Kevin Lau

I have worked on sets with great directors and terrible crews. I have worked on sets with great crews but terrible directors. Take it from someone who has worked a variety of positions, from PA to Director of Photography: Very rarely do film sets, especially non-union, work like a well-oiled machine.

I can assure you that Camille Landau and Tiare White write from experience. If you, like me, have worked on a lot of independent sets and freelance, then you might already know a lot of the lessons here from experience (read as “mistakes”). It's not an essential book for those wanting to break into the film industry nor does it provide the path to it either. Instead, it's a common-sense guide on how to be a good person when making a film yet still get what you want.

Highly recommend for Film students who learn as much as they can about the field outside of class (not the Film students who only want to be directors) or those just starting out in the PA world.

A lot of the hate this book is receiving seem to come from a desire of expectations and the product of reality. No, this isn't an anthology of 6 fun short stories following a different character on the cover. Instead, this is more like 6 bonus episodes taking place between the first 2 seasons of the show.

Unfortunately, the execution could be a lot better.

The first story by Michelle West is absolutely brilliant and should be the prime example of how Buffy should work in prose. On-point dialogue, meaningful visual metaphors, and intertwining real-life themes of growing up (in this case, the aftermath of a parents' divorce). It's a shame this author didn't write a full Buffy novel, but I will definitely be checking out some of her original works.

The second story by Nancy Holder, an acclaimed Buffy author (but, seemingly, only when she pens with Christopher Golden), is easily the most forgettable story here. The idea is interesting (the disposing of the Master's bones from the season 1 finale), it solidifies the villain arc for this collection, but prose is rather bland. Whereas Michelle West effectively utilizes metaphors, Nancy Holder does not.

The third and fourth stories by Cameron Dokey have serious pacing issues. When each story runs for roughly 42 pages, waiting until the 20th page for the plot to finally be introduced is a drag. Though Dokey pushes the characters outside of the norm we see with the show's budget, it's all flat and meaningless for said characters. This is also where the collection loses focus on the arc that West and Holder built.

The fifth story by Yvonne Navarro would essentially be when the arc would pick back up and give the collection more meaning. Instead, it focuses on a more comedic story that also waits until halfway to get the plot moving. Easily the most pointless story here if having an arc was a focus.

The sixth and final story by Paul Ruditis reads like a good Buffy episode. Guessing from structure and attention to detail, it seems Ruditis has experience with writing mystery novels or shows. It's a strong and solid story, but has nothing to do with the arc and doesn't quite fit as an ending to a collection (more of the editor's fault than Ruditis. I'm definitely interested in seeing more work from him too).

For those of you wondering, the first and fourth stories are Buffy-centric and the rest follow Giles and Jenny with special guest appearances from Angel, Willow, and Xander (R.I.P. Cordelia fans. Even principal Snyder makes an appearance here). The first and last stories are definitely worth reading, but, overall, this collection is just okay.

AUG 2018-2019 BOOK CLUBBook 13/30: An Audiobook

I would like to state for the record that I really like Ellie Kemper. She's a superb comedienne, fitting very well in the shows Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and The Office. When I discovered the audiobook of her memoir I quickly requested a copy from my library, not really sure what I was getting myself into.

DNF at 50% (my minimum before I drop a book forever)

OOF

It's not bad because of Ellie Kemper, but rather from the publisher's or her agent pressing her to write such a book. Ms. Kemper is actually very smart and a pretty good writer, plus she brings life and flavor in her audiobook. However, the content of the book itself is rather bland and empty.

Ellie Kemper's road to success wasn't full of trials and tribulations, full of harrowing acts of struggling to keep a home until she had her lucky break. If you're looking for a rags to riches story, this ain't it. If you're looking for a deeper look into Ellie Kemper, how she ticks or what separates her from the rest of the comediennes, this ain't it either. Ms. Kemper glosses over a lot of her life stories and picks out some of the funniest ones that stick to her. Essentially, it's a book by Ellie for Ellie. Which, like I said, is not the fault of Ms. Kemper.

Maybe her agent or publisher pressured her into writing a book to follow the trends of Tina Fey's Bossypants or Amy Schumer's The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo. To that, I say that maybe they should have waited a bit longer for Ms. Kemper to have more big roles or experience under her belt.

If Ellie Kemper writes another book in 5+ years, I'd say that's the one to check out.

