The Lost Coast

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.

Two narrators and a shifting array of perspectives will draw listeners into this contemporary fantasy set among the mist-shrouded redwoods of coastal California. When lonely newcomer Danny arrives in Tempest, her suspicion that she's been summoned there is soon confirmed by the Grays, a diverse coven of teen witches who believe that Danny's hidden magical abilities will help them discover the unknown force that's taken hold of their leader, Imogen. Sophie Amoss's naturalistic delivery of Danny's first-person narration highlights the character's desperation to belong within the tight-knit coven. Brittany Pressley brings a sophisticated, wistful tone to the various third-person points of view interspersed throughout the story. Together, the two narrators create a palpable sense of yearning that permeates this tale of magic, romance, and chosen family. R.A.H. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine