The Catalyst (Catalyst, #1) (War of Angels) (The Wars of the Angels)

by Helena Coggan

[Kelly]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/05/the-catalyst-by-helena-coggan-whos-only.html
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.

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.