AUG 2018-2019 BOOK CLUBBook 5/30: A Book by an Author You've Met (Skype Interview!)

Have you ever read a book that you felt like was written for you?

I fully admit I am no longer a high school senior, or have an aunt (or any member of my family) who is super rich or famous, nor am I a female. And yet in Katrina Leno's Everything All at Once, I related to every character in some way.

Some negatives first: This isn't the grand adventure about finding yourself and breaking out of your comfort zone the cover or tagline is going to make you believe (not Katrina Leno's fault in any way, shape, or form. More likely the marketing department's). This is not a bad thing, but the plot can be a bit to laid-back at times. Though the story is about breaking out of your comfort zone, it's only in small risks and most of the development of the protagonist comes more from the subplot than the main one. Instead, the main plot is more of a mystery (if predictable) that doesn't really unravel until the very end, making the climax great but the denouement a bit rushed and underwhelming.

However, this is a 4-star review, which means the positives greatly outweigh the negatives.

This is the story about Lottie Reaves, a young woman who suffers from anxiety pushed to take small risks from her recently deceased aunt through a series of 24 letters (a clever way to integrate proper plot structure, Ms. Leno). Lottie (as well as all the supporting cast) has a unique voice of her own and just forward enough to keep from being a passive protagonist, but with enough character flaws to keep her from being a fully active one. The love story isn't all rose-filtered lovey-dovey, the family dynamic works very well, and, as always, Katrina Leno's prose is inviting and flows naturally.

Now for the part where I relate to. Katrina Leno's novels have always surprised me with how well she describes and integrates minorities in her stories. In this case, the main representation is anxiety itself and it is portrayed to a “T”. There is also the aspect of dealing with the death of a loved one at a young age. These are typically elements I see separately and I'm forever glad Ms. Leno combines them here.

Though the execution is slightly off, Everything All at Once is everything I could ask for in YA in one book, young or old. It probably won't wow you or redefine the genre, but the best writers don't write to do that. Instead, I believe the best writers write in the hopes that someone reads their book and can say, “This helped me.”

Thank you, Katrina

It is what it is. In this case, a novelization of the first 2 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which is a pretty solid pilot, by the way).

The dialogue is taken directly from the show, so all the wit and Joss Whedon-ess remains intact. The narration, however, is very shallow and awkwardly paced at times (especially in the beginning). Not recommended if you haven't seen the pilot but not entirely recommended if you've seen it either, since you won't really learn any backstory or read the thoughts of the character.

It simply does what the basis of what a novelization is supposed to do: Turn visual storytelling into a passable work of literature.

AUG 2018-2019 BOOK CLUBBook 28/30: A Book You've Started but Never Finished (was too busy preparing to graduate)

A while ago, a friend and I were conversing about how, if done right, you can learn the best life lessons from a story with a terrible person as the protagonist. We were talking about the film Good Time, starring Robert Pattinson as a criminal who tries to break his autistic brother out of prison.

Nick Hornby's High Fidelity takes a similar approach, but with even more feeling.

You see, Rob isn't a perfect person. In fact, he's a total jerk that borderlines warrants a call to the cops. He knows it too, and can come up with excuses as to why he is the way he is though he really doesn't know the answer. Or any answer for that matter. Was he not good enough for Laura, the girl who just left him? What does her new boyfriend do that he doesn't? What does he have that he doesn't?

There's a blurb of a review that says, “Don't let your girlfriend read this. It contains all of your secrets,” and I have to say it's pretty spot on.

This is a story about a man who's insecure of his purpose in life.

This is a story about a man who has yet to learn how fragile masculinity is.

This is a story about a man who runs a failing record shop with quirky employees and dreams of being on an album cover.

This is a story about how to be a better human being.

AUG 2018-2019 BOOK CLUBBook 30/30: A Book That's Been Unread on Your Bookshelf for 3+ Years (Eh, 2 1/2 is close enough)

2.5/5 (Rounded up for Percy Jackson cameo)

In The Trials of Apollo, good ol' Rick Riordan attempts to take a different approach to his Camp Half-Blood world, but seems to forget what made previous installments so endearing.

In short, the Greek god Apollo has been cursed to live as a 16 year old mortal, bound to the demigod Meg McCaffery to serve her every order until Zeus deems him worthy of becoming a god again. However, it turns out his trials aren't that simple. Over the years, oracles have become empty and dormant, but even Rachel Dare, the most recent oracle of Delphi, can't summon a prophecy to send heroes on quests to restore balance. The responsibility then falls on Apollo, the ex-god of prophecy, to get to the bottom of this.

