As much as I love crafting (and imbibing, just so we’re clear, here) a delightfully-complex cocktail, there’s also much to be said for the beautiful simplicity of something like a G&T, which creates its own magic with just three meager ingredients.

The same holds true—for me, anyway—with storytelling; while I’m all for becoming completely ensnared by a labyrinthine tale [when done well, mind you—I enjoy crappy stories no more than I do crappy drinks], there’s an undeniable power to a simpler story, when told really, really well… which is exactly what Camilla Sten manages to do in her unputdownable new suspense, The Lost Village.
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Alice Lindstedt has had two passions for as long as she can remember: making movies (hence her film school degree), and trying to solve a fifty-plus-year-old family mystery (the inexplicable disappearance of an entire Swedish village—including her grandmother’s whole family—back in 1959).

When—by chance, as much as anything—she meets another person with ties to that long-ago mass vanishing, Alice decides it’s now or never to go all in on her obsessions: she aims to film a documentary about the tiny town of Silvertjärn, and—with any luck—also (finally) unearth the secret to how (and why) 900 people could simply go “poof!”.

But independent filmmaking has its own unique set of challenges—money being chief among them—so Alice enlists the aid of a tiny crew to go spend a long weekend with her in the remote ghost town, to shoot a brief—and hopefully compelling—pitch film they can use in a Kickstarter campaign, to pay for doing the full documentary via crowdfunding.

From the first moment Alice and her four-person crew arrive on the outskirts of Silvertjärn, though, things start to go sideways. First, the supposedly-stable bridge [the only way to cross the river to the town being via one of two ancient bridges] has rotted away, leaving the unstable one their sole remaining option.

The same rot extends into town, they soon discover… making stairs in all the vacant houses and other buildings—the very places they need to explore and shoot in—fraught with inherent danger.

There are strange sounds. On separate occasions, a couple of members of the team are convinced they’re being watched. Everywhere they turn, each house they explore, leaves them with a sense of mounting despair, doubt, and unease. Silvertjärn, if it ever was, is most definitely not a place of happy memories, any more.

And then, a freak occurrence leaves Alice and her friends without means of leaving… which turns out to be precisely the one thing they desperately want to do, once the horrific realities of Silvertjärn’s legacy are revealed. But will the ghosts of Silvertjärn even let them leave? That becomes the terrifying question.
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Having been a producer, myself, on a couple of independent, crowdfunded films, I was immediately drawn to The Lost Village, because that whole world is one few people really understand. (The inevitable comparisons to both The Blair Witch Project and Midsommar—both memorable films in their own rights—didn’t hurt, either.)

By alternating between the present—with Alice and her team—and the past—providing sense of the lives of residents circa 1959—Sten creates two very different visions of the same village for us to be fascinated by… then slowly, subtly brings them ever closer together. There's a strong sense of time and space along an exceedingly-finite continuum, as the tale unfolds, and it’s highly effective at building a mounting suspense.

With so few characters [even when going back to the past, Sten’s focus is on a pretty small group of townsfolk], it might seem the mystery would lag or the suspense dwindle, but I found the opposite to be true; the tension escalated the nearer I got to the end… to the point that probably nothing could’ve made me set the book down until I’d reached the last page.

The Lost Village is a great read… even if I’ll be sure to leave towns like Silvertjärn off my bucket list when I eventually get to visit Sweden. As for Sten, I’ll be keeping an eager eye open for her next book.
~GlamKitty

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The things that I liked about this book was that the atmosphere was really creepy throughout, and I liked that the point of this was to get answers about people disappearing from this village and there was mystery throughout. I also liked that they wanted to make a documentary. The things that didn't work for me was that I didn't really care about any of the characters, I thought most of them were annoying, I was confused about the past timeline because there were so many different characters that I couldn't keep track. I didn't like how slow it was, I wasn't invested until 48% in when the plot began to pick up. Even though I don't like reviewing books I didn't enjoy because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, I know I have to be honest about my feelings. Also, even though I didn't enjoy a lot of what was happening I can appreciate what the book was doing. I'm sad that I didn't enjoy this, but I know there is an audience for this and I'm glad I got to experience this book. So if you like slow paced books with an interesting historical mystery element this one's for you!

I always like the Swedish noir. I’ve read a lot of books about podcasts, but a documentary is a new take on a novice crime investigation. I don’t usually read horror, but am always willing to give it a try.

This book has an amazing premise, but the story unfolding didn’t quite do the premise justice. Or maybe I’m in the minority since the film/TV rights have been sold across the world.

