This is book 9 in A series of Unfortunate Events. I think that these books get a bit more adventurous the further you go through the series. This one seems a lot darker than the other books and I really do not see it being appropriate for middle grade readers. I found it to be somewhat violent as well. Reading through Adult eyes is much different. I feel like for a middle grader it could be somewhat disturbing and a little scary as well. I must say though that I did enjoy the carnival setting in this one, although there is really not much about the carnival in it. Regardless it did give the story some flair.
The unfortunate events seem to have escalated a bit more in this book. Yes it is still annoying too, but now readers come to expect it so it is not quite as overwhelming I don't think. I have been seeing some good things happen in previous books, but in this one it all seems to be doom and gloom which could maybe turn readers off. I don't actually mind the dark and disturbing aspects of the story because I am holding on to the hope that maybe something good will come about in the last book simply titled 'The End'. Because of that, I just keep plowing through these so I can reach this possible happy ending.
Not much more to say about our characters that I have not already mentioned. We of course have some great protagonists which of course are the Baudelaire children. There are of course some pretty villainous bad guys as well, like Olaf and Esme. I find that Sunny is beginning to speak better so that is a nice addition too.
I have had this series for quite awhile and finally got to this one. I read this book as part of a buddy read with a friend and I am so glad I finally read it.
This book was non stop action, from one page top the next. I also found it to be very engaging. It is probably one of the best Zombie books I have ever read. The flow of the book was awesome and I love the author's writing style as well. There really was never a dull moment in this one. The author had me from page one. I like how the zombie problem is a viral one, and not some ridiculous, unbelievable one. I did actually one small problem with it really and that was that the ending was rather abrupt, almost rushed, like there was not really a wrap up from one point to the end, it just kinda happened if that makes any sense. I do look forward to moving on to the next book in the series.
I think the characters were pretty well developed, and I am sure they will develop even more over the course of the series. There was not an over abundance of characters either, which was really nice. I really enjoy Eddie's character a lot. He is pretty flawed, and I like that, He has some issues but he overcomes them.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves Zombie stories, because this one is certainly a treat. Be advised though, this is not one of those cutesy zombie stories. There is quite a bit of gore going on in this one. If you can handle that, then you are gonna love this one.
This is book #8 in The Series of Unfortunate Events. It was a great read to keep me from getting into a reading slump after a very trying book.
The Orphans Get themselves mixed up in some more pretty shady business with Count Olaf and his thugs in eager pursuit in this installment. One of things I like the most about these stories is how engaging they are, despite the fact that they are somewhat annoying because of all these unfortunate events. I also enjoy the resourcefulness of the Orphans even though that resourcefulness is pretty improbable and unrealistic. The stories have a great flow about them, so they move along at a very fast pace. This one has a lot of action and adventure going on and I love it! It is true that there is a lot of annoying misfortune in this series, but there is something good that usually happens in the mix. It just depends on how you look at things.
The Orphans are so likeable that readers can't help but root for them. I know that there has been a lot of times I wished that I could be there to help them out myself. It does get annoying when they have to deal with so many unfortunate events, one right after the other, but really that is what the story is about. I think my favorite character is probably Violet, who is the inventor of the three. Even though the inventions are a little out there I still like the thought that is behind them. As far as antagonists go, there is plenty of them to hate. Of course Count Olaf would be the top of the list for me.
I recommend this series to those who don't mind dark, sad and unfortunate stories with children involved. If that sort of thing bothers you then you would probably be better off avoiding this series. (I am starting to sound like Lemony Snicket.) If that sort of story does not bother you, then give this series a shot, you might just enjoy it.
I read this book as a buddy read with a friend. This was the only Bachman book I had not read by King, so I thought I would give it a shot. Was this a masterpiece? No. not even close, but I did find it somewhat entertaining and it does seem to fit in with the Bachman books. If you read King or you are a fan, you learn his writing style pretty quickly and you can tell that this is one of his earlier novels. Even though, I still thought that the book moved along with a decent pace and with the mix of dark, dry humor, it kept me engaged in the story.
Our characters are rather eccentric, and I think they were wrote this way on purpose, kind of like the good cop, bad cop routine. George, the evil go getter who thinks he is entitled to everything, and then there is Blaze, who is not very bright to start, due to beatings he received as a child, becomes a small time delinquent throughout his life, meets George and now worships the ground he walks on and would do anything he says. Blaze is wrote in a way that readers will feel bad for him at one point, and then angry at him the next, so they end up on a fence, do I like him or do I not? You get a decent amount of backstory on Blaze, but next to nothing on George, which is ok since Blaze is our main character.
I still would recommend this book to others who like King just because it is was the 'lost' Bachman book. I also think this really allows us to see the growth in King's writing. This is probably not for everyone, but king fans will definitely appreciate it.
