A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the Tenth through Book the Thirteenth by Lemony Snicket

Well, the series is over. I'm still surprised at how much I enjoyed the series. Lemony Snicket really does a wonderful job at this series. And now, I can finally catch up on season two of the Netflix series!

The Slippery Slope: Book the Tenth

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Sadly, Madame Lulu sold out the Baudelaire's to Count Olaf. Now Violet and Klaus are careening down the side of a mountain and Olaf is holding Sunny captive. It is up to Violet and Klaus to try and find a way back to their baby sister, but getting up the mountain isn't easy. After escaping the fury of the snow gnats, they bunker down in a cave where they run into none other but Carmelita Spats. She is with a troop of Snow Scouts. There is also another mysterious youth with them who seems to be a member of VFD. Once they are able to break away from the Snow Scouts, they learn that this mysterious person is Quigley Quagmire, the presumed dead Quagmire triplet. They make their way to VFD headquarters, hoping to find some VFD members and find a way to get Sunny back. While Sunny is with Olaf, she hopes to learn what she can about Olaf and VFD. She pretends to be a helpless baby, while cooking up delicious meals for Olaf and his hench-people. Despite the Baudelaire's being separated, they still find a way to use their skills to help themselves and each other. But will they be reunited? And will Quigley find his missing triplets?
Rating: 10/10

The Grim Grotto: Book the Eleventh

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Violet, Klaus, Sunny, and Quigley managed to escape just in the knick of time, and they are tubing down the recently unfrozen slope. However, they weren't expecting for Quigley to be thrown from the sled, and they definitely weren't expecting to run into a submarine. After deciding that the people on board are friend not foe, the board the Queequeg and meet Captain Widdershins and Fiona, his stepdaughter. They are also reunited with Phil, who after realizing that working at Lucky Smells Lumber Yard wasn't the best, joined the Queequeg as their cook. The crew of Queequeg and the Baudelaire's are now on the hunt to find the sugar bowl that contains VFD secrets before Count Olaf and the other evil members of VFD. They decide that the current has probably dragged it deep into this grotto beneath the ocean. The only thing is that this grotto also contains a highly lethal fungus, the Medusoid Mycelium. One spore is enough to kill you. Because the grotto is so narrow, the Queequeg cannot make it's way to the bottom, so Fiona, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny suit up and swim to the bottom, where they find a beach the is full of lost objects. But no sugar bowl. And then, the Medusoid Mycelium begin to wax and release spores. When it finally wanes and they make their way back to the Queequeg, the Captain and Phil are missing. And then the Queequeg is captured by Olaf's submarine. How will the Baudelaire's escape? Will they ever find the mysterious sugar bowl? And what has happened to the missing crew?
Rating: 8/10

The Penultimate Peril: Book the Twelfth

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

The Baudelaire's have escaped the ocean and Count Olaf, and have climbed into a mysterious cab that was waiting for them on Briny Beach, with a mysterious driver that they are really hoping is a friend, not foe. And luckily, she isn't. She is Kit Snicket, the sister of Jacques and Lemony. Kit tells them that she is going to drop them off at Hotel Denouement, a large hotel that is laid out according to the dewey decibel system,  and it is their job to find Frank, the manager of Hotel Denouement and part of VFD, but must also be on the look out for Ernest, Franks twin brother and part of the evil VFD. The Baudelaire's will be disguised as concierge, and it is there job to find the sugar bowl and also look out for members of VFD. While working, they are all separated, and all of them run into people from their past; all of whom have something suspicious going on. Each of them also has a run in with Frank...or is it Ernest? But when they are gathered at the end of the day and relay the information they learned, they have more questions than answers. They decide to use the evening to find out more information, when they run into not Frank, not Ernest, but Dewey, the third Denouement "twin" that lives in the shadows, but runs the hotel and collects all of the information possible regarding both sides of VFD. But when Dewey is accidentally murdered, the Baudelaire's find themselves on trial alongside Count Olaf trying to find out who is guilty and who is innocent. However, justice is literally blind in this case, and the evil side of VFD might just win this case. When the Baudelaire's realize they don't have a chance, they find themselves teaming up with the most unlikely person to escape the Hotel Denouement.
Rating: 8/10

The End: Book the Thirteenth

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

The Baudelaire's were able to escape the quickly burning Hotel Denouement with Count Olaf on his submarine. Now they are on the run, unsure of what to do and not knowing who made it out alive. When a hurricane hits, the submarine is stuck on a coastal shelf, completely useless. And then, out of the horizon appears a girl wearing a white robe. She introduces herself as Friday and tells the Baudelaire's that they are welcome on the island; however, she can tell that Olaf is evil and tells him that he must stay on the shelf. When she takes them to the establishment that has been made, she takes them to Ishmael, the leader of the island. He tells the Baudelaire's that they are welcome, but they shouldn't rock the boat, and to not rock the boat, they should give up their possessions and dress in the white robes, just like everyone else. "But I won't force you to" is his peer pressure statement he uses whenever someone doesn't want to do something that he thinks is for the best. Instead, all items that the Baudelaire's give up and all items that wash up on the island are sent to the arboretum. The Baudelaire's are happy that life here is simple and free of evil, but they wonder about their friends and the other Volunteers. When another hurricane swings through, Kit Snicket is washed ashore. However, Count Olaf tries to disguise himself as Kit in hopes of being allowed on the island. Ishmael does not fall for it, but also tells the Baudelaire's that he won't let Kit join them on the island either. Because of this, the Baudelaire's stay with her, since she is very pregnant and injured. When some of the other island castaways appear that night asking the Baudelaire's to help them overthrow Ishmael, they have to decide if they are willing to help bring evil to the island by causing another schism. They also learn that Ishmael has some very interesting secrets, some of which pertain their parents. Will they make it off the island? Will Count Olaf ever get their fortune? Will the secrets of VFD ever be discovered?
Rating: 9/10

So now that it's all over, I still have some questions:

(Source: Giphy)

• What ever happened to the Quagmires? What about Fiona, Fernel, and Capitan Widdershins? Did Esme and Carmelita die in the final fire? What about the other Volunteers, both good and bad, that were at the hotel?
• Did the Baudelaire's ever get the fortune when Violet came of age since they were technically still murderers on the run? Or were their names ever cleared?
• What was the deal with the sugar bowl? What secrets did the sugar bowl contain?
• Did Olaf have feelings for Kit?
• What did Lemony do for him to be on the run? And does he ever meet the Baudelaire's? And what about his niece, Beatrice? Why did the Baudelaire's mother not chose Lemony?

I realize I'll never get these answers. But I do feel like there were some important unanswered questions. I feel like the Baudelaire's in that I have more questions than answers. I really wish the Baudelaire's had been reunited with the Quagmire's, especially with her affections for Quigley.

(Source: Giphy)

But I do feel like there was closure with some other things. Or, at least one thing. With Count Olaf dead, the don't have to worry about him anymore. Of course, there is still evil in the world that they will have to worry about, especially once they leave the island. 

I really enjoyed the overall series. I think Snicket does a good job of really hooking the readers interest and giving just enough information to keep you wanting more. And although there were a lot of unanswered questions, it still ended nicely. I'll be anxious to see how all of these are played out in the Netflix series.

(Source: Giphy)

Overall Rating: 9/10

Author: Lemony Snicket

Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events (13 books)

Genres: Children's, Fiction, Fantasy