I first watched Guillermo del Toro's film in Spanish class back when I was 14. Honestly, not sure what my teacher was thinking... but I am so glad that it entered my life. At the time, I was struggling with a /lot/ of things life was throwing at me, and Ofelia was a beautiful, but devastating, ray of hope.
Somehow, the stunning composition and cinematography of the film, the heart wrenching soundtrack, and the darkness of the plot line hit home for me; since then it has become a film I return to whenever I am at my worst. It brings me a sense of hope that neither patronises nor turns a blind eye to the horrors of the world.

This book holds exactly the same feeling.

I read most of the book whilst listening to the film's soundtrack, and was instantly transported into Guillermo's world.

The small added chapters of fairytale lore throughout gave me new love for the story, and a hunger for more! Suddenly I have so many questions that I seemed happy to ignore before!

I have taken a star away only for the fact that I found some of the writing style a little overly simple or basic. Some metaphors were unnecessary and detracted from the tension, and some description felt too fast moving. I found myself having to re-read lines on occasion to check I hadn't missed anything.

I would highly recommend, to both those who have, and have not seen the film. It carries itself well as a stand alone story, and I'm so glad it was gifted to me!