3.5 stars. I'm reading the first 4 books so I can watch the new Netflix show in which season one adapts them. While still enjoyable, I do feel a little too old for this now. The helpful vocabulary definitions provided by Snicket's narration were once educational. However, I found them bothersome because my vocabulary has expanded in the last 15 years or so when I first read this series. While I'm sure they're helpful for the targeted demographic, the explanations only served to take me out of the actual story. Also, my higher intelligence allowed me to deduce how Violet would best Count Olaf in the end which did take the fun out of it a bit. 
 Still, the nostalgia I felt while reading this was worth it. I loved this series when I was a kid, and I'm so glad I'm rereading these after so many years.