Blurb
Book editor Emily Bryant finds herself unexpectedly in the charming town of Cascata on California’s Lost Coast, holding the keys to her grandmother’s rambling Victorian mansion.
While sorting through her grandmother’s things, Emily learns that she must edit old manuscripts to inherit the estate.
It’s a strange request from a family member who was basically a stranger.
Emily quickly realizes that there’s something different about these manuscripts.
Any changes she makes come true.
At first, she embraces the gift.
She has a chance to help characters find true love or chart a new course for their future.
But then things go terribly wrong.
Her edits have the opposite effect.
The sweet and funky seaside community of Cascata is reeling from the chaos Emily has created.
Everything she thought she believed about her family and her past is in jeopardy, and no amount of editing can fix the damage she’s done.
Then she finds one last manuscript.
If Emily can get this edit right, maybe she’ll have a chance to create a new narrative for herself and everyone around her.
My Review
What was it all about
Lost Coast Literary by author Ellie Alexander was a cozy contemporary story set in a small town of Cascata, Lost Coast where book editor Emily Bryant found herself with the keys of the inherited property, The Ballad.
Along with the rambling house came the strange magical power to edit the lives of the people in the town.
Would she get it right? Humans were complexed and so were their moods.
How it made me feel
Warm and fuzzy. The book gave me a feeling that I too was surrounded by books in a house that had magical powers.
Cozy vibes. The writing was packed with the ambiance of a small-town, making me long to pack my bags and shift to Cascata.
Awestruck. Each stroke of the author’s pen felt that I had been transported to the vivid landscapes of Lost Coast.
The Good
Beautiful descriptions captured my imagination as I could just see every scene in the book. The house and the gardens, the quirky locals, the breathtaking locales weaved their magic around me, making me immerse into Emily’s life and the town of Cascata.
Being a book editor, I loved how the magic allowed the main character to rewrite subplots and give it her own ending, though sometimes it didn’t land well. But that was the way life was. We learned from our mistakes.
The prose was rich in the amalgamation of paranormal along with realistic situations that kept me anchored and hooked to the story.
I loved the development that Emily showed right through the pages. She endeared herself to me as she faced life head-on, once she got over the initial hiccups
The Bad
The book concentrated more on the lives of other residents of the town than the richness of the emotions between the family members, especially the father. Those were kept low-key.
Additional pages to show me how The Ballad healed this entire Bryant family could have been added.
The Conclusion
A book of self-discovery, coming of age, with a tinge of magic captured my heart, tying up all my heartstrings beautifully, making me long for book 2 in the series.
Is author Ellie Alexander listening?
Book Links
Book Details
Publication Date: 29th March 2022
I downloaded the digital version of the book from an online retail, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. STRICTLY HONEST and UNBIASED.
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One Response
Glad we both loved this story, Shalini. Maybe a sequel???