Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
*I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.*
Inspired by the 2006 films, for those who haven’t watched it, Pan’s Labyrinth is set in WW2 Spain. Where a young girl named Ofelia discovers a dense forest and a labyrinth of secrets, which sets her off on a series of tasks to reclaim her place as the missing princess.
Pan’s Labyrinth is one of the first movies I can recall watching as a child. I knew I was too young because Pan and the Pale Man haunted my dreams for years to come after watching it. And this book really brought all that fear back into me. Funke and del Toro have come together and created this dark novel that follows the film while also developing the folklore of the world.
The book rarely strays from the movie, following Ofelia as she moves into a new home after her mother remarries. She’s enticed by the faun that makes everything seem like a page out of her stories. The faun reveals that Ofelia is their princess, reincarnated, who must complete three tasks before she can return home. With her mother barely surviving her pregnancy, and her step father’s cruelty turns darker and darker, Ofelia is swept into a dangerous world that exists within the labyrinth and the world outside her door.
To adapt such a movie into a written story is no ordinary feat and del Toro and Funke really work well together and recraft the narrative to recreate a dark and mesmerising tale. My favourite addition was the interspersed folklore tales that developed the underworld that Ophelia seeks. I was mainly worried about this book just merely rehashing the movie plot, but this story will definitely be a treat to fans and newcomers alike.
GOODREADS | AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | AUTHORS (del Toro & Funke)
as told by zaheerah 