The Catalyst

August 1, 2016
It’s been 18 years since the Veilbreak project went wrong, shorting out electronic devices across the globe, letting in something from another world that changed people in frightening ways, and leading to the brutal First War of Angels, during which the magical “Gifted” defeated the magic-less “Ashkind.” Fifteen-year-old Rose Elmsworth is a Gifted who works with her adoptive father, David, at the Department, this London’s version of a law enforcement agency. Rose and David are also “Hybrids” that face a monstrous transformation every six weeks, a secret they hold close. The murder of a Department operative leads Rose to a man named Loren Arkwood and into a conspiracy with far-reaching implications. Coggan’s convoluted debut has an intriguing premise and calls to mind contemporary paranormal series like Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy, but the story is so front-loaded with information about the different factions and their sub-classifications that readers may be hard pressed to keep up. Double-crosses abound, but are fairly easy to see coming, and although Rose is competent and quick-witted, she isn’t the most engaging of heroines. Ages 14–up.

September 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-A cataclysmic event called the Veilbreak split humanity into green-eyed Magical Gifted and black-eyed nonmagicals, called Ashkind, and triggered the long and bloody War of the Angels. Now, 12 years after the end of the war, the Gifted and Ashkind live in relative harmony, albeit under a Gifted-ruled government. Rose Elmsworth is a 15-year-old training under her adopted father, David, who heads the government's brutal law enforcement agency. However, they share a terrible secret that they have tenuously hidden from the government their whole lives. When a murderer escapes from prison and reveals that he knows what the Elmsworths are hiding, Rose's life-and her trust in her father-hang in the balance. Nuanced characters share the page with shallow secondary characters, but that doesn't detract from the story, which is thrilling and intriguing, leaving readers wanting more. Coggan writes adeptly for her age, 15, and explores dark themes (death, suicide, revolution) in mature prose; there are some minor missteps, such as unclear perspective and uneven world-building, but overall, this is a well-executed debut. VERDICT Sci-fi/fantasy fans have a new author to love for a long, long time. A strong addition to YA collections.-Tyler Hixson, School Library Journal

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

A 15-year-old English girl must prevent her post-apocalyptic world from falling into yet another civil war between magic-wielding humans and those without it.It's been 18 years since improbably named teen scientist Andrew Ichor broke the sky open in a fit of hubris ("I told them I could do it!"), leaving all humans sharing souls with either a magical or a nonmagical being. The ensuing war left the green-eyed Gifted ruling over the powerless Ashkind. In this world, tall, skinny, white Rose, a "powerfully Gifted" girl whose "subconscious takes the form of a genius," is the brightest rising star of London's protectors. Though she's only a teen she's given access to her father's top-secret government job, because she's just that awesome. In fact, she's so splendid that she's conscripted underage as a common soldier (begging yet another question: is this the most effective way to utilize an expertly trained combat mage?). But Rose and her father share a dire secret--she's not just special, she's illegally special!--and the only others who know are enemies of the state. Too much is packed into this novel for it to make any real sense, from its cumbersome setup to the details (a hideous school prank comes out of nowhere with miniscule impact; a classmate is allowed into classified meetings simply because she's nearby). Nonetheless, compelling secrets abound amid the overstuffed incoherence, and it's a page-turner for all its flaws. (Dystopian fantasy. 12-16) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2016
A 15-year-old English girl must prevent her post-apocalyptic world from falling into yet another civil war between magic-wielding humans and those without it.It's been 18 years since improbably named teen scientist Andrew Ichor broke the sky open in a fit of hubris ("I told them I could do it!"), leaving all humans sharing souls with either a magical or a nonmagical being. The ensuing war left the green-eyed Gifted ruling over the powerless Ashkind. In this world, tall, skinny, white Rose, a "powerfully Gifted" girl whose subconscious takes the form of a genius, is the brightest rising star of London's protectors. Though she's only a teen she's given access to her father's top-secret government job, because she's just that awesome. In fact, she's so splendid that shes conscripted underage as a common soldier (begging yet another question: is this the most effective way to utilize an expertly trained combat mage?). But Rose and her father share a dire secretshe's not just special, she's illegally special!and the only others who know are enemies of the state. Too much is packed into this novel for it to make any real sense, from its cumbersome setup to the details (a hideous school prank comes out of nowhere with miniscule impact; a classmate is allowed into classified meetings simply because she's nearby). Nonetheless, compelling secrets abound amid the overstuffed incoherence, and its a page-turner for all its flaws. (Dystopian fantasy. 12-16)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2017
Rose's adopted father runs the department that enforces peace between the magical Gifted and non-magical Ashkind. But father and daughter have a secret that, if discovered, would turn everyone against them. While Coggan's debut novel has an interesting premise, what could be a page-turning series-starter instead loses steam when too much is packed into a meandering plot wherein major mistakes have no real consequences.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)