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bookmarvel's review against another edition
4.0
I was kinda confused throughout this entire book and I’m still not entirely sure what happened, but it enveloped me in this world of magic and monsters and non magic and even though I didn’t understand it all, I really enjoyed it.
paperbackmo's review against another edition
3.0
Brilliant plot.
Could have been a bit more 'realistic' in terms of what people say
Awesome for a debut novel
Could have been a bit more 'realistic' in terms of what people say
Awesome for a debut novel
dani_bugz's review against another edition
2.0
Actual rating 2.5
First up, I want to say that for a 15 year old, Helena Coggan has some serious skill and I am very impressed. If I were reading The Catalyst and reviewing it based on a young authors competition or something of the like, I would probably be more likely to rate it 4 or even 4.5. Unfortunately however, I was given this ARC from the supplier so that I could sell it to customers. In that context, The Catalyst falls flat, and in comparison to Laini Taylor and Samantha Shannon (as it has been compared against) it could even be called mediocre.
I also want to say that my following criticisms of the book are in no way intended to offend, attack or belittle the author, but to point out the reasons I didn't like it. I am actually really keen to see what Helena can put out next considering her already developing talent!
So, why I didn't like the book:
My biggest issue was that all the characters had the same voice. Every single character had the same mannerisms and tone and way of doing things; it was more like there was one character with all these little bodies. And I completely get that it is due to the author's lack of experience which will no doubt improve with time. Unfortunately, I just found it jarring and cringe worthy and I rolled my eyes a fair bit of the time because of it.
Another issue I had was the portrayal of relationships. David and Rose were well thought out and you could totally sink into and understand them, but that was the only relationship of note. I really didn't understand the point of having Nate, Maria and James in the book at all to be honest, as I didn't feel like Rose really connected with any of them.
At one point Nate stands up for Rose saying that she is his best friend, but in the lead up to that all I had seen was them arguing or him giving her nasty looks. James was sweet, but absolutely useless in this novel; though hopefully he will play a bigger part in book two. I also found her relationship with Loren jarring, as it never really seemed they were enemies at all.
And thirdly, despite Rose apparently having an IQ of 126 (ladies and gents, that means she is in the top 3.5ish% of intelligence in the world) she made such stupid choices. For example, not telling her Dad about Loren or even once trying to get rid of him. Or putting her gun up to a commanding officer and threatening to kill him. I understand how emotions would get in the way during the situation, but after the fact you would think her intelligence would call for her to remedy the situation.
Now the things I did like:
The ending. It was a brilliant conclusion and I quite enjoyed it. I did however think that David's part on the last few pages was ill thought out, but hey, it was gripping and bumped the novel up from a 2 to a 2.5.
David. He was cool and bad-ass and complicated and sweet and fatherly. He was probably the best part of the book and the reason I didn't put it down halfway through.
The idea. It was clearly well thought out and I loved the premise. The prologue was a massive gripper and had you hooked to begin with! I also liked that the system had only been in place for 18 years, rather than just happening or having been there for decades. I thought it was a good amount of time to get everything up and running again.
So in conclusion...
When I came to the end of the book and I had one conclusion sticking out in the forefront of my mind. That was, the book has enormous potential, but I think the author should have sat on it for another few years. With that extra time I think her reading experience and maturity alone would have helped her combat the issues in the novel, even if she hadn't written another thing in between.
So I probably wouldn't recommend this book, but I would definitely keep an eye out for Helena Coggan's future work; she could be a big name in the next few years!
(I received this as an ARC for review purposes)
First up, I want to say that for a 15 year old, Helena Coggan has some serious skill and I am very impressed. If I were reading The Catalyst and reviewing it based on a young authors competition or something of the like, I would probably be more likely to rate it 4 or even 4.5. Unfortunately however, I was given this ARC from the supplier so that I could sell it to customers. In that context, The Catalyst falls flat, and in comparison to Laini Taylor and Samantha Shannon (as it has been compared against) it could even be called mediocre.
I also want to say that my following criticisms of the book are in no way intended to offend, attack or belittle the author, but to point out the reasons I didn't like it. I am actually really keen to see what Helena can put out next considering her already developing talent!
So, why I didn't like the book:
My biggest issue was that all the characters had the same voice. Every single character had the same mannerisms and tone and way of doing things; it was more like there was one character with all these little bodies. And I completely get that it is due to the author's lack of experience which will no doubt improve with time. Unfortunately, I just found it jarring and cringe worthy and I rolled my eyes a fair bit of the time because of it.