I am reading this book for our read along in my 'Bookworm Buddies' group here on Good Reads. I have actually read this whole series before, but it was really a very long time ago. And when I read it the first time, I don't believe I appreciated it as much as I do now. Reading it now feels like a whole new experience for me and it makes me really glad to have joined in on this read along.
I think while revisiting HP, I have discovered that this one is a favorite so far. I found it much more exciting, enjoyed the pacing of it and all that adventure. It is a funny thing, all those things you had forgotten from the first time, come rushing back to you a sweeping you off of your feet. I found this to just be an amazing read this time. So very engaging that it feels as though you transported to another world, this world full of magic, witches and wizards. The author is so good with imagery that you can almost begin to believe that this is a place that really does exists. I just loved every second of it and hated for it to end.
One thing that I cling to is that Hagrid really is my favorite character in this series, and I do not doubt that he will continue to be. He has so many likable qualities about him. One of the main ones is the fact that he is no where near perfect, but if anything was to threaten Harry, Hermione. or Ron, he would be there in an instant to protect them. I also love his love for animals, no matter what type of make believe or real animal it is. Of course I like a lot of the characters in the book, I like the fact that you know about them, who they are, where they have been, they all have many sides and you learn them all.
I really do like to recommend this series to EVERYONE, because I really think there is something for everyone in this series, both young and old. So don't be put off in the fact that this is a middle grade read, it does advance, the characters advance as well. I am super glad that I decided to join in this read along and revisit one of the most magical places ever found in a book. It can certainly carry you away and keep you engaged through out.
I chose this book to cover one of the challenges in the 52 book challenge that I am participating in. (Reread a book that you once read in school.) I read this book back in my senior year of high school and could not remember anything about it, now I can see why. This book has horrible pacing, overly descriptive narrative and no real anticipation at all. It also lacks one thing that I love in books, dialogue. There is next to no dialogue in this book. Therefore I did not find the book exciting at all, and it really threw the flow off, not to mention how it bounced around all over the place, so I found it hard to follow as well.
I have to say though that there was one thing good to say about this book, this book is not a tome,(thank Goodness!) because I am sure that I would never have finished it, I would have DNFed after the first 50 pages. Maybe I have just discovered that true crime is not for me? Makes me wonder if all true crime is like that. Maybe I will just stick to my normal mysteries/thrillers.
Now for our characters. I hated them, easily said enough, I guess though, that is a good thing in a book like this, in a true crime novel, when we are talking about two men who are vile, filthy, scumbags who really felt no remorse and seemed to think everything was a big joke. There was some pretty good backstory written about our antagonists I must say, I appreciated that, I got to know who they were, but it was not quite enough for me to change my mind about the rest of it.
This is book #7 of the series and I enjoyed it a lot, They get better with each book, even though there are so many unfortunate events going on in the Baudelaire's lives, with each of these books. My niece told me that when she was in the 4th grade, her teacher told the students that they should never read this series because her own older daughter got depressed from it. It is true, it is a very dark series, maybe too dark for younger children, but rather than seeing depression, I see strength within the lines of these books. I love how fast paced the books are, there is NEVER a dull moment in these stories and that is one reason why I enjoy them. They move so quickly and before you know it you have finished it.
I won't lie, it does get annoying at times because there are so many unfortunate events that these orphans have to deal with, but I keep reading them anyway, and it is because I just keeping looking for that light at the end of the tunnel for the orphans themselves. It is like I am on a mission now, forever searching for this light to rescue these orphans. One other thing that is kind of annoying is that no one ever wants to believe the Orphans. It is like everyone is blinded to the truth that stands right before them. But this too I am sure is all a part of the 'unfortunate events'. I have however discovered that one thing to take away from reading these books is that even though unfortunate things happen to the orphans, there are good things that happen as well, things that are woven between the lines, and depending on how you look at things determines if you can see these good things as well. It is how each reader perceives the story.
The characters in these stories are very well developed. You definitely grow with both the protagonists and the antagonists. Readers will fall in love with these orphans, I know I have. They show so much strength, intelligence and simply the will to keep going no matter what. I know this is just a made up series of children's books. A made up world consisting of unfortunate events and horrors and all that jazz, but seriously people could learn a thing or two from these orphans. As for Count Olaf, I just want to rip his head off, and that is putting it mildly. He is one of those great villains that we can all hate. Dare I say that I hope by the end of this series, he gets what is coming to him.
I do recommend these books to anyone. I think it is all about how the story will be perceived by individuals who partake in the story to determine whether or not they will enjoy them. So take a chance on them. They really do not take much time to read since they move very quickly. You really have nothing to lose and I guarantee you will something.
