"Pan's Labyrinth" is one of my favourite films of all times, so I was really excited about reading the book and it does not disappoint.

It manages to capture the spirit of the film, adding an extra layer of depth to this modern fairy tale of a girl who discovers she may be a lost fairy princess and has to battle through three trials to prove her identity. Set against the backdrop of a Spain divided by civil war, tragedy hides behind every corner as we learn that fairies are real and they have a dark side.

Whether you've seen the film or not, this beautiful fantasy is a must read. It'll whirl you into a different world, leaving you breathless and emotional when you turn the last page.

Yes, I cried.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

This was as glorious as I suspected it would be. I didn’t even feel like I was reading; I felt transported into the world.

I recieved a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really enjoyed this. It sucked me in from the very beginning with rich descriptions and fantastic characters.

I loved reading from Ofelia's pov. It was interesting to see her take on everything that happened... Interspersed with pov's from the adults around her and the creatures from the Underworld.

I think it stayed in line with the film really well - and I really enjoyed the film.

I'd love to read more by these authors I think they could do some amazing work

Are you a fan of the 2006 film El laberinto del fauno? Then you’ll love this book. Not seen the film? Then there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this book anyway.

Based on the film, this novelisation is a dark and heartbreaking fantasy set in Spain, 1944. A young girl called Ofelia arrives with her pregnant mother Carmen at a military post in an ancient forest. Ofelia’s new father, the evil Captain Vidal, is focused on only two things: hunting down the rebels and passing on his cruel vision of the world to his baby son. Ofelia is sought out by fairies, who lead her to the Faun (also known as Pan). He tells her that she’s actually a princess, Moanna, who found her way out of the Underworld a long time ago and whose spirit can return there on the completion of three tasks.

This is one of those stories where you can have your own interpretation. It can mean different things to different people, although clearly there are messages about the evils of fascism, oppression of women and how we can learn from children’s belief in magic. Although the writing style is simple, the meanings are complex. The story is unforgettable. I think it’s skilfully written and structured. The style can feel strange at first, because of the fairytale tone and yet it’s a book for adults. It’s a tragic and violent with hints of Alice in Wonderland, Narnia and the Brothers Grimm. As a book of the film, it’s perfect. As a book in its own right, it’s something very special.

The book includes illustrations by Allen Williams but I can’t comment on these, as my advance copy did not include most of them.

Thank you to the publisher Bloomsbury for the advance copy via Netgalley. This book will be published on July 2nd.

Note: review to be published on my blog on June 11th.

I want to start by talking about the gorgeous illustrations that start each section. I know this doesn't necessarily impact whether or not you'll buy, read, or enjoy a book, but as someone who hadn't seen the film before reading it was nice to get a glimpse of the aesthetic. Obviously, the fairytale vibe comes through in the writing, but the addition of those illustrations took me back to the old books of fairytales I had as a child, with little drawings at the start of each story. I'm not sure if that was the intention but it was certainly the feeling I had. 

I am a sucker for that fairytale writing style. I know not everyone enjoys it, but in a book like this, I'm not sure it could have gone any other way. Yes, it is steeped in allegory and metaphor but it manages to not feel silly (maybe this is coloured by the fact that I recently read Finale and that has a lot of silly similes. This manages to feel utterly timeless, despite the fact that it has such a clear historical setting. Again, I haven't seen the film, but the clips that I have seen also manage to capture that 'a world apart' feeling so I would imagine this is true to the aesthetic and the mood of the film. 

It's hard to deny that it is a good plot. I like that it pulls those fairytale tropes of three tasks, guardians and guides and so forth into a historical setting that is still comparatively modern. I wasn't sure if that would work in a book, whether it would throw off the pacing of the book, more often than not stories start with the premise of three tasks and then spin off into something completely different, with the tasks as a framework for a wider plot. I'd say this is less true here, the tasks have more importance to the main plot, though there is an element of 'more is going on here than meets the eye'.

While you get a good sense of the childlike quality of Ophelia, nonetheless she still feels quite generic to me. In another story, I might see that as a negative, but in this case, I think it hearkens back to that fairytale nature (drink every time I reference fairytales?) and that sense that this could be anyone, that this could be you. I'm not suggesting I'd want to take Ophelia's place in the story, and I'm certainly not suggesting I'd make some of the choices she makes (you were given clear instructions how did you manage to mess this up?) but I would certainly like a peek into this strange world. 

This would be a great book if, like me, you have yet to see the film. I'll be interested to see how those who adore the film find the novelisation. I personally thought that some of the prose felt a little stilted but wonder if that might be part of the process of going from screen to page? 

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. 

Pan's Labyrinth comes out July 2nd!

