I enjoyed most of this novel
I received an e-Galley ARC of The Lost Village, authored by Camilla Sten, translated by Alexandra Fleming, from Minotaur Books and NetGalley. Below is my honest review, freely given, I am thankful for the opportunity.
I rated this novel 3 stars. The premise is one I find well suited for horror, there are historical examples to look to and draw from, and even now I enjoy learning about real world mysteries such as missing communities or peoples.
Silvertj�¤rn was a town of growing secrets, the most pressing we are introduced to in the opening chapter, setting the tone for the book with a delicious chill of horror. The next gives us the present day characters traveling to the town. This almost alternating pattern will continue throughout the book, which I liked. Often the crew would pass a theory around or mention something from a letter, and the following chapter would reveal how close to the truth they were or expand on the moment written about; giving voice to the original townspeople directly added a nice separation of time and culture.
The characters were of complex personalities, refreshingly muddled as humans truly are; no brightly shining knights or achingly pure heroines, though Mattias does have a harsher judgement from me (I am not a fan of him). What occurred is slowly built for the reader in the glimpses of the past; in the present nerves are frayed ever thin as an imagined or unknown presence is felt circling the crew.
The latter half fell apart for me. Not in that it was unbelievable, but to me there were indications the story could lean into a supernatural aspect or a subtle blend of supernatural and realism; in backing away or refusing to commit, I felt it left some threads dangling.
