Struck – Jennifer Bosworth

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.

Breaking It Down Further: 17-year-old Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s been struck so many times that the lightning has become a part of her – her skin is covered head to toe with red lightning-like scars (Litchenberg figures) which she hides underneath her layers of black clothes. After an earthquake destroys LA – predicted by Rance Ridley Prophet and his cult of Followers, LA is left is in shambles and Mia struggles to take care of her younger brother Parker and her mother who was nearly killed in the quake. When another storm is predicted – one to bring about the end of the world – Mia is caught between two cult-like groups: Prophet and his Followers and dangerous Seekers. Mia has to figure out which side is good and which side is evil, as well as make a leap of faith deciding whether or not to trust her constant pull to Jeremy. In the end, everything rides on Mia as the destructor or savior of the world, and which decision she makes can change the course of life as everyone knows it.

Wow. Okay. Let’s rewind back to the beginning here. I just finished the book and immediately went to start my review because I literally raced through once I got to the breaking point of the book. I needed to know what was happening. What was Mia going to choose? Should she trust Jeremy? Was Jeremy on the side of good or evil? Were the Seekers even good? I mean, I was kind of second guessing in my head the whole time, but I guess that’s what made it so thrilling!

I think what I liked most is that we’re getting the whole thing through Mia and through her eyes only. We don’t get to know the ins and outs of Prophet’s cult, who the Seekers really are, what Jeremy’s agenda is, what Katrina’s secrets are, and where Parker flits off to. I really was left questioning everything and constantly doing so. It just made me want the reveal that much more!

I loooved Jeremy. The whole description about the Clark Kent glasses had me picturing an actual Clark Kent (my mind went to Brandon Routh from Superman Returns, which is a totally perfect image for this kid in my head! Yes, please! I’d be on his side). At first I was like, “Well spit it out already, kid! Are you for the good guys or bad guys?” BUT of course it all gets explained in due time and we find out the reasons why he acts the way he does and (not really a spoiler since it’s in the beginning of the book alert) why he was by Mia’s bed with a knife ready to kill her. Anyhoo… Loved their little lighting/heat connection putting a whole new spin on the heat between two people type phrase!

It was a very interesting use of powers throughout the whole book. At first I thought it was an over-abundance of powers since so many people in the book seem to have them, but geez, I really don’t want to write any spoilers, guys… Just trust me, it all gets explained as to who can do what and why and all that good stuff.  Also, the point of the cults – Actually for me, it was a little too much cult. Two warring groups of cults I guess might start naturally when one arises. One becomes a superpower and you need another super-group to fight back. Not every common person will stand up and do something to stop a cult, hence second cult. Or something like that. I think I just wanted the Seekers to seem a little more “good” and mysterious since to me, cult has such a negative connotation. I guess that’s kind of the point though. We’re always guessing who are the good guys and if the Seekers are working for the right cause or if they really are dangerous and just using Mia. Okay, so I eat my words. Well put… well done.

It was quite the thrilling conclusion, that’s for sure! My mind was racing a mile a minute trying to figure everything out and I really, really enjoyed it! Overall, it was a very exciting read (I guess hence why it was part of the Fierce Reads tour!) and I really look forward to reading more from Jennifer Bosworth! In fact, there’s the mini-story prequel about Prophet and his story on Tor.com that I think I’m going to go read right now!!

I also have to say that hearing Jennifer talk about the book on the Fierce Reads tour was such a fun thing for me. It’s the first time I’ve ever been to an event and it really helped me make a personal connection to the book. I got to hear a little bit more behind it than usual and it made me that much more excited to read it!

Try it!

It was such an exciting book and a really interesting and unique concept. I loved all of the twists and turns and the complete roller coaster adventure that the reader gets take on.

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