If you like a very slow burn gothic mystery, then this book is for you.

This is such a fast paced mystery/horror novel! I couldn’t put it down. The book is set in Sweden between 2 timelines (present day and the 1960’s) about a documentary filmmaker who is starting to scout the location of The Lost Village (where hundreds of people disappeared without a trace in the 1960’s after a new preacher came to town). The filmmaker has a family connection to the town and creepy things start to happen not long after her and her 4 colleagues get there.

I would definitely want to read more from this author!

This story follows Alice, who is making a documentary on a mining village where the villagers mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Back in 1959, her Grandmother’s entire family were among those who went missing. There were only two traces that life existed in the village, one woman who was Stoned to death in the center of the village and a newborn baby who was alive, but left abandoned. Alice and her film crew travel to this “Lost Village” to get the truth of what really happened all those years ago and film on location. After arriving, unexplainable events start happening, they start hearing sounds, they think they see someone outside their camp, people go missing.....They are starting to think they are not alone. Are they?

The storyline and setting of this book kept me intrigued and wanting more. The characters were well developed and the storyline bounced back and forth between past and present day. Compared to most thrillers I have read lately, this book had a much different storyline, which is one of the reasons I believe I enjoyed it so much. This is the first book I have read by this author and it won’t be my last.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for giving me an ARC of this ebook through NetGalley.

The Story: In 1959, almost nine hundred residents of Silvertjarn, a mining village in Sweden, vanished mysteriously. No one knows what really happened to the village although there are theories about the disappearance. This mystery is what documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt is trying to solve. She has been obsessed with this story since she was a little girl as her grandmother's family were among those that vanished in the tragedy. She and her small crew of friends travel to Silvertjarn for a six days shoot focusing on eight locations around the village. Unbeknownst to them, they are not alone and things take a turn for the worse with fatal consequences.

My thoughts: What an enjoyable read! I loved all the creepy and haunting vibes in the story! The author's excellent atmospheric writing transported me to Silvertjarn and I enjoyed every detail of this abandoned village. It feels so real.

The dual timeline - "then" and "now" - works well and added depth to the story, especially when the mystery is unraveled through the "then" timeline. Elsa captivated my heart the most in the story. However, I did find some parts of the translation a bit odd but it did not deter me from enjoying the story.

I personally feel that there is more of a thriller vibe than horror. Nonetheless, this was a good haunting story. It sends chills to my bones and I love the twists and turns thrown in the plot. Give this a read!


***Thank you Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press, author Camilla Sten and NetGalley for this review copy to read and review.***

This book's premise was a really interesting one & love the idea of a ghost town where there is a huge mystery around the disappearance of so many people. You follow the granddaughter of a former resident of the small town who moved before everyone disappeared, wants to do a documentary to bring the story to light and perhaps solve it.

About 75% of the way, I thought I had solved the mystery myself but I was pleasantly surprised that I only got it half right. I was pulled into the scene with Alice with every eerie sound she thought she heard; the moaning, the footsteps, and the haunted singing. The twists in the story were gripping and I couldn't put the book down! I stayed up late just to finish it and find out what really happened to her extended family.

It was a really good read, especially if you like weird disappearances, 60 year old mysteries, and deaths that seem to happen in an instant committed by an unknown entity stalking the crew.

This book had lots of potential and I loved the synopsis/storyline but I struggled to stay motivated to continue reading. Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me.

Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this copy!

This book is a slow burn that is for sure! But boy does it pick up I stayed up late to finish reading this one because I just couldn’t put it down. I love how it made me think of my byberry days by going into abandoned asylums/buildings just for the thrills. There were some shocking parts that I needed to keep reading to see what else would pop up! If you’re looking for a thrill this one is for you !

A mystery involving a lost Scandinavian village? The whole town’s population goes mysteriously missing and decades later, a young documentarian returns to hopefully unlock the mystery. Oooh sounds creepy.

Ok, so this is kind of a little Midsommar-ish but not nearly scary enough.

I didn’t find it very compelling and the lead character was a little silly. She kept secrets that didn’t need to be kept, except to advance plot I guess. But don’t you hate it when you watch a show and no one will tell each other the one thing that will solve everything!? Maybe it’s just me. But it doesn’t feel like the suspense is earned when so much disaster can be averted by people just saying, oh yeah you know what, I saw a creepy person hanging around camp last night.

Maybe it’s just not the book for me. I kept reading because I wanted to know how it ended so wasn’t bad. I was hoping for more of a thriller, but I guess I’m not easily frightened.

