Liked but didn’t love

I would like to thank P. C. Cast, Kristin Cast, and Michelle Cashman at St. Martin’s Press for inviting me to participate in the blog tour. I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an abridged non-spoiler version. The full review with spoilers can be found on noapologybookreviews.com on February 25th.

Jumping right in—the illustrations were my biggest problem with the book. One, my imagination needs the exercise. Two, they interrupted my reading and pulled me out of scenes. Three, they weren’t good illustrations. Four, they weren’t even accurate! Drove me nuts! Save the graphics for the graphic novel, please.

I liked the premise, though I’d rather it have skewed toward fantasy and magic than science fiction, but it was interesting, nevertheless, and the Casts didn’t make it complicated. I thought what the protags could do with their powers was cool, if a bit corny. I appreciated that the elements were somewhat sentient, and that each of the elemental powers came with a major weakness.

I related to Foster because I’m just like her—a sarcastic introvert who generally doesn’t like people or want to be around them, and whose honest opinions, practical nature, and blunt, straightforward approach to conversation comes across as bitchy and rude when that’s not how it’s meant. Yeah, sometimes she was just plain mean to Tate, but you’d probably be kinda snappy and on edge, too, if you’d just watched a natural disaster kill your family along with dozens of other people and found out that you can create tornadoes and that you’re suddenly neck-deep in a conspiracy you don’t understand or know what to do about.

I didn’t like Tate. A lot of reviewers seem to dislike Foster because she wasn’t perky and friendly and optimistic and liked Tate because he was. I’m the opposite. I thought he was an airhead and didn’t buy for second that he was into books like he said he was. He was a good person, sure, and had heaps of good intention, but he wasn’t serious enough for me to take seriously. He played into the glass-half-full thing a little too much; the gravity of the situation and consequences didn’t seem to weigh on him. All of the above trauma happened to him, too, but he was over it, like, a couple days later. While Foster was trying to figure things out and come to grips, he was off grocery shopping, playing with the horses, and hanging out with Finn.

The Casts made a solid effort to give the antagonists motivations and personalities that didn’t just amount to “bad guy because evil,” but Dr. Stewart is still a cliche in that he ultimately wants to rule the world and make everyone bow before him. Eve, however, was a very well-developed and three-dimensional character; an impossible, damned-if-you-do damned-if-you-don’t conflict always gains my sympathy. I liked Mark, too, and can’t wait to see what they do with his character. He was caught between a rock and hard place as well.

There are a lot of expletives; the Casts aren’t afraid to toss the F word around, but I didn’t mind at all. In fact, I enjoyed it, because I like to swear myself. Also, there’s a lot of humor in the novel, and I found myself laughing out loud several times. “May the power of Christ compel you!” *snorts*

Overall, I liked The Dysasters, but I didn’t love it. I’m super excited for Book 2, though, because I want to see what happens with Bastien and Charlotte, the water kids. The Casts have a House of Night Otherworlds book coming in October, and they seem to typically publish two books a year, so I don’t expect book two of The Dysasters until early next year. Until then, I think I’ll borrow the House of Night audiobooks from the library and see if they’re any good. I LOVED P. C.’s Goddess Summoning series, so I’m prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt.

The thing that I hate most about this book is this- I have absolutely no idea how long I'm gonna have to wait for the next one!

So this is an ensemble story with a revolving cast of characters but the main focus is on Foster and Tate. These two teen protagonists are being tested out from pretty much the beginning of the book. They can't seem to catch a break from all the bad being thrown at them. And yet, in all that they can't escape that inexplicable draw they feel toward each other. Real talk- the romance angle isn't my super favorite, but I appreciate that they're so busy saving the world that that part doesn't take over the story.

This has the makings of a fun story, a new kind of Captain Planet with way more interesting villains. Can't wait to see what's next!

I was a huge - HUGE - fan of the utterly addictive House of Night series. So, when I had the opportunity to give this one a try? I jumped on it. The premise of this sounds so amazing and I was so beyond excited to invest in another series by these authors.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me practically right out the gate. I felt like I was plopped into a the middle of a story that was halfway finished. There's a lot of action, but it came on fast and furious and well before I had any chance to invest in the characters or really care what happened to them (or why).

Additionally, I wasn't aware that there were graphic novel components to this going in. This does not seem like something that should bother me, but I found them distracting and they kept pulling me out of the story. Clearly not a storytelling technique that works for me!

In the end, while I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to read it, it's a disappointing DNF for me.

