The Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta || Review

"Sometimes lost is where you need to be for a while."

This book was kindly sent to me for review, via Netgalley, by Candlewick Press. Many thanks to both!

Name: The Lost Coast

Author: Amy Rose Capetta

Rating: 5 Stars 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Published: May 14th 2019

The Lost Coast follows the journey of six LGBTQIA+ witches navigating through Tempest, California, they are searching. Searching for themselves, for their friend, for the one they love. They Grays have lost one of their own, Imogen, although there physically has lost herself. Her personality, her spark, her magic, just gone, and The Grays need the help of Michigan newcomer, Danny, who while she was looking for something new, the Grays were looking for her. 

However, Danny doesn't know where to help because she believes her only power is kissing girls and making small town people uncomfortable. 

They must come together to figure out what happened to Imogen, piece together the bits of the story that don't make sense, they have to solve why they keep finding bodies, and how the story of a ghost from the previous century connects. This is a story of finding friendship in unexpected people, love in unexpected places and best of all, MAGIC. 

I didn't know what to expect from this book, and I know I say that a lot, but I genuinely didn't. I find some stories containing LGBTQIA+ characters can usually fall into being a cliche, where their identification label is their sole character trait, but this book wasn't that at all. This book explored sexuality and gender identities in such a nice way, where the characters were more than just who they decided they wanted to kiss or what they were attracted too. It was integrated as an important part of these characters and their journeys but I liked that the author didn't use it as the only thing about these characters, for example, Leila is fiesty, she has heartache and she's real, Rush is quiet and intelligent, musically literate and has sythesthia (another thing I'd never really seen a YA author tackle.) 

My favourite character was Danny. Danny was super interesting, and she was a lot more complex than I first thought. I felt like she was so kind, sure she was looking for a new life and she was looking for new friends, but what The Grays were asking her to do was a lot, and she did it. She knew that Rush and Imogen were a thing, and despite falling for Rush, she was still determined to help them out in finding Imogen. 

The writing style of this book drew me in straight away. I love trees. I love being in the forest, I love being surrounded by trees, so straight off the bat, the ethereal description of being surrounded by Redwood trees made me really happy. It really made for a magical setting and it set up how beautiful the region of the Lost Coast must be. I think Amy Rose Capetta has a really beautiful writing style, it flows really well and the layout of the book and the alternating points of view didn't affect the flow of the story in the slightest. I think the story had enough twists and turns to keep the reader fully immersed and I read this book in one sitting. 

Overall Rating: 5 Stars. I think this story fills a gap that is missing in YA Witch Lit, it covers a ground that I feel some authors are afraid to cover/haven't covered in a good way and if it sounds like a book you'd be interested in, I would recommend you pick it up! 

As always hit me up on my socials: 

Instagram: @conniedalt

Twitter: @connie_dalt

Email: conniedalton@hotmail.com

Goodreads: https://goodreads.com/sunstormsandthunderclouds

Carrie by Stephen King || Review

“People don't get better, they just get smarter. When you get smarter you don't stop pulling the wings off flies, you just think of better reasons for doing it.” 

Name: Carrie

Author: Stephen King

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Pages: 248

Publisher: Hodder

Year Published: Originally 1974 

Movie Adaption?: Yes (1976, 1999, 2002, 2013)

Carrie White has a power, a power that terrifies her religiously devout christian mother. A power that scares her sometimes. This power is something that will change her life forever. If being abused at home by her mother isn't enough,  Carrie is known for being the weird one in school, ridiculed and bullied relentlessly by those more popular than herself in school, especially after experiencing her first period in the open in school. It's following this she is asked to the prom by one of the most popular boys in school, and a horrific prank is carried out that leads to Carrie getting revenge on the town that shafted her as the weird girl. 

This book wasn't what I expected. Stephen King is known for straight up horror, I read It last year and it chilled me right to my core. I found myself looking around corners when I was reading that one, but this book just made me sad. It's something that I found myself aching for Carrie at times because really, she didn't stand a chance. She was never going to come out of this positively, I knew bits of the plot before I read the book but I didn't know how extreme the situations were. 

