The Catalyst: The Wars of Angels Book One (The War of Angels) - Hardcover

Coggan, Helena

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763689726 ISBN 13: 9780763689728

Publisher: Candlewick, 2016

Synopsis

In a thrilling debut by sixteen-year-old Helena Coggan, a girl with a terrible secret is tested to her limits as her fractured world teeters on the brink of war.

Eighteen years ago, a dimensional break ripped open the sky, drawing humans into an ancient conflict. Otherworldly souls rained down and fused with those of people, dividing the population into the green-eyed, magical Gifted and the dark-eyed, nonmagical Ashkind. A devastating war followed, and the Gifted have managed a fragile peace ever since, largely through a brutal law enforcement organization known as the Department. Fifteen-year-old Rose’s father, David, has a leading role in the Department. Rose and David are Gifted, but they are also something else — something terrible. Their lives depend on keeping it secret. But when a mysterious murder threatens to tear Rose’s world apart, forcing long-buried secrets into the open, her loyalties are put to the test. How much does Rose really know about her father’s past? How far is the Department willing to go to maintain order? And, when the time comes, who will Rose choose to protect?

About this title

About the Author

Helena Coggan wrote the first draft of The Catalyst when she was thirteen, and it has already been published in the U.K. to great acclaim. She has wanted to write stories since she was six, and before that, she wanted to live in one. She lives with her family in London.

From School Library Journal

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

Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0763689726
• ISBN 13: 9780763689728
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 432