Another issue I had was the portrayal of relationships. David and Rose were well thought out and you could totally sink into and understand them, but that was the only relationship of note. I really didn't understand the point of having Nate, Maria and James in the book at all to be honest, as I didn't feel like Rose really connected with any of them.
At one point Nate stands up for Rose saying that she is his best friend, but in the lead up to that all I had seen was them arguing or him giving her nasty looks. James was sweet, but absolutely useless in this novel; though hopefully he will play a bigger part in book two. I also found her relationship with Loren jarring, as it never really seemed they were enemies at all.
And thirdly, despite Rose apparently having an IQ of 126 (ladies and gents, that means she is in the top 3.5ish% of intelligence in the world) she made such stupid choices. For example, not telling her Dad about Loren or even once trying to get rid of him. Or putting her gun up to a commanding officer and threatening to kill him. I understand how emotions would get in the way during the situation, but after the fact you would think her intelligence would call for her to remedy the situation.
Now the things I did like:
The ending. It was a brilliant conclusion and I quite enjoyed it. I did however think that David's part on the last few pages was ill thought out, but hey, it was gripping and bumped the novel up from a 2 to a 2.5.
David. He was cool and bad-ass and complicated and sweet and fatherly. He was probably the best part of the book and the reason I didn't put it down halfway through.
The idea. It was clearly well thought out and I loved the premise. The prologue was a massive gripper and had you hooked to begin with! I also liked that the system had only been in place for 18 years, rather than just happening or having been there for decades. I thought it was a good amount of time to get everything up and running again.
So in conclusion...
When I came to the end of the book and I had one conclusion sticking out in the forefront of my mind. That was, the book has enormous potential, but I think the author should have sat on it for another few years. With that extra time I think her reading experience and maturity alone would have helped her combat the issues in the novel, even if she hadn't written another thing in between.
So I probably wouldn't recommend this book, but I would definitely keep an eye out for Helena Coggan's future work; she could be a big name in the next few years!
(I received this as an ARC for review purposes)
slavicreader's review against another edition
4.0
I won a copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway and I am so happy that I won this exact book because I don't think another book would have been as good as this one.
I don't understand how everyone isn't talking about this book! I personally thought that this book was way better than the well-known and over-hyped Red Queen everyone seems to be loving lately.
The story was told with such a mature feel to it while it was still easy to keep up with and understand what was going on. When I imagine a story written by someone intelligent - intelligent that you can feel it by the way they write I image math textbooks and books about philosophy and what not. I would have never imaged a young adult book written with such a voice.
I didn't really know much about the book before I picked it up only that it was being compared to Divergent. This is was nothing like Divergent - it was so much more.
The prologue was highly confusing at first. Every time I came up with a theory on what was happening the story took a different turn and, by the end of it (still talking about the prologue) I was questioning whether this was the same book that was being compared to Divergent. Did they even send me the right book?
At first it took a bit until I settled into the story but it didn't felt like a lot compared to the series of events that happened in the book. This is one of those books that contain such long chain of events that you start to question whether it hasn't been years since you started the book. There was just so much happening! Whenever I thought right, this is probably where the book ends and starts getting boring it never came to that.
And OhMyGod the last few chapets. OH. MY. GOD. YOU LIED TO ME [HELENA (it's okay to use your name right?)]! - I did actually shout that out write reading. That's a first.
Honestly I would be okay if this where just a stand-alone because I like the story like this. What if it goes downhill like the Divergent trilogy did?
The only problem I had with this book was that sometimes I would start reading a chapter and expected it to be told from Rose's perspective when sometimes it wouldn't be. Sometimes it was hard to tell whose perspective we where following.
Anyhow, I loved this book and I will be picking up the next book - I think this is not a stand-alone anyway.
I don't understand how everyone isn't talking about this book! I personally thought that this book was way better than the well-known and over-hyped Red Queen everyone seems to be loving lately.
The story was told with such a mature feel to it while it was still easy to keep up with and understand what was going on. When I imagine a story written by someone intelligent - intelligent that you can feel it by the way they write I image math textbooks and books about philosophy and what not. I would have never imaged a young adult book written with such a voice.
I didn't really know much about the book before I picked it up only that it was being compared to Divergent. This is was nothing like Divergent - it was so much more.
