Book 10 of 13! Nearly there, and just when things are looking bright, it all goes downhill again!

Read: Nov 3, 2024

Genre: Absurdist Fiction, Dark Comedy
Audience: Children
Book contains: kidnapping, attempted murder, child labour, arson, smoking

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How Far is Too Far?

Violet and Klaus are hurtling to their deaths while Sunny is trapped in the grasp of Count Olaf. How will each of the siblings survive their unfortunate circumstances? How will they deal with being truly separated for the first time since this whole series of events began?

An exciting reveal in this book! Who survived the fire? Will they be at the headquarters in the Mortmain Mountains? I loved this book especially because it sees the siblings separated and provides so much growth for Sunny not only as a character but as a human being. It also opens the floodgates for Klaus and Violet to slide down the slippery slope on the line between survival and villainy.

This book was a little different than the others. Though still narrated by Snicket, there are times in which his “research” fails him as he recounts the tale of the Baudelaires. He hides more secret messages within this book, and there are more fun structural gags (see chapter 5), and he even omits a scene for Violet’s privacy (which he hasn’t done before).

I once again had this book playing in the background while I was bookbinding. Tori (or V) has streamed herself reading along with the books on YouTube. I’m enjoying her reading a lot, especially with her bright attitude and the fun voice acting she does.

Hugo, Colette, and Kevin have gone full “bad guy”, unfortunately, after attempting to kill Klaus and Violet at the end of the last book. It’s understandable that they just want to fit in, but there’s better ways to do it. At least not everyone in Olaf’s troupe is completely evil, as proven by the end of this book.

The siblings are separated in this book, which is at the same time sad as it is an excellent opportunity for Sunny to grow. She’s becoming more than just the baby who bites things: I love the slow discovery of her cooking skills that began in the previous book. I also love learning more and more about the schism, which occurred to put members of VFD on separate sides—good and evil.

It amazes me just how much depth can be woven into an engaging children’s story. Not only do these books teach young readers new and obscure words, it provides valuable life lessons through the characters’ struggles. Excellent reading material for children!

The books only continue to get longer, though they remain thirteen chapters each. Some chapters are 50 pages! But the pacing remains brisk and action-packed all the same.

Nearly finished the series. Of course you’ve got to finish them all! This one in particular is excellent for teaching good morals.

Related Reviews:

A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 2: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 3: The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 4: The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 5: The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 6: The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket
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A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 10: The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 11: The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 12: The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 13: The End by Lemony Snicket
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