This book focuses on finding answers to the mysterious disappearance of an entire Swedish village in 1959. 60 years later a small group of filmmakers arrives at the abandoned village to do a preliminary investigation for a documentary about the disappearance. Soon after their arrival strange things begin happening that lead them to wonder if they are going crazy or if there is something or someone with them in the abandoned village.

This mystery is finely detailed, atmospheric, haunting and eerily mesmerizing! This is a story that compels you to keep reading until the final reveal!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the advanced copy.

Imagine you are in an abandoned town, with four other people, and things start to get destroyed and people start going missing. Now imagine you have no cell phone, no shelter, no food or clean water. You hear singing, walkie talkie interference, footsteps and see silhouettes of people.

I have to say that not many books have left me feeling afraid of the dark. But this one sure did. This would be great for fans of The Village, Blair Witch Project, and any other creepy, not sure what’s coming next styles.

There were a few things that I guessed and saw coming. However the ending was not one of them. I constantly felt on edge trying to figure out what was going to happen next. I honestly read this during the day and then was terrified to go outside in the dark alone. I enjoyed this book and the easy writing style. The back and forth between Then and Now really added to the overall appeal of the plot line as well.

A great concept for a horror novel: an amateur crew heading to a Swedish ghost town to figure out the mystery of why everyone disappeared save for a baby and a corpse. The execution lacked for me. The characters were not very vividly drawn, and the twists weren't quite twisty enough. I think it does this book a disservice to compare it to Midsommar, which is so vivid and weird and more thought-provoking. Blair Witch feels more apt to me. Still a pretty fun, quick read.

Wow. Not what I was expecting at all, in a good way. I really enjoyed the back story. How does a a whole village go missing? The different points of view, and back and forth between the past and present really made this an interesting read. I enjoyed the generational link between multiple families. I was surprised multiple times! Very good, creepy story that unfolds and kept me guessing until the very end. Thank you to Camilla Sten and Netgalley for the complimentary digital ARC. I really enjoyed it.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

“The Lost Village” is a well-paced and chilling supernatural horror thriller from author Camilla Sten. The promotional comparisons for this book describe it as Blair Witch meets Midsommar, which a great depiction of the setting, mood, and plot of the novel. Being a big fan of those two movies, I knew I had to read the book, and I was not disappointed.

The novel is written from two different points of view. The present view reminds me of a found footage horror film, except we get to read what the character is thinking and feeling. The author does an amazing job of creating the isolated and paranoid atmosphere felt throughout the novel. My only wish is that some of the mishaps and ominous incidents that happen were more original. They just felt a little too cookie-cutter and standard to me, like overused horror movie tropes. The twists were well-executed, and the climax and conclusion were masterfully written.

I hope to see more of her novels translated to English so that I can read and enjoy them.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book on NetGalley and have provided an honest review.*

Thanks to St Martins and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an early review.

I picked this one up a dozen times over a week and a half and only got to 27%. I just did not care and I’m not going to continue to read.

A slow first half, that builds up back story and gives way to steady, twisty turns all throughout the second half. There are parts I didn’t see coming and other things that I thought I figured out that didn’t go that way at all.

The duel timeline helped to explain things in the present but didn’t fully cover up a few gaps in the plot. Unless you’re a nit picky reader it can be overlooked - it almost lent to a more raw feeling for me that went along well with the atmosphere of the story.

For the build up, use of timelines, and twists it’s a good weekend thriller read

Rating: 3.5 / 5

As soon as I saw Lost Village described as The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar, I knew I had to read it. I haven’t seen Midsommar but the synopsis definitely sounds similar to this book.

Lost Village follows two timelines. In the Now portion of the story, we follow Alice whose grandmother once lived in Silvertjarn. In 1959 the entire village, except for one baby, disappeared. Included in the disappearance were Alice’s grandmother’s family. Because of this, Alice has always wanted to find out what really happened. She is now the producer of a documentary about what happened in Silvertjarn. Alice, along with four others, travel there to film the documentary.

The Then storyline follows Alice’s great-grandmother, Elsa, in 1959 leading up to the village’s disappearance.

