be some crazies! He has secrets that he wants to tell, but can't. Well, more he is afraid to than he can't I guess. Anyways, I can't really say much about him except I like him, and I liked him with Mia. He was always there for her when she needed him, even when she didn't know whether to trust him or not.

There is a little romance in this book, but it is really isn't a big in your face, take over the story romance. It was there, it does play a part in the book, but it's not annoying and over the top. I actually thought it was great. A little fast, but hey, the end of the world is coming. Things tend to move a little faster when you only have days left.

This book was fast paced, and kept my interest from beginning to end. There was nothing that stood out as shocking or any big twists, and no major cliffhanger ending, though there is a little bit of something implied. Overall I would have to say this was a well written book that I really enjoyed. It may not have blown me away, but it was a great book. I am undecided between 3 and 4 stars. I think if we knew a little more about these powers the lightning gives and how people came to know about it and start these groups. I would give it 4, but I still feel like there is a little lack of information on why things happen. I am a bit picky with stuff like that. I need a reason for things, even if it's not a very good one.