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ozarkredwood's review against another edition
Depictions of mental illness were awful and I wish this book was much more than it was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Mental illness
Minor: Rape
misha_ali's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed this well enough but found the ending deeply unsatisfying. I will give it props for making me emotional about one of the characters' fate.
I can't find a way to not be spoilery about it, but the main reason I kept reading instead of DNFing at 15% was to find out how 900 people vanished from this village and nobody in 60 years had an answer to that question. The conclusion was deeply unsatisfying to me, bordering on the nonsensical.
I can't find a way to not be spoilery about it, but the main reason I kept reading instead of DNFing at 15% was to find out how 900 people vanished from this village and nobody in 60 years had an answer to that question. The conclusion was deeply unsatisfying to me, bordering on the nonsensical.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Suicide attempt
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, and Hate crime
Minor: Mental illness
friedfae's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Mental illness and Vomit
beetitnerds's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A good mystery with some pacing issues. I'd recommend this to someone just getting into the cult/folk horror genre, but maybe not to people who are already fans. For what it's worth, this is way more Limetown and Midnight Mass than Blair Witch or Midsommar.
I liked all the characters in this book, I liked the jump between perspectives, and the answer to the mystery is good (if predictable to genre-familiar readers). The Epilogue was one of my favorites I've read in a long time. I loved the thoughtfulness with which the author wrote about mentally ill and disabled characters, and I loved the strong and distinct female cast.
My biggest criticism in this story is the pacing. It's a rather short book, and there was a lot of exposition to get through. I enjoyed the exposition, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but it meant that the setting- which is almost its own character- didn't get to shine as much as it could have. We didn't get to spend much time building up the suspense and creepiness of the location, which is a shame, because I think this story could have used the documentary framing device to its advantage to give us an excuse to actually see the ironworks, for example. It's also a shame that we didn't seethe mine until the very very end, because scary mines in an abandoned mining town sounds like a no brainer, and frankly, if I found out 900 people suddenly disappeared, I'd have absolutely assumed they went into the mines. The fact this never comes up in-universe as a conspiracy theory is distractingly unrealistic. Anyway, the plot takes place over about 4 days, so I understand why things starts popping off so quickly, but we're introduced to locations and then immediately have those locations turn into threats. It would've been nice to have some time for suspense to build.
I liked all the characters in this book, I liked the jump between perspectives, and the answer to the mystery is good (if predictable to genre-familiar readers). The Epilogue was one of my favorites I've read in a long time. I loved the thoughtfulness with which the author wrote about mentally ill and disabled characters, and I loved the strong and distinct female cast.
My biggest criticism in this story is the pacing. It's a rather short book, and there was a lot of exposition to get through. I enjoyed the exposition, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but it meant that the setting- which is almost its own character- didn't get to shine as much as it could have. We didn't get to spend much time building up the suspense and creepiness of the location, which is a shame, because I think this story could have used the documentary framing device to its advantage to give us an excuse to actually see the ironworks, for example. It's also a shame that we didn't see
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual assault
icanhazknit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness
cluelesspixie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Rape
Moderate: Abandonment
carmina_r's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
thelovelylibrarylady's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Ableism, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Emotional abuse
Minor: Rape
jazzsilvestri's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Murder
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Rape