Reviews

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

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tilltab's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

silveress's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Went on too long. So much of this was dragged out and didn’t build suspense or atmosphere which I think was the intention. Very minimal character development despite touching on issues around mental illness.

To was Tone possessed by Birgitta or what? Weird and unexplained

Overall, the premise was great but the execution was thin and lacking.

aritrigupta's review

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3.0

This was a great story! Thrilling, spooky, the book scared me enough to avoid reading with the lights out.
In 1959, close to 900 residents of a small mining village disappear without a trace. A charred body and a baby are all that are left behind. Years later, Alice and her crew try to plunge into this mystery as things go awry with them during their stay.
I mean, my first question is always, despite that the answer is probably the plot of the book, is why such a group of people with so many issues (inter and intra personal) went to an abandoned ghost village in the middle of nowhere. I mean, come on! The book is an homage to mental health issues, with various women in the book suffering with different such issues. I had a bit of a trouble adjusting myself to how these women were portrayed, but I tried to ignore it as they were serving the story. I did not like the protagonist much, but again, her character could be chalked up to serving the story as well.
But then, does the story deliver? I am not so sure. It is thrilling of course, it engaged me throughout, and I cruised through the book. Firstly, the book's elements seemed to be borrowed from a myriad of psychological/supernatural books and series, hence a lot of overused tropes were present. Secondly, all of that build up led to a rather anticlimactic end, with unsatisfactory explanations and backgrounds to tie up the characters and their dynamics to the plot.
And that is my problem, I was left unsatisfied with the story, and that never bodes well for a thriller.
It was an engaging story, but it needed more.