Rapid Reviews - A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 5: The Austere Academy

The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 5) by Lemony Snicket: Well, for those few people who still think this series is somehow related to Harry Potter, this book is set at a boarding school. Of course, there isn't a bit of magic in sight, just nasty brats, bad food, and the ever-present villain. This is the first book in the series to have a definite cliff-hanger ending. Although it's not as severe an ending as some types of cliff-hangers, it does make a person want to read the next book as soon as possible. Lucky for me, the library has already provided the next book, so I can start on it as soon as I have another hour to read. The book also has some moments of genuine pleasure for the three heroic orphans. Well. Sort of. And we get some more hints about the life of the author of these tales, the legendary Lemony Snicket, and maybe even a small hint about his relation to the characters in his story. In any case, this is still the best kind of series for serious escapism. Escapism is a word which in this case means "getting away from your dreary existence into another dreary existence that is at least better written than your dreary existence".