A review by alligatortoast
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I might be biased because I first read this series when I was in the same age range as Klaus and Violet, but I think this is overall a really great series and this book sets the tone for the rest of the series in terms of style and voice. It's not my fav of the series by any means, and reading it again as an adult I do see some problematic plot points. (Like a grown man trying to marry a 14 year old? Even though it's just to get their money it stills feels really creepy and weird.) 

Also as others have said, the constant explaining of words is a bit annoying after a while. I understand this is meant for a younger audience but some of the words explained are words I knew at that age. And the author constantly uses more complicated words that aren't overly explained, so it makes the explanations seem redundant and cumbersome. 

Overall this is a solid debut for an excellent series. The later books delve deeper into the story and subplots, but this one is more about introducing the concept and style of the series. 
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