Struck
Genre:YA/Paranormal
Review
Source: Farrar Straus Giroux
Format: ARC paperback
Goodreads Description:
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.
Review:
Once I started reading this book, I couldn't stop. The story sucked me right in and wouldn't let go. The idea of a person being struck hundreds of times by lightning - and living to tell about it? So cool. That she's addicted to being struck by lightning? A bit weird, but I'm not judging.
The story is set in an apocalyptic world - just as the end of the world is about to happen. There are lots of references to the Bible and to religious theories about the end of the world. I grew up going to church, so these references were normal to me - something I was familiar with. I think that connection made it a bit more exciting and real for me too. Just thinking about the stuff they talk about gives me chills. Anyways, this story is so interesting! Most novels are dystopian or post-apocalyptic. I haven't really came into contact with many that dealt with the apocalypse.
The characters are well rounded and believable. You feel connected to Mia because she's struggling with a lot of the issues that teens deal with - on top of having to deal with her "problem." There's some romance in the book, but it wasn't overly sappy or cheesy. I thought it went well with the story - it didn't overshadow the main plot line. The setting and story building was great. It's told with such realistic detail and great description that I had no problem putting myself into the story with the characters. All in all, this was a wild ride of a book and I loved every minute of it. It's not like anything I've read in a long time and is one of the best books that I've read so far this year. Highly recommended!
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
