The book is compared to The Blair Witch Project, and that is completely true. Just like the movie, not a lot happening and was also just really slow. It didn't keep my attention or pull me in and felt like it's been done the same way before multiple times. The writing wasn't too horrible though but was just okay. Just felt bored and left wanting more.

This book attempts to be more than it is, supernatural without anything supernatural truly happening. A modern documentary-style account of a tragedy in a small town. This is a mildly entertaining tale, but I was hoping for more from it....more edge of your seat. Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reading Copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has thought of nothing but the old mining village called The Lost Village from the time she was a child on her Grandmother’s lap, hearing tales of the people and the mystery of where they all disappeared. In 1959, all the residents of the village mysteriously disappeared in some unknown tragedy and all that remained was the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.

Her decision to put everything and everyone aside to find the truth that she believes only she can uncover is the catalyst for what becomes a spooky, unsettling mystery. The village is almost as it was in 1959, cups still sit on tables with the remains of 60-year-old coffee, beds still unmade, clothing still in drawers and closets.
The very night they arrive, the problems start and just escalate from mild annoyance to life-threatening dangers.

I have never read Camilla Sten before, and I understand this is her first published work, though the skill of her prose makes that hard to believe. She writes a mystery like an old pro, on the level of fellow Swede Stieg Larsson.

If you like an intelligent and creepy mystery, I highly recommend you pick this one up ASAP! Worth every minute of your time.

I received this free from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

BOOK REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 / 5)
“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.“

𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑 𝟸𝟹, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟷

This was the perfect spooky read for October. It was a great book to finish reading on Halloween and I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a spooky read / thriller.

𝙿𝚕𝚘𝚝
This novel is based on a small, remote town where everyone mysteriously disappears. Decades later, a group revisits the town. I found myself genuinely curious about what was happening throughout this entire novel. It was an extremely quick read as I was trying to determine what happened! One piece I loved was that it took a long time for me to be certain whether it was supernatural or natural occurrences happening to the characters (in the present & past).

𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝙵𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚎
The novel goes back and forth between the current time period with the group exploring the town and the past occurrence where everyone in the town disappeared. The back-and-forth was executed extremely well, and it allows readers to slowly discover what is happening in both times over the course of the book.

𝙼𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚑
There are some comments regarding mental health throughout the novel. Some of the comments bring up important conversations about mental health. Without providing spoilers, I can vaguely say some characters presented views about other’s based on their mental health that I don’t fully agree with, but other characters did not present those views / argued with them.

I am a big psychological thriller fan and am okay with dark and creepy.
In this story a village disappeared in 1959.
Alice Lindstedt is documentary filmmaker and her family is from Silvertjarn a small mining town now referred to as “The Lost Village”.
She is determined to find what happened 60 years ago to her family and the other residents.
Story is story in two narratives ‘Then’ and ‘Now’. Alice, of course, is the now.

It appears my current ‘2020’ mood ~ area fires and evacuation as well as new increases in ‘covid’ cases' has me in need of some cheering up and I had problems getting into this story. True there were times I was totally engaged, then I thought parts were too detailed, then I was saying//Wait a minute. What just happened?
I plotted through but wondered if I should have put on the back burner.

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for professional review purposes only. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 23, 2021

Woah can’t explain how surprised I was by the ending of this book! You have to wait a little while for it to get going but once it does, you’ll find yourself frantically reading to find out what is going to happen next. A wonderful thriller and mystery! I’d say even horror fans will enjoy this immensely.

Character development was great, I just wish there had been a bit more focus on the pastor even though he wasn’t my favorite character. Amongst all of the suspense we see humanity at its best and worst. This book had some warmth which I really appreciated as it’s more than you get from your average thriller or mystery. Can I offer a suggestion to the author if they even read these reviews - write a novella from Birgitta’s perspective. I absolutely adored her and would’ve loved more exploration of her mind.

The atmosphere the author created was creepy and unsettling...which I loved! Isn’t that what most of us come to mysteries and thrillers for - an escape to a state of heightened anxiety. Not exactly what we need right now in this world but what we crave! Give me all the thrills and chills! That’s exactly what The Lost Village did! Thank you, Camilla Sten!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Camilla Sten, and #NetGallery for this ARC of #TheLostVillageBook in return for an honest review. Review will be posted on NetGallery, Goodreads (goodreads.com/radicalrachelreads) and Facebook,

I love the Phantoms vibe that this book has. It's more mystery than horror but I was definitely intrigued from the first page. The creepy setting was perfect. I don't have a lot to critique here. Told from different points of view in different time periods, it sometimes got confusing as to who/when the characters were but it was easily worked out.

