Helena Coggan Knihy

Imaginative, thrilling and highly readable fantasy novel from a bright young voice. Perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard.

Set in a secluded house intertwined with an ancient tree, the story revolves around Haley, a young witchling destined to become a healer and guide between the living and the dead. Abandoned by her mother at a tender age, she is raised to embrace her death-magic, sacrificing personal connections for her calling. As she navigates the complexities of her role amidst the turmoil of invading armies and shifting loyalties, Haley grapples with the challenges of maintaining her vows while confronting the emotional toll of her duties.

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 J. K. Rowling' Today Programme, USA The Reaction is the explosive sequel to Helena Coggan's stunning debut The Catalyst. For the first time in her life, fifteen-year-old Rose Elmsworth is alone. Her father, David, has been imprisoned and disgraced, a death sentence almost certain. She has been rejected by the Department, the amoral law-enforcement agency in which she grew up. Most dangerous of all is the terrible secret she and her father have been keeping all her life: if exposed, it has the power to destroy her. But Rose cannot stay hidden forever. Around her, the world is changing faster than either she or the Department can stop it. The laws which have for years maintained peace between magicals and non-magicals are breaking down, and two rival militias are gathering on the streets to prepare for a devastating war. As deeper, darker elements of her father's past emerge, Rose begins to understand that the rules of good and evil in which she has always believed will not protect her anymore. In a world of monsters, how long can trust, loyalty and justice survive? And how much will Rose herself have to change to stay alive?