Review - Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

I'd had this book on my to-read list for a looong time. First I wasn't sure whether I wanted to read it or not, since I didn't find anything particularly interesting in the synopsis. Then months later one of my friends read it and said it was good. Great. So I took it up on my list. Still I waited for about half a year to read it, because there was always something else and despite the fact that my friend's opinion kindled my intend to read it, I didn't feel like doing so. However, eventually I decided not to procrastinate any more and now here is my verdict.

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR

Publication:  May 8th 2012

Pages: 373 (Paperback and Hardcover)

              376 (Kindle Edition)

Synopsis:

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.

My thoughts:

Mia Price is a lightning addict girl, who have been struck many times and now is living in Los Angeles, where she fled to since Los Angeles is rarely struck by lightnings. However, an earthquake occurred just a few weeks ago and now everything is chaotic. The city got perished, there are Displaced and Rovers looting and a cult takes over the ruling, governed by a man, who claims himself to be God's Prophet. There is another cult, though, who are exactly the opposite of the Prophet's and their Followers inside and outside as well, and they are trying to stop him and his storm, what he has foreseen to destroy Los Angeles (and the world ?). 

To begin with, I would like to represent to you the base of the built of Ms Bosworth's world. The skeleton of the whole story is the Bible and the novel contains a lot of biblical and Christian complements. I mean it, most of the books consists of it or explained with it. (Rather religion-crazy) prophets, apostles, cults, omens, fortune-tellers, tarot cards, rituals are deeply involved. I don't usually read Christianity books, or rather I've never read a Christianity book and I'm not intending to do so in the future. Not like I have any problem with them, I just don't want to discuss the topic through a book. However, I had no problem with this novel (in this aspect), since it wasn't influential, it didn't mean to sway anybody, it was just an idea to use and it matched with the story. 

On the other hand, I did have problem with how the place was after the earthquake. I'll start off with saying that there were plenty of occurrences, explanations and phases that were off to me. As a result of the earthquake many people lost their homes. It's okay so far. But then, they became the Displaced, who were treated as criminals. Why? They were homeless yes, and they did loot. Still, they weren't dangerous they didn't kill people (based on the little information we get). Also, nobody helped, not any other country or state. It was explained that they were too preoccupied. Yes, the world often a cruel and unfair place, but it doesn't work like this. And the same went to the politicians. Furthermore, I just don't get why the Seekers were called Seekers and at some points the text suggested that the whole world was in danger, sometimes it was just Los Angeles. Long story short, major explanation missing alert. If you like to read about a painstakingly elaborated and flawlessly built world, you may not be completely satisfied. I have to admit, these mistakes took aways some of my excitement.

Apart from these wrongs, I did like the whole lightning addiction stuff and cults and the built of these 'abilities', it's original and exciting. Moreover, there were places that featured such surprises...I'd never been so shocked and that is hard to accomplish.  

I liked Mia, too. She is mature and an interesting character. She's been through a lot and it shows, she is pretty prudent which doesn't mean she's perfect. I could fully relate to her. Jeremy didn't possess an every-day personality as well. He was a very complex person, he had many sides. There were times when he just wanted to run away and did so, yet he wasn't a coward. He wasn't the bad-ass kind, yet he was enchanting. He seemed to be a bit inept in the beginning, yet he was stronger than the most. He had been through a lot, yet he wasn't...no it's not true. He was depressed, yet it didn't mean he was a total hermit.

Rating:

Characters: 4/5

Plot: 3.5/5

Cover: 5/5

Writing (style): 3/5

Overall Rating:   

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About the author:

Jennifer Bosworth lives in Los Angeles, California, where lightning hardly ever strikes, but when it does she takes cover. Learn more about her at http://www.jenniferbosworth.com.