Review Detail

WHAT I LOVED:
On one side of the United States, a group of queer girls with magical abilities who call themselves the Grays have lost one of their own. Though her body is present and still walking around, her spirit is gone. On the other side, a girl named Danny is uncontrollably wandering and her mother is so desperate to make her stop she lets her child choose their next home. With the point of a finger at Tempest, California, Danny and the witches collide–and people start to die. Then the race is on to find the rest of Imogen before what’s killing people comes for them too.

I just– How do people find words sometimes? Where did Capetta come up with all these beautiful phrases in this time- and space-bending tale of love and community?

The highlight of the novel comes toward the end of the novel. Part of the novel concerns a long-dead witch who sought to escape her forcible marriage to a man by running off with her female lover. When trying to help the girl find peace, it philosophizes queer affection as an act of remembrance for all those who came before and couldn’t openly express their queerness. The way the Grays casually kiss and embrace one another fits perfectly into this philosphy.

WHAT DID THAT NEVER OCCUR TO ME BEFORE?

WHAT LEFT ME WANTING:
Despite everything I love, the novel is a bit overwritten. The voluminous, often purple prose isn’t a bad thing and is quite beautiful at its best turns, but when it’s indulged at every opportunity, it distracts from the content itself. There are also too many POV changes for my taste, which once again distracts from the core content for perspectives that don’t reveal anything important.

FINAL VERDICT:
The Lost Coast is a solid novel about queer community, love in all its forms, and magic. This is for the ones who want to make the phrase “queer magic” something a little more literal.