All The Wrong Questions

All The Wrong Questions
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy Courtesy Of The Publisher 

I remember being given the first two A Series Of Unfortunate Events books as a Christmas present when I was younger, and from then on completely loving the series and having to wait for each new book to come out and then devouring it in hours. I was lucky enough to be sent the entire new series from Lemony Snicket to review, All The Wrong Questions. As soon as I started reading, all the memories from ASOUE came flooding back, and I just can't get over the originality of the books! 

Who Could That Be At This Hour? 

Before you consider reading "Who Could That Be at This Hour?" ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you curious about what is happening in a seaside town that is no longer by the sea?

2. Do you want to know more about a stolen item that wasn't stolen at all?

3. Do you think that's any of your business? Why? What kind of person are you? Really?

4. Who is that standing behind you?

In the very beginning of the book, it was kind of difficult to understand what was going on. Lemony was supposed to be on a train and there where his parents, and Laudanum laced tea but they're not actually his parents and there's a note dropped in to his lap from a woman. He then goes to the bathroom and escapes out of the window down a ladder. From then on, you gradually start to understand what was going on, and things are easier to understand. It turns out Lemony is an apprentice at a secret organization and the woman is his boss S Theodora Markson. Once they hit their destination they have to retrieve a stolen item, a statue, and return it to the correct owner, but nothing is as it seems and it starts the whole journey off. 

I just love the general nonsense of the book, the kids operating the taxi for their father, the nonsense mystery and town with it's missing ocean. The writing style, the descriptions of books that have you stopping to think about which one they're talking about. I loved the word definitions being thrown in, because it was done in such a way that was funny, rather than annoying because it clearly parodied all the times it happens in other kids books. At times I got some Bugsy Malone vibes because for the most part, it was all kids acting like adults, with hardly any adults about. 

You don't know what's going to happen next as the plot keeps changing, and it keeps you turning the pages. I loved how Pip and Squeak, the two taxi drivers, asked for tips rather than money, so Lemony will recommend them a book. There are so many references to books and like I said, it's fun to try to work out which ones are being mentioned but I did fail at some! 

The book ends with nothing resolved, so you're desperate for the next book to see what's going to happen next. The book has an original and exciting setting, and a cracking little mystery to keep you occupied. 

When Did You See Her Last? 

In the fading town of Stain’d-by-the-Sea, young apprentice Lemony Snicket has a new case to solve when he and his chaperone are hired to find a missing girl.

Is the girl a runaway? Or was she kidnapped? Was she seen last at the grocery store? Or could she have stopped at the diner? Is it really any of your business?

So, this is the second book in the series.....obviously. This time around we have a missing girl and again...nothing is as it seems. It would appear that the missing girl has managed to be in two places at once...or has she. Has she been kidnapped for her formula that would save the town? 

Anyways, the story continues on well. There's a little kind of "previously on" section that catches you right up if you have  had a bit of a wait between books. The thing I like most about the book is the characters, and in this one, I just sat there like wow. There are certain characters that  I completely hate because they're so horrible and repulsive, but then there are also funny characters. I must say, I love the Librarian! 

I just mention the characters because this time I actually got really annoyed by two of them! 

Every time I open one of these books, I'm just struck by the writing and how much I love it.  This is another fun read that takes completely unexpected turn. 

Shouldn't You Be In School? 

Do you smell smoke? Young apprentice Lemony Snicket is investigating a case of arson but soon finds himself enveloped in the ever-increasing mystery that haunts the town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea. 

Who is setting fires? 

What secrets are hidden in the Department Of Education? 

Why are so many schoolchildren in danger? 

Is it all the work of the notorious villain Hangfire? 

How could you even ask that? 

What kind of education have you had? 

Maybe you should be in school? 

Questions, questions, so many questions. So far each book has left us with  more questions and this one is no exception. Particularly in this book you're actually wondering about a character's allegiance and I can't quite work out who's side she's on but I certainly don't trust her as much as Lemony seems to! 

This time around someone is setting fires, truant officers of the dodgy variety are kidnapping kids and taking them to a new school which isn't exactly what it seems. Someone's being framed for the murders...but why?

I love the wit and sarcasm of the book so much, but once again I'm never sure if what's going on is really correct, the plot changes so much and half the time I'm not sure whether or not Lemony is pulling my leg. This is the book we FINALLY found out the meaning of VFD. 

I find these books so original because of the writing style, unless you read ASOUE you won't read anything like it anywhere else. It's a particular brand of humour and it's one that has me cracking up. This time round I'm rooting for Lemony because I know he can handle himself whereas with the kids from ASOUE I always felt sorry for them and just....so much pity really. I should also mention that Count Olaf gets a mention, and Josephine makes an appearance. I fangirled. 

This is also the book, it has to be said, where we finally start to get some answers. Or do we? Muahahahaa. As suspected, some characters aren't who they seem, my loathing for a particular character shot up ten fold and I really rather wanted to throttle Lemony's boss. 

All in all this book is driving us towards the finale, and I'm excited to finally have all the pieces of the puzzle and work out what's going on! 

Why Is This Night Different From All The Other Nights? 

Train Travel! Murder! Librarians! A Series Finale!


Can Lemony Snicket finally discover all the right answers?


There was a town, and there was a train, and there was a murder. Apprentice investigator Lemony Snicket was on the train, and he thought that if he solved the murder he could save the town.


He was almost thirteen and he was wrong. He was wrong about all of it. He should have asked the question “Is it more beastly to be a murderer or to let one go free?” Instead, he asked the wrong question – four wrong questions, more or less. This is the account of the last… 

Finally, the end is night. I'd love to say it ends all neatly wrapped up but I mean...that ending?! LEMONY WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! I was STILL left wondering! Or maybe the better phrasing is unsettled. I'm not sure. Anyway, all the questions we have are answered. We finally find out who Hangfire is and you're left guessing right up until the end! Although I was correct about a certain female character! 

