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erebus53's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
In this, the 4th of the Series of Unfortunate Events, I feel like we are really leaning into the absurd. The children are boarded in a lumber mill that operates in a very fanciful way. The children are supposed to earn their keep by joining the workers on the shop floor who have to slave for a ration of chewing gum for lunch, and are "paid" in discount coupons, but have no money to make purchases.
The foreman is mean, the owner is a man whose face cannot be seen through a cloud of cigar smoke, and the children meet an optimist who is maimed and an ineffectual well wisher who is imperiled as though it were a melodrama.
I have become very suspicious as to how gender is depicted in these books. Given that one of the recurring baddies is considered monstrous due to being of indeterminate gender. When our fancy-dress nemesis adopts the role of a receptionist woman, I can't help but feel like this is yet more milking laughs out of the ludicrous insistence that the protagonists call an obviously uni-browed imposter "Shirley". It should be amusing and innocent, but it just smacks of transphobia.
I get very confusing vibes from the character of the boss's partner. He's a kind man who is pushed around but doesn't seem to think this is overly problematic. He is a "partner" in name only and is lorded over by a jolly gaslighting sociopath. Part of me hopes this is a brilliant way of inspecting the normalised garbage that women are put through in marriage, but I fear that it's yet more homophobic nonsense.
As far as gore goes, this is the first of the books where there is specific horrific damage to people. In previous books there were amputees, people who died (offstage as it were) in fire, due to murder or abandonment, but in this story there are messy industrial accidents right in front of you. The idea of strapping a victim to a log in a mill has actual tension because another character has already had their leg smashed in another contrived accident. A ridiculous sword fight ends in distraction and a giant circular saw blade. We go from absurd to messy all in one breath.
The library in this book is sparse (3 books?!) and the children learn all about the science of eyes and hypnotism. It's silly. It's garbage. It's kind of cute. Maybe this is wearing thin on me.
The foreman is mean, the owner is a man whose face cannot be seen through a cloud of cigar smoke, and the children meet an optimist who is maimed and an ineffectual well wisher who is imperiled as though it were a melodrama.
I have become very suspicious as to how gender is depicted in these books. Given that one of the recurring baddies is considered monstrous due to being of indeterminate gender. When our fancy-dress nemesis adopts the role of a receptionist woman, I can't help but feel like this is yet more milking laughs out of the ludicrous insistence that the protagonists call an obviously uni-browed imposter "Shirley". It should be amusing and innocent, but it just smacks of transphobia.
I get very confusing vibes from the character of the boss's partner. He's a kind man who is pushed around but doesn't seem to think this is overly problematic. He is a "partner" in name only and is lorded over by a jolly gaslighting sociopath. Part of me hopes this is a brilliant way of inspecting the normalised garbage that women are put through in marriage, but I fear that it's yet more homophobic nonsense.
As far as gore goes, this is the first of the books where there is specific horrific damage to people. In previous books there were amputees, people who died (offstage as it were) in fire, due to murder or abandonment, but in this story there are messy industrial accidents right in front of you. The idea of strapping a victim to a log in a mill has actual tension because another character has already had their leg smashed in another contrived accident. A ridiculous sword fight ends in distraction and a giant circular saw blade. We go from absurd to messy all in one breath.
The library in this book is sparse (3 books?!) and the children learn all about the science of eyes and hypnotism. It's silly. It's garbage. It's kind of cute. Maybe this is wearing thin on me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Stalking
Moderate: Kidnapping, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, and Violence
dreamerfreak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Murder, Death, and Violence
mckiheather's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
In this book of the series, I like how Klaus and Violet find themselves in each other’s roles when Violet ends up being the researcher and Klaus the inventor when countering Olaf’s plan . It just veers from the plot formula that’s being used from the previous books, even just slightly, which I like because it can get predictable if the books all follow the exact same formula. Also, having watched the show first, I expected there to be more VFD characters and illusions throughout the story, like maybe alternate POV chapters as they follow the Baudelaires, and it was a little strange that there wasn’t, so I really like the narrator’s POV chapters and the endings when there are allusions to a person/group in the present looking back and collecting information about these events from the past concerning the Baudelaires .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Child abuse, and Blood
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexism
kensingtonska's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Gaslighting, Death, and Violence
lilshelly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book....was far more ridiculous than the previous three. I did like the plot discussion in this one more than the last one. But, there were several things that felt way too cartoony or silly? Which wasn't the tone set up strongly in book one. (Like, how does a piece of gum pull a tree sized log off a machine? Or having a sword slash teeth fight with an infant??? Idk.)
Hanging on because I want to see the series through and they're at least comical and easy to read.
Also, all the adults in this world are always so infuriatingly naive and stupid. Please just believe the kids for once.
Hanging on because I want to see the series through and they're at least comical and easy to read.
Also, all the adults in this world are always so infuriatingly naive and stupid. Please just believe the kids for once.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Gore and Death
parasolcrafter's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
knocked it down a bit from a 4 bc i feel as tho some parts were transphobic (?) but not against a trans person, if that makes sense :/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Grief, Murder, Child abuse, and Death
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Transphobia
joisaddler's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
libbyhb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This is such a strange installment in the series. The new characters are so odd and annoying, and Count Olaf's presence is almost nonexistent? And the hypnotism thing feels so out of place. Not really my thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, and Murder
strawberrytheauthor's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gore
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