Review: A wonderful new read!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 26, 2014
This novel is one that intrigued me. Not only from the cover art, which I believe always draws in a reader, but from the description itself. It doesn't read as though it's a post apocalyptic novel, but that is not a strike against it, in fact it's a plus. There has been a surge in that type of novel as of late and it seems to have over saturated the market, but with Catalyst, the mold that was set by other novels in that genre is broken. It doesn't fit what is now thought of as a 'Post apocalyptic' world, as it is far from the dystopia that is thought of.Nancy Reece is building a new world with this book, and with world building it takes a while to show your readers exactly what is going on. However, she does an expert job at introducing and bringing her readers into the new world of hers. When I read the novel, I found it slow in the beginning, which of course, is where the building occurs. Once I read past the first chapter, and started getting into the story, it all seemed to flow and I did not want to put it in. The styling and design of the novel, from interacting with the 'nightmares and dreams that Vivienne has, to the actual events that occur. It's easy to get used to when reading, and adds a depth to the novel that helps to make it a really good read.All the characters are well developed, not just the leads in Vivienne and Devon. Devon's brothers, the 'enemies' in the novel and even the characters of the past are so well developed and created that it makes the novel stand out on that aspect alone. The story of Devon and Vivienne's romance and love story is entwined with the rest of the story, making this stand out for anyone that is interested in a fantasy novel with a smattering of romance to it.I highly recommend this novel for anyone interested in the fantasy genre as long as they don't mind the romance aspect. It's an interesting twist on the world that could be!  And I do hope that we get to read more about this world. All in all, a wonderful book by Ms. Reece!