Struck

The Los Angeles of Bosworth’s post-apocalyptic vision is doubly damned. First, the city is brought down by a massive earthquake. Then, as the story opens four weeks later, the countdown to the real apocalypse has begun. The rubble is contested by the Followers of Prophet, a quasi-Christian end-times movement that rules the airwaves, and the Seekers, a cult that brands its members and follows the prophecies of a gypsy. Caught between is 17-year-old Mia Price, a self-described “lightning addict” who has survived innumerable direct strikes and craves more. She carries what the Seekers call “the Spark” and is seen by both sides as the key to the approaching cataclysm. Somewhere in the mix, there’s Jeremy, a stalker and maybe worse, who is also the only person asking nothing of Mia except to stay out of the fray. Bosworth’s debut catches attention with vivid descriptions and a snazzy premise that speak to her screenwriting background. But the supporting characters are, by and large, two-dimensional, and the book’s forward momentum is halted by Mia’s inaction and emotional paralysis. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jamie Weiss Chilton, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (May)