What readers think of The Lake of Dead Languages, plus links to write your own review.

Not a bad read, but pretty forgettable due to the fact the ending is a disappointment after all the suspense created earlier in the book. You won't be able to put it down, but once you get to the end, there's a fair chance that you'll find it something of an anti-climax.

The other annoying thing is that Carol Goodman cannot stop showing off her knowledge of Latin. It's not relevant, it's not interesting, and it appears far too often in the book for my liking. It's great that she conducts a Latin lesson via a novel if you're interested in learning the classics, but if, like me, you are not, you might find the fact she cannot write a sentence without including the Latin first a little tedious.

But the book is not all bad. The atmosphere created by the tragic history and mysterious legends of the lake is often compelling, and in the parts where she sticks to English, Goodman writes beautifully. The friendships between Lucy, matt, Deirdre and Jane are eerily sinister, as is the harsh setting of Heart Lake, which is used to brilliant symbolic effect at times.
It's not the best book in the world, but it's certainly enjoyable all the same.