An intensely creepy slow burner, I was a little disappointed with the abruptness of the ending, but overall I really enjoyed this one. This is one of those books I hope they turn into a movie, that growing sense of unease throughout the story would be perfect for it!

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten
Length: 352 Pages
Genres: Horror and Mystery
Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5

A special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an ARC of this book

"The church looms large over the small buildings on the eastern side of the village, its tall, proud spire topped by a slender cross that glistens, impossibly bright, in the light of the setting sun. The houses look almost as if they've sprouted from the church like little mushrooms, falling and moldering to form walls and silhouettes along the coppery-red river running down to the small woodland lake that village its name: silvertjärn, silver tarn."

Alice Lindstedt has one goal in life - to make a successful documentary about the lost village of Silvertjärn, Sweden. Her grandmother grew up in the village, and her parents and younger sister were among the 900 people who vanished without a trace in 1959. All that was left behind was a newborn baby, and the body of Birgitta Lidman, stoned and strapped to a pole in the middle of Silvertjärn.

Alice brings Tone, a troubled friend who has her own links to Silvertjärn; Max, the backer of the project, and Emmy and Robert, who have filming experience. Emmy just so happens to also be a friend of Alice's from college that she hasn't spoken to in years and their troubled past crackles through the rest of the group like electricity. Soon, they start to experience strange things - a sighting of a figure out in the rain, strange laughter over the walkie-talkies, and a explosion that leaves them trapped and without resources as they come to the horrifying conclusion that they are most definitely not alone.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021 and I have to admit I was a little let down. I absolutely loved the setting of the spooky and remote Swedish village, with all the identically colorful little houses, looming church and creepy mines. It even contained one of my favorite tropes - the evil and seductive priest. However, I feel that The Lost Village was really let down by its writing, which came across amateurish and telling, especially in the "Then" chapters, which followed Alice's great-grandmother, Elsa. It did improve over the course of the book and I wonder how much of the problem has to do with translation, as the author is Swedish herself.

Another main issue I had was with the character of Birgitta. She is guessed at by Alice and the others as being Autistic, or having a "chromosomal problem", and is shunned by the majority of the villagers. Her storyline greatly disturbed me, and I could hardly read the chapter that details her death.

I think as a society, we need to move past using mental illnesses as a crutch in horror. It's not a "Gotcha!" moment, and for me, comes across as a cheap tactic to inspire shock. Alice, Tone, and Birgitta all have mental illnesses and the handling of them all seemed ham-fisted at best. While Alice and Emmy's relationship is one of the most interesting of the book, I couldn't quite bring myself to understand or forgive Emmy's actions, and I didn't especially like the way they were framed in the book, as if Alice was the one truly at fault.

Overall, I think of The Lost Village as a scary B movie - entertaining and light, nothing more, nothing less.

This book was truly scary. I read and watch a lot of horror and very rarely does any of it seriously put me on edge. I was creeped out and felt danger everywhere; from under my bed (watch out for things grabbing your ankle,) to that dark spot in my hallway that looks kind of like a person. I was jumping at shadows. I was shocked at how much this story disturbed me. It really got under my skin!

The Lost Village involves dual timelines, one in the past in the days before the whole village disappeared and one timeline in the present with a group making a documentary about the strange event. It begins with the filmmakers seeing the village for the first time after they make the long, difficult drive to the remote location. As they first enter the ghost town you just know that nothing good will come of this. Anyone who has ever watched a horror film will be screaming at them to turn back. Of course, they are determined and intend to set up camp and explore the seemingly quaint abandoned village. The generally ominous atmosphere only intrigues them more as they attempt to capture its intrinsic menace in photos for their Instagram. As you can imagine bad things happen and terror ensues. I won’t spoil anything for you but holy crow, it is ridiculously tense and suspenseful and quite possibly the scariest book I have ever read.

For the vast majority of the book I didn’t have a clue as to the fate of the previous villagers and I couldn't see know how the present events were connected. Nearer the end I had some suspicions and could anticipate where it was going but when the explanations were revealed I was stunned. It made perfect sense and was a lot sadder than I was expecting. No spoilers but I did see a lot of parallels between things happening in America today and the fate of the village. I’m pretty sure this was written well before the pertinent events and that the author wasn’t intending to shine a spotlight on this particular issue, but it has ended up being very timely and prescient. I don’t know what is scarier, the unknown threat at the beginning of the story or the real threat that is revealed at the end. This is all around a chilling story and these monsters, real and imagined, will haunt me for a long while.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

I have loved Scandinavian crime novels since the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and @crimebythebook always has the best recommendations! I found Camilla Lackberg, Ragnar Jonasson, and Katrina Engberg through Abby.

