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Dear Reader,

You have undoubtedly picked up this book by mistake, so please put it down. Nobody in their right mind would read this particular book about the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on purpose, because each dismal moment of their stay in the village of V.F.D. has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded in these pages. I can think of no single reason why anyone would want to open a book containing such unpleasant matters as migrating crows, an angry mob, a newspaper headline, the arrest of innocent people, the Deluxe Cell, and some very strange hats. It is my solemn and sacred occupation to research each detail of the Baudelaire children's lives and write them all down, but you may prefer to do some other solemn and sacred thing, such as reading another book instead.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

272 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 2001

About the author

Lemony Snicket

172 books25.6k followers
Lemony Snicket had an unusual education and a perplexing youth and now endures a despondent adulthood. His previous published works include the thirteen volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Composer is Dead, and 13 Words. His new series is All The Wrong Questions.

For A Series of Unfortunate Events:
www.lemonysnicket.com

For All The Wrong Questions:
www.lemonysnicketlibrary.com

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5 stars
48,837 (33%)
4 stars
53,944 (36%)
3 stars
35,937 (24%)
2 stars
6,381 (4%)
1 star
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,088 reviews
Profile Image for Federico DN.
782 reviews2,850 followers
March 25, 2023
Uncool SADNESS.

After leaving 667 Dark Avenue and pushover Jerome behind, the Baudelaire orphans travel to the distant land of VFD; a village where they meet their new guardians, the Council of Elders, a group of high ranking idiots that abuse their power and make up a bunch of stupid rules; in my country these are called politicians, but whatever. Forced to do all the village’s chores, the orphans befriend Hector, a local handyman that makes delicious huevos rancheros. A brief respite of restlessness takes place; until Detective Dupin, the uncoolest detective ever, appears in the village and, get this plot twist, calamity strikes again.

YES! Now we are talking. The secrets begin to unravel, VFD means a lot more than just Very Fancy Doilies, it actually means Village of Fowl Devotees. I can’t believe it!! LOVED Hector the handyman; he helps the orphans, has a secret library and even invented a flying house. A freaking self-sustaining flying house!! And hold on to your hats. He’s an adult that actually listens to the orphans, from the start. WOOT! He is also very skittish and kinda pushover like Jerome, but oh well, who’s perfect? On the other hand, totally HATED Det. Dupin, a treacherous framer that always seems to knows what’s cool and what’s not, unlike the despicable Count Olaf of the first book, or the terrifying Stephano of the second, or the mischievous Captain Sham of the third, or the feminine Shirley of the fourth, or the cakesniffer Genghis of the fifth, or the businesslike Gunther of the sixth (This is getting ridiculous). Also HATED Luciana, a totally legit officer of the law, unlike the unfashionable Esme of the sixth (NOOOOO). And the Baudelaire orphans of course, still never giving up, overcoming every obstacle thrown at them, and taking so much care of each other.

I must say this felt like a perfect sequel, full of hopeless despair and lovely fleeting happiness. For a moment or two I even thought they wouldn’t make it, and that it would be yet another sad ending. This was SO much worth it. 5 stars. My personal favorite of the series so far. Elated to see the Quagmire triplets again, )

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PERSONAL NOTE :
[2001] [272p] [Children’s] [HIGHLY Recommendable] [Kindhearted Hector <3] [Die Dupin DIE!] [Die Luciana DIE!] [Self-Sustaining Baudelaires] [Dobby is free! I mean Quagmire] [Jacques Snicket?] [Count Omar <\3] [Veronica, Klyde and Susie Baudelaire <3]
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★★★★☆ 1. The Bad Beginning [3.5]
★★★★☆ 2. The Reptile Room [3.5]
★★★☆☆ 3. The Wide Window
★★☆☆☆ 4. The Miserable Mill [2,5]
★★★★★ 5. The Austere Academy [4.5]
★★★☆☆ 6. The Ersatz Elevator
★★★★★ 7. The Vile Village
★☆☆☆☆ 8. The Hostile Hospital
★★★☆☆ 9. The Carnivorous Carnival [3.5]
★★★☆☆ 10. The Slippery Slope [3.5]
★★★★☆ 11. The Grim Grotto
★★★☆☆ 12. The Penultimate Peril [3.5]
★★★★☆ 13. The End
★★★★☆ 14. The Complete Wreck

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No Tan Copada TRISTEZA.

Después de dejar 667 Avenida Oscura y al permisivo Jerome atrás, los huérfanos Baudelaire viajan la distante tierra de VDF; una aldea donde conocen a sus nuevos guardianes, el Consejo de los Mayores, un grupo de idiotas de alto rango que abusan de su poder e inventan un montón de reglas estúpidas; en mi país se los llama políticos, pero como sea. Forzados a hacer todos los quehaceres de la aldea, los huérfanos traban amistad con Hector, un encargado de mantenimiento que hace deliciosos huevos rancheros. Un breve respiro de inquietud tiene lugar; hasta que el Detective Dupin, el menos copado detective jamás, aparece en la aldea y, fijate esta vuelta de trama, la calamidad golpea otra vez.

SI! De esto estaba hablando. El secreto de VDF se empieza a revelarse, VDF significa mucho más que Vistosas blondas para Fiestas Decorativass, en verdad significa Villa de los Fieles Devotos. ¡¡No puedo creerlo!! AME a Hector el encargado; ayuda a los huérfanos, tiene una librería secreta y hasta inventó una casa voladora. Una bendita autosuficiente casa voladora!! Y agarrate del sombrero. Es un adulto que de verdad escucha a los huérfanos, desde el comienzo. ¡QUEE! También es muy miedoso y algo permisivo como Jerome, pero bueno, ¿quién es perfecto? Por otro lado, totalmente ODIE a Det. Dupin, un traicionero inculpador que parece siempre saber lo que es copado y lo que no, a diferencia del despreciable Conde Olaf del primer libro, o el terrorífico Stephano del segundo, o el taimado Capitán Sham del tercero, o la femenina Shirley del cuarto, o el oledor de pasteles Genghis del quinto, o el hombre de negocios Gunther del sexto (Esto se está volviendo ridículo). También ODIE a Luciana, una totalmente legítima oficial de la ley, a diferencia de la pasada de moda Esme del sexto. (NOOOOO). Y los huérfanos Baudelaire por supuesto, que siguen sin rendirse jamás, sobreponiéndose a cualquier obstáculo que les tiran, y siempre cuidándose mucho el uno al otro.

Debo decir que esto se sintió como una perfecta secuela, llena de desesperación sin esperanza y hermosa fugaz felicidad. Por un momento o dos incluso pensé que no lo iban a lograr, y que éste iba a ser aún otro final triste. Esto fue TAN valioso. 5 estrellas. Mi personal favorito hasta ahora. Emocionado de ver a los trillizos Quagmire otra vez, )

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NOTA PERSONAL :
[2001] [272p] [Libro para Niños] [ALTAMENTE Recomendable] [Hector de buen corazón <3] [Muere Dupin MUERE!] [Muere Luciana MUERE!] [Autosuficientes Baudelaires] [Dobby es libre! Digo Quagmire] [Jacques Snicket?] [Conde Omar <\3] [Veronica, Klyde y Susie Baudelaire <3]
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Profile Image for Mischenko.
1,021 reviews96 followers
March 23, 2019
After finishing up The Ersatz Elevator, we couldn’t wait to start this installment with hopes that the Baudelaires would find a way to locate and save their friends the Quagmire triplets. The book begins with the Baudelaires once again in Mr. Poe’s incompetent hands as he attempts to find them a new and safe home. This time, he’s exhausted all options and finds it extremely difficult locating a place for them. The children are informed that they’ll be living at V.F.D, a.k.a. The Village of Fowl Devotees, where there are rules for pretty much everything under the sun. This particular town believes in the aphorism, “It takes a village to raise a child” which is the entire basis for taking the children in.

One of the women in the Council of Elders spoke up. “We are now discussing the guardianship of the Baudelaire orphans. Under the new government program, the entire town of V.F.D. will act as guardian over these three children because it takes a village to raise a child. Are there any questions?”

What the Baudelaires don’t know yet, is that the town of V.F.D. is incredibly disturbing and full of crows, but they still have hope that the Quagmire triplets are there. Unfortunately, the children have been put in the hands of an entire village of idiots and all they can do is search for clues to find their friends once and for all.