A large portion of this book is reliant on perspective and how it can all be wrong; Alice and Emmy's point of view on her suicide attempt, her grandmother's opinion on Silvertjarn from the outside, Aina's on the pastor and her parents, Elsa's view point on the town from the inside, and the town's fears about Birgitta, everyone's opinion on mental illness and how those opinions affect their actions. All of it is important for the tragedy (or tragedies) to play out. I could go on and on but it's an important life lesson. Reality is subjective. It was just an enjoyable creepy read. Thank you for allowing me to review it.

Trigger Warning: There is disturbing abuse of a special needs woman that is integral to the storyline in this book.

I will be sharing this review on my Bookstagram (AprilsBookishLife), Goodreads (AprilsBookishLife), Twitter, Facebook and in two of my Facebook reader groups.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review.

The Lost Village
by Camilla Sten


Hooked from the beginning!
Two police officers drive down a long winding road to reach the small and secluded village of Silvertjarn. Upon their arrival they immediately notice that there is nobody around and all they hear is silence until they notice something unusual in the distance. A woman has been bound to a post. A bloody body rotting in the hot August sun. As the officer’s take in this gruesome scene they can tell she has been dead for some time.

The remainder of the book is about Alice and her skeleton crew of documentary filmmakers who set out to the lost village to make a documentary film about the disappearances of 60 years ago and look for clues to the mystery of what actually happened to the missing 900 inhabitants.

Well written, unique plot and kind of creepy story. I read a lot of horror, thriller and mystery and I really liked this book because it was something different then the typical haunting of a person or house.

The mystery wasn’t hard to figure out. The reader was given enough clues to know what basically happened after ready about 20% of the book. There are a couple of twists at the end that give a bit of surprise to the ending.

I recommend this book and enjoyed reading it very much.

I really enjoyed this book. It had the perfect amount of spookiness and mystery. At times I felt like I was right in the village with the crew!

Great mystery & page turner—perfect for a rainy day! The Lost Village kept me guessing until answers were revealed at the end. The present day characters seemed a little distant but sometimes that is ok in a story like this.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

When I saw the description of this book, "Blair Witch meets Midsommer" I knew that I immediately wanted to read it. Even better that I read this ARC in October because to me, that added to the spookiness factor.

Alice and a documentary film team are attempting to unlock the secrets of a ghost town where all of the inhabitants seemingly disappeared, leaving only a body and a baby behind. Alice has grown up hearing stories from her grandmother whose whole family was lost. When the team arrives, they immediately begin to encounter some mysterious things.

What I loved about this book was the dual timelines so as a reader we are able to see the events unfolding in the past as well as current time. It was a slow burning story that was sprinkled with enough mystery that I kept pressing forward to find out what had happened.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alice, a filmmaker, reunites with a former college friend and others to investigate a mystery about her grandmother's birth village. The community was abandoned, and the inhabitants disappeared. The secrets of the past and present converge in the story's plot.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great thriller that kept me reading - I finished it all in one sitting. An entire town seemed to vanish, and years later, a relative of one of the vanished decided to film a documentary in the ghost town. But something isn’t right, and the documentary team doesn’t seem to be alone. Creepy and chilling, though I did predict most of the twists before they happened. 4 stars!

The title of the book really sucked me in! The premise is a whole village in 1959 disappeared in Silvertjan Sweden, all except one newborn baby and a dead woman hanging in the street. They never did figure out what happened back then. In present time a film crew decides to see if they can figure out the mystery for themselves and get the funding they need to film the documentary,

Alice is the leader of the adventure and also the granddaughter of Elsa. Elsa's letters from her sister are the only evidence she has to go on. Elsa, while she didn't live in the town anymore, her family still did. Her sister Aina being pivotal in the narrative from back then. The whole book has a very macabre vibe to it and the two timelines were exactly the right call.

After Tone is injured and disappears, all manner of crazy is unleashed. The closer they get to the truth, the more danger they are in.

