Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Lost Village

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

42 reviews

sar_she_her's review against another edition

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

The writing is a mixed bag, nonetheless overshadowed by *atrociously* unredeemable representation of mental health and autism.

The use of those themes feels insensitive, exploitive, and gratuitous in a way that made me feel sick. Probably most painful portrayal of scapegoating I've ever read, just in very poor taste.

The great spooky mood-setting and abandoned/archival imagery could have been woven into a really good story, if only there had been better character development.

While the aforementioned poor decisions of representation were effective "shock-value" (at best a brutal commentary on exploitation of zealots and group-think) the storytelling could have been just as effective without the horrible representation.

Too bad, bc someone recommended it, and I was hoping to like it and recommend to my friends in Sweden. But now I certainly won't, especially with them being caring teachers and parents.

I'm truly surprised the mainstream was so enchanted by the good elements of her writing, and could so easily overlook and accept the horrendous facets.

What bugs me ultimately is having someone from a more privileged demographic sensationalize the exploitation of an underprivileged group. It's problematic and a form of misappropriation essentially having the credit go to, and focus be on, an artist who thinks something "would be a good idea" but at the cost of representing *others'* stories or trauma.

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nancykz's review

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A bit slow — the pacing really lagged in the middle. An okay, spooky read.

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friedfae's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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shinysarah28's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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carmina_r's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Content Warnings

thelovelylibrarylady's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This is a classic example of a novel that is perfect… until it isn’t. I truly thought I was going to give The Lost Village a five-star rating until I got to the very last chapters. The characters were well-developed, the eerie setting was expertly described, but the ending was just atrocious. It actually makes me irrationally angry now that I am reflecting on the story as a whole. I do not know why the author decided to end the novel in the way she did, but it completely ruined my reading experience.

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