There was so much for me to like in this one, a long buried mystery surrounding an entire village disappearing back in 1959, a present day filmmaker set on making a documentary about the village and an atmospheric, spooky setting. All of that to me should add up to a five star read, but in the end there was just something missing for me that didn’t quite get me to a higher rating. I found the way things wrapped up to be highly implausible and just not all that satisfying, but again there was still plenty about this one that was good for me, just not great. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The back of this book describes itself as being "The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar" and honestly I can't think of a better way to describe it. This book follows Alice who *really* wants to make a film about the vanishing residents of an old mining town dubbed "The Lost Village," especially because Alice's great-grandparents and her great-aunt were among the lost villagers.

50 years ago, all residents of the town vanished without a trace. Food was still in the pantries, cups still on tables, but the residents were nowhere to be found. When authorities arrived, they only found a woman tied to a post in the middle of the town square, stoned to death, and a crying baby located in the school. This is told in a dual timeline between present day Alice's perspective, and the perspectives of her great-aunt (found in letters written to Alice's grandmother) and her great-grandmother. Alice begins searching the village to try to find anything that might lead to knowledge about what happened - where did the villagers go? Why did they leave? - when strange things start to happen.....

I really really enjoyed this book! It was so atmospheric in the sense that I felt like I really was in the village. Some twists were predictable, but there were a few surprises tossed in there too. I loved hearing the backstory of the old village, and trying to piece together the old mystery of what happened at the same time as trying to figure out the present-day mystery of what is happening at the filmer's camp. I read somewhere that someone else described it as "not your typical horror book, but more like horrible things happen to innocent people" which I thought was a PERFECT way to describe it. Long story short: be sure to pick this one up and give it a read!

Thank you to Minotaur for my copy of this book! You can find my review also posted on my instagram account here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMxAWl9rvTM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In 1959, two men travel to the remote mining village of Silvertjarn to check on family they hadn't heard from in a while. When they arrived in the village they found that all of the villagers were missing and unaccounted for except two; a woman, found tied to a post and stoned to death in the village square and a newborn baby, found abandoned in the school. The Lost Village tells the story of a documentary crew, some of whom have personal ties to the village, making a documentary about the mysterious ghost town and travelling to Silvertjarn in order to get the footage they need for their promo/trailer 60ish years later. From the moment they arrive, things don't go as expected and they quickly come to the realization that something is not quite right in the village of Silvertjarn.

Overall I would give this book a 3.5 (rounded up here) because while it had an amazing premise and some really great parts I do think it fell short on some aspects of the delivery.

What I liked: The premise! The idea of any large group of people disappearing without a trace is terrifying but also fascinating and people have been intrigued by similar real life situations (like the Roanoke colony) for years. After reading a sample of this I was honestly stoked to read the whole thing. I'm not normally a huge fan of horror (me=easily spooked) but I loved the idea of a documentary crew investigating the disappearances so I really wanted to give this one a try. While the book does contain elements of the horror genre I personally didn't find it scary per se and would say that it leans more towards the mystery/suspense genre rather than horror. It's still atmospheric and kind of spooky but definitely not too scary for the average reader.

The setting! Silvertjarn was described with such detail and had a personality of its own so that it almost feels like another character within the story. It's also super realistic, the author did such a good job describing the village that I spent most of the book fully believing that Silvertjarn was a real lost mining village. While Silvertjarn itself didn't exist as described in the book it's easy to tell that the author got inspiration from other abandoned towns and the setting definitely adds to the creepy atmosphere of the book. While some aspects of the story are farfetched it's easy to imagine them happening in a place like Silvertjarn. Also, I think the author did a very good job of capturing the feeling of a rural community, especially in the flashback POVs. Speaking of...

