I liked it; it was good
Book 12, second to last in this series, and the children are taking a new, active role in the battle against evil.
Read: Nov 10, 2024
Genre: Absurdist Fiction, Dark Comedy
Audience: Children
Book contains: murder, deadly weapons, arson
Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca
Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are back where they started on Briny Beach and meet up with Kit Snicket, who takes them to “the last safe place”. Will they reunite with the right people from the schism and triumph over Count Olaf and his evil schemes?
As expected, this book ends in tragedy, though it’s not all completely lost. The Baudelaires are struggling with who to trust, so they lean heavily on each other and their own wits. They put all that they’ve learned into play and follow what they think is right.
There is so much intentional confusion in this book, which is kind of fun. Snicket, even as the narrator, doesn’t tell the reader who we can trust, even though he knows. There is one section of the book which was super different, telling three scenes that all occur at the exact same time that you could read in any order (framed by two “not-a-chapters”).
Like the several past books, I listened along to Tori (or V) on YouTube. She’s such a good reader, giving each of the characters their own voices. As a fan of this series, she also reads with such energy and excitement that it’s hard not to get caught up in her eagerness.
I love how so many characters we’ve known over the series come back in this book. The Baudelaires don’t know who to trust or what to do, and they must learn to say things without saying them. Something that was touched upon in the last two books is Sunny’s love of cooking, and I’m enjoying that she gets to continue exploring that passion.
“Keeping people at a distance” is the theme of this book. Who can they trust, and who is untrustworthy? What is the right thing to do? Asking this question, the Baudelaires are careful in every move they make.
In some longer book series, the quality of the books goes down as more books come out and the author loses some steam. Not with these books, though! Snicket is just as witty, funny, and clever as book 1 (better, even!). I love the wordplay and linguistic gymnastics he sometimes takes us on.
Second to last book, and second to longest as well. It doesn’t feel long, especially with the section that feels like it all happened at the same time—because it does! Excellent pacing as always.
You can’t stop now with this second to last book. Highly recommended series!
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
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 7: The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 8: The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 9: The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket
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
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 1: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
Alice in Wonderland Book 1: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
*The Wicket by Carlee Coton*
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Tigerpetal Press is a small book press dedicated to publishing local authors and poets.