The Catalyst

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?

“The next JK Rowling - Today Programme, USA' The Catalyst is a complicated, rich world of magic and danger. While it seems simple at first, nothing is black and white, and nothing is what it seems. Both fantastical and startlingly relevant and contemporary, it's tense, exciting, engaging and has at its heart a central character whose incredibly personal story becomes caught up in huge battles and some even bigger ideas.''Helena Coggan is only 15, and yet her debut novel has all the assurance of a writer in mid-stride. If young writers can overcome the stare of the blank page - and take care with characterisation - they can stand as an inspiration to all' - Guardian'A pulsing, labyrinthine, emotionally visceral plot' - Metro'At the heart of this hugely ambitious story, by a 15-year-old newcomer, is a great big universal truth - we all think we're different. The Catalyst takes this idea and runs with it. This is a stunning debut, exploding with life, ideas and passion' - Daily Mail'The year's Divergent' - Sun[ The Catalyst is] very appealing and completely lively throughout. This was an absolutely impressive debut novel from a young voice who is fast going attract a huge following. Hunger Games eat your heart out. Loved it. Highly Recommended. 'The Catalyst was a gripping read. It is action-packed and not once are you left feeling bored or waiting for something to happen. What Helena brilliantly manages to create is suspense...a truly brilliant, gripping and suspenseful read'”

The next JK Rowling - Today Programme, USA

'The Catalyst is a complicated, rich world of magic and danger. While it seems simple at first, nothing is black and white, and nothing is what it seems. Both fantastical and startlingly relevant and contemporary, it's tense, exciting, engaging and has at its heart a central character whose incredibly personal story becomes caught up in huge battles and some even bigger ideas.'

'Helena Coggan is only 15, and yet her debut novel has all the assurance of a writer in mid-stride. If young writers can overcome the stare of the blank page - and take care with characterisation - they can stand as an inspiration to all' - Guardian

'A pulsing, labyrinthine, emotionally visceral plot' - Metro

'At the heart of this hugely ambitious story, by a 15-year-old newcomer, is a great big universal truth - we all think we're different. The Catalyst takes this idea and runs with it. This is a stunning debut, exploding with life, ideas and passion' - Daily Mail

'The year's Divergent' - Sun

[The Catalyst is] very appealing and completely lively throughout. This was an absolutely impressive debut novel from a young voice who is fast going attract a huge following. Hunger Games eat your heart out. Loved it. Highly Recommended.

'The Catalyst was a gripping read. It is action-packed and not once are you left feeling bored or waiting for something to happen. What Helena brilliantly manages to create is suspense...a truly brilliant, gripping and suspenseful read'

Helena Coggan is a writer and student based in London. She wrote her first novel, The Catalyst, at the age of thirteen; it was published by Hodder and Stoughton two years later, and named as one of 2015's Debuts of the Year by the Guardian and Amazon. The second book in the duology, The Reaction, came out when she was sixteen. She has been called 'the next JK Rowling' by NBC's Today, and in 2016 she was named by the Guardian as one of the most influential teenagers in the world. She is currently studying physics at university, for the sole purpose of building a TARDIS one day. The Orphanage of Gods is her third novel.

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?

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