The Bad Beginning is the first book in the series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket. This book follows the Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, after the passing of their parents. After their passing, the orphans stay with their parents’ friend and the banker in charge of their finances, Mr. Poe, until they are then sent to Count Olaf’s home. His home was not a welcoming one to the grieving children, leaving them to do intense chores, to have uninhabitable living conditions, and to be abused and mistreated by Count Olaf and his theatre associates. While left almost hopeless, the novel depicts the Baudelaire’s and their unique skills as they work towards catching Count Olaf in his horrific acts. My favorite part of the book is when Violet uses her intelligence in engineering to be brave for her sister. As a younger sister, I always found this part heartwarming as I see a lot of my sister in Violet. As Snicket said, “The book you are holding in your hands does not have a happy ending… If you like, you may shut the book this instant and not read the unhappy ending that is to follow” (p. 156). So, I would not recommend this book to the faint of heart, rather I would recommend it to those that like darker stories. However, to argue with Snicket, I do believe there is hope in these books, despite the darkness, and that is what makes them so compelling.