Though this entry is a rather short and fast read, I could not help but think that this could have been a short story to introduce the characters and concepts for the series. Of course, it seems that Rick Riordan is attempting to write a big epic in 5 books and I have yet to see the secrets he has in store for future installments, I couldn't help but think perhaps this whole story should just be 1 big book.

The Hidden Oracle has a rather solid structure for the plot and the premise lends to write itself (A narcissistic god is turned mortal and learns to care about other people). However, this story also feels very shallow compared to Riordan's previous works. Instead of having protagonists motivated by apparent grief (Percy wanting to save his mom in The Lightning Thief), here the grief of Apollo's long-ago mistakes are only conveniently brought to light when the emotional cues demands it, which softens the blow a lot. Plus, not really much happens in the story except exposition and set-up (Unlike, once again, The Lightning Thief where even though it was made to set up the series, stands very well as an adventure of its own).

On the plus side, though, Riordan is meshing more interesting ideas into his world, most notably implementing a side character stuck in an abusive relationship which I think is boldly and maturely explained considering the target audience. I really hope this gets more light in the rest of the series, which I will continue to read at some point.

AUG 2018-2019 BOOK CLUBBook 20/30: A Book Chosen Based on its Cover (SPIDER-MAN!)

3.5/5

As some of my friends know, I am a huge Spider-Man fan. I've already played through the main campaign of the recent PS4 game from Insomniac and wanted more, so I decided to pick this prequel novel up sooner than planned.

The novel's greatest strength is plotting, which is a truly outstanding achievement considering this is a media tie-in, especially with the smart move of having this take place 6 months prior. Typically, a major hurtle for this kind of novel would be to make it able to stand on its own, but David Liss makes the cut with an engaging storyline that, though takes a couple chapters to find its footing, makes the readers feel the stakes for the characters. Plus, much like the goal of the video game's story, this novel shows the struggle Peter has maintaining his two lives and how doing something as Spider-Man affects his personal life and vice versa. The story is very well structured and the pacing was on point.

However, pacing and plotting isn't everything. Though the characterization of Peter Parker is spot-on, the main area Liss just can't quite cover is prose. Sure, it reads like an adventure novel with straight-to-the-point details, but this falls a bit flat compared to other Spider-Man novels. The lack of depth in the narration leads to shallow scenes that almost feel rushed and background characters not getting enough spotlight to attract sympathy. Other authors such as Jim Butcher and Christopher L. Bennett succeed in this area despite having much shorter story lengths.

That being said, this novel also serves as a fantastic prequel that builds on Insomniac's fresh take on Spider-Man. The main villain here is Fisk, who you stop at the beginning of the game, so it's nice to see what all lead to that opening level. MJ, Harry, and Yuri are all here for the ride too, as well as some classic villains from the character's history.

A must-read for a Spider-Man fan such as myself and a good start to bring in new readers to the character!

AUG 2018-2019 BOOK CLUB
Book 1/30: A Book by an Australian Female Author

I remember liking this series 8 years ago. Not loving it, but liking it. Now, in 2018, I regret to inform that my opinion has differed.

Conspiracy 365: January serves as a pilot for a two-dimensional YA thriller miniseries. Much like most two-dimensional YA stories, the teenagers are the smart ones who try to solve a mystery and all the adults are either evil geniuses or blubbering idiots. Add into the mix that the pacing is excruciatingly fast, sacrificing slower moments of detail and character for the sake of thrills and speeding along to the next plot point.

Fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent would probably dig this series. This installment is actually very well-structured and, to my memory, the rest of the series follows suit. Each book serves as an “episode” and ends with a cliffhanger. The writing here is like a screenplay with a little bit more detail and from a first-person perspective, describing only the gist of the visual aspect but never really going deeper than that.

I'll continue rereading the series eventually, but I would definitely like to give the 2012 show a shot.

The first half is actually quite amazing and well worth reading! The second half... not so much. The story becomes a hot mess of failed character development and being completely unfocused until suddenly someone has a solution that doesn't really line up with the events prior to it.

The translation is very good, though!

Katrina Leno's 4th novel definitely shows her growing improvement as an author, especially with how she is able to properly represent minorities and now interweaving heavy social topics into her stories.

