‘The Lost Village’ is a deliciously spine-chillingly, creepy, tale from Camilla Sten. The book is described as “The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar ” which is certainly an epic description and creates a high expectation level for the reader. Thankfully, ‘The Lost Village’ did live upto my expectations and I had to stay up reading to finish it – though I thought twice about turning off the lights afterwards!

The story is told in two converging timelines, referred to as ‘Now’ and ‘Then’. We are initially introduced to the storyline back in 1959, known as ‘Then’ when two police officers are sent to visit the village of Silvrtjarn. Until earlier that morning, the village had nearly 900 inhabitants, now a newborn is found in the local school and a woman is found stoned to death in the square. Everyone else has … disappeared. Washing is left on the clothes line and coffee cups left on the kitchen counter. No reason, no explanation.
Now, 60 years later a young documentary maker has come to the village to make a documentary and try to discover the truth. There is also a deeply personal angle to this programme for Alice, as her grandmother was born in the village.
The descriptions of the village are deeply atmospheric and the author has conjured up scenes from the classic haunted village of my nightmares. The documentary team struggle as they try not to let their imaginations take control, but yet, there is something strange happening around them … are the sounds and figures real? Or perhaps their imaginations are running away? The constant battle for control of their emotions, combined with their emotional baggage has combined to ensure that the group are engaged in minor warfare and unable to see what is actually in front of them.
An excellent read. Fun and scary in one go with some supernatural overtones that are absolutely perfect for this time of year. Thank you to Netgalley, Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press and Camilla Sten for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Sten does a fantastic job of building you up in suspense in this book. It was a slow start, but this was to get all the groundwork going. As we learn about our characters and their histories, you start to question everyone's motives for working on this project.
The ending answered all my questions, which is all I ask for a lot of the time. It was wrapped up without being predictable. That's a challenging task in a book like this, and I think Sten did terrifically. The slow intro is completely worth working through for the rest of the book.

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten is an excellent atmospheric suspense novel that kept me on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, and wanting more right through to the end.

I just adore books that give you mystery, suspense, and that eerie/creepy feeling with all of the atmosphere and psychological suspense without it being overtly gory. You are thrust into the middle of a deep mystery and the author has the ability to weave a tale from alternating time periods and viewpoints and giving the reader piece by piece of information so that the puzzle pieces are slowly being put together all the while the tension and suspense continue to heighten before the reveal. That, my friends, is this book.

I enjoyed the plot, the execution of the concept listed above, I enjoyed Alice and the character cast, and I enjoyed the ending.

For those that have watched The Blaire Witch Project, that is my best description of a comparison. Still 20 years later I remember and am haunted by that movie. I enjoyed its unique concept immensely, and I hope I continue to feel the same about this book as well.

5/5 stars. Very entertaining.

Thank you Minotaur Books/St Martin’s Press for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

I seem to be one of the outliers of reviewers who was not impressed by this novel. The actual writing itself is okay and I enjoyed the juxtaposition of past and present storylines, but the ending was just so implausible as to border on the absurd for me to give this novel anything more than 2 stars. If you enjoy the genre and just want something to read as an escape, go for it. You could just as easily watch a junk series on Netflix for the same effect though, just say'n.

I'm sorry, this is a do not finish book for me.

I'm not far into it, but to me, it is The Blair Witch Project rewritten.

Maybe I'll go back later and attempt to finish it.

This book was interesting, unsettling, and honestly you really didn't know where this would go. Supernatural? Horror? Mind-games? Well, I won't spoil you.

I love finding new authors, foreign authors to read. I found the translation coherent and normally the translation can be a real miss. I don't speak Swedish but I think it did a great job of conveying what I hope the author was aiming for.

Think of the Blair Witch Project. Think of their small group, out there in the wilderness alone. Sorta of what this group is going through. Their little caravan of two vans and a volvo head off towards the ghost town where almost 1000 people vanished strangely. The protagonist, Alice, has a connection to this ghost town since her grandmother was originally from the town and moved away a few years before the missing took place.

On top of that, a girl was found tied to a post, naked, bloody, and dead.

The group is filming a kickstarter/crowd-funded documentary about the location and trying to uncover the mystery of what exactly happened.

Strange things start happening and I just couldn't put it down.

I'd be willing to read another story by this author. I urge everyone who is in for creepy reads to watch out for this one come March. I think you'll enjoy it and it'll keep you guessing.

I really enjoyed this novel, a mix of psychological horror, the gothic, and physical danger. However, it contains a serious problem in the description of Brigitta: intellectually disabled, developmentally disabled, and non-vocal people are not "children in an adult body." This is a pretty awful misconception, and I strongly urge the author and publisher to remove this ableist description of the character. Change this, and it would be a 5-star review.

I got this free eook from an Arc with a promise of an honest review. I thought this was a great book from beginning to the end, The story line was fantastic and the character built up was like we knew each other. Woule read more from this author.

Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn—have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.

Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice
They are not alone.

I really enjoyed about 90% of this book and really liked how it was broken down into "Then" and "Now". The author did a great job of dropping bits and pieces of the relationship history between Alice and Emmy and Alice and Tone and then bringing it all together as the book progressed. However, I felt the ending was forced and far-fetched - like the author didn't really know how to end the book. Definitely didn't feel like a horror story, but at least the mystery of the disappearance of the village is solved.