Foster Stewart is tired of life on the road. It's her 18th Birthday and she is spending it in a cheap motel in Homer Missouri with her stepmother Cora. She hopes that after Cora finds the guy she is looking for life can get back to normal. Cora's contact is at the football game where Foster bumps into the star quarterback Tate the "Nighthawk" Taylor who just happens to be their contact. When a strange tornado destroys the small town, killing those they love, Tate and Foster find themselves on the run together. The soon discover that they both have unusual abilities that are linked to the element of air and that there are others like them with affinities for water, earth, and fire. They find themselves on the run from four dangerous elementals who are working for Foster's father, they scientist who gave them their abilities and he has a diabolical plan for them. Foster and Tate must work together to hone their powers before it’s too late.

The Dysasters is a new YA fantasy that involves a scientific experiment that involved binding elements to pairs of children on a genetic level, giving them abilities similar to superhero's. This first book in the series primarily focuses on Foster and Tate (air elements). I have read several books by P.C. Cast, and enjoyed the House of Night Series, so I was excited to get the chance to read her new novel. I loved the cover and the plot synopsis sounded really interesting. The novel includes illustrations that give it a comic book/graphic novel feel but it’s written in the style of a traditional novel. I had a hard time getting through it because I didn't like any of the characters. The plot felt really juvenile even for the younger YA audience and honestly felt a bit melodramatic. The novel does include a diverse cast of characters but their personalities felt forced and less authentic. I do think there are many YA readers who will enjoy this series but it just wasn't what I was expecting.

This story starts on a storm and ends with the beginnings of love and a new type of family! The ones we choose and not the ones chosen for us are just as much family if not more so as they accept us as we are. I cannot wait to see where this leads!

Foster has issues with a capital I! She has trust issues which are understandable, she cannot relate to, nor does she like people and if that wasn’t enough she has lost the only person who understands her and she’s running for her life.

Enter Tate who is the exact opposite. He is compassionate, considerate and a southern gentleman. He is shoved into Foster’s path and gets hit by devastating loss and forced to run with Foster. While most people would give up on Foster he understands that she has not had a normal, loving upbringing and he intends on getting past her harsh exterior and releasing the truth he knows lies beneath.

All the while Foster and Tate are dealing with their new discovery, the element of air and how to find the missing six with who are thought to hold the rest of the elements. Of course, the core four are also hot on their tails.

The characters are unique and quirky and peppered throughout, the Cast girls touch on very real, very important social issues in a seamless and loving way.

This story is full of action, has great world building and things should only heat up from here on out.

I had a hard time with this book. I wanted to like it, I really really did. Everything about it seemed promising as you have a mad scientist, genetic experiments, super powers, and kids running around amok. These ideas should have led to a fun action packed sci fi romp. Instead of a fun Captain Planet-esque read, it fell flat.

The Dysasters is a young adult book centering around a group of teens with remarkable talents. This book was well written and has some undertones of navigating tricky family relationships which I appreciated. Very creative!

3 stars
Well I am caught between a rock and a hard place here.

I love PC Cast’s books.
I have read her House of Night series, her Moon Chosen as well as her Goddess Summoning series and really loved them.
When I learned that she was writing a new series with her daughter I requested the first book as fast as I could open my browser and click “request”.

Yet now that I have read I must sadly admit that this may be the one book that was not for me.

Let me explain my reasoning…

The concept of the story is really promising as you have a scientist playing god and messing with the AND of embryos. As result you get kids able to manipulated elements like air, water, fire, earth.
Of course the first experiments are not flawless and you have kids who are adults now suffering from side effects of their powers. Said side effects could make them go mad.
The scientist changed his experiments and created others but I won’t give details as I don’t want to spoil anything.

This idea is very interesting and leads to many action scenes, another asset of the book as you have the first kids trying to get ahold of the younger kids.
The very opening of the book was puzzling as you jump into a very intense scene with a tornado wreaking havoc on a stadium and a whole town. People flee, others die. It was action packed but also deeply puzzling because you feel that Foster and maybe Tate have something to do with the disaster but not knowing what exactly. Snippets of information are thrown here and there but you have to wait to entangled the facts and get a coherent picture of what is happening.

When things went wrong for me was with the main characters Foster and Tate.
I know they both are very young adults as they barely turned eighteen and that they met in dramatic circumstances
BUT
I did not like the way they interacted at all.
Foster looked down on Tate considering he was a D-bag when honestly I could not see what he had said when they met to deserve that title. Tate reacted of course and called her the “B” word. Not endearing at all!
I get that they are big teenagers and they can have attitude because I have some at home yet it was not really pleasant to read. Maybe their element was the source of the mood swings but it was hard to follow and I needed something more to really grasp who they were. Sadly I must say that I could not really connect with them and this put a damper on my pleasure of reading.

I must also mention the drawings in the book. If on the one hand as an amateur of art I thought they were beautiful, on the other hand as a novel reader and not a comics reader it annoyed me as it “forced” me to pictures the characters a certain way while one of the best parts of reading novels is creating the characters in your head. I loved it in Moon Chosen but the drawings were mostly of plants and animals, not herding me in one direction to picture the main characters.

