I enjoyed reading this creepy book. There were some things I wasn't expecting.

I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

Alice and friends travel to Silvertjarn, now dubbed "the lost village" after the entire population mysteriously disappeared decades ago. They intend to make a documentary about the town and investigate the various hypothesis about what happened. At some point early in the visit, one of them comments that they should make a horror movie in the village instead of a documentary. How prescient they were! While this book was very much story forward, the various character backgrounds help ramp up the eeriness of the story. Alice's grandmother was a town member who had left shortly before everyone disappeared. Her interest started with a collection of letters her grandmother had from the her sister who remained in Silvertjarn. In the present, she and her friends start having problems while looking around the town. This ramped up as the story moved along. A second timeline followed Alice's great grandmother, who still lived in the town, which worked towards the day they all disappeared. The tension from current events combined with knowing something was yet to be explained in the past really grabbed me! And, I'll be honest, I gave a sigh of relief when I realized we were not going to be left hanging at the end. Ms. Sten could have easily left the reader at the precipice. Thankfully she didn't!

In 1959, everyone in the small mining town of Silvertjärn disappeared without a trace, including Elsa Kullman, her husband Staffan, and their youngest daughter, Aina. A crying infant was all that was left behind. Generations later, Elsa's great-granddaughter Alice is on a mission to figure out what happened to her ancestors and to the abandoned town of Silvertjärn, desperate to create a documentary out of her investigation. Alice and her film crew are enthralled upon arriving at Silvertjärn. But then things don't go as planned. A serious injury, mysterious sounds, creeping shadows, all while being completely cutoff from civilization is enough to put anyone on edge. And then everything goes from bad to so, so much worse... Back in 1959, Elsa is realizing that the town she's always loved is no longer recognizable. Men have lost jobs, families have left, and a new minister in town is far too captivating to the weakened citizens of Silvertjärn. Something is brewing in Elsa's town, and she's determined to put an end to it. Told in alternating perspectives and time periods, <i>The Lost Village</i> hits the high end of the creep factor while keeping readers guessing as to what's coming next, and the collision of Alice's and Elsa's stories make the tension-filled journey worth it.

Thoughts: This gave me total "Chernobyl" movie vibes -- abandoned town, strangeness lurking around every corner, and pure evil just waiting to be unleashed. I was sufficiently creeped out by the tense scenes as Alice and her crew explore Silvertjärn, and by all of the terror that ensues. Elsa's storyline was suspenseful, but not necessarily scary. Given how descriptive and creepy Alice's exploration scenes were, I thought Elsa's scenes needed a bit more of something. But overall, I really enjoyed this! Fans of Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix, Stephen King's The Fog, Silent Hill, and The Blair Witch might enjoy this creepy Swedish horror.

**<i>Thank you to publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.</i>**

Holy scary wow. I love Nordic noir. Give me all the murder mysteries and serial killers set in snowy, desolate places, but give me one that deals with stuff that can’t be easily and rationally explained, and the hair goes up on the back of my neck and I run to hide under the covers

That being said, I loved Camilla Sten’s debut novel. It is so deliciously creepy that I have to admit that I almost stopped reading at one point, only because it was giving me the heebie-jeebies, but I had to know what happened, and so I grabbed my snuggly reading friend and went back to it, and omg I’m glad I did, because I did not see that ending coming. I can definitely see this being an amazing movie. One that I would have to watch during the day!

@girl_loves_dogs_books_wine

At first I found this difficult to get into-too much like it was going to be a variant of the movie Midsommer but then #thelostvillage found its way and I began to get involved in the story. At first the characters were lightly drawn but we eventually get a fuller picture although it’s not as clear I as would like. This is a disturbing story and a bit like a slasher flick from the 80’s. If you like creepy Scandinavian thrillers this will be right up your alley. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for this ebook to read and review.

The Lost Village is the first novel I've read by Camilla Sten – but after this beauty, you better believe I'll be keeping an eye on everything else that she writes! I was tempted into reading this book right off the bat, thanks to a description that promised it to be a cross between The Blair Witch Project and Midsommar. Enough said, right?

Alice Lindstedt is a filmmaker, one who is obsessed with the project she's working on. In her defense, the project touches close to home, as it ties back to her grandmother and great-aunt. In 1959, an entire village went missing.