“Now, Baudelaires, I’m sure you are very concerned about this Olaf fellow, but as your guardian, the town will protect you. That is why we have recently made up a new rule, Rule #19,833. It clearly states that no villains are allowed within the city limits.”

This book was quite slow for the first half, but then we ended up flying through the second half because it’s fairly action packed. The story itself wasn’t as comical, but there are additional characters which was nice. There's also an interesting mystery to it and it's fairly unpredictable.

Even though the series is quite formulaic, the kids always end up enjoying these. The author manages to instill hope in the reader with every book, but unfortunately, something always goes wrong and Count Olaf prevails. This book is a little darker, ends a little bit differently, and we have no idea what predicament the children will be in next with the way this one ended.

4****

You can also read this @ www.readrantrockandroll.com
Profile Image for Mark Lawrence.
Author 86 books54.3k followers
July 19, 2024
The Vile Village is where the whole VFD thing really starts to take off and the original formula of a new guardian followed by Olaaf turning up in a new disguise starts fraying.

The village is quite fun, replete with dozens of vile villagers, hundreds of ridiculous rules, and thousands upon thousands of crows.

The off-beat humour continues with Sunny's one worders and their elaborate translation, and the extreme stupidity of everyone who isn't a Baudelaire.

The penalty for breaking almost any village law is to be burned at the stake - which seems pretty gruesome in a children's story. And we come pretty close to seeing it carried out.

Perhaps though this story is most memorable for the WORST INVENTION EVER. Violet's inventing skills are put to the test when the children need to break out of a jail cell. The solution is to pour water from a jug ... along a bench ... and onto the wall where it ... weakens the mortar between the bricks. The water is then mopped up with bread, the bread is squeezed over the jug, the process is repeated. ... and it works.

The Quagmires are back again. The Baudelaires hunt for them in a book-spanning plot that makes no sense at all, involving clues sent by the Quagmires. And they're eventually found in a location ... that, at the risk of repeating myself, MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL.

In fact, very little of this book makes any sense. But, Celyn enjoyed me reading it to her, and it's an OK book, little better or worse than its mid-series predecessors.



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Profile Image for emma.
2,282 reviews75.8k followers
September 25, 2018
I am legally obligated to begin every review of my reread of these books with the following sentiment: I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH.

It is a legal obligation of my own construction, because I do love these books and cherish them with everything I have in my cold dead heart, but also…

Also this wasn’t my FAVORITE of the series. Which really, if you think about it? A book in my favorite series that isn’t necessarily my favorite of the series - still pretty good. Not the end of the world or anything.

Maybe the fact that I was slumping so hard that even a children’s book in a world I adore took me 5 days to read has something to do with it.

Or - or, or, or - maybe this book just feels kind of sloppier than the others. WHICH DON’T GET ME WRONG - even sloppy Lemony Snicket is more precise than literally anyone writing YA fantasy in the last hundred thousand years. (You know. Because the genre of YA fantasy has definitely been around since the beginning of time.)

Maybe both.

Or maybe I just love to complain even when it comes to my FAVORITE SERIES OF ALL TIME.

Bottom line: I hate myself.
Profile Image for Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin.
3,607 reviews11.1k followers
February 7, 2017
I didn't like this one as much.

The kids are sent to a vile village to live. It was filled with weirdos and crows. And of course Count Olaf, I'm beginning to think he has a tracking device on them !

And the mystery of the Quagmire Triplets grows!
Profile Image for Ahmad Sharabiani.
9,563 reviews437 followers
December 4, 2020
The Vile Village (Unfortunate Events #7), Lemony Snicket

The Vile Village is the seventh novel in the children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (the pen name of American author Daniel Handler), which consists of 13 children's novels that follow the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents' death.

The children are placed in the custody of their distant cousin/uncle Count Olaf, who attempts to steal their inheritance. After the Baudelaires are removed from his care by their parents' estate executor, Mr. Poe, Olaf begins to doggedly hunt the children down, bringing about the serial slaughter and demise of a multitude of characters.

In The Vile Village (First Published: 2001, Publisher: HarperCollins), the Baudelaire orphans are taken into the care of a whole village, only to find lots of rules and chores, evil seniors, as well Count Olaf and his evil girlfriend lurking nearby.

