“There are two reasons why a writer would end a sentence with the word ‘stop’ written entirely in capital letters STOP.”

From Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Hostile Hospital.

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire begin the book on the run from both the residents of the Village of Fowl Devotees and the false claims that the children are responsible for a man’s death. The children send a telegram to Mr. Poe, but he doesn’t respond before the daily paper is delivered with a front page story that the Baudelaires are murderers, so the children are forced to run until they meet up with the Volunteers Fighting Disease. The V.F.D. take the children to the Heimlich Hospital where they are able to get jobs in the hospital records library with a man named Hal. While working, they discover the existence of file which could connect to the man they are accused of killing: the Snicket File. Count Olaf (disguised this time as the hospital’s Human Resources personnel) and Esme Squalor show up at to capture the children; Klaus and Sunny are able to escape, but Violet is captured. Now Klaus and Sunny must find where their sister is being held before she undergoes a brain surgery while avoiding Count Olaf and his goons.

Lemony Snicket holds nothing back while telling the eighth installment of the series. The new characters are unique and the returning characters are more developed than when we last saw them. The more books in the series that you read, the easier it is to pick up on the foreshadowing clues that Snicket leaves in the narration, even from the first few paragraphs. The stakes are raised with each new addition to the series, but the storytelling also grows to create the perfect blend of action, rest, and mysterious moments. Some might think that a book series of this length would become repetitive, but Snicket manages to keep each book fresh and interesting. Grab a copy of The Hostile Hospital and read this captivating read.