Published by Minotaur Books on March 23, 2021
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Pages: 340
Amazon UK, Amazon US
Goodreads
The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar in this brilliantly disturbing thriller from Camilla Sten, an electrifying new voice in suspense.
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.
But there will be no turning back.
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.
They’re looking for the truth…But what if it finds them first?
This book is still on my mind despite finishing it hours ago (When I wrote this) and still now weeks after I finished the book. I blitz the audiobook in 2 days. I was hooked.
A deserted village. People go in to investigate. Things happen. Hello, I am in!!!
There are some creepy scenes for sure. It was a hot day and I was having flashes of goosebumps on my arms. Listening to the narrator describe a person standing outside their van, the voices chanting over the radio, the bloody church!! Well, it all had me on edge and thinking back now, still goosebumps.
I was expecting it to be packed full of scares and chills, but it’s not that type of book. This book is atmospheric and this is where its strengths lay, don’t get me wrong scenes will get under your skin. You have characters where their heads arent quite right in the game. One suffers from depression so bad she didn’t want to carry on living and the other one well she has apparently had psychotic episodes!! These aren’t spoilers, all they are doing is to emphasise how the smallest of things can be written off because they aren’t “well”. Did they see that figure? Did they hear the voices? All the while, we don’t know, we doubt ourselves because we know that Alice, our MC, is unreliable.
The narrator of this audiobook deserves such a big shout out. She was amazing with the voices and she brought those characters alive, even right down to the sobbing and pleading. Just added to the story, bringing it all alive. It felt like a production rather than a book being spoken.
I loved the then and now chapters, although it drove me crazy when they swapped. I would be getting into one section, then the chapter would end and I would be dying to know what happened next. The then bits, well it was hard reading. It was only the 1950s, but I couldn’t see it, I kept thinking that the women were from an older time. Their story with the new pastor coming to the village was terrifying and awe-stricken depending on which character was talking. This is when the town became “off” but we have no clue why. Even when we hear of a woman’s body being found, stone to death in the middle of the street and a baby crying. Then we learn the whole village just disappeared. It was truly frightening to imagine, how can a whole village disappear!!! It was a slow burn as the secret unfurled, but it was an addictive read.
The now story is where the real fun happens. No one quite believing what they see or hear. I feel the author could have gone darker with this story, bring out more ghosts. However, as I said she relied on the atmosphere of the town. How can one place hold so many secrets, but boy does it. When you finally learn what happens, well my jaw just dropped. I had my heart in my throat. It was not what I expected, but it was fitting. It was heartbreaking too, and it just worked to a T.
I will most definitely be keeping an eye out for future books by this author. I loved every second of my experience!
Until next time xxx
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
nickimags @ Secret Library Book Blog says
Fab review! I love it when an audiobook sounds more like a production than just one person reading it! xx
Zoé says
Oh this was so good, still get chills now and again thinking of it x
hena tayeb says
This sounds very good. Thanks for sharing.