Nightstruck - Hardcover

Black, Jenna

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765380048 ISBN 13: 9780765380043

Publisher: Tor Teen, 2016

Synopsis

Nightstruck: the start of a spooky yet romantic dark paranormal horror series from Glimmerglass author Jenna Black.

The night is the enemy, and the city of Philadelphia is its deadliest weapon.

Becket is an ordinary teenage girl, wrestling with the upheaval of her parents' divorce. A studious high school senior, her biggest problems to date have been choosing which colleges to apply to, living up to her parents' ambitious expectations for her, and fighting her secret crush on her best friend's boyfriend. But that all changes on the night she tries to save an innocent life and everything goes horribly wrong.

Unbeknownst to her, Becket has been tricked into opening a door between worlds, allowing a dark magic into the mortal world. As the magic trickles in, the city begins to change at night. Strange creatures roam the streets, and inanimate objects come to life, all of them bloodthirsty and terrifying. The city returns to normal when the sun rises in the morning, and no one can capture the strange changes--such as potholes turning into toothy mouths and wires turning into strangling vines--on film, which prompts the government to declare that the city has been infected with some kind of madness and must be quarantined. Meanwhile, venturing out of one's house at night has become a dangerous proposition, and the moment the sun sets, most of the citizens of the city shut themselves up in their houses and stay there even in the case of dire emergencies.

The magic is openly hostile to most mortals, but there are some individuals it seems to covet, trying to lure them out into the night. While Becket struggles to protect her friends and family from predatory creatures of the night, she is constantly tempted to shrug off all her responsibilities and join them. Joining the night world means being free of not just responsibility, but conscience, and it means no longer caring about the fate of others.

About this title

About the Author

JENNA BLACK received her Bachelor of Arts in physical anthropology and French from Duke University. She is the author of the Faeriewalker series for teens as well as the Morgan Kingsley urban fantasy series.

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Becket thinks her life is already complicated enough with her parents' divorce, college decisions, and obsession with her neighbor who is her best friend's boyfriend. But in an attempt to aid what she believes is an abandoned baby one night, Becket unknowingly unleashes an evil upon Philadelphia. During the day, everything is fine, but at sundown, dark magic appears and wreaks havoc on the innocent. Bizarre sightings of inanimate objects alive and roaming the streets along with other murderous creatures become the norm. To protect its citizens, the city imposes a curfew, but later as the situation becomes more dire, Philadelphia is quarantined with the National Guard called in to restore order. While nothing will stop the wicked black magic, it seeks out Becket and entices her to join with it. Becket knows she is the only one with the power to turn the tide, but does she have the strength and fortitude to do what is right? Black weaves an original tale of heart-pounding terror full of suspense and intrigue. Becket is a likable protagonist—strong-minded and stubborn yet ultimately vulnerable and very human. She and the other well-defined characters drive the action-packed and mystifying plot, which keeps readers hooked to the very last page. VERDICT A captivating start to an up-and-coming series. Sure to be a hit with fans of the occult and supernatural.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

About this edition

• Publisher: Tor Teen
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0765380048
• ISBN 13: 9780765380043
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304