Another book that I DNF'd, I just couldnt get into the story. I wanted to read it because it was out of my comfort zone, unfortunately I just didn't connect with the characters.

A bit confusing and also slow at times. If the plot had been moving a bit quicker, I think I would have enjoyed this more.

A beautiful and mysterious book about six queer witches in the California Redwoods. When Danny moves to Tempest, California she meets the Grays: a group of witches who have called Danny for a special purpose. The writing is absolutely magical and so descriptive. The characters are written very well- they are all outsiders, but somehow they all fit together and complement each others’ strengths and weaknesses. There was lots of representation for all kinds of queerness (e.g. non-binary characters, lesbian characters, bisexual characters, etc.), and it was interesting to see how all these types of people were represented in one group! It was a mystical and whimsical journey, full of diversity and plot intrigue.

This was exactly what I needed to read, exactly when I needed to read it. It's an incredibly wholesome story of queer teenage witches, which of course took me by surprise as I don't tend to read blurbs before jumping in when I know an author.

The closest thing I had to this kind of story was the Toil & Trouble from 2018. But it was unaccountably lovely to have a complete novel sized story to sink into.

Danny is out main character, but this story is told from so many different points of view: The Greys as a group, the students at their high school--also as a group--the ravens that fly overhead. It cuts into points of view of both Imogen and Rush, and Imogen and her sister Haven. Imogen, strangely enough, is missing for a great deal of this novel.

It is lushly described amongst the redwoods of Tempest. And it is just so queer and representative in multiple different ways from the host of different main characters.

Rush is queer and fat, Leila is ace-spec and I read her as non-binary with she/her pronouns, Hawthorn is black and bisexual. Oh, and Leila's not-quite-a-partner June is a Filipina lesbian with chronic knee pain.

The flipping back and forth of time periods did take a little bit of getting used to, but once I did the story flowed very nicely for me.

Queer witches are normally up my alley but for whatever reason i could not get into this. I even tired with the audio to see if it would work and I just couldnt get into. Which made me sad but maybe i will try again later

I enjoyed this book for the most part and enjoyed the queer rep as well. However, the magical realism was a little much for me, but that is a personal preference. I thought I would love this story so much more. I would recommend but only to a certain person.

I liked this! Enough to finish it, at least. It had a bit of a Raven-cycle feel. I did feel like the story could have been better developed and overall I wasn't really into the characters, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!

Danny has just moved to Tempest, California with her mother. She’s quickly adopted into the Grays, a group of friends who explain to her that, actually, they called her to Tempest with a spell. The Grays, as it turns out, are all witches, and they’re missing a member. Imogen was a light in their lives, and now she’s gone. Danny finds herself finally fitting in somewhere, with these four girls who all identify as queer, spanning across many different orientations, and it feels good to be so wanted and accepted. She begins to worry, though, what happens if she can’t find Imogen? And what happens if she does?

A dark, murky mystery chalk filled with magic and authentic queer experiences. Capetta constructs the story through shifting perspectives, jumping back and forth through time as she moves from narrator to narrator. Though slightly confusing at times, this style increases the mystery of the novel. Each character has a distinct voice and a unique perspective on both their queerness and their witchcraft. Recommended for high school readers in all libraries.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the early copy!

I read the first few chapters and decided this was not for me. Thanks for the chance to review it!

I absolutely loved this! It was incredibly atmospheric and sucked me right into the story. I loved all the different characters and their dynamics and the way Amy Rose Capetta wrote these magical queer girls was right up my street. This may not be for everyone but I personally adored it.

I felt a little disappointed by this book. The premise was fascinating but it was just a little too dark for my taste (but I'm also a wimp when it comes to stuff like that so people who are okay with dark fantasy would probably like it).

I loved the representation and diversity of these characters so I commend the author for the effortless way each character's identity was revealed in the narrative. I've seen this book described as whimsical and I don't disagree, though it's a bit more fantastical than I typically read. It was a sweet book, but not groundbreaking.