Though I feel the pacing is bit rushed in the 2nd half compared to the 1st, Summer of Salt is still a winner in my book. Georgina, Vira, and Mary are great characters, making the heavy twist towards the end very effective. Even the world/island-building itself in just 256 pages is definitely a feat worthy of noting.

Given that the topics Ms. Leno attempt to portray could have hit harder with more time to develop, Summer of Salt is still a must-read YA, especially for those looking for representation in the LGBT+ community!

Modern Mrs. Darcy 2018 Reading ChallengeBook #8: A Book by a Favorite Author

It should come to no surprise in this day and age that Stephen King is a master of the craft, especially with his older work. Instead of making a standard ghost story, King also interweaves very human stories about giving into temptation, the pressures of our pasts, and good overcoming evil.

It can be a bit slow for impatient readers, but it's definitely some of King's best work and a very satisfying read from beginning to end.

Modern Mrs. Darcy 2018 Reading Challenge
Book #1: A Classic You've Been Meaning to Read

The Bell Jar is one of those classics that my questionable-taste friends and Buzzfeed quizzes kept telling me to read and, though it sounded interesting, I had just never gotten around to it until now. I think that's a good thing, though, because reading it now really gave me a good understanding of the book that I don't think I would have realized when I bought my copy almost 2 years ago.

The novel follows the story of Esther Greenwood, the fictional iteration of author Sylvia Plath as this is a sort of autobiography, and her slow descent into insanity. It's a story of a very active protagonist, where the hero we're rooting for is also the cause of their own demise and create a shattered persona. Esther Greenwood battles sexist double-standards that are still prevalent today, struggling on whether or not to lose her virginity based on her motives and simultaneously suffering from depression and enacting on suicidal tendencies.

This fragmentation of character actually creates an extremely solid representation of Esther Greenwood that readers can understand. The narrative bounces all over the place, but having the emotional attachment to Esther's memories and her character make the transitions of the events happen smoothly and still make sense. I only found myself rereading a sentence twice throughout the book to make sense of things, but the problems are mild.

Honestly, the main problem here is the dragging point in the middle of the book, but the novel is only 244 pages. It's a great read and definitely deserves its status as a classic. Much like the works of Shakespeare, the reason The Bell Jar manages to still be so relatable after 50 years is the fact that utilizes emotions that we can all understand, no matter the setting. Truly a timeless story.

Modern Mrs. Darcy 2018 Reading Challenge
Book #6: A Book You Can Read in a Day

A Short Sound in the Silence collects 4 short pieces (2 short stories and 2 essays) revolving around the ecological idea that mankind can only push nature so much until nature begins to push back and how, in the end, nature will always prevail.

Short Story #1: The Single Greatest Achievement in All Mankind by Jared De Roo [3/5]

Mankind just achieved lightspeed, but something feels off. Shortly after the jump, the crew begins to act weird and ominous, almost threatening. It captures a chilling tone, but doesn't quite reach the impact I think the author was going to due to not really focusing on a singular character until the last quarter of the story, but the overall pacing was well done.

Short Story #2: When the Girl Fell by Rose Watson [3/5]

A bit hard to follow, but the words flow really well. There's an interesting concept here in the sense of world-building that I would love to see in a novel. Once again, a lack of character is what hinders this story but it flows very well, but the final page really impressed me.

Essay #1: Wolves of the Forest by Jared De Roo [3/5]

Now going full focus on the book's ecological theme, Jared presents an intellectual analysis on the ecological metaphors in season 1 of Stranger Things. It's a fantastic idea and he provides a lot of great points, but he tends to repeat himself a lot to, what it feels like, reach a certain word count. A more concise approach or more ideas would have really brought this up, but what is provided is still really easy to understand and well thought out.

Essay #2: The Nature of Dichotomy in Frankenstein: The Monster by Savannah McClellan [4/5]

I was actually really impressed with the ideas presented here. It's an intellectual analysis viewing the ecological theories presented in Mary Shelley's novel. Most of what Savannah pulls is pretty straightforward from what most readers would understand from the original text, but there are a couple elements that I myself didn't even think about. It is a little dry in areas, but it is actually a fantastic read that I recommend.

The last book you need on screenwriting? Maybe, but definitely not the first. Blake Snyder expects you to already know the form and format of a screenplay, so newbies be warned.