It became known as The Lost Village. Now, Alice and her crew are returning to the scene. And she is hoping to uncover what went on all those years ago. Instead, she and her crew have walked right into a lethal trap.

“Getting closer! Almost inside the dead zone. See you in five days, if the ghosts don't get us.”

The Lost Village is one of those novels that sucked me in from the very first page. No, that's not quite true. I was captivated before I even picked up the book, thanks to that cover and description. It was more than enough for me.

This was a thrilling and chilling read, made all the more concerning thanks to the storytelling styles employed. It's split into two timelines – the past and the present. The past is a study in pure horror and sets the scene for Alice and her crew to uncover.

Camilla Sten really nailed the whole creepy vibe, at least in my book. The whole time I was reading, I was pretty much at the edge of my seat. All because I kept expecting the worst to happen! It made for a bit of a daunting read, but one I enjoyed nonetheless.

"That last time I saw my sister, Aina, she was only seventeen."

I should probably mention that The Lost Village has some truly disturbing and graphic scenes. There are also references to events in Alice's past and her mental health. All of it did a great job of starting a conversation about bias and societal judgment, which I adored. However, it also makes this book a heavier read for some. So do consider yourself warned.

This book had my attention from the very start. The premise is absolutely fascinating, and the kind guaranteed to hook me right away. An entire village disappeared in 1959, and now a documentary filmmaker with familial ties to the village's past has arrived to try to make the film that will save her career.
Though the village has supposedly been completely abandoned, Alice and her ragtag crew with complicated pasts keep seeing shadows out of the corners of their eyes, and would swear they are not the ones breaking their filming epuipment. And then someone goes missing.

This is one scary eerie creepy book. Sten does an amazing job of setting the scene, and I really felt like I was right there with the characters. The use of the occasional flashes of "Then" that build to a crescendo as you near the end of the story served to heighten the suspense and keep you guessing.

Ok, so this is definitely a strange book, but Sten makes it work. In the hands of someone else, I really think this story would have fallen apart, but Sten makes it all come together.

I really had high hopes for this book...it's more of a 3.5 but I was feeling generous so...

The descriptor of a Blair Witch/Midsommar mash up is a bit misleading- just saying...

While I overall enjoyed the book, it's well written/translated and seriously atmospheric... I just wished for more all round...more spookiness, more character development and it deserved better than that BLAH ending...

This did have a B-Movie vibe that I totally dug so there is that and the book shines in the 2nd half (other the ending).

The Lost Village is a horror novel about a village in Sweden where nearly 900 of its residents vanished without a trace in the late 1950s. Alice, a filmmaker and relative of one of the families, sets out to make a documentary about what may have happened based on her grandmother's (she lived elsewhere) stories and letters. With three other people she goes to the village and starts shooting a trailer for the purpose of raising money to make the film.

The premise of this book was so intriguing, however, it fell a bit flat. The action and pacing were good and the dual timeline was good as well. It shifted between Alice and her crew, and Elsa, Alice's great grandmother in the time leading up to what happened to the villagers. The only real disappointment for me was how it ended. It was very lackluster compared to the build up from the rest of the novel. I had one oc those "that's it?" moments. Overall, I still enjoyed reading it because of the whole isolation creepy vibe the author created.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, author Camilla Sten, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Lost Village’ by Camilla Sten in exchange for an honest review. It was translated from the Swedish by Alex Fleming.

In horror novels/thrillers unexplained mysteries are clearly catnip to young documentary filmmakers and so it’s not surprising that there would be interest in Silvertjärn, an isolated mining village in the heart of Norrland.

In 1959 the village’s entire population of nine hundred vanished. Actually when the police came to the village after reports of something strange having occurred they found only the body of a woman stoned to death in the village square and a newborn baby girl. Clearly neither was going to be able to provide information on where everyone else had gone. No trace was ever found though there were plenty of theories. Ever since Silvertjärn has remained a ghost town.

In the present Alice Lindstedt grew up hearing stories about ‘The Lost Village’ as her grandmother’s entire family were among those who had disappeared. Now an aspiring filmmaker, she is hoping to make a documentary series about the village’s mystery and perhaps even solve it. Alice gathers a small crew of friends and they head to Silvertjärn to do some preliminary filming hoping to attract backers to the project.

