You would not believe how fast I jumped at the chance to read and review this book (thank you HarperCollins Canada)! I’m a big Guillermo del Toro fan, and the movie Pan’s Labyrinth was stunning. So, it’s fair to say I went into this with pretty high expectations. I was not disappointed.

This is another one of those books I just couldn’t put down; I read the whole thing in a single sitting. It’s faithful to the movie, and between the text and the gorgeous sketches throughout, I could picture the movie all over again. It definitely captures del Toro’s vision.

The story is written in the third person, and jumps into the thoughts of multiple characters throughout. That, combined with the simple and straightforward narration, made it feel very fairytale-like. It reminded me of some of Gaiman’s work.

Most importantly, you do not need to have watched the movie to enjoy the book; although it did make me want to watch it again. Now to track down a finished copy in all it’s glory!