The flashbacks! The Lost Village is told through two POVs. It's primarily told from the perspective of Alice Lindstedt, the lead filmmaker on the documentary crew. Her grandmother was from Silvertjarn but had moved from the village before the disappearance and lost her whole family which obviously is a huge part of their family history. Alice is quite honestly obsessed with the mystery and her actions drive a lot of the story forward in present day. However, we also get the POV of Alice's great-grandmother Elsa in the time leading up to the disappearances. There are a lot of questions about what's going on in the village now but the driving mystery of the story is definitely what happened to the town so getting to see the lead up to events was really interesting. While I liked the modern POVs I thought the past POVs were a lot tighter and more suspenseful and I enjoyed those chapters a little more.

The ending! I will give absolutely no spoilers or clues to how this ended but I've seen mixed reviews on that so I just wanted to go on record as saying I liked it! There are definitely different things that could have been done but I found the ending more than satisfactory and liked how things turned out.

What didn't really work: this is kind of hard to explain but I think my biggest frustration with the book was that it lacked bite? With it being compared to Midsommar and The Blair Witch Project I was expecting something incredibly atmospheric and honestly kind of terrifying, the sort of book that has you feeling anxious and on edge as you continue reading it. Unfortunately, that's not really what you get. There are definitely creepy aspects and parts that have you tense as you wait to see what happened but it didn't pack as much of a punch as I was expecting. This is partially on me as I did have very high expectations going in but I would have liked to see more happening in the modern POVs to really ramp up the fear factor.

Final thoughts: this was a fun, fast paced mystery with a lot of well executed elements. While I personally was hoping for more of a horror story I think this was still very well done as a mystery/suspense type of story. I'd definitely check out other books by this author and I would recommend The Lost Village to anyone who enjoys Ruth Ware or Riley Sager as I personally saw a lot of similarities to their styles.

As always, a big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

As some who is obsessed with real life documentaries about ghostly places or long lost places, I was super excited to get the chance to read this one. I was very pleased with the outcome! I was instantly pulled in, kept up late into the night, and wasn't let go until I reached the very end! That's some amazing writing style to do that to me.

This novel is phenomenally created. The chilling  thrills, the creepily eery twists, the amazing characters, the page turning plot line......it's all absolutely gripping. I found myself on the edge of my seat, then under my covers. It was such a wild time!

I definitely can't wait for more by this truly talented author. She knows just what her fans will like! Horror and pyschological thriller fans alike will absolutely devour this 4 star read. Bone chilling and roller coaster heart pounding, this is one read I won't soon forget!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Author/Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

This was a strong horror storyline with the deserted village front and center. It did create an eerie atmosphere that was effective in building the suspense of the story. The dual timeline shifts from past to present day, and I found that the past characters were the more developed of the two. However, the writing was juvenile and pedantic. The prose was rocky at best, with no general flow - so it was distracting and frankly, annoying.

All in all, In terms of plot, it gives the reader of the horror genre what they ask for, but nit particulary memorable.

Thank you #minotaurbooks for my Advanced Read Copy.

Gripping from the start, The Lost Village kept me turning pages to find out what happened to the inhabitants of this small Swedish village in the fifties. I really enjoyed the flashback chapters and the story of Elsa and her family, while the present day story felt a bit forced. All in all, the ending surprised me all around and I was left feeling unsettled by the turn of events in that village. Unforgettable!

Thank you to Net Galley and Minotaur Books + St Martins Press for this ARC.

Why did they take off that damn boot?

Do you ever read a book where the characters make a decision that is so specifically wrong that it just burrows in your brain? Tip: NEVER go explore a remote ghost town with a group of people that don't know basic first aid!

Silvertjarn was once a flourishing small town, but the closure of the mine has left many people without work. The villagers are quickly running out of money and running out of hope. The square was once a vibrant beacon of their community, but no one has a reason to leave their homes. No one has anywhere to be until a new pastor comes to town, with a baby face and a velvet tongue. Everyone is quickly under his thrall. Everyone but Elsa, who senses an insidious undertone to his sermons.

The police arrive in Silvertjarn to a ghastly sight. A beaten and broken body in the town square, the squall of a baby and nothing else. Thousands of people are gone. Their houses untouched, belongings still in place. Where did the villagers of Silvertjarn go?

