The Dysasters by P.C. & Kristin Cast [Buddy Read]

Julia over at One Book More and I decided to do a buddy read. We were able to find The Dysasters by P.C. & Kristin Cast, and it was so fun! Check out her review of this book when you’re finished here, and join in on the fun! You might remember Kristin and P.C. from the House of Night series. This is the series I started with, because the series is set in my hometown! Reading about some of my favorite places was really interesting. This book is definitely different from that, and I love to see these authors branching out into different settings.

The Dysasters is about Tate & Foster, two 18-year-olds who find out they can control Air. One of the questions we discussed in our emails was, “If you could control an element, out of Air, Water, Fire or Earth, which would you want to control?” My answer was Water, because I was born in the summer, and would never want to be without. The only reason I don’t live in the pool all summer is because I burn really easily, and I don’t like to be red like a lobster.

When Tate and Foster find out their link to Air, it’s during a football game, and a tornado hits. Between the two of them, they manage to turn the tornado away, but in the process makes everything worse. Both Foster’s mom and Tate’s parents are killed. Foster’s mom tells her that her father is still alive, and he has experimented on other kids, dubbed the “Core Four.” Each of them has a link to one of the elements, but their link has caused serious problems for them.

Foster and Tate could be the solution for those problems, but Foster believes her father is evil, so she and Tate run. Can they find the other kids with links to the elements before the Core Four does?

Don’t forget to Check out Julia’s Review at One Book More

I loved this book. I was already a fan of P.C. & Kristin’s books, so when Julia and I decided to do a buddy read, I was thrilled that she agreed to this one. It’s the first in a series, but based on my experience with the rest of the books I’ve read, the story only gets stronger and better as the series progresses. I’m really excited to where this one takes us!

Julia stated in her review that she didn’t love Foster’s character. I agree to a point, but I also didn’t love Tate’s character. He seemed a little too positive, and in the beginning didn’t trust Foster’s statement that their lives were in danger. He seemed to get a little more serious as the story progressed. What I loved in particular is how they grew together. Tate’s optimism helped balance out Foster’s realism, so together they make a pretty incredible team.

Element Control?

One of the questions that Julia and I asked during our buddy read was, “If you could control an element, out of Air, Fire, Water or Earth, which would you choose?” I chose Air, and Julia chose Earth! I told her she would always be “grounded” :).

I do think the characters could be developed further. I love the connection between the kids and their grandparents, but I did get annoyed at Tate’s always calling his grandpa “g-pa.” At some points it was 4-5 times in one paragraph, and that seemed a little excessive to me. Calling him grandpa and losing the “tween” vocabulary would have made that part more enjoyable for me.

I saw some interesting correlations between I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, and The Similars by Rebecca Hanover. If you’ve read either of these books, you’ll love this one! The characters were a little difficult to get used to, but this book is obviously YA, so although I love YA and read quite a bit, some of the language was a little “young” for me.

All in all, I loved this book, and am very excited for the series. I love these authors and will read pretty much anything they put out. I did find a couple things that I didn’t enjoy about the book, and caused me to roll my eyes, but on the whole? Awesome book, and awesome start to a new series!

Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so be sure to drop a comment below! Don’t forget to visit Julia, for her opinion on our very first buddy read! Maybe we’ll do another one soon!

If you would like to participate in a buddy read with me, drop me a line below

Until Next Time, Friends!