Review: “The Lost Coast” by Amy Rose Capetta

Release Date: May 14, 2019
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Description

“Danny didn’t know what she was looking for when she and her mother spread out a map of the United States and Danny put her finger down on Tempest, California. What she finds are the Grays: a group of friends who throw around terms like queer and witch like they’re ordinary and everyday, though they feel like an earthquake to Danny. But Danny didn’t just find the Grays. They cast a spell that calls her halfway across the country, because she has something they need: she can bring back Imogen, the most powerful of the Grays, missing since the summer night she wandered into the woods alone. But before Danny can find Imogen, she finds a dead boy with a redwood branch through his heart. Something is very wrong amid the trees and fog of the Lost Coast, and whatever it is, it can kill. Lush, eerie, and imaginative, Amy Rose Capetta’s tale overflows with the perils and power of discovery — and what it means to find your home, yourself, and your way forward.”

My Thoughts

In a lot of ways Amy Rose Capetta reminds me of Anna-Marie McLemore. While Capetta is firmly entrenched in fantasy and McLemore leans toward magical realism, both write with a heart wrenching, lyrical quality that reads more like poetry than prose. They also both explore queerness with a nuance infrequently seen and rarely seen done well. Some of that is that Own Voices love shining through, but it’s also because they’re damn good writers who are interested in the diversity of human experiences. They present those experiences not as the token representative but as one of infinite possibilities. It’s thrilling and a little intimidating and immensely powerful all at once. For the queer kid looking for a label to define or shape or inspire, Capetta and McLemore offer enough choice to light the way…

To read the rest of my review, head over to Tor.com.

Thanks to Candlewick Press for sending me a review copy.

Do the world a favor and buy this book from your local indie bookstore or borrow it from your public library.