Will I read the second book of this series? Probably not as it does not seem to be the books for me.
Will I read other books from these authors? Of course as they have proven that they are excellent writers and no one can love every books a favorite author writes.
Thank you to St Martin’s Press for gifting this book!

Foster Stewart is told she must attend a football game in the middle of nowhere and ends up meeting Tate Taylor, the star quarterback. She brushes off the encounter until some weird weather brings them back together and activates some special abilities. They quickly discover that they are the first set of teens to have their powers awakened. If that wasn’t crazy enough, it turns out that Foster’s father is the scientist that devised this crazy scheme. Will Foster and Tate be able to locate the other teens and stop this disastrous plan?

The Dysasters is the first book in a new series by P.C. and Kristin Cast. These characters don’t have much time to rest and recoup as they travel around trying to stop these evil scientists and readers will feel the rush of adventure as they turn the pages. Goodreads doesn’t have this book listed as a series (I was hoping for a stand-alone), but the ending definitely leaves readers to believe there will be more books. The Dysasters was a fun read but isn’t a drop everything to finish novel.

I want the next instalment already!

Originally introduced to P.C & Kristin Cast with the House of Night series I was really pleased when I was approved for The Dysasters! I must thank the authors and publishers for this early access in exchange for an honest review.

From the start I was left with a feeling that I was missing something - something was obviously going on - but I had no real idea what and that drew me in and made me want more from the first page!
Things then start to happen very quickly and as you start to figure it out you find yourself already invested in Foster and Tate.

I like the fact that they were behaving (bar obvious differences in personality and upbringing) much like you would expect teenagers to behave while dealing with what has just happened, and continues to happen through the book.
Characters are introduced at all the right times and I really like the different perspectives, given their abilities, it gives good insight into how each character came to be and how they develop as the story progresses - I was about 50% of the way through when I became absolutely certain that this was likely to be a series (who knows of how many - I am hoping for a HoN kind of series!)
There is a good amount of action, good character development and already the message of love winning over fear and hate is strong and consistent!


I have reached the end for now - but this is on my pre-order list!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of The Dysasters. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The biggest disappointment I have with this book is that there was not more of it! This novel was very original and interesting from the first page to the last. I did not want to put it down and was listening to it as an e-book and was pretty devastated when it ended. I wanted more immediately! I simply fell in love with these characters--who were learning their own specific powers individually and as a pair, but I believe the series will follow others as well. (I just hope the first two stay central to the plot.) I will happily read the rest of this series either way!

Thank you to NetGalley, P.C. and Krisitn Cast for the ARC!

“The Dysasters” is a really engaging new YA fantasy/sci-fi series. We begin with Foster, whose adopted mother Cora has dragged her to Missouri (or as Foster calls it, misery) to find someone at a high school football game on her eighteenth birthday. When a storm suddenly turns into a tornado, Cora’s heart, which has been hanging by a thread, gives out. Foster and a high school football player, Tate, call out against it- the tornado listens- before splitting and wreaking havoc.

With her last words, Cora warns them away from four of her presumed deceased adopted father’s associates who are out to get them. Cora has planned for just such cases and sends them armed with a letter to a safe house. Getting there and evading the four after them are no easy task. Quickly, Tate and Foster must figure out who they are, why people are after them, and also work out how to find the other teens who are about to turn 18 and come into their powers.

The book is told from many perspectives, and beyond Tate and Foster, we also get the perspectives of Eve and Mark, who are two of the four searching for the teens. Later, we also get the viewpoints from two other teens who are about to manifest their own powers. This fast-paced book is really engaging, quickly pulling the reader into the story and different personalities. There were never a dull moment in the story. Add on to that the comicbook-style drawings that appear throughout, and this is sure to be a big hit among people who like superhero origin stories. I was completely caught up in the story and so sad when I reached the end- I need more, NOW. (Please.) I am so excited about this new series.

This new series is a great beginning that introduces the premise, the characters, and has all sorts of action. I cannot wait to see where it will go! I also really liked the diversity of characters that was beginning to appear (different ethnicities/races, transgendered, etc.). I cannot wait to meet the rest of the characters in the coming books, and I could definitely see this becoming a favorite. The only thing I found odd was how fast/passing the grief was for Foster/Tate about their loved ones dying, but I suppose they had little time to grieve considering the danger they are facing.

Overall, I think this is an exciting start to a brand new YA superhero-style story, and I can’t wait to continue it with the next book! I loved the characters (even the “bad guys” are given some sympathetic perspectives), and I love the idea. The integration of images/comicbook-style pages within the novel is icing on a delicious cake.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

What I would expect out of a P.C. Cast book: a fun and quick read. The Dysasters is about a group of teens who learn about their powers (aka instincts) and the history behind them. Action packed and full of suspense. I do have pros and cons about the overall story but I will definitely read book two out of curiosity.