I am kind of conflicted about this book. I loved the diverse characters, the beautiful writing style and the overall idea of a book about queer witches in high school. But it mainly just confused me from the start, there were parts where I had no idea what was going on and I had to reread whole chapters and even then I was still a little lost. The multiple povs didnt help with this because just as I was connecting to the story or to the character it would suddenly change again and jump to a different part of the story.

I might try more from this author because of the beautiful writing style but I dont think my expectations will be as high as they were for this book.

I would rate this book 3.75 out of 5 stars.

This was a really enjoyable read.

The story was quite slow and meandering but in a very intentional way that drew you into the story and the world.

The setting was fantastic, the diversity amazing and the characters great.

I've heard this described as a sapphic Raven Boys and honestly that's a great description.

Highly recommend.

This book has just dragged me out of a reading slump that lasted for several months. A beautiful story of magic, friendship, and found family. I adore the characters in this book and I loved just how queer they were, and how much kissing they participated in. I was intrigued by the mystery of what happened to Imogen, and was drawn in by the budding relationship between Danny and Rush. The Grays are a wonderful bunch, they're just the kind of friends I wish I had. I've never read a book about witches before, and I'm glad this was my first. I would definitely read The Lost Coast again, and will recommend it to others.

sadly this book was a DNF... it was taking too long to get anywhere. maybe i wasn’t in the right mood when i read it as i’d definitely give it another try

This is a really weird book. And I mean 'weird' in every possible dimension, so I apologize for overusing that word in the review (tho I don't mean that in a bad way).

The book has an overall weird aesthetic that shows itself in every aspect of it: the writing style, the characters, the perspectives, the plot, the dialogues.

I am always all for weird as hell queer witches hanging out in the woods, kissing in the shadows and solving dangerous mysteries. That's why in some ways I appreciated the unique choices made for a story like this and the fact that it all plays well together.
But sometimes it got too much for me, too confusing and too weird to be relatable.

But I can say that the book is certainly something I have never read like this before.
It is weirdly fascinating, but can also be confusing and plain weird.

3.5/4 stars

This felt like a mix of The Raven Boy and Sawkill Girls with the feeling and tone of Anna-Marie McLemore books.

I greatly enjoyed this for the dynamic between all the Grays and for the romance between Danny and the love interest, but I unfortunately wasn't completely in love with this the way I was hoping to be.

The way the Grays all interact with each other is just so soft!! They all love each other so much and I couldn't get enough of this group of friends. The way Danny thinks about Ruch, the love interest, is equally as soft and brings me just as much joy as reading about all the Grays.

What I didn't love about this book is that after Danny finds the boy with the redwood branch through his heart it felt like nothing really happened until towards the end. I don't mind a slower book but I really need the characters to shine then. And while I absolutely loved reading about the Grays as a group, I didn't feel like the characters, besides Danny, were completely fleshed out. While the writing was beautiful it just created a barrier for me and feeling like I truly knew these characters outside of a few facts about each of them.

A smaller complaint is a line that says allo is at the end of a spectrum with asexual at the other end, and while that is true, allo is also at the other end of the aromantic specturm. The way this information was presented in the book just makes it seem like allo is a term that is only used in regards to asexuality without acknowledging that it is also relevant to aromanticism.

With all of that being said I did enjoy this book and would probably reread it if I was in the mood for a slower, atmospheric book. This is perfect for rainy days by the window with a blanket and a cup of tea.

This book was beautiful. The writing was so atmospheric and she set the world so clearly that you could feel yourself immersed in the story. This book was so queer and lovely. The friend group was very strong, the magic system was great. My only complaint in this book was that the plot kind of got lost in the prose and the setting of the book.

The premise and themes of this book appeal to me, but the pacing and plot unfortunately made this a tough one to get through. I pushed myself to the end and am glad I did, but I was left with wanting to have read about these girls' new realities the end left them instead of how they got there.