I'll let this review stand in for the rest of them as far as Lemony Snicket's writing style goes. It's an acquired taste for adults, but I can see where a kid could love these. I wish they were around when I was in my more formative years. I've read five of the books so far, and there are similarities in all of them. Some of it is good, and some of it can get annoying. Luckily they read quickly, and you can breeze by the more obnoxious parts which never last very long even if they are constant. 
 He dedicates all of the books to Beatrice who is the love of his life and dead. It's unclear how Beatrice felt about him, though. We may find out in later books, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I have a feeling a lot of questions are going to go unanswered. Regardless, the parts where he talks about her are always amusing. In fact, I think I'll put his dedication for each book in my review. Here's this one: 
 To Beatrice - 
 darling, dearest, dead. 
 He is also quite self-deprecating, and always talking about how bad his books are, and how nothing ever goes right. There's also a note to his editor in each book talking about the next book that says similar things. 
 He constantly interrupts the flow of the narrative in a few ways. As a result these books could be a quarter or third of the length they are if he didn't do this. Seriously, he interrupts with fiddle-faddle that often. A 200 page book from this man would be about 70 or so pages if he stuck strictly to the plot and left out a number of things. 
 Sometimes he tells the reader that things are about to get worse for the Baudelaire children (the main characters). This would be fun once or twice such as the way it was handled in The Princess Bride, but it gets overdone in these. 
 He often defines words for the reader. Sometimes the definitions are not entirely accurate, but that's part of the charm. Sometimes the words mean different things to each of the three main characters, and he'll describe all of them. 
 He's also quite witty, even though most of the witticisms occur when he's talking about things outside the story, but that's where he truly shines. I laugh out loud several times during each book because what he's talking about is so ridiculous, but not so over the top that I can't stomach it. There's a fine line for that kind of thing for me, and he toes it in just the right spot. 
 He's also about as formulaic as an Inspector Gadget or Bewitched episode. 
 The wealthy Baudelaire parents died in a fire leaving behind three kids: 14 year old Violet who likes to invent things and ties her hair up in a ribbon when she's thinking hard, 12 year old Klaus who likes to read, and baby Sunny who likes to bite things with her four sharp teeth. Mr. Poe (probably short for Poe-thetic) is a banker who manages their affairs and takes them from one caretaker to another from book to book. Count Olaf is the first and is after the Baudelaire money via the orphans. Once he's revealed to be murderous, the kids are taken away from him to another guardian who is murdered by Olaf in disguise, or revealed to not be any better than Olaf, and so on. All the adults are either idiots (such as Mr. Poe) or reprehensible or both. In short, the kids have a very rough time of everything. 
 And there you have the basic plot for all the books so far, and I don't think that's going to change starting with book six which is where I am right now. 
 I've decided I like these books in spite of their shortcomings, and am probably in it for the long haul. I think the humor outweighs the annoying aspects. 
 So, check it out if you think you can stomach it. You should definitely know by the third book whether or not this will work for you. 
 And you know, I think I'll put all of his author bios in my reviews as well. It's different in most books (though the same for the first two). It's usually a scream even if this one is tamer than the rest. 
 Author's Bio: 
 Lemony Snicket was born in a small town were the inhabitants were suspicious and prone to riot. He now lives in the city. During his spare time he gathers evidence and is considered something of an expert by the leading authorities. These are his first books for HarperCollins.