The Catalyst by Helena Coggan... Who's only FIFTEEN!

The Catalyst Untitled Series Book One
Written by Helena Coggan
Dystopian, Fantasy
Published April 14th 2015
448 Pages
Thank you to Hachette Australia
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RATING ★★
Rose Elmsworth has a secret. For eighteen years, the world has been divided into the magically Gifted and the non magical Ashkind, but Rose's identity is far more dangerous.

At fifteen, she has earned herself a place alongside her father in the Department, a brutal law enforcement organisation run by the Gifted to control the Ashkind. But now an old enemy is threatening to start a catastrophic war, and Rose faces a challenging test of her loyalties.

How much does she really know about her father's past? How far is the Department willing to go to keep the peace? And, if the time comes, will Rose choose to protect her secret, or the people she loves?
Fifteen year old Rose has always known she was different, found as an infant and taken in by her adoptive father as only a nineteen year old soldier. They both share the same secret, and where better to hide their true identities than under the nose of the Department. Rose's father works to restore the peace between the Gifted and Ashkind, those who are little more than second class citizens in a world divided by magic and eye colour, determined by your second soul. But before Rose can officially take her place beside her father at the Department, she must undergo the Test. Fail, and her magic will be Leeched, but if her secret is discovered Rose will face a fate worse than death.

The Department's latest case sees Rose embroiled in blackmail. A man has escaped custody and threatens to reveal Rose and her father's secret unless she complies. Rose must go against everything her father has taught her to keep him safe, but what she discovers will have her questioning which side of the civil war she falls upon.

MY THOUGHTS

The Catalyst is a brilliantly unique concept. Society is segregated by those who have the ability of magic and those who do not. Humans evolving and now hold two souls, the secondary entity determining whether or not you're one of the lucky ones. This is where the storyline becomes more involved, as you also have separate groups known as the Leeched, citizens that have failed their Testing as teens and have had their abilities stripped. And the Hybrids, dangerous, unpredictable and illegal. It's explained briefly how humans have come to have two souls inhabiting the one body, but not why. I'm hoping this is addressed in the next installment. I really enjoyed seeing the parental bond between Rose and her father David, something we don't often see in young adult of late.

My main issue was that no one character felt defined, they seemed to blend into one another and all shared the same quirks and idiosyncrasies. Adults shared the same dialect as teens, and all spoke with dramatic pauses, repeating words for effect and crisp pronunciation. If we overlook that the author is only fifteen and only thirteen when the first draft was penned, the switch between characters was jarring and the style of writing felt juvenile at times. The main character in Rose pulling a gun in the workplace because their superior insulted her father for one. But being so young, that level of maturity will come with age and Helena Coggan will be a formidable author. Pared back, the storyline would have been far more engaging and allowed for further character development.

THE VERDICT

I loved the premise, but unfortunately the lack of clarity of characters and maturity let the execution down. There's no doubt that Helena Coggan is an incredible young talent, but needs to include more personality not only within her characters, but storyline as well to tame down the clinical feel. In a few years time and with a little more experience, she'll be a force to be reckoned with.

24 comments

  1. I'm sorry to see that you didn't like this one much. I hate it when the book doesn't live up to the premise. I may not give this one a read now. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
    Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian

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    1. It's still well worth the read though, I seem to be in the minority who couldn't warm to the storyline sadly. Only fifteen years old, it's absolutely incredible! Given a few years and she's going to be a big force to be reckoned with.

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  2. I'll give this a go to see what this is all about...... the premise is very interesting though, magic and non-magic folk.

    Great review:)
    Aparajita @Le' Grande Codex

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    1. It really is. I loved the premise and how unique the storyline is, actually one of the most unique storylines I've come across in a long while. It was just the execution that let it down for me. Would love to see what you think Aparajita, so many readers are absolutely loving this one.

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  3. Aww sad to see that this was a little lacking, but I'm sure the author will improve over time as you said!

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    1. She surely will poppet. She's so young, but my goodness so much promise!

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  4. Oh wow I was not aware that the author was that young. Very interesting concept but nothing that's catching my eye right now, you know? Dystopias are way overdone for me right now so unless it plays into some of my favourite tropes or goes in for the fantasy-dystopai hybrid than I'm quite disinterested. The characters don't sound like they'd be something I'd enjoy reading. A shame really. Thankyou for the beautifully written and honest review, Kelly! I can always count on you x

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    1. I wasn't either until I started reading and had a look on Google. I was feeling a bit of dystopian burn out as it's all been done before. But the concept of Catalyst was so incredibly unique, it actually really surprised me. It was just the execution that I couldn't warm to. But other reviews have absolutely loved it Jess, so you still may want to check it out.