In The Dysasters,two 18 year olds discover they have super powers to control elements. Foster and Tate have no idea what to do with these powers. They don't know how they acquired the powers. They are basically lost and confused. The mad scientist who gave the powers to them is now after them. It's confusing at times, and I could have done without the illustrations. I'm not a fan of graphic novels. The story felt like it was leaning too much toward being written just for teens because of the dialogue and lack of development in the characters. It's just missing something overall. The story is engaging but not enough. I almost didn't finish it. It's a good read for teens. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I started reading this book I had an idea about it's theme, then the book put the words right out there! It is sorta like the tv cartoon series "Captain Planet and the Planeteers". But don't take that description literal cuz you got lots of teenage angst going on as well.

We are introduced very quickly to two teenagers right as they turn 18 and come into their "powers" which they do not know how to control or even that they have in some cases. They are quickly orphaned by tornadoes that strike the town they are in. Realizing they are being hunted by the "Core Four" they flee town to a safe place that was made for them in advance. They soon learn more about what is going on and what the plot is against them. They were genetically engineered to bond with elements and the scientist that did it is hunting them down using the "Core Four". They realize there are 3 more pairs in the world and they have to find and save them from being taken.

This story has many different elements to it. I love disasters and science but the teenage angst in it sorta turned me off. I was sorta meh for it but will give it some time to come into it's own as this seems like a series that will be built over a few books.

*I received a free copy of this for review from Netgalley**

3 stars. Just what I wanted out of a P.C & Kristen Cast book. Super quick read and fairly enjoyable. The concept was pretty cool but the pacing and jumping around from characters was kind of off. I definitely would have enjoyed it more without the romance but it’s YA so I don’t expect anything else.

I loved the House of Night series so much, but this book was not that great to me. I could not stand Foster and her attitude. It completely ruined the book for me. 3 stars for the gorgeous cover and art in the book.

Thank you to NetGally and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book.. This book struggled to find its footing. Was it a graphic novel or a regular book? I wasn't too sure and it was actually very distracting.

I liked the first few books of the House of Night series, and then it started becoming a bit to much and I can see that what bothered me the most about the later house of night books is the same here. Everything is rushed and not fully fleshed out.

I absolutely loved this book! It's non-stop action. You can relate to the awesome characters. The storyline is unique. I loved this book from beginning to end. Once again the Cast women have outdone themselves!! Can't wait for book two!

I really enjoyed The Dysasters, which is the first book in a new series by P.C. & Kristin Cast. In this new series, our protagonists have powers that can control the weather and four villains are hell-bent on trying to find and capture them for their own purposes. Evil and good fight against one other with the power of the elements causing both chaos and happiness. So basically, another awesome magical fantasy book which I am super excited about!
The world-building in this book took a while for me to get into (since there are some nooks and crannies in this magic system which are only revealed later on in the book) but as with every P.C. Cast book, I loved it. What I found extremely interesting was how elemental magick (which we also see in their popular House of Night series) was meshed together with scientific anomalies in this book. I would have maybe liked to have had a bit more of a detailed explanation on how exactly the "bonding" with the respective element worked, but otherwise I found it to be really intriguing and fascinating.

I did like Foster as a main character and thought she was pretty witty and a strong female lead, but my absolute favorite character would have to be Charlotte. I absolutely loved that P.C. & Kristin included a trans character in this book and were able to share her story. Charlotte was just beyond adorable and you can definitely tell that she had to go through a lot of heavy stuff in her life. But with her head held high, she powered on and stood up for the woman that she is. I definitely hope that she will play a bigger part in any subsequent books. There is a part of me that does think that Foster and Tate did have a semi insta-lovey relationship, but I do understand that the entire concept of them both being bonded to air before they were born implies that they are drawn to each other. They are however pretty cute together and I'm looking forward to seeing their relationship evolve.

My favorite aspect of this book would have to be the villains and their story. I think that P.C. & Kristin Cast are just truly phenomenal at writing complex villains. I appreciate a good villain where the motive of their evildoing is quite understandable to the reader and I feel like the Casts pulled that off brilliantly in this novel. Eve was an especially fascinating character. I'm still completely on the fence with whether she will eventually get a redemptive arc or not (I do hope so). You can definitely tell that she struggles to believe in the ideals that Dr. Rick Stewart imposes on her, yet she also does follow what is good for her despite what harm it may cause others. This is especially shown in the battle which takes place at the end of this book. I am definitely interested in seeing where this story will take her as a character.

The plot of the story is quite slow, as is usual for a Cast book but I do think that slow stories, while maybe taking a while to get into, have a way to immerse the reader and I do believe that this book does a great job at doing that. You get to be a part of the character's small conversations and experience the story as it unfolds in semi real-time.

I am definitely curious to see the direction this series will take and am definitely here for the ride.