Revisiting this before the Netflix series comes out. When I read these as a 13 year old, they seemed too childish. I wish I had read them when I was younger. In particular, I remember I was annoyed at the fact that many words were defined (and misleadingly, too).
Now that I'm in my 20s, I can appreciate how funny the first one was. Very quick, but funny. And there are jokes I probably didn't get as a kid, such as the aforementioned definitions. I'll probably read the other ones too.

On the same level as the first book. Just as funny, quick, and witty. It's nice to see the sibs have a good time, even if it's just for a few days.

This one starts to feel a little bit formulaic, but makes up for it with the narration. This one has so many great Lemony Snicket quotes.

This one feels as formulaic as the last. Though there were some good quotes, there weren't as many as the last book. The side characters (foreman, optometrist, mill workers) aren't as interesting as Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine. But still very enjoyable!

This one has the awful Orphan Shack at Prufrock Prep, and the awful violin-playing Vice Principal, awful teachers, and awful classmates like Carmelita Spats that come with it. This one feels a bit like the others in that it has bad adults who don't believe the siblings, and can't see through Count Olaf's disguise. However, this one is the first one where you get a hint of the overall mystery. You're introduced to the Quagmire Triplets, you get more about Lemony Snicket and his Beatrice, and you get the first mention of the myserious V.F.D.

Although this one follows the formula, it feels fresh. The side characters, Esme and Jerome, are interesting--especially with worrying about with "in." And the narration is getting more and more tangential and humorous. We also see a little bit more of the Quagmire triplets, and get a little bit more about Beatrice and the Very Fine Doilies.

I don't remember anything about this one--maybe I only got to book six the first time through. Liked the crows and the silly hot air balloon, even if I don't like the crazy town and its crazy rules. Although Hector won't speak up to the elders, it is refreshing to see another adult who cares for the children, lets them speak, and enjoys their company. It's good to see more of the Quagmire triplets, and you get a mystery to solve with the couplets. You also get Sunny speaking some real words, and get to see translations of those words. As you get the mysterious Jacques Snicket, and some more info on the Village of Fowl Devotees.

The plot of this one wasn't as fun, but you do get a lot more information and new hints with stuff like: the sugar bowl, Jacques Snicket, the Volunteers Fighting Disease, and the Baudelaire parents--also, that there may be one survivor of the fire.

This is where it stops being so black and white. You get a little teeny bit of good from Olaf (being unable to push freaks into the lion pit), and Olivia the fortune teller, who is working for both sides. You get more information about the Valley of Four Drafts, and more hints about Jacques and the Baudelaire parents. Sunny starts saying more words, and starts cooking. And the siblings end up helping Olaf by burning down the tents, and using their inventing and researching skills at the end. And you finally get a huge cliffhanger, with Sunny being in the possession of Olaf, and the two older siblings all alone.

I definitely did not get this far on my first read through, which is a shame! This one is where it starts to get really interesting. You have the siblings split up, mysterious cave scouts, the last Quagmire triplet, and the return of Carmelita Spats. Sunny's vocabulary gets even funnier, and her food gets even yummier. You learn way more about the Volunteer Fire Department, and get to see the hideaway. More about the sugar bowl, and the Snickets, and see the mysterious hidden letter from Lemony Snicket. This one also isn't so black and white. You get the first hint of the larger secrets of the Baudelaire parents. You get information on the schism of the VFD. You start to see a little of Count Olaf, and how he doesn't understand certain words--this was funnier in the earlier books, but now it ends up being kind of sad. You also get two of Olaf's supporters who straight up and leave Olaf, because they don't want do to evil things. Alternatively, you get the siblings confronting their own behavior and doing villainous things. Very interesting!

Again, not so black and white. You get memories of the Baudelaire parents yelling at the kids. You get the captain, who's on the good side, but isn't the best person. And you meet Fiona, whose step-brother is none other than the hook handed man we've known since book one, and who turns to the dark side. You get more secret messages from Quigley, and you get to meet Kit Snicket.

Again, you get even more of the whole "people aren't all bad or all good" thing. You meet almost every adult you've seen so far in the story, but they all fail the orphans in one way or another. You meet Kit Snicket, and learn more about the schism, and about Dewey and his decimal hotel. You also learn that the Baudelaire parents poisoned someone at an opera with poison darts, and that Olaf's parents were killed by poison darts. And at the end, when Klaus tries to open the secret door with Olaf, and Violet tries to help get the boat off the roof, you get to see a real human side of him for the first time. He's sad and uneducated, and was raised alone without his parents. And he "always wondered" how the orphans did what they did. And of course, ultimately the orphans end up killing a man and setting fire to the hotel. Good people can do bad things for good reasons, and vice versa.

What a great ending to a great series. Of course, it didn't answer every question, but it wrapped just about everything up. And that last word: amazing.