Well that was...weird 🤨
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Let’s talk disappointing books. When I saw @crimebythebook pegged The Lost Village as a five star, I knew I had to get my hands on it. However, this one has left me with mixed feelings. 😕
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This book had SO much potential & the thought of an abandoned town was the perfect plot. I loved the creepy atmospheric vibe of Silvertjärn & when things started to go wrong, I kept feeling spooked and wanting to know what really happened. 👻
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However, there was a few things I just felt so disappointed about. The “then” chapters for me were such a bore & they felt dragged out a bit. Not to mention the religious aspect of the creepy priest; just not my thing. I saw one of the bigger twists coming about 45% of the way in which really bummed me out. The ending left me with a lot of questions still & I’m really not a fan of not getting all the answers.
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If you’ve read this one, what are your thoughts? 💭
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Overall I’d probably give this a 2.5/5. I’d like to thank @netgalley for my ARC 🤍 The Lost Village is available March 23rd 📖

The Lost Village really does bring to mind a Swedish "The Blair Witch Project". A young, struggling film-maker goes to the remote town of Silvertjarn to try to solve the mystery of how 877 residents disappeared in 1959. Alice's great grandmother was one of the townspeople who disappeared, and her grandmother, who had moved away, luckily escaped that fate. The mystery of what happened to the residents has never been solved, and the town sits deserted, but largely intact. Alice, and a small crew of film maker friends, have a budget that allows five days of filming. Alice hopes for a breakthrough that will allow her to solve the mystery and thus make her documentary a success.

The author creates a very atmospheric and spooky aura in the town of Silvertjarn. There is a sense of foreboding, and sure enough accidents begin to befall the five. I looked forward to diving into the book each night, and the action kept me awake and reading far longer than I intended. My favorite thing about the book was the setting and the story line. The mysterious disappearance of so many people reeled me in, and the town itself was a character in the story, perhaps the strongest one. I was worried that there wouldn't be a satisfactory explanation to the mystery, but there was. Perhaps I should have seen the solution coming but I absolutely didn't. The only area where the story let me down slightly, and the reason I gave it 4 stars rather than 5, was I just didn't quite connect totally with the characters. I was interested in them, but I never crossed over to the point where I acutely cared what happened to them. However, I still found this a very good read, and as an avid mystery reader, this is one of the best plots and atmospheric settings that I have read all year! I would look forward to reading more from this author and I can highly recommend this story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and the author Camilla Sten for allowing me to ready this ARC.

I was really looking forward to reading “The Lost Village” by Camilla Sten. The premise sounded so promising, and I love a good abandoned town story. The writing was great, and the atmosphere portrayed by the author matched perfectly with the theme.

My main problem with the story was its characters. There was not a single person in the book that I liked or felt for. The protagonist Alice was tolerable at most. It’s hard to get invested in a book, if you can’t stand the people in it.

I would have rated it lower, if not for the ending. I really did not see that coming, and I enjoyed the twist. Some of the twists were not that surprising, but the ending itself was solid.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the review copy.

Compulsive and mind bending this is a wild ride. This book is bananas in the best possible way. Alice has been obsessed with the lost village in an old mining town where all 887 villagers disappeared except for a girl hanging in the town square and a baby crying in the church.
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She brings a small skeletal documentary crew to begin filming but what started as a simple project turns into some Blair Witch business is no time.
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With dual timelines between then and now I frantically read how the town disappeared with such love for Alice’s great-grandmother. She was a tough woman trying to hold a town together, take care of Birgitta, her neighbor and worry about her daughter who has preeclampsia miles away having her first baby. She feels helpless, yet is still helpful and if that isn’t history repeating itself during quarantine I don’t know what is.
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Also, speaking of quarantine It was described in the book as when the mines shut down every day was like a Sunday. I mean, if every single day in quarantine didn’t feel like Sunday, am I right?
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Anyway, this book gives you everything. A Mysterious pastor, the Mystery of Birgitta, and even cult like singing in the town square that is like a deranged picture of the who’s singing in Whoville.
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This one had me up all night reading. I cannot wait to discuss it with @lovearctually
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Thank you to #NetGalley and #Minotaur for an arc in exchange for an honest review
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This book comes out March 23rd

One of the creepiest novels I’ve ever read, The Lost Village combines different elements of ghost and horror stories into an immersive and impossibly addictive read. Alice is trying to get funding for a documentary about a ghost town where all the inhabitants disappeared leaving behind a corpse and a baby. Alice’s grandma had just left for Stockholm but her whole family was amongst the missing so this project is personal for her. As they explore the abandoned buildings, it is clear that something is not right and Alice and her team start falling prey to whatever is haunting (or hunting) them. Some chapters are set in the past and they show what actually happened and both stories eventually converge in an explosive conclusion that’s unbearably suspenseful. The characters are well drawn and their relationships feel organic. I wasn’t sure about what was going on, was it supernatural or did it have a rational explanation? I also didn’t see the ending coming, but it made perfect sense. This is a great read.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books!

