Positively and dynamically different, this debut provokes and challenges your interest from the first few pages. Although classed as fantasy, it doesn't feel as though it should be exclusively pigeon-holed as such, there are so many things that are recognisable, it’s entirely possible that this could be just a few years into our future. While being enveloped in authenticity, an edgy and intimidating new world is actually laid bare before your very eyes. The provocative fiery ending doesn't neatly tie all the loose ends together, a sneaky few are left to burrow, to retreat, to steal away… leaving the doors wide open for a sequel to this stimulating and tensely moving novel. ~ Liz Robinson
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?
Helena Coggan wrote the first draft of The Catalyst when she was thirteen. Her ambitions up to this point had been somewhat linear- she had wanted to write stories since she was six, and before that, she wanted to live in one. She lives with her family in London and divides her time between writing and procrastinating, which her parents insist on calling 'school'. This is her first novel.
