Blog Tour: The Dysasters by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (Review, Giveaway)

 The Dysasters

Authors: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Series: The Dysasters, book 1
Publisher: Wednesday Books (February 26, 2019)
Hardcover, 320 pages

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Summary
P.C. and Kristin Cast, the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of the House of Night phenomenon, return to the scene with The Dysasters—the first action-packed novel in a new paranormal fantasy series.

Adoptive daughter of a gifted scientist, Foster Stewart doesn’t live a “normal” life, (not that she’d want to). But controlling cloud formations and seeing airwaves aren’t things most eighteen year olds can do.

Small town star quarterback and quintessential dreamy boy next door, Tate “Nighthawk” Taylor has never thought much about his extra abilities. Sure, his night vision comes in handy during games, but who wouldn’t want that extra edge?

From the moment Foster and Tate collide, their worlds spiral and a deadly tornado forces them to work together, fully awakening their not-so-natural ability - the power to control air.

As they each deal with the tragic loss of loved ones, they’re caught by another devastating blow – they are the first in a group of teens genetically manipulated before birth to bond with the elements, and worse… they’re being hunted.

Now, Foster and Tate must fight to control their abilities as they learn of their past, how they came to be, who’s following them, and what tomorrow will bring… more DYSASTERS?

Book Review: The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Darkest Star

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Origin, book 1
Publisher: Tor Teen (October 30, 2018)
Hardcover, 368 pages
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Summary
When seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher is caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen...but he is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she'd only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head...

#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the universe of the Lux in this brand new series, featuring beloved characters both new and old.

Book Review: Parasite (Parasitology #1) by Mira Grant

Parasite

Author: Mira Grant
Series: Parasitology, Book 1
Publisher: Orbit
Published: Reprint edition (October 7, 2014)
Paperback,, 544 pages
Rating: 5 Stars
★★★★★
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Summary: A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives...and will do anything to get them.

Review: I loved this book. I bought a used hardbound copy from a library book sale for 50 cents, and then it sat on my TBR shelf for the longest time because it just looked so HUGE. At 512 pages, this was actually a really fast read. I don't read much horror, but when I do it tends to be zombie fic, and I'm really interested in epidemiology. Now this book doesn't really have to do with epidemiology, but it seems like it does? I can't explain it.

Of course I saw the ending (at least as it relates to Sal) coming from miles away. Still, there were several plot twists and surprises I did not see coming at all, and the book kept me riveted throughout. I really like the dynamic between Sal and Nathan, and appreciated that this sci-fi/horror story also had an element of romance. Hooray! It's also interesting to think about the dynamic between Sal and her parents, with them treating her like a child because she only has a child's "life span," but she also has a fully developed adult brain, so she's a "child" but at the same time not. Intriguing to me and my just-enough-to-be-dangerous knowledge of psychology.

I don't know anything at all about biology, parasites, or medicine, so I can't say if the jargon around the Intestinal Bodyguard is possible or not from a purely scientific viewpoint. As a reader, Mira Grant made me believe that it was believable, which is all I ask. For someone with a more advanced medical background, there might be more of a suspension of disbelief involved when reading this book. There's enough medical stuff put in there in such a way that I believed it and it gave the book a very sci-fi feel, but not so much that I felt lost or disconnected from the story. I think that's a very fine line to traverse, and Grant does it amazingly well. Also for being horror, this book isn't TOO horrific, which I appreciate because I'm a total weenie when it comes to gore and the super scary stuff.

Long story short, after reading this as a chaser to Mira Grant's Into the Drowning Deep (which I LOVED), I'm pretty much convinced Mira Grant can do no wrong. I can't wait to read the next book in this series, Symbiont.