I don't even know what to say about this book. It was wild, crazy, twisted and surprising.

Silvertjärn has been abandoned for years, An old mining town, the entire town simply got up and disappeared - leaving behind drying laundry, half eaten meals, and a body tied to a pole. Fast forward to present day, and documentary film-maker Alice has been drawn to Silvertjärn by her curiosity and her family ties. Her grandmother was born in this town, but moved away as a young woman to Stockholm to find work and raise her family, leaving behind her parents and little sister. Alice and her team explore the ghost town, hoping to find clues as to what happened, and something to make a blockbuster documentary. But when sinister things start happening, the crew starts questioning whether they're safe, or if they aren't, in fact, alone.

Told in dual timelines, this book immediately had me hooked. We slowly get pieces from the people of Silvertjärn and the events that led to their disappearance. Brigitta, the body tied to the pole, was misunderstood by almost everyone in town; the new pastor, who mysteriously arrived and somehow had almost the entire town entranced; Elsa, Alice's great-grandmother, the only one who looks out Brigitta's well-being; and the abandoned baby, found by Alice's grandfather when he comes to investigate what happened. In present day, the events surrounding the crew and the fear they feel is intense. I couldn't stop reading, because I needed to know what was happening and who was doing all these horrible things. The end had a couple of surprise twists that I didn't see coming, and managed to tie all lose ends together. With a cult-like feel, it was interesting to see how the people of Silvertjärn changed in such a short time.

Overall, a very enjoyable, suspenseful thriller.

3.5

4.5 stars -- The Lost Village by Camilla Sten was better than I anticipated! Although I predicted a few things, which still surprised me, didn't take a whole lot away from this story. I didn't want to put this one down until I had answers! 🤓

Who doesn't love a mystery surrounding a small town of 900 or so that seem to simply vanish one day..... except for a body and a crying baby.
About 60 yrs later, Alice whose grandmother hailed from said town, returns to film what she hopes will be a successful documentary. Alice along with 4 others begin to experience strange sights and sounds. Are they alone or just paranoid?

Side note- I would have loved to have had more details about Ainas way of thinking as well as some of her interactions with those around her.

Received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The lost village is scheduled to be released on March 23rd

Silvertjärn is a ghost village in Sweden that used to be an animated mining town, until the mysterious events of 1959, leading to the disappearance of the entire town's population, except for two people: a newborn baby girl, and the corpse of a woman tied to a pole.
Alice is a young filmmaker, who grew up listening to her grandmother's stories about Silvertjärn. It was only natural for her first serious project to be a documentary about Silvertjärn. She gathered a small crew of friends and amateurs to set camp in the ghost town for a few days to explore the village in the hope to find decisive answers to what happened to her family.

"The lost village" is a dark thriller with a penchant for the supernatural that sets the premise to suspense and paranoia since the first chapters.

The storyline is divided between the past and the present, with Alice as the main character.
The plot is gripping with many twists and unexpected events. The characters' backstories and the split narrative, gave the book an interesting multi-dimensional aspect.

I think the villain was not fully developed and I've found the ending a little rushed out, as opposed to the middle of the novel where the story got a little slow.
In all, the lost village is an engaging and addictive read. I enjoyed it

I enjoyed most of “The Lost Village” for the creepy, suspenseful thriller that it was. The premise is unique and it was easy to get pulled into the narrative. Unfortunately, I found the last 1/3 of the book to be rushed. I’m not sure how I would have preferred all the loose ends to be tied up, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the ending. All in all, though, it is an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers or horror.


* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.

I will admit I was not feeling the beginning of the book but wow, did that change real fast. Once I was hooked I couldn’t stop reading. Literally read it in one day. There is slight gore/blood but nothing I would consider extreme. Even more interesting than the creepiness factor was the mystery of the Lost Village. The characters were one note but it’s the plot that steals the show. Read this if you are interested in a quick creepy mystery!

I liked a lot of the ideas in and around this book but I think the execution was a bit off for my taste. Kinda had a Blair witch hint to it but they didn't actually film, anything. The ending was a bit tidy and quick, not really realistic or that interesting.

Hi there,

I tried multiple times to get into the book but the voice and POV just wasn't for me. Highly disappointed since the premise is great - I won't be leaving a public review as I don't want to mark down for a "not for me" read.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Fast paced thriller/horror title following a group of 5 scouting a Lost Village for use in a documentary about what happened to the almost 900 villagers who disappeared 60 years before. Through 5 days, the history of their prior relationships, the history of the town and their various connections to its mystery and prior residents. I enjoyed the pace and had a hard time putting it down, plowing through late into the night. Not my usual cup of tea, but highly enjoyable.

