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"Creativity"

The Penultimate Peril Review

(A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 12)

Author: Lemony Snicket

Year: 2005

As for those of you who know what penultimate means, then you know than this is the second to last book review on the series of unfortunate events. I’ll avoid spoilers, but let’s just say the orphans are taken to the last safe place, which is a mysterious hotel. And let’s just say they are in perhaps the most dangerous situation yet. Their enemies alongside their allies are scattered all around, and they have no idea which ones are which, and they must decide who is who. And at this point the books are much much longer than the bad beginning or other first books. But just saying, it could be longer. Daniel is sticking with the thirteen chapter format, but he’s stuffing the chapters down, and they really could fit twenty chapters in. Now does this hold the book back? No, not a whole lot. It’s still a very good book, and the best one yet. And this is by far the most entertained I’ve been by the dialogue and characters. I’ve stated before this is one of those series where the characters aren’t holding it up, and I think that’s why I’m not dying to do character reviews on them, but this time around you really do enjoy all of them. Speaking of characters, they all come back. Pretty much any side character except one or two that couldn’t show up for obvious reasons, they are there. And some who you don’t care about get a bullshit cameo, but who really cares. Any person you would say they should bring back, they do come back, and get at least one last good scene. And the dialogue, this is the twelfth book, and yet the dialogue is probably twelve times better than the bad beginning. The whole bad beginning, never cracked a smile, never cringed, never said "oh shit!” (except maybe when Klaus got smacked), and I really wasn’t invested in the characters. I really didn’t care a whole lot until the later books. And if anybody wanted to talk crap about these books, it’s one of those series where I could you hear talk crap about the earlier books, and that doesn’t happen that often. Anyway, I think there is also much more entertainment in this book than the other ones. There is more turns than ever, and it really does grab you. At any moment it’s like the roof of the hotel is about to cave down and kill everybody. There is also kind of a reveal, and I don’t think anybody saw it coming. I mean it’s not a reveal, but it’s a new thing that we didn’t know about. And it really ties up the story and the hotel nicely. Also there is the usual ability to like the books with what it always does. And that’s more of the Snicket writing, trolling, and the hints to story that isn’t really confirmed. The Snicket writing as I call it now isn’t there as I much I noticed, your in the book a lot more, but there is still him doing stuff. Just be prepared to read some words as if they were in a mirror, the typical wording and cleverness that will keep you reading, and him apparently going to die for writing a book he doesn’t want to. And trolling. I’m going to mention more in the spoilers, but there are these two characters I literally just gave a troll face whenever they showed up. And if there wasn’t enough trolling in these books, it’s here. It’s here and it’s proud. That’s probably why there are so many rooms in this damn hotel, there are trolls leaking behind just about all of them. And yes, the usual hints. Like a certain character dies, and you think you know who somebody’s father is. Just wait. Just wait… anyway, and there is also the ending. The ending of the Penultimate Peril probably hit me more than any other ending in these books. It really is one of the most attention grabbing ends I’ve ever read. I feel it was a little forced, but let’s just say it changed everything forever. I’ll mention that in the spoilers too, but seriously, don’t ruin it for yourself. It was a climax worthy of a series end itself, it just needs a conclusion, and we have that ready for the next review. I like a lot of things, and even the name is perfect. And of course this will get the "creativity” badge of approval. This was really close to landing an elite, but I just don’t think it was that great, but just know this was the highest eight yet, and if The End is as good as I remember, it will finally break into an elite, if not surpass it and enter the hall of fame. The series review will come after, and the character reviews will follow soon enough as well. Anyway, this is my penultimate review, and I hope the last book will be as good as I remember, until then, keep trolling Lemony Snicket style.

The Penultimate Peril gets a 4/5

Spoilers: So first I wanted to get the ending out of the way. Since I know some people will be peeking in the spoiler section, just know, don’t. Seriously, don’t ruin it. Anyway, yes, everybody may or may not be dead. The great symbolism of every character except the Baudelaires, Olaf, and Justice Strauss being blind idiots and not listening while a building is being burned down is revealed. I felt like it was kind of forced, and that no matter what the Baudelaires wouldn’t even think about setting the building on fire even with all the little passes, but I guess Daniel is taking a big leap to how bad they could possibly be becoming. And the ending really got me speechless again. It’s like "Yeah! We get to see all the old characters!” Then boom, they’re all dead, but not quite, you get to know some could have got out. And that’s kind of a low blow, but it almost feels right. Mr. Poe kind of deserves to die, the good guys kind of deserve to die, and the bad guys certainly deserve to die. In the end they were all blind absurd idiots, even in the end. But you got to just want some to get out, and some do, you just don’t know who. It’s one of those "you’ll never know,” type deals, and I hate that I like it! It was a huge move, and really changed the game of everything. It was like while playing chest and your enemy was about to make check mate, you light the board on fire and troll face him. And I don’t use the word troll that much, but it fits so damn much here. Speaking of which, Frank and Ernest. I was probably more entertained whenever they showed up more than anyone else. Your not suppose to know which one is which, and they constantly say the most vague awkward situations, and you really can’t tell worth shit. They both lead you to believe they are pretty much either, and there these weird pauses I have, and he just trolled face them. I’ve used the word like fifty times in this review, but it just fits. The little HA! that Olaf does, it was like Snicket was doing that the whole time. He was doing it while you were reading it, while he wrote it, and he does it alone when he sleeps at night and remembers his trolling all over this damn book! And I mentioned in the review there were hints to another story beyond this. Like that the Bauldeaire parents might have actually killed Olaf’s parents if you put together the poison darts thing. Also that Dewey was the father of Kit’s baby, which in the next book you find something else out. Anyway, it was really funny for me with the humor of this book, maybe not for everyone, but I was entertained in every chapter, and that hardly ever happens in this series, but it did, and it was really good.