I was so excited to get approved for this one! An entire town that disappeared? A new born baby left alone in a school house? Count me in. The lost village was creepy and atmospheric. I felt like I was there with Alice trying to figure out what happened. I wanted more of the supernatural but like all cults, people are the real monsters.

This was AWESOME! I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it but oh holy cannoli it was scary/paranoid/dark/thrilling/ TWISTED fun!
I found myself immersed in this village because the details were so vividly written.
Highly recommend!
Thank you @netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Camilla Sten and St Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! I was shocked right away by how this books sweeps you right into the story and this dark and creepy village. I was super creeped out most of the novel and I really didn't want to read it in the dark on my own! I was addicted right away and I really had no idea what was going on in this village, but the back and forth between past and present was amazing. This village has quite a dark past and no one knows about it until this group decides to find out. I read this one as fast as I could to find out exactly what was going on. I can't say enough good things, but I also don't want to give anything away. I would highly recommend!

Wow. This book was super creepy in the sense of like <i>Blair Witch Project</i>, so if you're easily spooked you might not like this book. But, if you're like me and are always looking for some creepy horror fiction, vanishing villagers, possibly evil priests, and general frights, then I think you should give this book a try.

It's set in a remote village in Sweden, where a group of villagers went disappearing in the late 40s, with the exception of one crying baby. The story jumps back and forth between the NOW when 5 people drive up to the place to shoot some shots to help promote the independent film they're making on this strange unsolved disappearance. There are some backstories and baggage mixed in with each of these characters, and it plays out very well in the story.

An e-ARC was provided to me by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book

This story is told in two POV and points in time-in the 1950's told by Alice's great-grandmother, Elsa, and modern day being told by Alice.

In 1950's, the entire town of Silvertjarn disappears overnight without a trace. Alice is wanting to make a documentary about Silvertjarn and find out what happened to her great-grandparents and great aunt. Alice is such an interesting main character-clearly flawed but with good intentions. Along with her crew, Alice travels to Silvertjarn in preparation for their documentary. After a few strange things happen, they are not certain they are alone, but they dismiss it as jitters. Lots of twists and turns lead to the dramatic ending that ties up all of the loose ends.

This is a must read! 4.5 out of 5 stars.

This book was fantastic. It was creepy, sad, thrilling, and entertaining. Thank you St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) for an e-ARC through NetGalley.

If you are a fan of haunting mysteries, this one is for you! This was one of the creepiest books I’ve read in a while. Tensions and foreboding build to have you quickly turning pages to see what happens next. The dual timeline “then” and “now” helps tell the backstory of what Alice and friends find as they investigate the village. Highly recommend!

Alice and her film crew plan to spend five days in Silvertjarn gathering footage to pitch a documentary about an entire mining village that went missing in 1959. Growing up, Alice heard the mysterious tale from her grandmother who once lived in the village but had left before the charming new pastor came to church. As Alice tries to solve unanswered questions about what happened, mysterious things begin happening to the film crew. Is the village haunted? Or is something else more sinister at play?

The Lost Village is a book full of suspense and mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The premise immediately pulled me in, and the writing and my curiosity kept me reading until the last page.

I found the story to be unique and unpredictable. Sten does a fantastic job creating and maintaining a creepy atmosphere. The conclusion was satisfying and unexpected. The characters in The Lost Village were not deeply developed, but I did not think they necessarily needed to be. I don't know what more I could have wanted from this book. I gasped out loud.

There was one plot point I did not think necessary, but it didn't ruin or throw off the story. It was just unnecessary and did not lead anywhere. While reading, I thought I would have a big issue with how the book handled mental illness, but it turned out to be better handled than I feared albeit not completely accurate. I won't go into details for fear of spoilers! If you read it and want to discuss, let me know!

Overall, I highly recommend The Lost Village. It was a well-executed thriller full of suspense with an interesting premise. However, if you are one of those people who need books to be completely believable, this may not be the book for you.

When returning to the place where her family suffered terrible tragedy, Alice got more than she bargained for. As the group searches the village for clues as to what happened to the villagers. Strange things began to happen with no clues as to who or what was causing the happenings. What the reader discovers in the end is a total shocker. If you would like to know the end of this novel, you must go read the book at once.

The Lost Village claims to follow a film crew making a documentary about a village where all 900 of its inhabitants mysteriously disappeared in the 1950s so I felt a little tricked considering I was looking forward to the doc aspect yet no one ever actually did any filming in the book.

In my opinion, it's the equivalent of a B horror movie - sometimes entertaining but mostly just corny.

I do like a good "all inhabitants of this village mysteriously disappeared" novel! Though I ultimately found this one rather uneven, I could hardly put it down and will absolutely recommend to patrons looking for a scary read.

I really enjoyed the premise and setting of this story, but I had most of the plot figured out about 30% in. I still enjoyed how the story unfolded, so the somewhat predictable plot didn’t take anything away from the experience. If you like Midsommar, I think you’d enjoy this book.

This book, unfortunately, missed the mark for me. I was so excited for it because the “Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar” description sounded so good but paired with the ending/explanation, the whole premise makes absolutely zero sense to me. The characters were a little flat, which is kind of not a big deal for me because I’m not necessarily looking for major character development in horror/mystery/thriller books, but I did think the atmosphere was pretty decent. It’s more of a slow, suspenseful buildup rather than non-stop action, and I thought that was done really well, despite some of the cheesiness and obvious twists. The atmosphere was definitely the most enjoyable aspect of this story. The ending is obviously the selling point with most horror books so I can’t say much other than it’ll either work for you or it won’t and in my case it didn’t work, but it still might be worth a read if it sounds interesting to you. I’d mainly recommend it to people who are really looking for something atmospheric.

