Struck by Rachel Langley - Book Review
Synopsis
The headline read: A Deserted Town: Where Are the Missing?
The missing. That’s what their friends and family had become.
Laney and Leela are identical twins, except for a birthmark and two very different personalities. Home for the summer after college graduation, they go on a camping trip with their two younger siblings. When they return home, they find the town empty. Everyone is missing, including their parents and Laney’s boyfriend, Hollister.
Besides some strange marks on the ground caused by a lightning storm, there aren’t any clues, and without any leads on the disappearances, the police leave the town isolated and closed off. Laney falls into despair, and Leela is not sure how much longer they can remain in their home, hiding from the authorities.
When a mysterious man named Curwen arrives, claiming he wants to help them, Laney and Leela aren’t sure how to proceed. He decides to tell them the truth even though it is forbidden—he works for the leader of an underground resistance, and he knows where their loved ones have been taken. Curwen offers to help the twins on a mission to rescue their parents and Hollister—a mission that could cost them their lives. Can they trust him? He may be their only hope.
The missing. That’s what their friends and family had become.
Laney and Leela are identical twins, except for a birthmark and two very different personalities. Home for the summer after college graduation, they go on a camping trip with their two younger siblings. When they return home, they find the town empty. Everyone is missing, including their parents and Laney’s boyfriend, Hollister.
Besides some strange marks on the ground caused by a lightning storm, there aren’t any clues, and without any leads on the disappearances, the police leave the town isolated and closed off. Laney falls into despair, and Leela is not sure how much longer they can remain in their home, hiding from the authorities.
When a mysterious man named Curwen arrives, claiming he wants to help them, Laney and Leela aren’t sure how to proceed. He decides to tell them the truth even though it is forbidden—he works for the leader of an underground resistance, and he knows where their loved ones have been taken. Curwen offers to help the twins on a mission to rescue their parents and Hollister—a mission that could cost them their lives. Can they trust him? He may be their only hope.
Buy Links
B&N (paperback)
My Review
Struck is a fascinating, unique story that immediately intrigued me and made me want to know what, exactly, was going on. And when the truth behind everything was revealed, I was both surprised and even more curious to see how the story would play out.
Reviewing this book is gonna be hard, mostly because I don't want to spoil anything. And, trust me, almost everything I've wanted to say so far has been spoiler-y. So, I'm going to try and keep this vague and hopefully free of anything that might give the story away.
The story starts off relatively simple. Laney and Leela, the twins, take their younger siblings camping at their "spot", which happens to be a cave. Everything is fine and dandy until a random lighting strike hits the next day on their way home and everyone but Laney, Leela, and the younger sibs disappear. Their entire town, save for them and a couple of lucky people, is gone. Poof. Disappeared into thin air. But where did they go?
And when a mysterious stranger shows up and offers to help the twins find their family, they're reluctant, hesitant, and wary, but eventually they agree to let him help. But the truth he reveals is crazier than they ever could have imagined.
I really, really enjoyed Struck. It was unique and different, and I liked how the story was able to keep me engaged and anxious to see if Curwen would be a good guy, a bad guy, or something perhaps in-between. Would he help the girls get their family back? Was his truth about what happened all a ruse? Like, it was really fascinating to see everything come together.
I thought the plot was really nicely paced. It kept my attention, and I can't say I was ever bored or frustrated with it at all. I didn't want to put it down at times, and I actually flew through it pretty quick. That's how much I liked reading it.
The world building is pretty cool. I felt like I got some good visuals based on how locations were described. I could picture the story playing out in my head from one scene to the next. I think it'd make a cool movie or something.
Overall, I have to say Struck is one book I'm very happy to have taken a chance on this year. It's fresh and fun and exciting. I just wanted a bit more, especially with how it ended.
I give it 4 stars.
Reviewing this book is gonna be hard, mostly because I don't want to spoil anything. And, trust me, almost everything I've wanted to say so far has been spoiler-y. So, I'm going to try and keep this vague and hopefully free of anything that might give the story away.
The story starts off relatively simple. Laney and Leela, the twins, take their younger siblings camping at their "spot", which happens to be a cave. Everything is fine and dandy until a random lighting strike hits the next day on their way home and everyone but Laney, Leela, and the younger sibs disappear. Their entire town, save for them and a couple of lucky people, is gone. Poof. Disappeared into thin air. But where did they go?
And when a mysterious stranger shows up and offers to help the twins find their family, they're reluctant, hesitant, and wary, but eventually they agree to let him help. But the truth he reveals is crazier than they ever could have imagined.
I really, really enjoyed Struck. It was unique and different, and I liked how the story was able to keep me engaged and anxious to see if Curwen would be a good guy, a bad guy, or something perhaps in-between. Would he help the girls get their family back? Was his truth about what happened all a ruse? Like, it was really fascinating to see everything come together.
I thought the plot was really nicely paced. It kept my attention, and I can't say I was ever bored or frustrated with it at all. I didn't want to put it down at times, and I actually flew through it pretty quick. That's how much I liked reading it.
The world building is pretty cool. I felt like I got some good visuals based on how locations were described. I could picture the story playing out in my head from one scene to the next. I think it'd make a cool movie or something.
Overall, I have to say Struck is one book I'm very happy to have taken a chance on this year. It's fresh and fun and exciting. I just wanted a bit more, especially with how it ended.
I give it 4 stars.
Author Bio
Rachel Langley is a Georgia native who graduated with a degree in communications and professional writing. She’s always had a love of words and languages. When she was a young child, she would create characters and conversations in her head; when she learned how to write, she let them come to life on the page. She now makes her home in Charleston, South Carolina. Struck is her first novel.
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