So I was super excited to start the Lost Village by @wednesdaysten! I was riveted by this book. It starts with a documentary team investigating a lost village in Sweden, a town where all the people just vanished one day. We learn that Alice’s grandmother was from the lost village and she is determined to find out what happened to everyone. Alice and her crew start to get spooked as equipment goes missing and people get hurt suddenly. They thought no one survived this town- are they alone?

This book was a ride from beginning to end. It was very easy to picture where they were and what they are looking through. I liked the documentary aspect of the story and this seemed very believable to me. I really wish this would be make into a movie because the spook factor was high!

Thank you so much to @minotaur_books and @netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
This book has all the perfect, creepy vibes: road trip to an unfamiliar, deserted small town, old buildings haunted by something that happened in the past, ghosts (?) of the past.

Unfortunately, this one kind of missed the mark for me. Was I creeped out? A little, but not as much as I was expecting. But I also was warned not to read it late at night, so I didn’t. I also didn’t connect with any of characters, nor find any of them very likeable. Each one seemed to have their own agenda, or resin for being there besides working on the documentary.

I did like how hard Alice tried to be there for friend who really struggled while on the trip (I won’t say specifics due to spoilers). Alice also invited her long time friend who she became estranged from, and it did seem like they worked out their issues while on the trip. There was one point, near the end where I felt overcome with sadness for Alice and all that had happened and gone wrong on her trip to the lost village.

Just because this one fell flat for me, doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it more!

4.5 STARS

THE LOST VILLAGE follows Alice, a documentary filmmaker who has been obsessed the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. Determined to finally solve the mystery, Alice gathers a small crew and sets off to the remote village, But after a slew of unexplained events occur, they realize that the abandoned village might not be abandoned after all.

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I have to say that I after reading THE LOST VILLAGE, I am even more hesitant to visit a "ghost town" because I feel like this book is exactly what would happen to me while I was there! Yikes.

THE LOST VILLAGE had everything that I look for in a thrilling horror story - small town secrets, juicy drama, a mysterious premise and a few events that left me feeling spooked IRL. I also had several theories about what had become of the residents of the village, and I am happy to say that all of my theories were incorrect!

Dark, thrilling and atmospheric, THE LOST VILLAGE completely lived up to my expectations!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC. THE LOST VILLAGE will be available on March 31!

This book wasn’t for me. I had a hard time trying to pay attention to it. I also did not care for the main character Alice at all. I thought she was self-centered.

When I heard this book was The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar, I knew I needed to read it.
 
I really enjoyed this book and it honestly was not what I expected going into it. This was a slow burn novel that ended up having me super invested in the story. I enjoyed that the book switched between “now” and “then” so we were able to get a better picture. The authors descriptions of Silvertjarn were so detailed that I felt I was able to place myself physically there. I also loved the background, connections and secrets that were revealed among the documentary crew members. My one complaint is I wish there were chapter numbers listed as well next to “then” and “now” but that’s just me being picky. The ending seemed a little far-fetched but I still enjoyed the book. I also expected the book to be a little bit more scary however it was overall “eerie” which I loved.
 
I recommend this book for anyone who likes paranormal, thrillers, cults, or just things that keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to know more.  

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Camilla Sten for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This seems to be Swedish version or the Blair Witch Project. Alice Linda has been told stories of her missing family by her grandmother for years and she finally finds evidence that could lead to an amazing documentary so enlists four others to help. One is her financier, another is her long lost best friend and her boyfriend, and the last is the key to unlocking the secret.
How did the entire town of 900 people just disappear? Alice is eager to find out and nothing will stop her.
This book is thrilling, suspenseful and nerve wracking and keeps you turning the pages even though it is pretty predictable. Still a good suspenseful read.
#Netgalley #MinatourBooks #TheLostVillage

The Lost Village was creepy horror and it was pretty good at it. I was afraid it would fall into the tropes of the documentary filmmakers and people who inexplicably film everything even as they are being murdered. There was none of that here and I was impressed and pleased. The horror is slow building without being slow. Everyone can read the synopsis for themselves, but pay close attention to the connection Tone and Alice have to the village. The flashbacks are effectively done and don’t distract from the present story at all. My only issue was one of math. In the end, there were a few things that didn’t track when you used the formula +60.