With the arrival of the new Netflix series, now is a perfect time to sink your teeth into Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. This series is unique and one of my favourites; Snicket’s narration is satirical, morbid and hilarious all at once, and although he will warn you many times that the books are best left alone, you will be missing out if you don’t take the chance to follow the lives of the Baudelaire children.
While the series deals with some heavy and depressing themes, the story never goes too long without Snicket’s in-book persona giving an absurd analogy or suspiciously specific definition that adds charm to each chapter. It’s easy to make the mistake of thinking these books are too serious or dreary, but every sentence is dripping with Snicket’s sardonic wit and dark comedy. The villains, while certainly loathsome, seem to be parodies of cliché “bad guys”, making them a bit easier for young readers to swallow. The heroes of the series – Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire – are made likeable by their sheer determination. The three children can’t fight their way out of their obstacles, instead relying on their intelligence. The heroes continuously find a way to save themselves, even when it looks like there is nothing that can help them. Rather than be the “chosen heroes” who are destined to succeed, the Baudelaires are frightened but resourceful children who have only each other to count on. Although there’s plenty more misery than happiness in this saga, every success the Baudelaires achieve is immensely satisfying.
This series is not for the optimistic reader, but if you’re a fan of mystery, there’s much more to the story than there first appears. The books are full of codes and riddles that are not always obvious, and some mysteries can only be solved either online, or in Snicket’s other work, The Beatrice Letters (which I would definitely recommend if you want to delve deeper into Snicket’s world). These books are incredibly clever and funny in their own way, and are guaranteed to keep you flipping pages.
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket is available for sale here!
A heartwarming and honest read, Finding Nevo is a charming story of self-discovery and love. The memoir deals with some complex and relevant issues such as sexuality and gender identity, and while these kinds of stories tend to take on a tragic or depressing tone, Nevo keeps it light and relatable, making it an enjoyable read …
Highway Bodies is the second novel from Australian author Alison Evans after their debut novel Ida, which received a mixed opinion from readers, reviewers and critics. Set to be released in the February of 2019, Highway Bodies tells the tale of three distinct groups of Melbourne teenagers as the world around them falls victim to …
Contagion by Teri Terry is a ticking time bomb of a novel, each chapter bringing the reader closer to the point of impact. This pre-apocalyptic dystopian novel set in Scotland follows two unique and compelling viewpoints; Shay, whose world is about to be changed forever, and Callie, who has seen everything but can communicate nothing. …
A Map of Days continues Ransom Rigg’s macabre and masterful Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children book series, with the aforementioned novel being the fourth in the series. The novel follows our protagonist Jacob once again, who is sent on a murderous road trip in order to complete his late grandfather’s work and rescue a …
Courtney Summers’ well-written murder mystery is a modern take on the genre. Following the sister of a missing girl and the journalist trying to find her, Sadie’s format is unique, if a little confusing at times. The chapters written from Sadie’s perspective are in first person, but every second chapter is written as a script …
In the final novel from the Magisterium series by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, Callum Hunt is faced with the task of destroying Alex Strike and the chaos that followed in the wake of the events of the penultimate novel The Silver Mask. Callum Hunt is now entering his Gold Year, the final year of …
Book Review – A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
While the series deals with some heavy and depressing themes, the story never goes too long without Snicket’s in-book persona giving an absurd analogy or suspiciously specific definition that adds charm to each chapter. It’s easy to make the mistake of thinking these books are too serious or dreary, but every sentence is dripping with Snicket’s sardonic wit and dark comedy. The villains, while certainly loathsome, seem to be parodies of cliché “bad guys”, making them a bit easier for young readers to swallow. The heroes of the series – Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire – are made likeable by their sheer determination. The three children can’t fight their way out of their obstacles, instead relying on their intelligence. The heroes continuously find a way to save themselves, even when it looks like there is nothing that can help them. Rather than be the “chosen heroes” who are destined to succeed, the Baudelaires are frightened but resourceful children who have only each other to count on. Although there’s plenty more misery than happiness in this saga, every success the Baudelaires achieve is immensely satisfying.
This series is not for the optimistic reader, but if you’re a fan of mystery, there’s much more to the story than there first appears. The books are full of codes and riddles that are not always obvious, and some mysteries can only be solved either online, or in Snicket’s other work, The Beatrice Letters (which I would definitely recommend if you want to delve deeper into Snicket’s world). These books are incredibly clever and funny in their own way, and are guaranteed to keep you flipping pages.
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket is available for sale here!
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