عنوانها: «م‍اج‍راه‍ای‌ ب‍چ‍ه‌ ه‍ای‌ ب‍دش‍ن‍اس‏‫؛ ک‍ت‍اب‌ هفتم‌: دهکده شوم»؛ «دهکده مردم سنگدل»؛ «شهرک شوم»؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز بیست و دوم ماه آوریل سال 2011میلادی

عنوان: م‍اج‍راه‍ای‌ ب‍چ‍ه‌ ه‍ای‌ ب‍دش‍ن‍اس‏‫؛ ک‍ت‍اب‌ هفتم‌ دهکده شوم؛ نویسنده: لمونی اسنیکت؛ مترجم: رضا دهقان؛ تهران، انتشارات ماهی، 1384؛ در 194ص؛ با عنوان: دهکده ی شوم؛ تهران، ماهی، 1386، در 200ص؛ چاپ چهارم 1386، در 194ص؛ شابک 9789647948746؛ پنجم 1388؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 21م

عنوان: دهکده مردم سنگدل؛ نویسنده: لمونی اسنیکت؛ مترجم: حسین قنبری؛ مشهد، شریعه توس، 1384؛ در 214ص؛ فروست وقایع ناگوار 7؛ شابک 9648557004؛

عنوان: شهرک شوم؛ مترجم: فرزانه کریمی؛ تهران، قدیانی، بنفشه، 1389، در 253ص؛ شابک دوره 9789645364005؛ شابک این جلد 9789645361646؛

بچه ها تحت سرپرستی یک دهکده قرار می‌گیرند؛ (دهکده دوستداران پرنده) و در آن دهکده با قوانینی عجیب و غریب دست و پنجه نرم می‌کنند.؛ اهالی دهکده «جک اسنیکت» را، با «کنت الاف» اشتباه میگیرند، و او را میکشند؛ «ایزادورا» و «دانکن کواگمایر» موفق میشوند از چنگ «کنت الاف» فرار کنند

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 13/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Profile Image for Drew.
424 reviews6 followers
June 1, 2018
Here at the halfway point of the series, the author is finally dropping more hints and clues about what seems to be a rather large conspiracy against the Baudelaire orphans, the Quagmire orphans, and I gather orphans everywhere who have large fortunes to be acquired.

The search for the Quagmire triplets in The Ersatz Elevator ended with a literal red herring, but The Vile Village is almost entirely red herring, as the children are sent to become the wards of a village known only by the mysterious letters "V.F.D." Having chased the meaning of these letters since the end of the fifth book, the orphans believe they're close to an answer.

Though answers are not necessarily forthcoming, the new clues continue to be tantalizing, a word which here means "something that increases your enjoyment of the series in spite of the figurative red herrings."

EDIT: I'm somewhat surprised that this little review has so many 'likes.' I have so many better reviews!
Profile Image for Iben Frederiksen.
302 reviews212 followers
July 14, 2020
★ 3.5 Stars ★

Everyone else other than the Baudelaire's are so ridiculously dumb. But at least the story is starting to move away from the tiring formula it followed for the first six books. Also, I'm kind of starting to appreciate the humour.
Profile Image for Kon R..
297 reviews158 followers
May 8, 2022
This book was such a pleasant surprise. In this entry the usual plot formula has been completely chucked out the window. Yes, Olaf is still in disguise and nobody believes the children, but it feels like that played a minor part in the story when it's usually the main focus. The author warns the reader towards the end, but I was still surprised how everything turned out. I'm curious to see what direction the next installment is going to go as the author has left no clues this time around.
Profile Image for ☾❀Miriam✩ ⋆。˚.
915 reviews473 followers
August 13, 2019
For Beatrice – When we were together I felt breathless. Now you are.



For their seventh misadventure, the Baudelaire orphans are sent to a creepy village, completely covered with crows, and full of impossible, vile rules against inventing, reading, and biting! How are they ever going to escape yet another, inevitable, encounter with the horrible count Olaf if they can't put their best abilities to use?



