The Reaction

September 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Coggan picks up where The Catalyst left off with the second part of this fantasy duology. Rose Elmsworth is dealing with more than any teenager should. Her adopted father, David, has been arrested and detained for being a Hybrid-a dangerous, magical, were-beast; the Department, the brutal Government-run law enforcement agency for which Rose works, is being torn apart by warring factions; and Rose is finding it harder and harder to keep secret the fact that she is also a Hybrid. As the factions clash with escalating violence, David's and Rose's past comes to light, and it becomes increasingly clear that David-and the secrets he's hidden all along-is the key to putting a stop to the conflict. Teenage author Coggan gives readers an action-packed sequel to her debut, but fails to develop any of her characters, barring David, despite everything she puts them through. Rose continues her streak of snarky superiority from the first volume, but she quickly becomes tiresome when multiple opportunities for growth pass her by. The novel's saving grace are the flashbacks of David's life; readers get glimpses into his existence before the war, leading to quite a few surprises and a twist ending. While her writing needs some polishing, Coggan proves that she is an up-and-coming force in the fantasy genre. VERDICT Hand to fans of the first entry, or those looking for a new action-fantasy series.-Tyler Hixson, Brooklyn Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2017
In a post-magical-apocalypse London, a teenage soldier with a secret monster-transformation problem hopes she can rescue her father without incriminating herself.At the end of The Catalyst (2016), Rose's father, David, escaped from the authorities in disguise. In the intervening six months, he has for some reason turned himself in to the authorities, where he'll be tried as an illegal Hybrid monster. It's been 20 years since the Veilbreak divided all humans into the magically Gifted and the nonmagical Ashkind. The vanishingly rare Hybrids, who transform into monsters for one day every six weeks, violate the law simply by existing. Rose (who, like almost all of the characters, is white) stands by her father as he prepares for his trial, all while trying to hide the truth: she is also a Hybrid. Until recently, David had been the head of an exceedingly powerful secret-police/domestic-spying organization. Now, the fallout from his arrest and the revelation of his secrets have embroiled Rose in politics, for which she has no patience. Rose's adventure is broken up by brief scenes from David's youth, which move backward through time to slowly reveal the mystery of both his origins and hers. David's story comes at a compelling pace, though the climactic action sequence of Rose's narrative makes no logical sense. An exciting setup plods into a disappointing denouement featuring too many events and revelations; while each would be satisfying on its own, here they dribble out as from a leaky tap. Poor pacing and flawed logic lead to a disappointing sequel. (Fantasy. 13-15)

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