The ending, while brilliant, felt a little unrealistic and could have done with a little more explaining. I didn't see it coming and I literally shouted out loud when we got to the climax!

If you haven't read it yet, it's a must! I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!!! If you like creepy, suspenseful and something completely original, then this should be your next purchase.

My Thoughts
This was a wonderfully atmospheric novel with just enough psychological intrigue to keep it interesting and thrilling. Here are my pros and cons for The Lost Village:

Pros

1. The world-building was top-notch. I felt like I was walking around in the lost village of Silvertjärn along with the characters in the book. From the abandoned houses and buildings to the surrounding areas like the river, the place felt remarkably familiar almost immediately. The descriptions of this abandoned mining village were detailed without being verbose and the atmosphere that is established from the very beginning created a strong foundation for the story.
2. The story is presented in a past and present narrative, which I though was highly effective. I am not always a fan of the past/present narrative format because I do not think it always works. However, I think it worked very well in this story. The transitions between time periods were seamless and both narratives communicated the necessary details of the story brilliantly.
3. There were some tense scenes in this novel! There was an incredible buildup of dread and fear about what was happening. The supernatural feel of the story was palpable.
4. Some of the characters from the past story were disturbing to the extreme.
5. The pacing was great. There was always something happening and I stayed up reading long after I should have gone to bed!

Cons

1. I thought the characterizations (present day) were weak. The female characters making the present-day documentary (Alice, Tone, and Emmy) all had backstories that weren’t fully developed at all. I felt no real connection to them and I really wanted to understand a little bit more about their issues and relationships. There was just not enough character development for me to be interested in them personally, even if I was interested in what was going on.
2. The men in the present-day narrative were essentially irrelevant to the story. They had almost zero character development.

Summary
This was a great story in a great setting and I loved the premise. As a matter of fact, what happened to this village was horrific and disturbing and incredibly sad. What happens to the documentary filmmakers is disturbing as well. I was captivated by the story, but not the present-day characters. If the characters working on the documentary had been fleshed out a little bit more, I think it would have been a 5-star book for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a free eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read quite a bit of horror and suspense, so maybe a more casual reader of the genre might not feel the same as I did about this novel. The concept of a film crew returning to a long abandoned village attracted me immediately. I have enjoyed stories like this in the past. The problem for me was that the story was just too familiar. I absolutely hate giving away plot in my reviews. To even say that a book has a surprise twist makes the reader look for it and then the surprise element is gone. I will say that the plot and the reveal were familiar to me from other stories. I was hoping for something a little different.

I enjoyed the style of Ms. Sten. I would not hesitate to read something else by her. Some have stated that they found the characters annoying but I didn’t. I found them to be realistic and the ability to create empathy for their suffering was one of the strong points in the novel. Another reviewer mentioned that they thought Ms. Sten’s plot line on the subject and manifestation of mental illness was odd and not realistic at all. I have to agree. Mental illness and what happens to someone who “goes off their meds” in this novel was much more Hollywood than factual.

Overall impressions? A very promising writer who is good with characters. Pacing was good and she did an excellent job of creating location, atmosphere and tension. I will definitely read her next novel.

3 1/3 stars. 3 stars for the story and add an extra for good style and skill.

I think it is just personal opinion and preference, but this book was just lacking something for me. I liked the way it was written and I liked the overall writing, but it just didn't get a full 5-stars for me. I did enjoy the cover art; it really pulled me in and made me want to read this book. Surely, other people did love it and I am very thankful to have read it.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I read this in about 3 hours, so it is certainly a page turner. Unfortunately I think this was set-up a little to high for me; comparisons to Shirley Jackson and the Blair Witch Project seemed tailor made for me. This is not in those realms, but those would be hard to reach also.

An interesting thriller which revolves around a writer whose grandmother always told her about how everyone in her hometown disappeared 60 years ago without a trace. The cause of this disappearance is not revealed until the very end of the novel which makes for a great thriller. The novel was suspenseful with many possibllities for the strange occurances when the writer visits the town to get material for her producing a documentary about the town. The reason I didn’t give it more stars was because some parts were simply not plausible., for example bipolar individuals who are medicated do not become raging psychopaths when they stop their medication for 1 day.. I enjoyed the book and the suspense and thrills were substantiated.