The Lost Village is told through two timelines: Currently with documentarian Alice, and in 1959 with her great-grandmother Elsa, who was among the villagers of Silvertjarn who vanished without a trace.

Alice is drawn to Silvertjarn to find out what happened, armed with some video cameras and her grandmother Margereta's research. But the village isn't ready to reveal its secrets, and it's maybe not as empty as it initially seems.

This book has a super eerie mood, and a propulsive story. I raced to the finish because I absolutely needed to know what happened.

It took too long for anything to really happen in this story even though I figured out what was going to happen pretty early on. Then the ending came...you seriously want readers to believe that ending?

The Lost Village is a lot of fun. I was engaged throughout the whole novel, and I read it in one sitting because I was so caught up in wanting to find out what happened next. I've read some of the other reviews on Goodreads, and I tend to agree with the general critiques about the major spoiler and its believability. Also don't QUITE agree with the Midsommar comparison, though I see why it was given. Overall, this is a fun, thrilling horror novel, and it accomplishes what it sets out to do!

4.25 stars.
Well, this was creepy and I liked it a lot! There were a few parts where I was reading late at night and had "nope, nope, nope definitely not reading anymore right now". Because I knew I either would be spooked to sleep or I would read the rest of the night to find out what was going to happen. Very well done.

This was more depressing than I realized. The concept was good and I think the author nailed the execution of a dark, gory horror but added these too real life moments. Here, there is an emphasis on what lays in the dark and what human are capable of. Real evil lurked in this lost village and it had me on the edge of my seat. The mystery of the story is well paced snd the split of POV from past to present was done seamlessly. The horrors of what happened in this sleepy little mining town are too real and gory. Some of it was predictable and some of it was not. If you like dark horror books with atmospheric thrills be sure to find out what happened in this tiny mining town. I do wish there was more as to what happens in the after but still a goood read

This book was so good!
Immediately the synopsis caught my attention. An amateur documentary film maker goes to an old, abandoned Swedish Village to try to find out the truth of why everyone from the village disappeared without a trace.

This book had everything I was looking for. Creepy vibes? Check. An eerie setting with a sense of foreboding? Check. Things start happening? Check. This checked all my boxes for what I expect in thriller/horror, and it did not disappoint.

I don’t have much to say about this book, other than it’s definitely worth the read. It was intriguing, kept me reading way later than I should have, and overall it just had a creepy atmosphere. Ghost towns and abandoned houses have always fascinated me, so I jumped on the chance to read about one. I liked the dual timelines, one in the present kday and one in the days leading up to the abandonment all of the village. A lot of the time I prefer one storyline over the other, but in this case I liked them both equally.

There were a couple things that bright the reading down for me a bit. I did think the end wrapped up a bit conveniently. At the same time, I was also left without full answers to one particularly burning question. I did notice a bit of stilted language in some parts, but I can chalk that up to being a translation and it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book.

If you like haunted house stories, you will love this one. It’s out now! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was truly CHILLING. The comparison of Blair Witch meets Midsommar is so spot on. Read this in the daylight and when you are not home alone!

*3.5 (7/10)

I just moved to Stockholm a few weeks ago so reading this eerie thriller that is based in Sweden was a great way to kick off my life here!

The Lost Village is an eerie and atmospheric telling of a truly bizarre and incomprehensible event; the disappearance of an entire village of nearly 1,000 people. How does this just happen? As soon as I read the description I knew this would be right up my alley. A great combination of Blair Witch Project vibes which you see more on screen than in a book.

I won't lie, I didn't think the writing was great but I also know that the book was written in Swedish and then translated so maybe it was the translation that did it a bit of a disservice. The writing just seemed a little over the top and too descriptive at times. It's like we had to know every single thought and action that happened and it interrupted the flow a little. However, I wanted to continue to read it as the whole premise and mystery around it was too much to just let go. I really wanted to find out what happened to all of those people but also to find out what would happen to this crew who are trying to uncover the mystery.

