Heather’s Bookshelf: Catalyst
Author: Sloane Mercer
Released: 10/02/25
Genre: Political Thriller
“Some streets pull at you. And some people leave marks you don’t feel until you’ve already walked past.”
“Catalyst” follows Jake Rossi, a young man working in DC as a crewman and trying to get his life back on track after a short time in juvenile detention.
After a fight goes bad, a neighbor takes Jake in to heal him. They become found family, with Galina always looking out for Jake. So, when he meets Emily, the mysterious chocolatier with an icy stare, Galina warns Jake to stay away. But there’s this connection… a pull that can’t be denied.
Preparing for the presidential inauguration, Jake’s working hard, but things keep seemingly going wrong. First, his good friend and work partner, Bilal, goes missing. Then, there’s this fight with Galina…if only Jake can make it through the inauguration, then he can set everything else right.
Trigger Warning: Per the author: depictions of violence, terrorism, mass casualties, injury, and death; non-graphic but clear references to rape and sexual assault; abuse, coercion, and emotional manipulation; wartime loss and political violence; ideological extremism and radicalization; substance use and addiction recovery; and psychological distress including trauma responses and paranoia.
Overall, I was a bit torn on this one. The story is told through the POV of Jake as the main protagonist. He’s headstrong, a romantic, and a good guy who finds himself in bad situations mostly due to poor decisions. His desire to be better and for people who care for him is enviable and relatable. His friendship with Galina is a mother-son type that’s endearing- especially with Galina’s dry and matter-of-fact quips. They clearly care for each other, but have a hard time communicating it. Galina’s a great ancillary character and I enjoyed their scenes together the most. On the other hand, I felt absolutely no connection to Emily or any other characters in the story. Emily had zero dept and didn’t come off as mysterious or intriguing to anyone besides Jake, apparently. I don’t want to give anything away for the ending, but while it did feel resolved there was nothing satisfying about it. It felt rushed and like there could have been much more to the story.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A political thriller with an intriguing protagonist and endearing ancillary character but a lack of connection and ending that felt incomplete.
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