The Lost Coast

April 1, 2019
A group of queer fledgling witches search for their friend in a small town among the redwoods of Northern California. The Grays--four tightknit high school friends--cast a spell to draw someone to their town who can help find Imogen, their fifth group member, whose body is present but whose mind is elsewhere. They attract Danny, a Michigan native. The Grays introduce her to magic, and together, they use their personalized abilities to solve the mystery of Imogen's disappearance. Along the way, Danny starts to feel at home with the group and nurses a crush on one member, Rush--problematic because she has history with Imogen. The Grays' frank conversations about identity are utterly refreshing and ring true to life. "What word fits in a way that makes you happy at this very moment?" one Gray asks. Danny is queer and white; Rush is fat, queer, and white; Hawthorn is black and bisexual; June is gay and Filipina; Lelia is nonbinary, gray asexual, and white; Imogen is white and dates girls. Short chapters weave a tapestry of past and present of narration from Danny, the Grays, and others. Though arguably fitting with the narrative's murky, otherworldly atmosphere, Imogen's disappearance initially lacks context, and the book-spanning hunt to find her deserves more momentum. The positive, gentle depiction of Danny and Rush's physical relationship offers much-needed representation. Ideal for readers searching for queer- and female-driven contemporary fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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April 15, 2019
In this haunting contemporary fantasy set in a small town nestled among California’s redwoods, a young woman comes into her own power as a witch. After Danny relocates from Michigan, she finds that she may have responded to a summoning spell cast by a local coven, the Grays, which needs her help. Danny, who “kiss a lot of people. Mostly girls,” finds unexpected kinship with the ethnically diverse and proudly queer group, which includes “bisexual black witch” Hawthorn; nonbinary, asexual Lelia; and “Fat. Queer. White” synesthete Rush. With their aid, Danny unlocks her ability as a dowser, able to find that which is lost or missing. But as the group seeks to restore their former leader’s powers, they discover something dangerous in the mists and trees that has already claimed several victims. With lush prose, atmospheric descriptions, and nonlinear storytelling (segments intertwine present and past), Capetta (Echo After Echo) crafts an accomplished tale with a wide range of representation. Frank discussions of sexuality and identity intertwine with an almost raw emotionality as the characters wholeheartedly embrace their true selves, and an underlying current of suspense supports the overarching mixture of intrigue and interpersonal development. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties.

June 1, 2019

Gr 10 Up-Danny has trouble staying where she's supposed to be. She sleepwalks, cuts class, wanders away from home, and kisses lots of people but never feels connected to them. Finally, with Danny's grades plummeting, her mother decides they need a new start. They spread out a map and pick the town of Tempest, on the northern coast of California, as their new home. Danny's mother hopes that her daughter will turn over a new leaf, and Danny longs for a place with other queer kids where she won't feel so alone. She gets more than she bargained for when it turns out that her arrival in Tempest isn't happenstance. A group of queer teenage witches who call themselves the Grays have been waiting for Danny, and they believe she is the only one who can find their missing friend, Imogen. Danny must simultaneously learn to use her new powers, meet the expectations of her mother and her new friends, and unravel the mystery of Imogen's disappearance. She also needs to determine whether the Grays actually want her or if they're just using her to find Imogen. Told through shifting points of view, this book wraps sinuous, sensual language around a tight, fast-paced plot to create a story that entrances readers from the beginning. Despite their magical powers, Capetta's characters are relatable teens from their highest hopes to their deepest insecurities. VERDICT A powerful book for teens who long to feel seen. Recommended for all high school and public libraries.-Heather Waddell, Abbot Public Library, Marblehead, MA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2019
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* In Capetta's dreamy, enigmatic tale, a restless teen finds friendship, love, and self-acceptance among a coven of queer witches. Danny arrives in Tempest, California, hoping to escape the wandering energy that compels her out of bed at night, to ditch school during the day, to kiss girl after girl, searching for an elusive peace. She finds the Grays waiting for her, four teenage witches who summoned her to Tempest with a spell to help find their friend Imogen, who disappeared into the redwood forest and returned changed. Imogen isn't the only victim of whatever new, vengeful force has taken root, either; two others are dead. As Danny embraces her dowsing magic, she finds more secrets than the Grays anticipated. Capetta captures the eerie, secretive nature of a town living in the shadow of an ancient redwood forest with poetic language, a nonlinear time line, and shifting perspectives. Readers may occasionally struggle to follow the plot, but the unapologetic characters, diverse in sexual and gender identities as well as physically and ethnically, are the real draw. This is a slow-burning, mystical, and romantic character study about the life-affirming magic of finding a place to belong after being lost for so long.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)