Overall, the eeriness and creepiness of the story started to build and the throwbacks to just before the disappearance were really good. The past is really fast which is great and very quickly you are experiencing a tense and threatening nightmare along with the characters. You could very clearly picture yourself in this cut off and isolated community and wanted to find out more about the people and what could have happened to them. I thought the links between the main characters and the people of the village were clever and tied it nicely. The characters themselves could have had a little more depth but anyway. I actually found the characters from the throwbacks in the village stronger than the main characters we follow as they try to make the documentary.

I won't lie, I did guess certain plot twists before they were revealed so I didn't really experience the 'oh my god' moment but I thought they were clever and realistic and actually made the whole thing a little more sinister which was good. The story as a hole is really good and I could see this being a super creepy movie that I would love to watch!

Overall I enjoyed it. It's an easy read and one you will get through very quickly. As I said, certain elements could have been better but I'm not sure if that's due to the translation or not. A big thank you to Net Galley for letting me read this before publication.

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

This was my first time reading this author and I look forward to reading more from her! I found this book to be very well written, it has a good creep factor to it that I was looking forward to and it had unexpected turns and twists that I didn't see coming. Very enjoyable read that I recommend! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this and leave my opinion.

Posted on: March 29, 2021
Blog: The Life & Times of a Book Addict.

REVIEW:

The Lost Village definitely had a creepy vibe going on. The story alternated between the Then and the Now, which I really enjoyed. The Now /present story with Alice and her crew making a film about the village was enjoyable. As things progressed for them though, their story wasn’t as suspenseful as I had hoped it would be. And some of the things that happened, like certain choices and actions did not make any sense to me. I started to enjoy reading the Then flashbacks more than I did the Now. I was very interested in learning what evil befell a whole village. As I started inching closer to the ending of the book, I felt dread for what was happening to the characters in the past and anticipation for the whole reveal. I was hooked on the Then story.

I would categorize this book as more of a suspenseful thriller than an actual horror story. I will say that unfortunately the ending was a bit lackluster for me. Despite that, it did continually keep my interest and I enjoyed reading it.


RATING: 3 OUT OF 5.

The Lost Village is suspenseful while also creating characters that you care about. The POV shifts between two characters and present-day to late ‘50s. The shift is done very well and the stories are woven together as the novel moves along. It is spooky without being unbelievable. The pacing is excellent and as I finished each chapter, I couldn’t wait to get to the next one.

Alice, the present-day character, with familial ties to Elsa, the past character, is intent on creating a documentary about a lost village, in which her grandmother used to reside. Her small crew quickly find out that they are not alone in the abandoned village and the tension quickly builds. We also learn how it is the village became “lost”. The entire story is very satisfying, including the ending.

This is my first read by Camilla Sten and I hope more of her books become available in the US. Thank you to Netgalley for a digital ARC. @minotaur_books, @wednesdaysten, @crazziforbooks, #TheLostVillageBook

The Lost Village, by Camilla Sten
Pub Date: March 23, 2021

Camilla Sten’s debut thriller The Lost Village was atmospheric and dark, kept me engaged, and kept a steady pace that led to a satisfying, if not somewhat predictable, ending. With its cinematic imagery, I can see this as a made for TV/Netflix movie as it has the vibes of The Blair Witch Project and like cult classics.

Admittedly, this book deviated a bit from my usual reading and included cult vibes layered on top of a remote and abandoned mining town, Silvertjärn, in Sweden. It is here that young female protagonist and filmmaker, Alice,seeks to find out what happened in 1959 and the near 900 residents who vanished one night leaving a woman stoned to death in the town square and an abandoned baby in the schools infirmary. As Alice and her crew begin to explore they uncover much more than they could have imagined and there is no turning back.