I was equally invested in both timelines. The Now section had many creepy scenes and had me on the edge of my seat. The Then section filled me with dread knowing that something bad was about to happen.

I did end up liking this book, but at the same time, I think it’s one of those situations where a book receives so much hype that it can’t possibly live up to all of it. I prefer plot-driven stories that grab you right from the beginning and continue to move at a quick pace, and the beginning of this book was a very slow burn. But once the pace picked up? Hoooooo boy, strap in, because you’re in for quite the ride. It’s delightfully creepy and totally ‘unputdownable’ - think ‘Blair Witch Project’ with a Scandinavian horror twist.

I enjoyed the atmosphere of this novel, and the slow creep of dread. I think that a lot of people will really enjoy this book, but I found myself a little frustrated at the end. Why was the epilogue from Aina’s point of view? What happened to Tone? Was she possessed by the ghost of Birgitta? Who was singing the hymns during the last few chapters of Alice’s timeline?
For me, it was too many questions left unanswered.

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten is a deliciously creepy mystery, perfect reading for a dark and stormy night.
The book follows a group of young amateur filmmakers as they set out to explore an abandoned village which has lain empty since 1959 when all the inhabitants mysteriously disappeared without trace, leaving behind only a new born baby and the body of a local woman who had apparently been stoned to death in the village square. Despite a police investigation no trace of the villagers or their bodies were ever found. The leader of the filmmakers, Alice, has been drawn to the mystery since she was a young girl, since her Grandmother's entire family were among those who disappeared and has set up a crowd funding appeal to finance the documentary. She and her crew are keen to shine a light on the story, and Alice may not be the only one among them who has a personal stake in learning more about what happened all those years ago. Not long after they arrive a series of misfortunes befall them, from malfunctioning equipment to painful injuries, and soon an eerie feeling pervades the camp, causing the team to fracture. To say any more about the plot would do the book a disservice, but suffice to say that the slow building tension and sense of the macabre draws the reader into a desperate game where survival is not guaranteed.
I enjoyed the dual timeline, and the way the narrative switched between Alice and her crew in the current day, and the villagers in the 1950's was skilfully handled. I can't say that the reveal of what happened came as a huge surprise, it was pretty well telegraphed but I still enjoyed the way the story was told, and how the dual narratives came together in the end. I thought the author did a wonderful job of conveying the isolation and terror felt by the film crew, and that was probably the highlight of the book for me.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

The Lost Village follows a group of people who want to shoot a documentary in the mysterious Silvertjarn, where the entire village disappeared 60 years ago, leaving only the body of a woman stoned to death behind.

This is a gripping thriller/horror that I read in less than 24 hours! It really did have me on the edge of my seat and I did not see the ending coming at all.

It was perhaps slightly misleading in terms of billing this as being like the Blair Witch Project, as there wasn’t a huge focus on the documentary side of things, but a very enjoyable (and scary!) read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The premise of the story was enough to have me on edge before even picking up the book. I’m constantly looking for that insanely creepy read. The creepy meter was off the chart for about 80% of this book – it was so good!

Honestly, when I first started reading it, I was so scared after the first few chapters that I had to put the book aside for a few days until my Fiancé came back home from his business trip. I did not want to read this book until I had someone else around.

The pace of the book was great. The characters and their back stories were interesting. Some of the events were mentally disturbing and I felt saddened with the arc’s of a few characters. I sort-of/generally figured out what happened to the town prior to the end of the book, but that was in part to a lucky guess and a loose thread that I pulled on towards the begging of the book.

I’d love to hear from others if they guessed the ending. I wasn’t thrilled with the last 5% of the book, it felt a little bit of a let down to me, but the entire book was so good that I can accept the ending as is. It did drop this down to a 4.5 star for me. But it is an absolute must-read for those fans of thriller/lite horror reads.

Thank you to #MinotaurBooks, #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I liked the very beginning of the book. I thought it was really creepy. After that it got boring and I didn't care about the characters or the story. The author did a good job of making the atmosphere creepy throughout the book, but the ending was terrible.