I enjoyed this adventure so much! I love when the orphans meet actually decent adults, even if they end up not being able to help them for one reason or another... and I love how the main mystery behind the whole series is slowly unraveling throughout the books... now I can't wait to read the next one!! :)
Profile Image for Erin.
3,395 reviews473 followers
February 5, 2020
Well, Klaus, Violet, and Sunny find themselves on the hunt to uncover Count Olaf's latest scheme and find themselves in a whole lot of trouble in the village of V.F.D( that's Village of Fowl Devotees if you were curious). As an adult reader, I cannot tell you how much I delight in reading these books. It's hard to hold back laughter during a silent reading period in high school. I really enjoyed the villains( including, of course, Count Olaf in his latest disguise) in this one. It was an interesting ending as the Baudelaire orphans head out on their next adventure.



Goodreads review published 05/02/20
Profile Image for Sara Kamjou.
643 reviews411 followers
April 22, 2018
بچه‌ها به یه دهکده سپرده می‌شن و ماجراجویی‌ها ادامه داره.
نیمه اول کتاب که معمایی‌تر بود رو بیشتر دوست داشتم. انگار هر بار وقتی سر و کله‌ی اولاف پیدا می‌شه دست نویسنده تا حدی رو می‌شه!
----------
یادگاری از کتاب:
«توی بلاتکلیفی بودن» یعنی وضعیتی که همه چیز گیج‌کننده و خطرناک به نظر بیاید و آدم نداند باید چه کار کند؛ این یکی از ناخوشایندترین موقعیت‌هایی است که ممکن است کسی با آن روبه‌رو شود.
Profile Image for Melanie (TBR and Beyond).
517 reviews451 followers
February 6, 2017
“There is no way of knowing for sure whether or not you can trust someone, for the simple reason that circumstances change all of the time.”

I don't really have a lot to say about this book. It was ok, there were some cute parts. I like that the book always has some spot-on satire about society and adults especially. This book did push the series along a bit but I'm getting tired of the formula with these books. Orphans go to terrible place, all the adults are horrible human beings, the orphans are forced to do insane things for the adults, one adult is always nice but useless and in the end they escape but just barely. I did think this one had a couple of moments that were a bit darker, which I always appreciate but overall I pushed to get through it. It's a very fast read though. I read it in like an hour or two.

I would still recommend it because the series is fun and if you have a child then this would probably be a hit.
Profile Image for Lee  (the Book Butcher).
330 reviews71 followers
July 7, 2022
My favorite unfortunate events book. Well I save that for the end of the current reread but book number 7 is my favorite so far.

The Baudelaire are aggressively tracking the quagmires and get to choose we're they want to live they choose V.F.D falsely thinking it is linked to count Olaf. Unfortunately v.f.d stands for village of fowl devotees. It's a old town full of crows, many rules, and a leading council of old people. The Baudelaire's become the towns handy people. But count Olaf and Esme are there. So is the quagmires who have found a way to get the Baudelaire couplets. A man believed to be count Olaf is murdered and the orphaned are blamed and try to escape the town.

Alot happens in this novel Klaus turns thirteen. Sonny walks and the quagmires fly away on a mobile hot air balloon home. But of course the Baudelaire end the book as outlaws and self sustaining loners.
Profile Image for Nicholas Karpuk.
Author 4 books71 followers
February 25, 2011
If I had to draw a line in the sand with the Snicket books between overly formulaic but funny, and genuinely well put together, I'd put it within the first few chapters of The Vile Village.

There's a few things absent from this read through, most of them positive. He isn't constantly reiterating the three children's skills in a "this is for Violet, this is for Klaus, this is for Sunny" sort of rhythm. There guardian is slightly more relatable, and altogether decent guy who gets severely skittish around authority. And they actually get some answers to the larger mysteries along with a growing integration of Lemony Snicket as a character rather than a pure narrator.

Plus it just flat out reads better. The structure is looser, giving more room for whimsical turns of events.

If there's an over-arching theme to the Unfortunate Events, it's the perils of adulthood. Every book discusses the dismissiveness of adults towards children, but each covers more specific territory. In this case, it's legalism, as the town they're adopted by is run by old people obsessed with maintaining a seemingly self-contradicting body of laws.

