A wonderfully dark and clever book.

An excellent beginning to this series. The trio of Violet (The One with the inventive mind), Klaus (the one who loves reading about animals) and baby Sunny (the one who loves anything related to chewing) are extremely sympathetic. You can not help but do so When Their chance of a happy ending are Constantly ruined by search vile characters as the evil Count Olaf (Not a good sort at all) and his henchmen creepy (like the hook-handed man).
If you like happy endings or chipper tales, turn right away. But do not let the dark tone fool you. Lemony Snicket juxtaposes a light narrative over thesis dire circumstances making for a very enjoyable read.