While not set in Ireland, this book conveys all the gothicness of an Irish tale! By taking you back and forth in time, the author shows how things are not always how they seem. How 'good' families lie behind facades that they show to the public, and how those that serve them know the ugly truth, and sometimes those truths need to be hidden. Very very deep. This is an interesting book that is subtle in how it entices and draws you into the story and makes you care about what happened years ago and want Alice to find the truth, no matter how harsh. But the ending may surprise even the most prlific of readers. Well done Camillia! Do NOT miss this book before it becomes a movie!

I had a hard time getting into this. I’d read almost 70 pages before deciding to set aside. I hoped it was more my mood than anything else, as I was still extremely curious about the story and I had been looking forward to the creepiness it promised. After a couple weeks, I tried again.

Unfortunately, it’s taken me two sittings just to make it through another 50 pages. I am not finding this story to be compelling at all. Admittedly, I am not a fan of slow burns , especially if there is nothing else to captivate me along the way. This book just isn’t working for me.

I am immensely grateful to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

The premise for this novel seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, the alternating timelines didn't keep me interested, and I found the writing to be bland.

This book was quite the page turner! It had The Blair Witch Project vibes but without the jumping-out-of-your-skin fear factor. But don’t let that deter you; the story has all of the best qualities a reader looks for in a suspenseful thriller.

I really enjoyed the backstory of Silvertjarn and getting to know the characters that disappeared from the infamous village in 1959. Through Alice’s efforts to create a documentary along with her crew of friends, she’s able to dig deeper into what really became of “The Lost Village” and its residents. But soon they feel a presence among them as equipment is destroyed and people go missing. Is the nature of their documentary taking a toll on them or are they truly not alone?

Overall, I thought this was a great story. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I was definitely surprised by the ending. At times I was a little annoyed with some of the present-day characters and some of the dialogue felt a bit repetitive, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3852722279

This was a good twisty thriller that I enjoyed meeting. The use of letters to tell part of the story was well utilized and the flashbacks were interesting. The author was able to create a sense of dread the further you got into the story and my stomach dropped a few times while I was reading.

The Lost Village is really good! It’s been on my radar for a while now and I was lucky enough to get an advance copy, so I dove into it asap.

First of all, it’s unbelievably creepy and the atmosphere is off the charts. There are definitely some Blair Witch vibes along with major religious cult vibes. That’s an extremely compelling combination if you ask me.
There’s a dual timeline structure, flashing between current day and the late 1950’s, and it really works well. As you learn more about what happened in the 50’s, the more worried you get about the current events.
It was a really fun read, a 100% popcorn page turner that I would highly recommend.

Here’s the pitch: In 1959, police are called to an isolated mining village of 900 people in rural Sweden. When they arrive, they find a woman who has been brutally murdered and a crying baby, but absolutely no trace of any of the other 898 residents. The current timeline follows a group of filmmakers shooting a documentary about the village. Things do not go as planned, of course.

This one comes out on March 23rd - and it’s one you definitely need to check out.
Thank you to @netgalley , @stmartinspress , and @minotaur_books for the advance copy.

Alice, a budding documentarian, is off to the Swedish village of Silvertjarn with her skeleton crew team to capture images of the village to entice backers to fund her documentary. The village has been abandoned for the last eighty years, the stories of it's last years passed down to Alice from her grandmother who grew up there with her family.
 
What is the big mystery? 900 people vanished, seemingly without a trace. When police arrived to investigate, they found a woman dead, stoned to death in the town square, and a newborn baby, left by herself in the schoolhouse. What happened to the villagers? Who was the dead woman? Why was the baby abandoned?

Many comparisons have been made between this book and The Blair Witch Project. I think this comparison is completely valid. Young adults go to a creepy abandoned place and bad things start happening to them, one-by-one. Don't be discouraged here though, unlike the 90's horror flick, we find out what happened in the lost village by the end of the book.

The dual timeline used between Now and Then really helped build the background for the story. I liked that they didn't switch off after every chapter, only when more information was needed. I found this to be more immersive than if it had been done another way. 

Let's take a moment to discuss the creepiness factor. There was a low buzz of creepiness throughout the book, but I was surprised that I didn't feel like it was ratcheting up towards the climax. There could have been more tension and dramatic moments. Ultimately, it felt a bit anticlimactic to me.

Everything that happened is spelled out to the reader before it gets to the conclusion, if you are paying attention. This didn't take away from the overall story, but I was anticipating a bigger twist. 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for providing a digital review copy.