I kinda wanna know more about Lemony's sister and what happened to her it has to be said. It also has to be said that I'm hopping mad that Stew just....got away with it! Man his parents are pushovers. He really turned out to be a completely vile character. Honestly. Everything's wrapped up don't get me wrong, and I can't fault it. But emotionally it wasn't all that wrapped up, I think. 

The noir is strong in this one as we all board a train, there's mysterious figures in disguise, a murder and a  hunt for the villain and the truth. I'm not sure if I'm the only one who got Murder on the Orient Express vibes, mostly because, ya know...murder on the train! 

The thing about the mystery is that information has been withheld from us, fellow readers. Which makes it kind of impossible for us to beat Snicket. I was always wrong in my guesses and had no hope of beating Lemony, let alone when the huge reveal was based on information we didn't have! Everything fit, and the series has ended with most things all wrapped up, although not entirely neatly! But what do you expect from a Lemony Snicket book! 

We Are Pirates

We Are Pirates
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

A boat has gone missing. Goods have been stolen. There is blood in the water. It is the twenty-first century and a crew of pirates is terrorizing the San Francisco Bay.

Phil is a husband, a father, a struggling radio producer, and the owner of a large condo with a view of the water. But he’d like to be a rebel and a fortune hunter.

Gwen is his daughter. She’s fourteen. She’s a student, a swimmer, and a best friend. But she’d like to be an adventurer and an outlaw.

Phil teams up with his young, attractive assistant. They head for the open road, attending a conference to seal a deal.

Gwen teams up with a new, fierce friend and some restless souls. They head for the open sea, stealing a boat to hunt for treasure.

We Are Pirates is a novel about our desperate searches for happiness and freedom, about our wild journeys beyond the boundaries of our ordinary lives.

Also, it’s about a teenage girl who pulls together a ragtag crew to commit mayhem in the San Francisco Bay, while her hapless father tries to get her home. 

GoodReads synopsis so as not to give anything away today, I'm afraid! I'm terrible at being all spoilery when I do my own synopsis! 

I was a huge fan of Lemony Snicket when I was a kid, I remember being given the first two Unfortunate Events books as a Birthday present and from that point on being totally hooked, although don't talk to me about the movie adaption, I can't be dealing with that! So I was super excited to get my hands on a copy of the authors latest offering, an adult offering at that! 

You may not know this, but I'm a smidge obsessed with pirates, if you watch a Pirates Of The Caribbean movie with me you'll probably want to smack me one because I sit there and quote along under my breath I seriously know the majority of the lines and I'm so pumped for the next movie! But yes, pirates...love em! 

So it's pretty obvious that I loved all the references to pirates, fictional and otherwise, in the book and all the piratey type books! I think my TBR has swelled from this book! This book and the pirates in it where a total laugh! A laugh with a huge dose of WTF?! and all the strangeness and weirdness of Unfortunate Events, which was fantastic for me as a fan of the Unfortunate Events books, and I loved that the author doesn't lose those qualities about his writing when doing adult books, it gives adults a chance to have some fun too! I should say "us adults" but I'm 21 and still convincing myself I'm not an adult yet, I'm merely a YOUNG adult, so sorry. 

Handler has a distinct way of writing and it was evident here in the book with the whole "at this point in American History" bits, so readers waaaaaaay in the future won't get confused, was reminiscent of the Unfortunate Event books when he would clarify words and their meanings. 

I'm not quite sure how to review this book, I loved it, really I did, but I don't want to spoil what awaits you, and I'm loathe to try to explain the wonderful weirdness of the book! The book sunk it's grappling hooks into my brain, boarded, and pretty much stole it. When I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about it. 

I think because the book seemed so real. None of the characters where perfect, like real life humans, most book characters are all perfect and not at all like a real human, but these where characters that made plenty of mistakes and had a lot of shit going on that they had to deal with. They grew, they changed and they adapted and the characters where so natural, real and organic. I connected with Gwen easily, and she was my favourite, I think she made me think more, and she affected me more when reflecting on the book. 

I enjoyed the point of view of both Gwen and her father, I thought the change was seamless and each change made sense and came at the right moment. I feel some readers may struggle with the prose, or atleast some of the wording, like I already mentioned the narrative and the whole "at this time" thing, it may be hard for people to get around, as well as the general strangeness of the book. 

I found the book entertaining, intriguing, different, original, I mean a bunch of kids and other accomplices being olden days pirates in modern day America?! When we think of pirates these days we often either picture the modern kind (usually involving illegal downloads or possibly Somalia) or Johnny Depp and multitudes of guy liner, it's rare one would think of the real Blackbeard or any other fictional pirate, and I loved the characters following the pirate rules from books and history, and trying to be a crew to experience some sort of bond, or create their own family. 

I think after reading this book, you pretty much could become an old school pirate if you wanted, the book tells you everything you need to know about pirates! You watch these characters struggling with their lives, trying to go on an adventure like in the books. Although I will say I was a lot more interested in Gwen and her crew than in Phil....sorry Phil. 

The characters are all entwined, even the ones you wouldn't expect, and it's a.....guys I really don't know how to properly explain! Sorry! You just need to trust me, and go and read this, and enjoy it like I did, and bask in the strangeness that is awesome! 

We Are Pirates is real, strange, different, original, fun, entertaining, and even a smidgen heartwarming at the end, it may not be some people's cup of tea, but you need to give it a chance! It's not often us adults get to read fun books! You will come to love the strangeness!