The Lost Village is a mixture of many of my favourite elements in suspense read. I love Nordic landscapes, Gothic and Noir elements in storytelling, and slow burns that intensify to a propulsive ending. And, Sten worked hard at embracing these elements in her debut thriller which is commendable. I look forward to future work by Sten and their progression in Scandinavian Gothic Noir.

My thanks to St. Martin's/Minataur books, Camilla Sten and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave me all the spooky chills as I was reading it!
This was a translated novel from Sweden and it was a fast paced horror story.
It jumps from modern day, "Now" and in the past "Then." in each chapter.
The present has a team of 5 people who are trying to film a documentary about a lost mining village. The entire town disappeared suddenly and all that was left was one woman tied to a post stoned to death.

This group of people are trying to uncover the mystery. They are more connected to this story because we find out the main women running the show is actually connected to the family that used to live there. Her grandmother's sister lived in the village when everyone disappeared.

We hear from this sister in the form of letters she wrote to the grandmother in the "THEN" chapters.
We see a mysterious priest arrive at the town and start converting devoted followers. We see how some follow him and the ones that don't begin to be outcast.
We slowly learn the secrets of the village and what awful things this priest has some. While this info is revealed, the five videographers are being hunted and murdered by something in this village, and we are trying to uncover what it is.

The ending wasn't too surprising when you think of a priest converting followers, but the details were fun to watch uncover. I enjoyed this book and it was a great low key horror if you are looking for something to frighten you a bit!

**3.5-stars**

In 1959, it was discovered that all the residents of the defunct mining town of, Silvertjarn, Sweden, had mysteriously disappeared. Well, all but the woman found hanging, stoned to death in the town square, and an infant located in the local school. For decades, the mystery has gone unsolved.

Aspiring documentary filmmaker, Alice Lindstedt, has become obsessed with The Lost Village, as her Grandmother's entire family were among the disappeared. She decides to tackle the mystery as her first solo documentary project. She plans to travel to the remote village, along with a small crew, to search for the truth of what happened to the residents. She does have some information on the town based on letters from her Grandmother's little sister, Aina.

Together with her friend, Tone, who also has a connection to the village, her ex-best friend, Emmy, an experienced production manager, Emmy's technician and significant other, Robert, and the financial backer of the film, Max, Alice is finally able to reach her destination: Silvertjarn.

The plan is to shoot on location for six days. That's all the time they have with their rented equipment. The project is low budget to say the least, but could be life-changing for Alice if the documentary is received well.

They travel to the town with just enough supplies to last through the six days. The location is quite remote; they won't be bothered by anyone and should be able to focus and hopefully get enough good footage to kick the project off.

From the very start, the town has an ominous feel. It's creepy being in an abandoned town. The houses and buildings still hold all of the belongings in place like time capsules. It seems the residents got up one day, walked out and never returned. What could have happened here? All of the crew feel uneasy about the location, but decide to put their heads down and just work through it.

Tension is running high and some bickering ensues. The team seems to be coming apart before they've even started, but Alice is willing to do anything to salvage what time they have left. Everything begins to spiral though and soon some on the crew suspect they are not alone in the village after all.

Together with the present day timeline, we get a past timeline as well, told from the perspective of Alice's Great-Grandmother, Elsa, in the days leading up to the mass disappearance. This past timeline ultimately concludes with the truth about the town and its dark secrets being revealed.

The Lost Village is an interesting story. While it started out slow for me, it did pick up quite a bit after the halfway point. I enjoyed the overall mystery of the village and the alternating timelines; although I actually enjoyed the past timeline more.

In the present timeline, the characters and some of their choices were aggravating to me. I found the petty bickering annoying and some of the relationships didn't make sense to me. With this being said, it didn't overshadow the other content too much. I was still able to enjoy the journey to the conclusion. The ending definitely toed the line of eyeroll territory for me. I was shaking my head a bit, if I'm being honest.

Overall, though, this story has a lot of strong points. The atmosphere and overarching mystery were both very good; as well as the idea of a documentary film crew trying to unravel the mystery on location. I loved that.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinions!