The End

Oh boy, did I get mad after reading this. COME ON LEMONY SNICKET! Why would you just leave the series on THIS? All the build up, all the suspense that the previous books had is just.. gone. This series ends on a cliffhanger (which is one of my biggest pet peeves) and NOTHING was even solved! It was basically “Here's a mystery. There's no answer because I was too lazy to finish it!”. All I can say is, don't read this book. It's isn't worth your time if you read the previous 11.

I have mixed feelings about this series. I loved it in the beginning, and as time went by, it started to annoy me. Don't know if I outgrew it or just became boring. (I, not the series).

Well that was disappointing. Next time if the author tells me not to read their book I'm taking their advice

good ending

It's a proper end to the story of the Baudelaire siblings, even if it's not actually the end.

I gave up on reviewing each individual book in this series as there are so many and they are so short. I really enjoyed re-reading the series; especially as I didn't remember the ending at all. I think they are fantastic books and I wish I had read more books like this as a kid.

The ending was a bit of a disappointment for me. The penultimate book was much stronger in my opinion; particularly as I felt the plot was more memorable.

So... now I have read them all. And there's so many questions. sigh
I don't like stories being left untied.
Also, the timeline is very confusing. How many Beatrices are there?

I have to admit it.. The ending left me a bit confused. I hoped for something more, but still it was an entertaining series to read!

After reading he books together for years, Gabbie and I finished the series yesterday. The ending was perfect. Exactly the kind of ending that series needed and deserved

Het einde van het verhaal, en terwijl ik het aan lezen was, dacht ik meer dan eens hoe toepasselijk het einde wel was.

Helemaal in het begin van het boek wordt Olaf (voor het eerst, trouwens) meteen doorzien. Ze komen terecht op een eiland waar een soort welwillende dictator geen dictator is maar enkel ‘vriendelijke suggesties' heeft, die dan best wel gevolgd worden. Hij verbant zowat alles dat interessant of stimulerend zou kunnen zijn naar een andere kant van het eiland, en voor de rest leven de mensen een saai leven, met allemaal dezelfde gewaden, en elke dag hetzelfde saaie eten.

De kinderen vinden op het eiland, in het taboe-deel, een lange geschiedenis van het eiland, met de titel A Series of Unfortunate Events, geschreven door een opeenvolging van personages die wel al dan niet tegenkwamen — hun ouders, onder meer.

En alles wordt duidelijk. En er is een einde dat een einde is maar niet echt. En het is schoon. Ik vond het laatste boek het beste van de reeks.

Lo amé porque terminé más confundida

I think it is safe to say I will not revisit this series. I was disappointed that so many questions and mysteries remained unanswered and unresolved.

This is a review of not only The End by Lemony Snicket, but of A Series of Unfortunate Events as a whole. As The End is the end of A Series of Unfortunate Events it seems a rather appropriate place to discuss the series as a whole. If you disagree, please remember there are two sides to a coin, though technically it could be argued there is a third, that is the edge, and clearly it has the best vantage point—it is from this perspective I write. I am writing on the edge, suckas.

So, Snicket had been building up to this. All the questions, plotting, characterization, drama, mysteries, warnings, heartbreaks, broken hearts, flashbacks, back stabs, disguises, inventions, definitions, apologies, meanderings, repetitions, translations, interpretations, acronyms, repetitions, mushrooms, tattoos, guardians, orphans, and evil eyes lead to this. Really, to this? I give Snicket a hand for pulling the philosophy card out here and trying something unique for a children's series of books, but really, what just happened? What's the point? So we've come full circle; also, there are many questions about the sheltering of children and what it means to have honor. But where's the story in all this? It's hard to complete any extensive series to the satisfaction of its fans. I commend Snicket for writing a series that didn't talk down to children, especially in these final volumes, but it felt to me that the author was trying too hard at something, and forgot the story. When the story of The End moves, it moves slowly. When the deaths in The End come, they come much too fast, without a pause for thought. These are characters we've invested in for many books, some for as many as thirteen, they deserve more than poor, poor, poor Uncle Monty whom we've been lamenting over for the past ten books.

So in wider scope of the series, The End wasn't that bad; it just wasn't right, at least I didn't feel it was. I didn't expect all my questions to be answered, or to find a happy ending, but I wanted more than this. My children agreed. Though they liked the book, they used words like “odd” and “strange” when discussing the story. You could tell they felt it was disjointed. And we all know that kids know what they're talking about as long as their parents agree.

A Series of Unfortunate Events final ratings:
The Bad Beginning – 3.1
The Reptile Room – 3.2
The Wide Window – 3.6
The Miserable Mill – 3.3
The Austere Academy – 3.4
The Ersatz Elevator – 3.3
The Vile Village – 3.1
The Hostile Hospital – 3.4
The Carnivorous Carnival – 3.9
The Slippery Slope – 3.6
The Grim Grotto – 3.9
The Penultimate Peril – 3.4
The End – 3.4

As for the series, I enjoyed it except when I didn't. It wasn't phenomenal or as funny as I had hoped, but it had its moments. I'd say the series largely picked up in the late middle books, when the conspiracy deepened and the humor became less forced. My children thoroughly enjoyed the series. When asked their favorite of the series, they offered votes of The Ersatz Elevator and The Slippery Slope. My youngest who is younger than the intended audience and only listened to the story sparingly would vote for any moment Sunny said something comical; he found no value in the story aside from Sunny. My own ranking of the series follows. Final thoughts: I spent my last year and some months on this? No, I spent it reading to my kids. I'm likely through with Snicket, though I'm still curious about Handler. I want more closure. I'm going to miss those Baudelaire orphans. That's it, The End.

A Series of Unfortunate Events Ranking:
The Grim Grotto – Book 11
The Carnivorous Carnival – Book 9
The Slippery Slope – Book 10
The Wide Window – Book 3
The Austere Academy – Book 5
The Penultimate Peril – Book 12
The Hostile Hospital – Book 8
The End – Book 13
The Miserable Mill – Book 4
The Ersatz Elevator – Book 6
The Reptile Room – Book 2
The Bad Beginning – Book 1
The Vile Village – Book 7

I feel like I want to cry after finishing this book, and this series. Indeed, this series, unknowingly, became a huge part in my life that I am finding it very hard to let go of.

I have read the reviews of people complaining that the story did not answer any questions. But I disagree. This book is perfect, and I hate to leave it behind. I don't want to become just another book I've read in the pile of the books I've read, because this series is spectacular. This book is the best in the series, the only one with a quasi-happy ending. I loved this book and I hate to leave it. I even have tears in my eyes :(

Amazing book. Amazing series.