Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Title: Struck
Author: Jennifer Bosworth
Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult
Publisher:  Doubleday Childrens (26th April 2012)
Blurb:

My name is Mia Price and I am a
LIGHTNING ADDICT.

I want the lightning to find me. I crave it like
LUNGS CRAVE OXYGEN.

Nothing makes you feel more alive than being
STRUCK.

Rating: ** (2 stars)

Review:

There has always been something about lightning that has interested me, even if I am terrified of the reality. The idea of a “lightning addict” sounded really interesting, so I thought I’d give Mia’s story a try.

This is book is not for everyone. The ideas behind it are really interesting, but the execution is a little lacking at times. There is a really strong plot to the book to begin with – the end of the world is nigh – but it just falls apart at the end. There is also a very fanatical Christian – particularly Evangelical – overtone to the book, so if religion just isn’t your thing then you should definitely give this book a miss. I could live with it, but it really permeates the whole story.

Mia is a really strong character. She is very sure of herself, and she cares deeply for her family. Mia is also something of a loner and an outsider, unlike her brother Parker who seems to have a need to fit in. I really enjoyed the prologue of the book where Mia talks frankly about lightning and being struck by it – it was an interesting point of view.

The plot of the book takes place over a relatively short period of time, so there is a rather quick build-up. This works as it creates a lot of tension in the story, and there is a definite feeling of a storm building. Mr. Kale and Prophet are two very interesting and opposing characters. There are some very definite similarities between them, which creates a sense of blurring so it is difficult to know as a reader which one to trust – or not.

I wish I could say that I liked this book, but honestly it was just okay. The ending really did nothing for me as a reader – after all the tension Bosworth builds, it just kinda petered out which was disappointing. If you like the idea of lightning in an apocalyptic world and can cope with a lot of evangelising then you might want to consider trying this book.