The Vile Village #7

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A good read, compelling - Rated
It's a very good read from start to finish. From the excting beginning to the cliffhanger ending, this book is one of the best of the series. My favorite part was when the Baudelaires found Duncan and Isadora. It made me want to keep reading. The only flaw, however, was the "Scary" parts. They weren't really scary, and never really made sense, but overall, it's a good read.

Unfortunate events aplenty on the trail V.F.D. - Rated
After ‘The Austere Academy’ and ‘The Ersatz Elevator’ (books 5 and 6), which weren’t the best stories in the Series of Unfortunate Events to date ‘The Vile Village’ recovers some lost momentum by generating a spooky atmosphere (thanks to some garrulous crows) and showcasing more strange goings-on in the lives of the Baudelaire orphans that readers such as myself have found so impossible to resist in the previous six books.

Count Olaf takes a back seat again to some other villainous characters, but this time it’s a criminal council of elders and the fanatically-fashion-conscious Esme Squalor who thwart Violet, Klaus and Sunny, as they continue on the trail of the two Quagmire Triplets and the secret of V.F.D. But rest assured- Olaf does eventually appear in yet another ridiculous disguise, which once again frustratingly manages to fool all the adults! All the stock characters from previous books are regenerated again by Snicket here in the 7th book, as well as all the familiar plot twists, but once again the desire to see the orphans experience just a little bit of joy continues to attract the reader.

"It takes a village to raise a child" - Rated
The cycle keeps repeating itself, the Baudelaires are again out of a guardian and we get to read another great story by Lemony Snicket. Mr. Poe, the executor of the kids' estate, is running out of options, and his choices in the past have all proven to be dreadful. In this case, the solution he finds is unconventional, when Violet, Klaus and Sunny take "advantage" of a new program by which entire towns take care of children.

The options are plenty, but when the orphans are looking at the list they find a village with a curious name that piques their interest. This name is no other than VFD, acronym that is connected to the Quagmire triplets and to Count Olaf's secret. If you have read the previous books you know by now that the two triplets (yes you read right!) are the only friends the Baudelaires have, and that the two unfortunate souls have been kidnapped by the evil count.

In terms of the story, Snicket follows the usual winning formula, with the Baudelaires searching for a new beginning, and finding some hope before the devilish count shows up and spoils everything. The author also continues to use his hilarious structure, presenting definitions of words in a creative way, letting Klaus and Violet translate what her little sister wants to say, and distributing a few surprises here and there.

The siblings stay in VFD is interesting to say the least, where they meet a group of ancient citizens with a large set of rules, a kind person who does not have the guts to stand up to injustice and a baffling mystery in the form of a set of poems. The series have been increasing in intensity and the characters are gaining more and more depth. Thus, fans of this series will not be disappointed with this novel.

Review the Seventh - Rated
After finding out that Jerome didn't want then anymore (how else can you interpret the verbal exchange at the end of the sixth book?) and Esme had joined forces with their arch nemesis - a phrase which means Count Olaf - the Baudelaire siblings while sitting in Mr Poe's office discover the village of V.F.D. and rather to there misfortune manage to convince Mr Poe that that is where they should go.

The unfortunate children find themselves in an eccentric village - which here means that the villagers were vividly interested in crows and burning people (even innocent children) at the stake. The poor children are placed in the care of the town janitor (an American term for caretaker) Hector. The kind but shy - which here means that he lost the use of his month in the presence of others (except for the Baudelaires).

Look out for Count Oalf and Esme, both incognito - which means the stake burning villagers don't recognise them. The book introduces a potentially interesting character, only to have Count Olaf bump him off (which is a phrase meaning killed). And breaking in tradition Mr Poe doesn't turn up at the end only to have Count Olaf get away. Count Olaf gets away (lets face it that's not really giving anything away!). Hector safes one set of siblings in his hot air balloon and the remaining set of siblings walk off into the sunset.

While this book may not be the best in the series, and it used mainly to built up suspense - will the Baudelaires ever learn what the Quagmires leant about Olaf? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The Vile Village a Review by Jacob M. - Rated
I enjoy "A Series of Unfortunate Events" books. The stories are about the adventures of the three Baudelaire orphans who are constantly moving from guardian to guardian. In book #7 "The Vile Village" the children are now living with Hector and are trying to elude the evil Count Olaf. Olaf is trying to get the Baudelaire fortune. I enjoyed this book because it is full of action and adventure. The ending is great - it is a cliffhanger and I can't wait to start the next book to see what happens.