Review Detail

The Catalyst ‘s 1st draft was his book was written when Helena Coggan was 13. For a debut author, this is one amazing read.

Helena Coggan is fantastic as storytelling and I am excited to see where her writing career takes her. If you love magic and young adult dystopian novels this one for you. There is adventure, a touch of fantasy, a little romance, all grounded in a real world feel.

What I liked best It is an incredibly addictive read. The character building starts off slow eventually building up to deeper descriptions. This book is all about the journey and unraveling the truth. Rose is terrific. For the first time in a very long time, there is a teen heroine, who is seen as just average in the world she lives in but at the same time she is feisty, determined and at times a little impulsive. All traits that make Rose feel like a girl next door (just with a few differences since she lives in a magical world).

The world building is also outstanding. Helena Coggan builds up the world from the ground up. A lot of the world feels familiar but with small twists and turns. She takes her time to introduce all the different nuances in a way that feels organic. The reader often finds himself or herself learning along with Rose

The twists and turns are also a great plus. While happily predictable in some areas (I love being able to guess some things and not feeling tricked). Coggan also includes a few surprise hits giving the book a thriller suspense type feel at the end. She explores complex topics that go deeper than good versus evil, but also the great area where the real world tends to find itself.

What left me wanting more? I would like to know more about the characters and see more character development- but isn’t that what a sequel is fore? Overall it is a strong set up for a fantastic story and I am looking forward for the sequel and any other books Helena Coggan writes in the future!

A very impressive debut from an author so young. I predict she will have a huge following in the near future. This book should find itself on dystopian fans’ to read list ASAP!