Almost from the moment they arrive mysterious things begin to happen and it becomes clear that they are not alone. Without spoilers, let’s just say that clearly no one in their crew has ever seen a horror film.

Camilla Sten has woven the present day events with those in 1959, heading chapters as Now and Then. In both time periods, there is plenty of nail-biting tension and tragedy.

Its remote Scandinavian setting was extremely atmospheric and enhanced the sense of dread of a lurking menace. Overall, I found this an engaging and satisfying thriller.

‘The Lost Village’ is Camilla Sten’s debut thriller and after reading it I look forward to news of her future projects.

This book is described as The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar and I can see why. There were definitely creepy vibes throughout this story as well as the cult like mentality. Unfortunately this book was not for me.

In my opinion this is a definite slow burn. It took me about 50% to get into the story but I'm not quite sure why. We get a dual narrative in this story. It splits back and forth from Alice's present day return to the dubbed "Lost Village" where her grandmother as well as the rest of the village just seemed to vanish into thin air, to back 60 years ago during her grandmother's time. I did think it was interesting to hear the backstory of the town of Silvertjarn, but was expecting a little bit more. There was a great build with the Pastor, and Tone's mental state and they both sort of fell flat.

While this book did have the creepy vibes, and once I got to the halfway point I was invested, I was left a bit underwhelmed.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in return for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Wow, I really enjoyed this one!

It was incredibly atmospheric, and the creepy, abandoned aura was always present. The story follows Alice, an amateur producer, and her rag tag group as they go to a town dubbed "The Lost Village" where over 900 people disappeared back in the 50s...including Alice's grandmother and grandmother's family. There was also a murder in the town and an abandoned baby, the only known survivor, to add to the intrigue. Alice wants to film a documentary about the town, since the mystery of the town was never solved, so her and the others go there for 5 days on an initial tour of the town, which isolated from the outside world, to see what they can find.

If there's one thing this book solidified for me, it's that while I don't tend to enjoy dual timelines in romances, I absolutely LOVE them in mystery/thriller/horror novels! There were just enough glimpses into the past to keep me interested, without me thinking "okay okay, enough, get back to the present". The balance felt just right, which I really appreciated. The story is a bit of a slow burn for the first half, but it didn't get boring for me at any point. The only reason I knocked off a star was I was still left with some minor questions and found the identity reveal at the end to be a bit unbelievable, but the journey of the book was fantastic so I didn't overly mind.

There was also lot of mental health rep in this, and I saw some people saying it was "bad" rep, but I honestly didn't see it that way at all. If anything, I enjoyed how the "evils" of mental illness were shown side-by-side with the actual evil of extremist cult mentality. I don't want to give away too much, but just know that the initial mental health stereotypes showcased don't lead to an unsatisfying ending (at least for me). This isn't one of those "the mental health is the sole reason behind all the issues/violence/etc" stories that make me want to toss a book across the room. It was more than that. Also, the scene where Alice and Emmy finally air out their emotions regarding their shared past...I was NOT expecting that to hit me in the gut the way it did. As someone who has been both the Alice AND the Emmy at different times in my life, that really hit home, and made me way more emotional than I was anticipating.

I will say that there is some potentially triggering content related to mental health, including physical/sexual abuse of someone who is mentally ill and suicidal thoughts. So if those are touchy areas for you, definitely look up more in-depth or spoilery trigger warnings ahead of time.

If you're a fan of creepy, atmospheric horror mysteries that have the "is it paranormal or something else?" vibes and an isolated, forced proximity type of setting, then definitely give this one a try!

***A huge thank you to NetGalley and Minatour Books for sending me a physical ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!***

The Lost Village , by Camilla Sten had me captivated from the first chapter al the way through the Epilogue. The setting & characters were so we'll developed that you felt like you were there and had a stake in the character's lives. The time jump between certain chapters also helped the flow of the story and my enjoyment if the book.

Although a straightforward, uncomplicated story that was very easy to figure out what was coming, this book covered all the emtions one can experience. This book is a must read for everyone!