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  5. It's still is amazing, though. To be so young and able to write her first novel. I'm sure she'll grow as a writer in time. :)

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    1. Absolutely incredible isn't it. At that age, all I was concerned about was clothing and boys really. She's already halfway there. A wonderfully unique concept that just needs to be stripped back to allow for more character development. But wow, only fifteen. The mind boggles.

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  6. Wow, that is a VERY young author. It sounds like a really imaginative idea, but needs to be executed a bit better...and more characterization! If you read the sequel, I hope it gets better!

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    1. Me too Lauren. I couldn't have said it better myself. She's an incredible young talent that just needs a bit more experience under her belt, but wow. The premise was so incredibly unique.

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  7. You write such NICE negative reviews, Kelly. Gawsh. I really ought to learn from you instead of going in all sarcasm blazing while I burn Rome or whatever it is I do. BUT ANYWAY. I'm weird. I actually enjoyed this one. xD I thought the world building lacked seriously and there were sooo many plot holes, but I actually quite liked this twist on angels and I loved the dad/daughter relationship. I can't even think of another book that has a good one. (Splintered is the only thing that comes to mind where the dad actually has a decent role to play.) BUT YEAH. It needed help and I agree this author is going to be epic as she gets older.

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    1. Really? I antagonise over books that I haven't enjoyed of have had issues with and try to keep my reviews pretty balanced. I loved the storyline overall too, but I think because it was so action packed, it didn't really have room for character development and more explanation of the second souls. Hopefully that's all included in the next installment. I'd still like to continue the series, because as a debut from an author so young, it was incredible despite it's issues.

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  8. Oh my. I remember this being so hyped over at Twitter. Like everybody was really talking about it because of the very young author. Anyway, not sure I will be touching this one. Looks like the characters are all over the place. Great review Kelly!!

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    1. It's not so much the characters, but the dialogue. Sadly I just couldn't differentiate between each. The adults either sounded like teens, or the teens were too adult like which felt quite odd. There's absolutely no doubt what an incredible talent she is, wait until in a few years time, she'll be brilliant.

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  9. The premise sounds so intricately involved and appears as one of those books that requires a lot of effort pertaining to thought. Is the author truly that young!? Wow! Talk about a milestone! I honestly hope that she doesn’t take the constructive criticism to heart, but uses it to excel and improve her work. Thanks for sharing your honest view on the book, I know that these reviews are difficult to come by :/

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    1. The overall concept was incredible, but I think due to experience it just fell a little flat for me. With age, she's going to be a brilliant author, unique storylines seeing she's already taking the typical dystopian type novel into a new era.

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  10. I passed on the opportunity to review this, and I'm so GLAD I did after reading your review!! Mostly, the reviews you write are positive and I'm sure there were many negative triggers in this novel to give it 2 stars. It's a shame because the premise sounds really good, thank you for the genuine and honest review Kelly <3 Benish | Feminist Reflections

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    1. I try to keep reviews as positive as I can, with still giving an honest and balanced review, so it really does pain me when I don't click with a book. I think this one will appeal to a much younger audience though, the concept is awesome. It just wasn't for me sadly.

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  11. When I heard about this book, I was really taken aback by the fact that the author's only fifteen! Wow, she's even younger than me, and I am still struggling to start writing:)
    I am sorry you didn't like the book Kelly! But I really love some aspects that you pointed out, especially the father-daughter relationship, so maybe I should give this one a try if I ever get a chance.
    Beautiful review Kelly!

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    1. Definitely give it a try, as I seem to be the odd one out. The concept was brilliant, but sadly it just didn't work for me possibly because I'm not part of the intended audience. I'll definitely continue with the series, as I'd love to see her writing grow along with her characters.

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  12. I haven't bothered to read this one yet, and have heard so many mixed reactions to it. Some people loved it, and some like you felt it was a little off. I'm definitely very impressed with how young the author is - but their age sometimes do factor in to the writing style so I'm not surprised it read it a little young. Great review Kels, thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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    1. It's amazing that given she was only thirteen when she wrote it too. With a little more experience under her belt, my goodness she'll be an incredible author.

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