Looking for an interesting YA read? Care about the environment? Then this book is for you.
Goodreads Blurb
Catalyst by Tracy Richardson
Marcie is spending her summer working on the archeological dig that her mother runs: Angel Mounds, a site of an ancient indigenous civilization. Soon after she arrives, she meets some intriguing individuals, and becomes wrapped up in a supernaturally-charged mission to save the planet from the destruction man has brought upon itself.
Marcie Horton has a sixth sense. Not in the “I see dead people” way, but . . . well, maybe a little. She feels a sort of knowing about certain things that can’t be explained-an intuition that goes beyond the normal. Then there was that one summer four years ago when she connected with a long-departed spirit . . . But nothing that incredible has happened to Marcie since.
This summer, Marcie is spending time working at Angel Mounds, the archeological dig her mother heads, along with her brother, Eric, and his girlfriend, Renee. The dig is the site of an ancient indigenous civilization, and things immediately shift into the paranormal when Marcie and her teammates meet Lorraine and Zeke. The two mysterious dig assistants reveal their abilities to access the Universal Energy Field with their minds-something Marcie knows only vaguely that her brother has also had experience with. Marcie learns how our planet will disintegrate if action is not taken, and she and her team must decide if they are brave enough to help Lorraine and Zeke in their plan to save Mother Earth, her resources, and her history. It looks like the summer just got a lot more interesting.
Review
I have to be completely honest from the start of this review. I’m not a huge YA fan. I like to try books from this genre from time to time but it can be very hit and miss for me. I won’t say that Catalyst was a miss, it was just a little too young for me.
As you can guess from my last sentence, I found it hard to connect with the characters as a result of their age. It also made some of the dialogue a bit tedious for me. However, there is a deeper message about the environment that runs through this book that I really enjoyed.
On one level, the theme of environment was targeted to a younger audience. It was about opening their eyes to the fact that humanity is destroying the world, while also making them feel they can do something about it. This wasn’t anything new to me. What was new was the concept of fracking, which I had never heard of before. I always love to learn from fiction so the scenes. about fracking was a big plus for me. I also felt myself zoning into the fact that people will go to amazing lengths to destroy the planet in favour of money. I might never be rich in my lifetime but I’m happy I have morals.
While Catalyst might not have been my favourite read, I’m sure many people out there will enjoy it. If you are one of those people, you can pick up your copy of the book here.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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