This book made me sleep with a night light. And I'm turning 28 the author really gives the creep ans eerie factor. Which makes you flip pages in record time. I highly recommend this novel its unique its phenomenal in the writing aspect. I csnt wsit to read more from this author because wow

This is a deliciously creepy, slow burn thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. Although it’s not particularly action-packed, the atmospheric sense of dread had me flying from page to page. Alice, a descendent of a woman who once lived in the ghost town of Silvertjarn, makes her way to the remote town to begin filming a documentary about its mysterious past. Years ago, nearly 900 inhabitants disappeared without a trace and Alice, along with her small crew of 4, hopes to uncover the truth once and for all. I loved unpacking the many secrets about Silvertjarn as well as those regarding Alice’s own dark past. There is so much to explore, that it makes for an incredibly engrossing read. The ending left me hoping for a little more but I still thought it was well constructed and well worth the read!! The tension is truly nonstop! Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @minotaur_books for sharing The Lost Village with me!

The story follows documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt to a village in Sweden where nine hundred residents inexplicably vanished in 1959. Only a newborn baby and a dead woman in the town square remained. Alice has ties to the village as her own grandmother’s family disappeared in the mysterious event. Told through alternating timelines, in the past we see the sequence of events that led up to the disappearance and in the present we watch as Alice and her crew attempt to film their documentary until creepy things start happening to them. These two threads intertwine to reveal what really occurred in 1959.

The Lost Village has everything you’d want in a thriller—an eerie ghost town setting, sketchy characters, cults, an intriguing mystery, a touch of gore, and plenty of thrills. The writing is atmospheric, the premise is completely original, and I adored the creepy Scandinavian vibes! I highly recommend this one if you love thrillers/mysteries. This one is out now—happy belated pub day!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Village and spent the whole day reading it. I could not put it down and needed to know what happened.

The Lost Village was creepy and suspenseful. Comparison to The Blair Witch Project is accurate in that both build tension slowly and gradually. It also gave me strong vibes of The Village by M. Night Shyamalan. Even though the past was around 1960, the town was so disconnected from the rest of the world that it could have easily been an even older time period.

The dual timeline worked really well here as we alternated between Elsa’s story in the past and Alice’s current exploration for her documentary. We learn what happened through Elsa as Alice and her crew uncover more of the town’s secrets. Something sinister has happened in the town and we aren’t entirely sure if it’s supernatural or something else. As we flip back and forth, we know we are headed to a dramatic conclusion but we aren't exactly sure what that will be. I don't think there were huge surprises or a big twist that you couldn't guess but that didn't lessen my enjoyment. If anything, it heightened the tension because I had an idea of what had happened and was waiting anxiously for the story to get to that part.

The Lost Village is a slow burn, spooky mystery thriller that hooks you from the very beginning and doesn’t let you go until the last word. You will be looking over your shoulder and keeping the lights on with this book!

Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere (in a whiny Jan Brady voice)... The Lost Village has mega atmosphere but little else happens in the first half of the book. Then, suddenly, the ghosts turn malevolent! What’s happening? I couldn’t wait to find out. Then, the final twist...is laughably absurd! I mean it’s amazingly unlikely. It could never be true. Avoid wasting the three hours to read this book. Take my word for it, it’s bad—really bad. 1 star.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I do not like supernatural stories. I read the synopsis of this one and decided NO. Uh, somehow I received an ARC? I guess I accidentally hit "request" and got one. OOPS! Well, THANK YOU NETGALLEY!!! WOW!!! I really, really. REALLY liked this one! Definitely reminiscent of Blair Witch as far as a filmmaking crew who will probably never be seen again and something is "out there" sort of premise. Not sure about the Midsommar comparison, as I have not seen that yet. YET. I will now! The author did an fantastic job of slowly building a creepy sense of dread and a final crash-bang ending!! A debut???! Will definitely read her next one!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Camilla Sten and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

What starts out feeling like a campy mockumentary quickly turns into a horrifying nightmare that will haunt you long after you finish this book. The story development is an insane tease, the back and forth of narratives and timelines creates an intense but delightful suspense. I could read hundreds of books like this and still want to read more. The combination of mysterious disappearances, crazy religion, murder, and abandoned buildings is my favorite bookish recipe.

While the characters were a bit melodramatic for my taste, it played well into the “mockumentary” vibe and was believable considering their age. As well as with many stories I read, I wanted so much more backstory, there was enough to keep me interested and entertained, but I still was left with questions.

Everything about this story was meticulous and well-crafted and deserves high praise.

Minotaur Books and NetGalley gifted me an advanced copy of this book. The opinions are my own.