This has a great, creepy vibe to it. The story is so well told that it feels like a movie you can completely see in your head while you read. The characters were perfectly flawed and real and kept you guessing the whole way through the story.

But this one fell on the ending a bit for me. Predictable in a few parts wasn't bad at all - it was even more horrifying because you knew well before those in the story did. But I want believability and I just couldn't buy off on that ending. Well written well paced and a really good suspense - I will absolutely look for more book from this author!

4.5 Stars Thank you NetGalley and St Patrick’s Press/ Minatour Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my opinion.
This book was a thrill to read but scared me to death. It is comparable to the Blair Witch Project, but twice as scary with more substance and plot. The suspense begins at a young age when filmmaker Alice heard stories from her grandmother about the disappearance of her whole family in an old mining town. One family member was found stoned to death in the middle of town as if a witch hunt had occurred. A newborn baby was also found abandoned in a building.
When Alice delved into the mystery with friends, people began to disappear, as well as their equipment destroyed. Someone or thing tried to put a stop to their investigation. Get ready for a disturbing thriller that will keep you on edge at night.

I was instantly sold when the blurb compared this book to a cross between The Blair Witch Project and Midsommar. This is a story of a documentary filmmaker traveling to the secluded village where her grandmother grew up and the entire village disappeared with no explanation. The story is told in the past and ordered (before the village disappeared and current day with our documentary filmmaker and crew). I found the setting the be perfectly creepy-very atmospheric. I was hooked from the beginning. I will say while there were a lot of wonderfully eerie elements and parts, there were also sad and gut wrenching parts that were hard to read.
Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced e-reader copy of The Lost Village by Camilla Sten.

I was hooked by the hype, comparing this to the Blair Witch Project. I had the opportunity in advance to read 5-6 chapters and they definitely intrigued me. The story is told from two perspectives - then and now. A Swedish village had 900 residents that just one day disappeared. The only survivor of this village - a baby that was taken away and raised by a new family. Decades later, a family member of one of the families wants to create a documentary and returns to the site. She wants answers ... she gets answers and then some!

The story of Alice felt unfinished. It just sort of ended. Did she get the funding for her documentary? Burning questions left unanswered!

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced e-reader copy of The Lost Village by Camilla Sten.

Alice, an up and coming documentary film maker, embarks on the journey of making a film about Silvertjarn, a once thriving mining village, which was abruptly deserted by its villagers in 1959. Alice has a strong connection to this “Lost Village,” as it was once home to her grandmother and her family before it was abandoned. Alice, along with a small crew including Emmy, her ex-best friend, are determined to unveil the truth of what happened all those years ago.

What a thrilling ride this story was! My interest was piqued right from the start by the concept of an entire village vanishing and from the moment I picked it up, I couldn’t stop reading. It had a strong beginning that made me want to continue reading to find out what happened that would make an entire village leave behind their homes, their jobs, their lives. The story is told in time jumps, jumping from Now to Then (back in 1959 right before the village was abandoned). The author also uses old letters to help tell the story and fill in details to tell the story or Silvertjarn. I enjoyed the time jumps and felt that the story was easy to follow. The chapters were short and very quickly paced, making me want to keep reading to find out what happened next!

This book felt like watching a scary movie. It was creepy, slightly gory, dark, and filled with religious fanaticism, and definitely something I would not read at night! There were times when I found my heart rate quicken as the characters explored the decrepit abandoned town. The author did an incredible job with her descriptions of both the characters and the village and while I did predict the main plot line, I didn’t predict the ending, which is always refreshing in a thriller.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in a spooky, atmopsheric read that will keep you turning the pages! But be warned, there are some parts that are difficult to read because of how one of the characters is treated by people in the village.

Overall, I would give this book 4 stars for the Sten’s ability to keep me engaged and guessing the whole way through.

This book will be available for purchase on March 23, 2021.

This review can also be found on my blog at: https://www.fullywell.net/blog/thelostvillagebookreview

This book is blurbed as “The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar” and I am happy to say that I actually agree with that. There are some major Blair Witch vibes in this thriller. Camilla Sten does a really great with creating suspense and eeriness - without giving too much away.

I do wish that more ended up being explained and there were quite a few questions that were left unanswered. Also, I wasn’t particularly fond of the ending and the events leading up to it. Generally, I was just left wanting more.

textbook page turner! i stayed up after 1 AM to keep reading because i couldn't stop, and i don't remember the last time i did that. the mystery, the characters, the premise, the structure. The Lost Village really had it all, particularly for horror fans. it plays with a lot of classic horror tropes, but not in a way that is tired or overdone. some of the twists i could see coming, but the writing was so well done and it was overall so engaging, that i didn't mind. plus, sometimes you can guess what's coming because the author has left enough clues along the way! i do believe that's the case with camilla sten. i am eagerly awaiting future translations from her now!

I tried several times to get into this and couldn’t finish. The characters felt flat and I didn’t care about them. The setting was fairly well done but wasn’t enough.