Starting with her mother, her mother was literally the most hateful person in the whole book for me. She continuously took her own trauma out on Carrie and yes, Carrie's telekinesis power is terrifying and to those of a religious opinion, may seem demonic, that was still her child. Her child that had to stay in a closet and pray to God, a child who wasn't so much as allowed a pillow to sleep on, or wasn't told what her period was and was told it came from sin. Her mother had zero likeable qualities and I'm a little shocked by how Carrie put up with the abusive behaviour for such a long a time.

Secondly, her school life was awful too. The only likeable people from the school were Sue and Tommy and it's so sad that they ultimately got dragged into this whole thing, even though Sue did play a part in the initial bullying act, her intentions weren't malice towards the end of the book. It's sad that Carrie didn't get the ultimate support she needed. Something about Carrie and her life really stirred and empathy within me and it has something to be said about what some teenagers experience within a school environment. Now, I'm not saying that the average teenager will go and explode a town, but I am saying that it should be noted that you never know when somebody has had enough.

Stephen King's writing is great, and I'm glad that I'm finally getting to read the books of his that I own, but I would not peg this book as a horror book. I'd say it's more a psychological book, with paranormal-esque influences. 

As always hit me up on my socials, what did you think of this book?

Instagram: @conniedalt

Twitter: @connie_dalt

Email: conniedalton@hotmail.com

Goodreads: https://goodreads.com/sunstormsandthunderclouds

Budapest || Travel

Budapest 2019

In February 2019, I was lucky to get to spend four amazing days in Budapest, Hungary with two of my closest friends, and it really was a great time. We did a lot in just four days, here are some of my personal highlights:

The Budapest Baths

The Budapest Baths (we went to Szechenyi) were the only thing I think I actually knew about Budapest before I went, thermal baths are something that I've always wanted to go to, especially after going to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland a few years ago, I wanted to see what a man made one was like and if it compared. I left feeling so rejuvenated and overall, it was a really great experience. For £15, you got access to a number of pools, thermal, medicinal, plunge pools, jet pools, lazy rivers, honestly loads of stuff. My personal favourites were the steam saunas, which immediately helped me see a marked improvement on my skin! 

In the Baths

Budapest Castle and Fisherman's Bastion

Budapest Castle and the Fisherman's Bastion was also a highlight of this trip as it provided some amazing cityscape views of the Pest side of the river, and the architecture of the buildings were truly amazing. We got a bus up, which was included as part of a three day travel pass we purchased from one of the bus stops for less than £10 and it helped us get across the city cheaply!

Fisherman's Bastion

The view from Buda Castle

More views from the castle

Ruin Bars

Something that I found really cool and quirky about Budapest is the presence of ruin bars. Ruin Bars are bars that have been set up in abandoned buildings and are filled with mish-mashs of unmatching furniture, graffiti from visiting patrons, nik-naks and bits and pieces that create a unique dynamic within them. We went to one called Szimpla and it seemed like the type of place you could explore for weeks and never truly see everything that it had to offer. 

Inside one of the rooms of Szimpla

Food and Drink

Food wise, Budapest is probably one of the best cities I've been too, it's filled with lovely, budget friendly restaurants selling Hungarian classics such as goulash, up to McDonalds. It has something for everyone. My personal favourite was a chain called Hummus Bar, which sells, you guessed it, Hummus. It was delicious! We also stumbled across a basement tea house, that had over 100 selections of teas and it cost less than £3 per tea pot. This place was lovely and I'm so sad that I don't recall the name, if I find it, I'll let you all know, but it was filled with cushions and comfy seats and people sitting and relaxing and talking. I got a chakra tea, and it really was such a lovely environment. 

We did so much in Budapest that I could really just talk for days about how lovely the city was, but if you've ever been to Budapest, let me know what you got up, and if you'd go back!

As always, hit me up via my socials!

Email: conniedalton@hotmail.com

Instagram: @conniedalt

Twitter: @connie_dalt