The prologue was highly confusing at first. Every time I came up with a theory on what was happening the story took a different turn and, by the end of it (still talking about the prologue) I was questioning whether this was the same book that was being compared to Divergent. Did they even send me the right book?
At first it took a bit until I settled into the story but it didn't felt like a lot compared to the series of events that happened in the book. This is one of those books that contain such long chain of events that you start to question whether it hasn't been years since you started the book. There was just so much happening! Whenever I thought right, this is probably where the book ends and starts getting boring it never came to that.
And OhMyGod the last few chapets. OH. MY. GOD. YOU LIED TO ME [HELENA (it's okay to use your name right?)]! - I did actually shout that out write reading. That's a first.
Honestly I would be okay if this where just a stand-alone because I like the story like this. What if it goes downhill like the Divergent trilogy did?
The only problem I had with this book was that sometimes I would start reading a chapter and expected it to be told from Rose's perspective when sometimes it wouldn't be. Sometimes it was hard to tell whose perspective we where following.
Anyhow, I loved this book and I will be picking up the next book - I think this is not a stand-alone anyway.
royaz92's review against another edition
3.0
I will probably read the upcoming books and they will probably get better, I just wish the book has been developed much, much more. It has such great potential, the writing is so obviously better than the "adult" YA authors, and the general idea of the books is also much more profound; there is just too much incoherence, under-developed characters, irrelevant incidents ... it actually pains me to think about them. This is only her first book though, written at 13 for god's sake. The trilogy will definitely get better, and so will she. My fingers are crossed.
itsnotalakeitsanocean's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book is such a disjointed confusing mess that it can't decide what it wants to be. Is it a story about how people with magical powers would be treated by the UK government and the populace? Is it a police procedral drama in a supernatural office? Is it a story about terrorism and how it can affect even the most unlikely of people? The whole thing feels like a "have its cake and eat it" story without committing too deep to a constant theme or idea; which is a shame because the ideas it does toy with are interesting.
It also doesn't help that the characters are pretty flat and dull, and just do what they're supposed to rather than leave a lasting impression. We're also told characters have done all these badass things and yet... nothing really.
It also doesn't help that the characters are pretty flat and dull, and just do what they're supposed to rather than leave a lasting impression. We're also told characters have done all these badass things and yet... nothing really.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders
nverjudgeabook's review against another edition
1.0
I have to DNF this I'm afraid. It didn't capture my imagination and for me it didn't read very well. It was very disorganised. Disjointed. I didn't get very far and I hate to DNF a book.
michhellongrace's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I hadnt really heard anything about this book before I read it. All I had to go on was the blurb and a feeling I'd like it. I did like it too, I really liked it. Rose was awesome and the plot twists and action gripped me from the start. Highly recommend.
blackcats_and_bookish's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book when it first came out and then again more recently. For someone so young this is a great first book and I believe as she gains more experience her talent will progress.
The lore in this book took me by surprise, I've read lots of Angels & Demons books over the years and this was a completely new take. One which worked well for the story being told and really pulled you into it
The world is well developed and as the book goes along it get more complicated. It's a dystopian world that is moving through changes, trying to maintain world order.
Showing that while you can look at the world as black and white the grey will always show through the cracks.
I loved that as you're reading the book you learn along with the character's and not before. There are lots of secrets to be discovered and the twists and turns keep you wanting more.
The story and for the most part characters are compelling, intriguing and well written, my only complaint is there was enough focus on the relationships Rose has outside of her adopted father. Loren had so much potential to be an enemy to friend character but it felt flat, I never felt like he was the enemy or really a friend for that matter.
Overall this book a good read for YA but after reading it again in my mid 20s i felt like I aged out of it.
The lore in this book took me by surprise, I've read lots of Angels & Demons books over the years and this was a completely new take. One which worked well for the story being told and really pulled you into it
The world is well developed and as the book goes along it get more complicated. It's a dystopian world that is moving through changes, trying to maintain world order.
Showing that while you can look at the world as black and white the grey will always show through the cracks.
I loved that as you're reading the book you learn along with the character's and not before. There are lots of secrets to be discovered and the twists and turns keep you wanting more.
The story and for the most part characters are compelling, intriguing and well written, my only complaint is there was enough focus on the relationships Rose has outside of her adopted father. Loren had so much potential to be an enemy to friend character but it felt flat, I never felt like he was the enemy or really a friend for that matter.
Overall this book a good read for YA but after reading it again in my mid 20s i felt like I aged out of it.