A series of unfortunate events - The Reptile Room (Book the second)

SPOILER AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK:

The Baudelaire orphans—Violet, Klaus, and Sunny—go to live with their kind and unusual relative, Uncle Monty, whose full name is Dr. Montgomery Montgomery, a herpetologist who studies snakes. Unlike their previous guardian, Uncle Monty is warm, friendly, and genuinely cares about the children, which immediately makes them feel safe and welcome. He allows each of them to choose their own bedroom, which is something they have never been able to do before, and he treats them with respect by listening to their ideas and encouraging their interests. Violet, who loves inventing, Klaus, who enjoys reading, and Sunny, who has a talent for biting things, are all given meaningful roles to help Uncle Monty prepare for his upcoming scientific trip to Peru. This makes them feel important and included. The children are especially fascinated by the Reptile Room, a large space filled with all kinds of snakes from around the world. One of the most interesting snakes is the Incredibly Deadly Viper, which sounds dangerous but is actually harmless and very friendly. Uncle Monty explains that its name is just a joke, which shows his playful personality. For the first time in a long while, the Baudelaires feel happy and hopeful about their new life, especially because they are looking forward to going on an exciting adventure to Peru with someone they trust and like.

However, things begin to go wrong when Uncle Monty hires a new assistant named Stephano, who the children quickly recognize as Count Olaf in disguise. Even though the Baudelaires try to warn Uncle Monty and Mr. Poe about Stephano’s true identity, no one believes them. Uncle Monty misunderstands the situation and thinks Stephano is just a spy trying to steal his research, which causes him to ignore the children’s concerns.

Before their trip, Monty is mysteriously killed, and Olaf tries to take the children away. The Baudelaires are once again left in a dangerous situation, but they refuse to give up. Using their intelligence and teamwork, they come up with a plan to prove that Stephano is actually Count Olaf.

Violet creates a lockpick to open Olaf’s suitcase, Klaus uses his knowledge from reading about snakes to explain that Monty could not have been killed by the Mamba du Mal, and Sunny helps by creating a distraction. They discover evidence such as snake venom and powder used to hide Olaf’s ankle tattoo. With this proof, they manage to reveal Olaf’s identity.

Although they succeed in exposing him, Olaf escapes again with the help of one of his accomplices, leaving the Baudelaires disappointed and frustrated. In the end, Mr. Poe takes the children away to another guardian, continuing their unfortunate journey.

I personally think that this story deserves 5 stars! In my opinion, this book is amazing and very interesting. It is a horror book perfect for pre-teens, teenagers and adults! If you can't handle horror, I recommend you DO NOT buy any books under "A Series of Unfortunate Events" because ALL the books are horror.

So, do buy this book if you are interested and I will be making more reviews of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" very soon! Happy reading!