So I really started enjoying the Unfortunate Events books around the fifth and sixth books, which is where the second season on
Netflix picks up. I have a feeling it's because I haven't watched the episodes yet, so I have nothing to compare it to and my imagination was allowed to be as creative as it wanted to be.
The Miserable Mill: Book the Fourth
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| (Source: Kelsey Darling) |
After leaving the remains of Aunt Josephine's house, the Baudelaire's are once again swept off to a new guardian. This time, Mr. Poe deposits them at the entrance of Lucky Smells Lumber Mill which is run by their new guardian, Sir. Sir is "too busy" running the mill to take care of the children, so he treats them as employees and they are left to do the back breaking work that should only be done by adults. While they don't like that they get paid in coupons and are fed gum, so a little bit, they think they have finally found a place away from Count Olaf. That is until Klaus breaks his glasses, is sent to the optometrist, Dr. Orwell, and returns hypnotized. No, Dr. Orwell isn't Olaf in disguise. This time, Olaf is disguised as Shirley, Orwell's secretary. This time it is up to Violet and Sunny to discover the word that keeps breaking Klaus' hypnotism and prevent him from committing a horrible atrocity and stop Count Olaf from getting the Baudelaire fortune.
Rating: 7/10
The Austere Academy: Book the Fifth
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| (Source: Kelsey Darling) |
Mr. Poe is having a hard time finding new guardians for the orphans as Count Olaf always seems to pop up where they do. So instead of a guardian, he is placing them in boarding school. But life at Prufrock Preparatory School is anything but pleasant. Because they don't have a guardian, instead of living in the wonder dorms, they are forced to live in the "Orphan Shack;" there are insane rules and even more bizarre punishments for breaking the rules; the teachers leave much to be desired with education; there is a bully by the name of Carmelita Spats; and every evening, they are forced to listen to a violin recital by Vice Principal Nero who couldn't play the violin beautifully if his life depended on it. But for once, the Baudelaire's have found some friends, the Quagmire triplets, Duncan and Isadora. Like the Baudelaire's, they lost their parents and house in a fire, but they also lost their brother, Quigley. Despite all of the negatives, life seems to be leveling out. That is until Count Olaf shows up disguised as the new gym coach, Coach Genghis, and requires the Baudelaire's to complete S.O.R.E.'s every night (Special Orphan Running Exercises). Aside from making the Baudelaire's extremely tired, no one can figure out what Olaf's plan is, but no one thought the Quagmire's would get hurt trying to stop him.
Rating: 8/10
The Ersatz Elevator: Book the Sixth
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| (Source: Kelsey Darling) |
The Baudelaire's are feeling quite horrible when Mr. Poe finds them a new home at 667 Dark Avenue. If the Quagmire triplets hadn't tried to help them defeat Count Olaf, they never would have been kidnapped. But for once, they feel like they may have found a safe home with Esme and Jerome Squalor. They live in the penthouse at 667 Dark Avenue and the elevator doesn't work; so the only way Olaf would be able to reach them would be to climb up countless flights of stairs. While Esme is only concerned with what's in, Jerome has taken an actual interest in the children, and for once, they feel a safety they haven't felt since leaving Aunt Josephine's. But one night, everything changes. As the children and Jerome are getting ready to leave, the Baudelaire's run into Gunther, or, as he's more commonly known, Count Olaf. Like every other guardian, the Squalor's don't see how Gunther could be Olaf. Esme commands them not to return until Gunther has left so they can fully prepare for the In Auction. Upon returning, the doorman tells them that Gunther has not left yet, but Esme swears he has. The Baudelaire's know that Olaf is hiding somewhere in 667 Dark Avenue, but they never expected to find a secret passageway in the broken elevator, or who they would find at the bottom of it. And they never suspected one of their guardians would be in on all of it.
Rating: 9/10
What really appeals to me about this set of the books is that in The Austere Academy, you being to learn about the secret society of VFD, which the Baudelaire parents were a part of. This is the driving force of the plot line that I have been looking for. In the Netflix series, they begin to describe this secret society in The Reptile Room episodes, so I have been waiting for this to appear in the books.
What I really like is that the books keep me surprised. I don't know what Olaf's plans are until they start playing out. I don't know where is his hench-people are hidden until they reveal themselves. I don't know what larger part VFD plays in all of this. While I knew Esme wasn't the best person, I didn't know she was evil. It's so rare when a book surprises me, and the fact that it's a children's book that's surprising me is even more amazing.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Author:
Lemony Snicket
Series:
A Series of Unfortunate Events (13 books)
Genres: Children's, Fiction, Fantasy
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