In the late 1950s, the population of a small mining town in Sweden disappeared almost completely, with only two residents left behind. When the police arrived, they discovered a body and a baby. Every other resident had vanished.

Decades later, documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt rounds up some fellow film professionals and friends, and ventures to the town to scout out material for a documentary on the village and the disappearance. Alice is a descendant of the townsfolk whose grandmother moved away before the disappearance. Her grandmother has passed on letters and stories of the people who went missing, and Alice is dedicated to finding out what happened.

When Alice’s crew arrives in the town, mysterious occurrences begin. The horror takes a while to get going, and it’s about a third of the way into the book that we start to really sink our teeth into all the mysterious goings on. Once the story got going, I was absolutely hooked.

The horror here toys with the reader, leaving the reader to wonder what would be more terrifying: a human or paranormal source for the terrors experienced in Silvertjärn? I really enjoyed the way the horror built. Around halfway through the book, I began to feel truly invested, and to worry exactly what would happen to these characters. I had moments of fear for them, frustration, and a lot of dread. The ending left me absolutely chilled.

The prose is quite simple, but beautiful enough in places that I wonder if some of the simplicity is a function of the translation. The story felt a tiny bit plain until the action got going, and then I did not feel that away at all. There was also a plot hole or two, so you might have to suspend your disbelief to fully buy into the details of the plot. Despite those minor issues, I really enjoyed this and would definitely read it again, and I’m very likely to buy a copy for my own bookshelf.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It you like creep secluded villages with weird town folks or abandoned village read this book! If you like cults and/or witchy lore read this book! If you like blair witch type documentary esque stories read this book! This book was so good from the beginning and a really quick read. I am so glad I had to opportunity to read it before it's release day on March 23. This book checked almost all of my boxes in things I love in a story. I loved the then and now way the story was told and although I did find it predictable as a lot of this types of books are I loved every minute of it!

Thank you to St. Martin’s, Minotaur and Netgalley for this ARC. This little gem will be out in the world on March 23!

This story is one of those that stays with you when you have to put it down and go about your normal life. I found myself dreaming about the plot and Camilla Sten made me feel like I was part of the film crew in this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The atmosphere alone gives this book 5 stars. The pacing is perfect, the characters are well developed, this book is completely enthralling. There are some icky parts and loads of trigger warnings here but that made it all even more creepy and compelling for me.

The premise of this book had me immediately. I love the concept of abandoned buildings, so an entire village set up a perfect situation for creepy encounters. Then the filmmaker in me was even more excited by the Blair Witch reference but I was a bit disappointed that these filmmakers never actually capture anything. I still found the characters and the dual timelines interesting but it was a disappointment to be sold a certain type of thriller and get an entirely different one. I also had a real issue with the plausibility of the resolution that not only felt overly simplistic, it didn't have the depth that fit the extensive backstories developed throughout the book.

I did really enjoy the scenes in '59, experiencing the village on the brink of devastation. Camilla Sten captured the quiet dread of the unknown very well and I think this is a very worthy read as long as you go in expecting a character study and not a ghost story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Camilla Sten, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read The Lost Village
I was very excited to read this novel, I have not read books by this author before, however this story did not do it for me, sometimes books start a little slow so I always give it time, but I just found it. a little boring. I'm glad to see there are some who really enjoyed it
The story line and premise of the story is great, but something about the style of writing did not grip me at all
Main character Alice and her team head of to the lost village in search of some answers, this novel is written in the present and past tense. They are in search of answers to the mysterious disappearance of a villange in 1959

I was a little apprehensive to read this having read how creepy it was from other reviews, however, I'd class it more as a mystery-thriller than horror.

The atmosphere was very "Blair Witch Project" with the ghost village and unknown figures throughout, I thought this could have been leaned into more, with the creepiness dialed up. I enjoyed the dual aspect of "then" and "now" and the connections which were made between the characters from both eras.

This book is a truly fantastic debut from an exciting new author, I can't wait to see what Camilla Sten produces next.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books and Netgalley for a copy of the ARC in return for my honest review.