Rating: 3 stars
Cover synopsis: Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are sent to Paltryville to work in a lumbermill, and they find disaster and misfortune lurking behind every log.
This book had its moments of wit and dark humor, but it seemed much more forced and contrived than in the first three books. The situations that the Baudelaires find themselves in were always outlandish -- yet believable. The Miserable Mill was TOO outlandish to believe. Plus, Snicket simply followed the same formula as the previous books. Kids get shunted to an obscure guardian, Count Olaf is lurking and tries to snatch the kids -- and their fortune.
I keep waiting for the books to drop some hints into the larger picture. For instance, why did their parents' house burn down? What is the significance of the eye? Why do the Baudelaires not have any close relatives to care for them? Is this series simply going to be 13 books about Count Olaf trying to kidnap the kids? Or are we going to get some clues to a larger overarching plot?
