octavia_cade's Reviews (2.64k)

And the improvements continue apace! I'm actually looking forward to reading the next one, as the end of The Vile Village means we may finally be shot of the whole "useless guardian" bit, which has become irritatingly repetitive at this point. It's good to see the return of the Quagmire triplets, and the appearance of Jacques, like the secret tunnel of the previous volume, is indicative of a wider mystery which at this point is the most entertaining thing about the series. Bar Sunny's cryptic utterances, of course!

And there is forward movement in the story at last! The destination of the elevator passage is genuinely shocking, and suddenly you get the sense that there is a wider conspiracy going on here, and that finally the books are tapping into it. Honestly, this needed to have come several volumes ago, before the reliance on formulaic repetition made the series seem a bit same old, same old, but better late than never. The ridiculousness is still a little too over the top when it comes to Sunny - granted, biting her way up an elevator shaft doesn't quite sink to the stupidity depth of the sword fight in The Miserable Mill but it's a close thing. I'd much prefer that Snicket stuck to her cryptic, snarky utterances than tried to make her Action Baby, but I have the feeling that particular irritation is going to keep on giving.

Better than the last one, because it seems with the introduction of the Quagmires there's some forward movement to the story as a whole. Not a happy forward movement, of course, but no-one reads this series for happiness. I wish Snicket would do something about Mr. Poe, however - he is remarkably static, just a cipher at this point.

The story of misery and horror continues. Unfortunately, this volume is even more dependent on stupid, spineless adults than ever before, and I am unconvinced by Sunny's sword fight. Yeah, I know... do not speak to me of realism. These books aren't, but there's a line between amusingly ridiculous and inanely so, and the sword fight is right on it. My least favourite thus far.

I continue to adore the ongoing definitions, though. They're the best part!

Wonderful little story about friendship and how it can open all sorts of imaginative doors - even ones that lead into dark places, or away from them. I saw the film a few years back and thought it was fantastic; have meant to read this ever since and have only just now gotten around to it. Of course the surprise was spoiled for me because of that, but it's not the surprise that makes this book. It's the coming back from it.

Quick fun read, but Mr. Poe is starting to become deeply annoying. Not as annoying as the deeply silly Aunt Josephine, but the wonderful Baudelaire orphans have a surfeit of hopeless relatives and Josephine is at least silly in an original way.

I'm still not sorry for what happened to her. Perhaps if she'd dinned into the heads of infant readers the difference between "conscience" and "conscious" I would have given her a pass - for that is the grammatical mistake most likely to send me into conniptions, and it is frighteningly common - but alas. Like the orphans, I did not get what I wanted.

Charming little book, if sometimes a bit cutesy for my taste. Eeyore is the standout character as far as I'm concerned, though the Bear of Very Little Brain is a close runner-up. Tigger is not nearly as annoying as he is in the cartoons - I think part of it is I just enjoy the shape of the word "bounce", and also I don't have to hear the ridiculous voice.

Honestly, this never matched up to Little Women for me, but I still find it so good, even if there are aspects to it that I really wouldn't like in any other book. The moralism and the religion, for example... and yet it's all so kind and well-meaning that I can't help but like it anyway. I think of all the boys Dan was my favourite (I think he's probably everyone's favourite!) what with his naturalist leanings, but it's always good to see Jo & company, even if they are older and not getting into so many adventures themselves.

Fun light reading with a great deal of snark. It's at this point, though, that the formula for the series becomes clear, and that formula rests on Stupid Adults. Granted, some adults are very stupid indeed, but I can already see that it's soon going to become tiresome (how many times can Mr. Poe say "Of course that's not Count Olaf (or one of his highly identifiable associates)!", for instance, before one wishes to see him mown down by a tank? I suspect not many).

This small, terrible adventure of the poor, orphaned Baudelaire children is delightful - in a depressingly morbid way. It's a sad little Eeyore fantasy of a book most notable for its tone, which takes great pleasure in absolutely wallowing in the misery of its characters.

I was strangely charmed.