Loved the writing style, but didn't love the book overall. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

#TheLostVillageBook #NetGalley
“𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘋𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩, 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘺𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘦.“

Special thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin press for providing me with ARC.

I kept hearing about is book from my friends but it's not available and when St.Martin give me the chance to read it, i didn't hesitate.

This novel take places in Sweden, i love this land so much and i hope to visit it one day.

I loved Alice Lindstedt characters so much, this novel is so good and written so well, i really enjoyed it and the end is so surprising to me.

First, I must mention that I chose this story for two reasons. The story takes place in Sweden. Perfect setting for a story such as this. How do I know? I’ve never visited the country but I have studied enough about it to know. The other reason is that I am obsessed with old abandoned towns, cemeteries, mills and homes. That is the history lover in me, one might say. Or that fact that I am always curious about how even ordinary people lived and the traces they leave behind. Having said that, everyone has a story to tell. No one is ordinary in my opinion.

This book had me hooked in the beginning stages of the story. The author set the stage with the creep vibe as soon as Alice and her crew were approaching the village. The center of the town alone…wow.
I love the period the author chose for the village people to have disappeared. Not only that but this story brilliantly highlights close knit communities, and how people are easily led.

I highly recommend reading this book and discovering-for yourself-the mysteries surrounding this hauntingly atmospheric read.

Stephanie Hopkins

This book was incredibly spooky. The author set up the scene from the moment the story began. Only some details were given over a period of time and then as soon as you thought you had the complete history weird things started happening. Without revealing too much, I will say that who the author leads you to believe is the problem really is not. She/He just adds to the mystery of the background story. This to me had a Blair Witch Project type feel. 4 Young people headed to a deserted town to investigate and document a ghost town and it's murder. This book will keep you reading until the end is reached.

More atmospheric than truly terrifying. I wasn’t invested in these characters enough to be truly scared or shocked with events. Reads like a screenplay adaptation that’d make a decently scary movie.

I just read The Lost Village by Camilla Sten and really highly recommend you pick it up - it makes a great read on a cold dark night! While growing up, Alice had always heard tales of her grandma’s small remote village that one day they found every resident had vanished, leaving behind one dead body of a local girl and a newborn found alive in the abandoned school. Alice assembled a crew and returns to make a documentary and investigate what happened. Surrounded by abandoned buildings, they camp out in the town square with no cell signal or contact with the outside world - soon a number of unexplained incidents begin to happen as they search for the truth. This book flies along and the suspense builds. This is my first book by Sten and I look forward to more. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

Great read from Camilla Stem. Figured much of the story and confirmed that farther I got into it. A entire village of people disappear and no one knows what happened as it's a remote community. But some of what you probably can figure will happen in it does once it starts giving the pov of one of the disappeared characters. After that it's pretty easy to figure out. Religious following, pastor taking advantage of a vulnerable flock as well as mentally handicapped person. Shows how True evil can be in human form.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Slow burning horror story following a film crew to an isolated Swedish town where all the inhabitants suddenly vanished in 1959 except for one who was stoned to death. The creepy atmosphere of the abandoned town is palpable, and the tension builds from eerie sounds and sightings to more tangible threats. The main character, Alice, and her relationship to the rest of the crew was well developed, though I would have liked a bit more background on Tone given the pivotal nature of her role. Flashbacks and letters flesh out the backstory, and the two timelines converge in a dramatic and satisfying climax.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I loved this book. I spent many nights up late reading it. Things were slightly predictable; however, the story was still very gripping and entrancing. I don't get scared easily by books, but this book sent a few chills down my spine. It is described as Blair' Witch' meets 'Midsommer' and I very much agree. Thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten follows a crew of filmmakers making a documentary about the abandoned village of Silvertjarn. Alice pours over letters her great-aunt wrote to her grandmother while living there. She is determined to uncover the truth about the community’s sudden disappearance while on site. Then scary, unexplainable things happen during their stay. Maybe they aren’t alone after all...

I loved the premise of this book. A ghost town, resurrected letters, and all around creepiness? Sign me up. The dual timeline and letters created a great contrast between the town leading up to the sudden disappearance and present day. It built the tension well.

Two critiques - Some moments were predictable. When they keep worrying about old stairs being unstable, you know the stairs will collapse. The ending felt a bit predictable, yet abrupt. There were some loose ends left untied.

The portrayal of mental health made me feel sad and uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the authors intent to show the appalling mistreatment and stigma, but was not executed well.

This book reeled me right in until the very end. I will say I saw a lot of it coming a mile away, but it didn’t take away from the story. The actual story is sad, I mean I was angry and sad and sickened by some things. Although, things like this happen every day. Well, not the creepy lost village but the evilness of asshole people.

Page turning haunted tale that will keep you reading! Nothing better than a good "ghost' story with strong characters. Sten does a good job of building suspense, claustrophobia, tension, and interpersonal conflict all revolving around the addictive core theme of the mysterious ghost town, abandoned village theme with characters that have many secrets and history. No gore, just tension and mystery - a good one! Read it.