Struck by Jennifer Bosworth: Review

Struck
By: Jennifer Bosworth

Mia is addicted to lightning and has been struck numerous times. She loves the thrill of the energy, and her body is covered in scars from the strikes. When an earthquake rocks Los Angeles, Mia is drawn into a war between two cults vying for power in the broken city. She is in a fight to the death to protect herself and her family.

I think the synopsis for Struck made me expect something that I wasn’t ready for. I wasn’t prepared for all the discourse on religion that I found within its pages. I think that if I had a better idea of what the main focus of the book was, I may have skipped this one altogether. Beyond the description and beginning pages, there is little mention of Mia's "addiction" to lightning, and instead focuses on the warring cults. Which is where the book began to go south for me. Although, in some instances, the cult aspect doesn't bother me.

The characters were only so-so. Upon reflection, there really wasn't one that I could connect with, and my like for them was only surface level. Jeremy really wasn't as developed as I would have liked and just served a role as a romantic interest, and a catalyst for Mia's decisions.

I also felt like there were a lot of unexplained things related to the world-building. For instance, the earthquake is localized in Los Angeles, but it seems completely cut off from the rest of the United States. School resumes, and as a way to entice students into attending, they offer rations. It isn't clear where the school gets the rations from, or why the teachers bother showing up. Many of the characters drive cars, but no mention of where they fill up for gas. People attend rave parties, even though they are starving. Some of these elements feel like they would have been better suited for a society that has experienced MANY natural disasters and help will never be on the way.

All in all, Struck had a promising concept that just didn't deliver for me.

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