I would first like to thank Inkitt for providing me with a copy of Breach to review - after reading Incursion (Catalyst Moon, #1) through Inkitt, it was amazing to have the opportunity to give an honest review through them once again.
You can read my review of Incursion, the first installment of the Catalyst Moon series here.
This review contains minor spoilers for Breach - please read with caution if you have not completed the book.
I was so excited to finally get back into the Catalyst Moon series, and the second installment did not disappoint. Garcia does an excellent job at world-building and character development, so much so that you can clearly see what is happening during each chapter, and you can feel the emotion behind the dialogue and inner thoughts of the characters. Stonewall and Kali are such a unique pairing, and as we saw in the first book, their bond forms significantly more from their initial meeting. We get to see so much more of their relationship take shape as we experience the complexity of their stations unfold, and the romance really takes off in this second installment.
When Kali was healing the woman in the village along with other mages and soldiers, I knew something was going to happen and did not anticipate that in trying to heal this woman, she actually ended up killing her. It was heartbreaking to see the aftermath of that scene, but great to see people standing up for Kali to prove that she did not intentionally mean to harm that woman.
I really enjoyed how we see the storylines begins to merge towards the end of the book - everything starts coming together and brings you so much anticipation on how everything will either be resolved or left to us to find out more in the next book. In my opinion, this installment has a quicker pace to it than the first book, which I believe compliments the story and gives both world-building and action their own spotlights, respectively. Things are much more high stakes in Breach, and it adds to the tension between Kali and Stonewall's romance, as well as to their own individual journeys throughout the book and series. It definitely builds upon what we saw in Incursion, and doesn't gloss over any information that we needed more details - it is excellent character development all around.
I can't wait to continue on with this series and see what Lauren L. Garcia has in store for us next!
The latest installment of the Catalyst Moon series, Sacrifice (Catalyst Moon, #5) was released on August 30th, 2021. You can add Breach and the rest of the Catalyst Moon series on Goodreads, and follow the author for more updates.
