A girl struck by lightning hundreds of times holds the fate of the world in her hands
Struck is part of the Debut Author Challenge and is book 1 completed. I had heard all of the fabulous reviews about Struck, so I was eager to read it. I got aboard my first ARC tour naturally.
Struck is as good as everyone has said. Except when I looked closer. When a major earthquake devastates L sometime in the future. There is a man named Prophet who is convinced of the end of the world. He has his Followers who live with him in white tents. They condemn the world saying that only that all the rest of the world will go to hell. That the end of the world is coming soon. Mia Price wants nothing to do with the Seekers. She only wants to protect her mom who loses her mind a little bit more each day and her brother who wants to do whatever he can. When Mia meets Katrina, her world ends. The Seekers believe that those who are struck are meant to save the world, not condemn it. There's also Jeremy, a kid Mia falls in love with and who tells her to stay away from both groups. Mia thinks Jeremy can protect her, but Mia must learn to protect herself.
The characters in this book are strong, really strong. Mia always stays true to herself. Her brother is just as determined and strong as she is. Katrina in the Greek world would be Athena. She's so tough, brave, and never backed down and was one of my favorite characters. Jeremy is mysterious and dark. Mia's mother is calm and gentle, yet confused. All of the characters are very consistent, yet they all go through changes. Nice work on that, Jennifer.
As for the plot, it moves over three days before the storm and the day of the storm. The use of imagery is very powerful in this novel. The tower is the main symbol. Looming over the Waste and the center of the storm. The Waste stands for all that is lost and all that can be lost. The Rover represents a false reality that was before, and can never be returned. The poetry represents an entry way. In the modern world and Mia's, literature is a gateway. A place to somewhere else. The use of fortune telling and tarot cards are symbolize power and uncertainty. Anyways, about the plot. It's hard to exactly figure everything out, because so much is kept in the dark. At the end, everything comes out into the light, however.
The main problem I had with Struck is simply that it twists mankind around some. There is no one except God who can bring about the end of the world. There is no person who can control lightning or storms. There is no person who can cause an earthquake. This book deeply morphs what God has said in Revelation what the end of the world will be like. The redeeming quality is these lines: God is love. Tell the false prophet God is love. False prophet. False God." That is the utter, basic depiction of Struck's plot.
Note: I received this book as part of the Debut Author Challenge ARC tour. This in no way affected my review.