However, Snyder gives plenty of helpful tips and tricks about what goes into making your story and the business side of things, all from personal experience of selling 20 scripts and getting 2 of them actually produced. Though his filmography isn't spectacular, it does seem to support the phrase, “Those who can't do, teach.” Seriously, his film Blank Check may not wow anyone, but the ideas Snyder puts forth in this book has really opened my eyes for the screenplay I'm writing. Help comes from where you least expect it, I guess.

If you want to get into fictional writing, be it novels or movies, I highly recommend this book. Blake Snyder's voice is approachable and easy to digest and the lessons he teach are unique and extremely helpful, providing myself with a couple “Eureka!” moments.

The book provides what it suggests: A foundation for writing a feature-length film. Though the main methods Syd Field utilizes and showcases here may not work for everyone, I would still recommend this book to those interested in harnessing the craft or curious as to how the writing process works. From developing a character to defining what makes a good sequence of events, this book provides the how-to basis with a little bit in-depth analysis in some areas, even if a bit dated.

3.5/5

Ever since I've started reading Flash comics a couple years ago, I've pondered on the idea if DC has ever published a Flash novel (After all, they do so with Batman and Superman), but it wasn't until a month ago I found out that this book was already released. Of course, it ties into the show instead of the comic, but I decided to take what I could get. It's understandable that a Flash novel hasn't been published before now due to the stories and action heavily relying on visuals. However, I think Clay and Susan Griffith did great with what they had.

FULL REVIEW

This book just didn't do it for me.

At 552 pages, this standalone fantasy novel should have been cut down to around 400. Even then, one could probably trim it further. Though the comedic chemistry between the main characters are quite entertaining, it's the really shallow characterization and extremely slow plot taking itself too seriously that gets in the way.

I'm pretty sure this is a D&D campaign-turned-novel due to how the story is paced with a lot of time focused on side quests, and I respect Ari Marmell for taking this approach and applaud his prose. There's world-building, a magic system, a history, etc.

However, this novel wanted to deliver comedy without actually giving us comedy. It wanted to make its straightforward plot seem like an epic of mass proportions. The thing is, it just couldn't.

This spoiler-free review covers the whole series.

Revival was certainly an unexpected treasure.

One day in Wausau, Wisconsin, everyone who was dead were mysteriously revived. With the world in shock, both on a secular and religious level, the people of Wausau are quarantined from the rest of the world until they figure out where the revivers came from and are made entirely sure they are safe. Dana Cypress, a local cop, becomes a part of the Revitalized Citizen Arbitration Team and soon finds out her sister, Em, is a reviver. Not only that, but she knows she's been murdered. When trying to find her sister's killer, Dana finds out there are more secrets the small town has been hiding.

You can read the rest of my review here!

[Read in single issues]

Jaime Reyes as the Blue Beetle has interested me and been on my reading list for a while. When I first discovered the character watching Batman: The Brave and the Bold, seeing Jaime as a relatable teen arguing with the sentient suit that gives him his powers, his New 52 line had already been cancelled. Then Geoff Johns wrote Rebirth and added a little scene with Jaime Reyes that I thought was very interesting.

In short, Keith Giffen doesn't deliver in this volume until issue #6, where he kind of gives a small splice of what the series could be.

Getting the obvious out of the way, the dialogue here is absolutely horrible. I tell myself it feels like a first draft, but then there are moments of repetition and sentences upon sentences of nothing going on. By then, it feels more like a very bloated outline with the characters speaking mostly hot air. The dialogue here isn't flat, it's completely empty. This, in turn, makes all the characters just a bunch of background noise, not even close to cementing themselves as prominent characters.

I know previous iterations of Blue Beetle gives Jaime Reyes internal monologues, sometimes even arguing with the scarab on his back. None of this is seen here until issue #6 for 2 panels, and it's just Jaime reminding us why he's in the spot he's currently at.

So yeah, fair warning: There's a whole lot of nothing going on in this volume. The plot is spread so thin it's hard to keep track of. If it wasn't for the last issue of this volume actually starting a plot and the art itself being serviceable, I would have given this 1 star.

I'm still reading this in issue form and am about to start #8. Hopefully this series gets better. I'd hate to see Jaime Reyes get cancelled a second time.

UPDATE: Though Keith Giffen still plots the story, issues #8 and #9 (all that are released as of writing this) have a different author that makes the story readable. It's still not great yet, but it has certainly bumped up to a 3-star read.

Stephen King's Revival is, in short, a phenomenal book and I find it interesting that I hear such small talk about it.

Written like a memoir, this novel follows the story of Jamie Morton over the course of five decades from childhood to adulthood. Weaving in and out of his life is a man named Charles Jacobs, a man who started off so promising until an accident changed his life and started to change him. A change which, in time, would haunt Jamie to his grave.

The memoir-like aesthetic gives us an interesting perspective of the characters and generates a narrative full of heart and soul. You feel all the ups and downs of Jamie's roller-coaster life, with King's superb writing carrying the flow of things. Though some may say the pacing is slow, I greatly enjoyed the time spent to develop the timeline of Jamie Morton. The climax the whole book leads up to is definitely creepy, the final words being ones that will stay with readers for a while.

Revival has become one of my favorite books not just due to the characters or the writing, but also the philosophy King puts in here about family and life. Put all that with an audiobook narrator that was just way too perfect for the role, and you've got yourself a winner.

This installment to the series of unfortunate events follows the Baudelaire orphans as they are forced into child labor at Lucky Smells Lumbermill, which (if you couldn't tell from the title) turns out to be quite miserable. Quite unfortunately as well, the quality of the storytelling takes a bit of a dip here.

Though the development of the children and their dynamic is improving, especially given that Violet has a chance to shine in this book, the plot here is rather messy. It's good and interesting, but the execution threw some far-fetched curveballs (e.g. a baby fighting a sword-wielder with her teeth). this all leads to a third act that ends up becoming a bit rushed and underdeveloped considering how many subplots exist with no backstory as to how they even got there.

People have been saying that this is one of the weakest installment of the series, and it shows. It's still a decent read, however, so it's not all bad.

The Baudelaire orphans have participated in rather unfortunate events in the past two books. First they had to live with the wretched Count Olaf, doing ridiculous chores and almost being caught in a plan to steal the Baudelaire fortune that required marriage. Secondly, they had thought they had found solitude with their Uncle Monty, only for him to be murdered. Now they're being moved to live with their Aunt Josephine who lives on the edge of a cliff and is utterly terrified of everything. Unfortunately, Count Olaf is right on the Baudelaire's tails, a devious plan formulating.

Daniel Handler introduces readers to his spin of a whodunit mystery that is considered to be suitable for children. Though the pacing is rather fast in the first half, the second half of the story and its third act takes its times to develop not only the plot, but also the dynamic between the siblings and the environment around them. Count Olaf isn't the only threat to the children in this installment, which gives readers a bit of fresh air since the plot itself carries the same formula as the previous book. Plus, Violet finally gets to out her brain to use unlike the other two books.

I am also watching the episodes of the show that correlate the book I had just finished. I was actually kind of disappointed in Netflix's adaption of this particular story, being that the intense scenes of the book weren't properly executed on-screen. Other than that, I enjoy how the show is also going a bit outside the books such as a certain character in this story.

George Orwell's 1984 is definitely a classic that still holds up to today, being about the human psyche and how it can be deceived to think reality is one way instead of the other. Then, of course, it's about how much control a government system can have and how easily it can manipulate those minds.

1984 is, essentially, an essay trying to disguise itself as a novel. Even though the characters are flat and the plot rather thin considering the length of the book, George Orwell still brings objects of interest to the table and experiments his theories on the characters. This is a decent move, attracting a broader audience to a topic that concerns everybody, but it doesn't quite reach the potential it could have gone. Nonetheless, it's an interesting read just for the theories alone.

For a book titled The Bad Beginning, this was actually good.

In a seriously unfortunate event, the Baudelaire children find themselves orphaned and assigned to live with their closest living relative, the “actor” Count Olaf. Unfortunately, things only go downhill from there. Count Olaf not only gives them an unreasonable amount of chores and tasks to complete, but he is also abusive and after the fortune Violet Baudelaire is to inherit once she reaches of age.

This is a fun read for certain, some of the literary jokes used in here is actually rather funny as an adult and I could only imagine my response to it if I read this series as a child. There is nothing really great about this start to the series, but it is good and kept me entertained as I flipped the pages. For the first half of the book, I felt like Count Olaf was a little flat, but it reaches a point where he actually comes off as menacing. It's not like a standard kid book where the children don't like him just because he's mean, but he's legitimately a bad guy that even adults would repulse at.

Not amazing, but I dig it. I look forward to reading more.