(3.5 / 5)

The three Baudelaire orphans have been set up with a new guardian…town? The children choose the village of V.F.D. as their new guardian in the hopes of finding some clue to the whereabouts of their friends the Quagmires, whose cryptic clue upon being snatched away by Count Olaf was “V.F.D.” But Olaf is still after the Baudelaires too.

It’s a relief to be able to say that this book was much more interesting than most of the previous ones. Several breaks in formula happened, especially at the end of the book. There was a puzzle to solve, and while it was a simple one, I think it’s appropriately solvable for the intended age group. I finished this book with an actual interest in seeing what happens next, which I don’t really think I’ve had since the first book or two.

I wish by this point in the series there would be more to the siblings’ individual identities than inventing, reading, and biting. The kids aren’t really growing or changing as individuals (okay, that’s not really true about Sunny, at least). And though I also wish that it hadn’t taken this long in the series to start to get interesting, at least now I have more than Tim Curry’s voice to keep me going. ( )

The seventh book, The Vile Village, sees the Baudelaire's back in Mr Poe's office waiting to find out what latest terrible living circumstance he's managed to find. Unfortunately, even distant relatives want nothing to do with them and Mr Poe is reduced to a new government program based on the idea 'it takes a village to raise a child'. The children at least have a choice of village - but with Paltryville (the location of the Lucky Smells Lumbermill, book 4), Tedia (near where Uncle Monty lives, book 2), Ophelia (Mr Poe vetoes this because of a rival bank - Ophelia Bank - yes good you have the children's welfare in mind) and V.F.D. - the final choice seems an obvious one. I mean, they still have no idea what V.F.D. stands for but being in a place that has the same initials can only lead them to the answers they seek.

Or not.

V.F.D. stands for the Village of Fowl Devotees and is home to a murder of crows. Although the whole village is supposed to be looking after them, they are placed in the care of Hector - the handyman - and are expected to confirm to the 19,000 rules the town has and to do all the chores. Because what else would you do with three orphans.

Hector is an alright guardian by the standards of the Baudelaire's previous guardians - which means he believes them, he feeds them and he cares for them - but like all the rest is unwilling or unable to actually stand up to the town and defend them or help them when needed. On the other hand he's willing to let them live with forever and is even willing to home the Quagmire triplets if they ever find them. So still not the worst guardian they've had.

And then they're told that Count Olaf has been captured. If they could just find the Quagmire's then all would be well, but alas it's not to be. Count Olaf is really Jacques Snicket and before he gets a chance to explain why he has a matching eye tattoo on his ankle (apparently it's for his job for the volunteer... and that's all they know), he winds up dead - which is probably actually better for him because he was going to be burned at the stake. Then Officer Luciano (Esme Squalor) introduces Detective Dupin (Count Olaf) and the Baudelaire's are arrested for Jacques murder.

The plan this time is to burn two of the Baudelaire's at the stake and have one "escape" before being kidnapped and having to live with Count Olaf until he can get their fortune. All three manage to escape from jail, figure out that the Quagmire triplets are being kept in the Fowl Fountain and rescue them and then head over to Hector's to escape on Hector's self sustaining hot air mobile home. I enjoyed the use of the couplets hiding the clues to where the Quagmire's were. I liked it even better when I managed to figure it out myself.

Although the five children make it to Hector's, only the Quagmire's make it aboard the mobile home. The Quagmire notebooks are destroyed when they try to throw them down and the only consolation is that by destroying the notebook, Luciana accidentally kills a crow. When the Village of Fowl Devotees realise, the mob mentality that worked so well for Luciana and Dupin turns against them and they find themselves having to flee.

And so the Baudelaire's are once again on their own. This time they don't wait for Mr Poe and just leave the village on their own. Honestly, I would've been out of there at least three books ago.

Like the last book, I'm left with so many more questions, not least of which is who the hell is Jacques and how does he fit into the equation? 3 stars. ( )

Ugh, I hate how much I love the end of this book ( )

Book 7 of 13 of the phenomenal series: Series of Unfortunate Events!

Please Read my review of the series here, as my review applies to every book in the series. https://www.librarything.com/work/1748/reviews/227861550 ( )

Once again, right off the bat, Snicket asks you to go read someone else's book. He says, "And if you insist on reading this book instead of something more cheerful, you will most certainly find yourself moaning in despair instead of wriggling in delight, so if you have any sense at all you will put this book down and pick up another one" (p 6). With an introduction like that, how could you not keep reading Snicket's book? Very clever. By now you know the format: Snicket is still offering meanings for words and phrases. The three orphaned Bauldelaire children are looking for a place to call home. Violet is a teenager and still very much interested in inventions. Klaus is on the cusp of turning thirteen and still loves reading. Sunny is still an infant with four teeth who still can’t speak in full sentences, but she loves to bite things. They have escaped (again) from Count Olaf and his band of wicked accomplices. Banker and Bauldelaire family friend, Mr. Poe, is still in charge of sending the Baudelaire orphans to their next town of tragedy. This time it's V.F.D. ("Village of Fowl Devotees"), a mysterious town covered in crows. The problem is, no one in the town wants to be responsible for the children. As the name suggests, the community is devoted to their murder of crows. At a Council of the Elders, a timid and loner handyman who is too skittish to speak up at Council meetings, is order to become the children's guardian. All day long they must do chores for the community and always be respectful of the crows, crows, and more crows. By day, thousands of them hang around in town but by night they roost in the Nevermore tree on the outskirts of town, conveniently right by the handyman's house.
As an aside, I skipped from Book 3 to 7. By not reading books 4-6 I missed out on Violet working at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill, Klaus being enrolled at Prufrock Preparatory School, and all three children living with a couple named Jerome and Esme Squalor. At the end of book 6 Duncan and Isadora, two of three triplets are kidnapped. In Vile Village it is up to Klaus, Violet, and Sunny to rescue them.
Additionally, what is pretty amazing about the series of unfortunate events the Baudelaire orphans experienced thus far is that they all happened in less than a year’s time. The fire that killed their parents, the escape from Count Olaf’s house, the escape from Uncle Monty’s house, the escape from Aunt Josephine’s cliff side mansion, the time in the Finite Forest, or at 667 Dark Avenue. Books 1-7 take place in less than 365 days. ( )