Snicket works in defiance of the Nickelodeon model of pro-kid entertainment, where kids are constantly triumphing over adults. Most savvy kids get irritated with this after a while, as they spend most of their childhood getting regularly thwarted by adults. Power fantasies only hold the attention of some people for a short time.

Instead he treats childhood as a kind of tragedy, where foolhardy adults with their various issues often railroad kids into terrible lives. What's secretly positive about this very bleak series is that the only way the children outwit adults is through positive traits like self-reliance, critical analysis, and research. Klaus actually reads the entire rulebook for the town, something none of the elders actually appear to have done.

The Vile Village in particular shows that to outwit the elderly tyrants in your life, you have to be smarter, more clever, and braver. What's impressive is that it makes it sound perfectly achievable.
Profile Image for kate.
1,483 reviews970 followers
February 6, 2017
This was bizarre but another fun read! It genuinely had me anxious as times and worried for what was going to happen. I'm enjoying the way the plot is starting to somewhat (very slightly) deviate away from the original formula and new characters, mysteries and objectives are being added. I'm still not entirely sure where this series is heading (although I have my guesses) so I'm still very intrigued!
Profile Image for Sophia.
2,297 reviews354 followers
February 10, 2021
Besides the poem notes, I found this novel rather dull.
Once again, it’s just a bunch of adults who don’t want to hear anything the Baudelaire's try to tell them and the one person who is nice enough is unwilling to do anything to actually help the children.

But with this story comes a change and I’m very excited for that!

Also, Tim Curry has now been changing his voice for different characters which I greatly appreciate!
Profile Image for Ashley Daviau.
2,079 reviews1,002 followers
February 4, 2017
It was nice to dive back into this series after taking a little break from it! This book is definitely one of the stranger ones in the series in my eyes. Something about a village adopting children and the crows mixed together was incredibly creepy! But that doesn't mean I enjoyed this book any less, in fact I think it made me enjoy it more. As the series goes on, the books really become more intricate and mature and I find that's particularly prominent in this one!
Profile Image for Medha .
115 reviews67 followers
October 30, 2021
”For Beatrice-When we were together I felt breathless. Now you are.”

This is the eighth book in “A series of unfortunate events”. It’s also got a Netflix show which I certainly prefer to the book. The books at one point may get boring and you’ll start wondering, “I shouldn’t be reading this, it’s for kids!” but the show never makes you feel that way! I literally binge watched the first season and I couldn’t stop!

In this book the three Baudelaire orphans children are sent to live in The Village of Fowl Devotees. After all, It Takes a Village to Raise a Child! The children have been escaping the treacherous clutches of Count Olaf ever since their parents perished in a terrible fire. Count Olaf is behind the enormous Baudelaire fortune that Violet, the eldest Baudelaire, will acquire when she comes of age. The children have been through a variety of mishappenings. And their misfortunes continue in this book…

“...Nobody knows what an idea will do when it goes off to entertain itself, particularly if the idea comes from a sinister villain.”

The village the children have been sent to is an uncanny one! It’s got bizarre rules and if you don’t follow or break even a single rule, there’s a high chance of you getting burned at the stake! Mechanical devices and books are forbidden! This comes as a shock to the children as Violet wanted to be an inventor and Klaus is used to reading so many books! Sunny, the infant on the other hand can only assure the Baudelaires that things will soon take a positive turn but I wish I could tell them that she was wrong. Things are only going to get a whole lot worse…

But those things are just me making a mountain out of a molehill! The children have to do chores everyday and get bossed around by the village folk! Hector who the children are staying with will refuse to speak for them…it makes him “skittish”. The children also are on the look out for the Quagmire triplets who were kidnapped by Count Olaf and his associates in the previous book. The last words the Quagmire triplets told the children were “V.F.D”. And when they happened to come across The Village of Fowl Devotees, they assumed that they’ll find the answers to all their questions about their parents and more but sadly they got into more trouble… Count Olaf is back again!

I definitely like this book, even though it’s really nerve wrecking to read. Trust me when I say this but you're better off reading a cheery book about The littlest elf!

For sapphires we are held in here,
only you can end our fear.

Until dawn we can not speak,
no words can come out of this sad beak.

The first thing you read contains the clue,
an initial way to speak to you.

Inside these letters the eye will see,
nearby are your friends and VFD.
Profile Image for beka.
159 reviews59 followers
November 28, 2021
These poor children need a vacation from all these stupid adults
Profile Image for ✧ hayley (the sugar bowl) ✧.
353 reviews76 followers
April 12, 2024
➳ 5 ⋆ ˚。⋆୨୧˚

╰┈➤ ”there is no way of knowing for sure whether or not you can trust someone, for the simple reason that circumstances change all of the time.”

this book is phenomenal. while not my favorite setting, i do appreciate the more western feel to this one, even if the council of elders is infuriating and twisted. seriously, what is it with snicket and poor legal systems?

also, this is where the VFD plot line starts to pick up and that makes me enjoy this book even more. we are introduced to jacques snicket, lemony’s older brother, in this book and even though we do not get to see much of him, he makes an impact on the future books.

side note:
i know this is a book review, but i have to say that in the netflix series adaptation, the vile village, is by far my favorite. i adore the banter they add between olaf and jacques + esmé and olivia. we just see so much more of bacques’s character and the show adaptation made him one of my favorite characters.

back to the review!! while i liked this book, the ending was not my favorite. not because it was bad, but because it was horribly unfortunate. i suppose i should have known what i was getting into.

we see the quagmires safe at least, but at a price, for they are separated from the baudelaires. also, the kids are now wanted criminals. could their lives get any harder?

that being said, i highly recommend this series for kids, teens, and adults alike!

╰┈➤ ”for beatrice - when we were together i felt breathless. now you are.”


୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆
Profile Image for Swaye.
285 reviews35 followers
November 14, 2017
The most lackluster, nonsensical and frustrating of the series so far.

Regardless, I love the Baudelaires with all my heart and can't wait to devour the next book!

Profile Image for Carlos Peguer.
260 reviews7,074 followers
February 7, 2017
El mejor hasta ahora sin duda ninguna. POR FIN le pasa a estos niños algo """bueno""".
Profile Image for Irene ➰.
906 reviews86 followers
November 16, 2017
3.2/5

"For sapphires we are held in here.
Only you can end our fear."


This is definitely my least favorite out of the whole series so far.
It was just okay, nothing exciting happens in here.

I liked at the beginning the idea of the entire village that adopts the kids and all the absurd rules that were created for the habitants.
Then it became pretty boring to be honest. The most exciting part was definitely the "riddles" that were left for the children by their missing friends.
It was fun to build the whole poem slowly and find out what really meant in the end.

Another flaw is that there's basically no Count Olaf here, so maybe that's a fact that made this book way less exciting.
He's no messing with the kids that much, there's almost no disguise and interaction with them.
After the previous book that I loved this was pretty disappointing.
Profile Image for Emily.
438 reviews220 followers
July 8, 2018
Another great installment of this series. I did predict quite a bit, but that is to be expected of a middle grade book lol.

I don't have too much to say about these books after a certain point because my opinion on all of them is pretty universal: I love this series, and I need to read book 8 so I can finish season 2 of the Netflix show!

Here is my favorite quote from this book of the series:

"'Normally I don't approve of children staying up late,' he said finally, 'unless they are reading a very good book, seeing a wonderful movie, or attending a dinner party with fascinating guests.'"

These are my ongoing questions for the next books:

Profile Image for Veronica.
717 reviews16 followers
June 4, 2014
I am actually enjoying reading this series. I think I liked the first 3 books best but this one was fine. I would love to read another type of book or series from this author sometime.
Profile Image for John Velo.
172 reviews55 followers
May 18, 2016
2.5 stars

Seventh book already and the plot of this one doesn't really differ much from its predecessors. And I'm getting a bit tired of it... And I am so frustrated about the adult's logic in this world! The same thing happens over and over, yet no one believes the Baudeliere children.

I feel like the readers haven't been given answers to the bigger mysteries of this series. Although, Lemony Snicket is slowly dropping hints and facts of a bigger overall series storyline here, sometimes, I still can't help but feel like it's kind of a drag. I'm hoping the next books would somehow pick up from there and have some diversity.

Maybe if I was still a teenager, I'd enjoy it more.

The only reason I wanna finish this series now is because I'm excited for the upcoming TV series.
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