Reading this was a cinematic experience - all the joy of the much-loved film combined with the dark and twisty stories Cornelia Funke is such a master at writing.

I am completely and utterly in love with this book!

I've watched the Pans Labyrinth film several times over the years, a perfect blend of fantasy, history and horror. This made it easy to mentally conjure the imagery of the book as I've already seen it unfold. Not to worry if you've not seen the movie, GDT & Funke have reproduced the bleak, foreboding atmosphere beautifully.

The story is perfectly accurate to the prior film release but with all the additions the movie couldn't provide.
In particular I adored the many short stories intertwined with the main plot; Explanations of how and when some of the artifacts came to be, such as the watch, the knife and the book.
Tales of past lives, the toad, the pale man/child eater, the witch who instructed the labyrinths creation and so much more add tremendous depth to a story I already loved.

The insight into Capitan Vidal's mind made him an even more formidable antagonist. A cruel twisted man, the book gives us further development by exploring his weaknesses and feelings of inadequacy.
Pan himself takes on new qualities and his character had more impact for me in this written version.
Ofelia's mother remains as feeble and desperate as first perceived but now we are able to understand her motivations and see the childlike hope she clings to.

Pans Labyrinth is written just like an old fairytale. The prose is so authentic I could actually hear the narrator reading it to me.
Unfortunately the ARC ebook I received was not formatted well and only two of the images were present. Not that it really matters since I will DEFINITELY be purchasing a physical copy of Pans Labyrinth, I truly cannot praise it enough!

I’ll start my review by getting this out in the open....I preferred the movie. Yes I know that’s blasphemy but the movie presents itself a lot better.
I was hoping to have the storyline fleshed out a little but this is a direct copy of the movie with some short underground fairy tales thrown in.

Don’t get me wrong this isn't a bad book at all, I just wanted more. Just a reminder that if you haven’t seen the movie this is not a kids book and it’s gruesome!

I received this from Net Galley as a proof reading copy in exchange for a fair review. If you have seen the film of Pan's Labyrinth then you will know what to expect. I was very interested in reading this as a fan of both Guillemo Del Toro and Cornelia Funke. The book did not loose any of the fairy tale magic of the film and the interspersed fairy tales are actually better written down. If anything I felt that the story was too short. I would have like to know more about Franco's Spain and the rebels in the woods. I would love to use extracts from the novel for AQA English Language paper 1 as it is beautifully written and full of rich imagery.

Pan's Labyrinth, I loved the film so I was rather excited when I saw the book appear on Netgalley.

Now it's been quite a long time since I watched the Pan's Labyrinth film and I'll admit that as much as I loved it, I did struggle with the foreign side of things.

To be honest I always prefer a book so I was hoping that this tale would live up to my expectations and it absolutely did.

A wonderful telling of a dark, emotive fairytale.

The characters were written just as I'd imagined them and actually complimented the movie quite well although if you haven't seen the movie I would recommend reading this book first as it allows the reader to create the worlds spoke about in their minds.

This story isn't that long but the slow pace and build of it makes you really want to take your time over each and every word.

Sort of poetic in places.

Highly recommended.

Pan's Labyrinth is one of my favourite films, so I was both excited and apprehensive about a new book depicting the story coming out. My apprehension disappeared within the first chapter. This book reads beautifully and it brings the magic of the film with it. Both Del Toro and Funke's writing makes the fairytale so real the words feel almost enchanted somehow. The story follows the movie so if you loved the film you will love this too. It's emotional and poignant. A beautiful story to add to my collection and one to read to my children in the future.

Within this dark and unarguably unique story, Guillermo del Toro perfectly weaves his eerie, creepy style into an equally haunting tale. The juxtaposition between whimsical, almost lyrical, writing and the profoundly immoral and wicked characters makes this book stand out from similar books of its kind.

For most readers this is probably a well-known story, given the established movie, but for me it wasn't. The story crept up on me at a slow pace, almost too slow in fact. Whilst I really struggled with the pacing, failed to wholly connect with any of the characters (finding a couple of them particularly vacuous) and struggled to care too much what happened to them, I did really like where it eventually ended up and the playfully quaint but, at times, barbaric and capricious nature of it made for an interesting read.

Not entirely compelling, absolutely not for the faint hearted, but definitely has impact.

I was so pleased and excited to receive this book via NetGalley that I pretty much dropped everything to read it. I love the movie 'Pan's Labyrinth' but, being a foreign language film and having to watch it with subtitles was always a little distracting. So to have the story to read in book form is fantastic.

Ofelia and her heavily pregnant mother move to an old mill surrounded by dense woods in Spain during the second world war. The place is creepy and damp and miserable but this is the place where her new stepfather, a cruel high ranking officer in the Spanish army has been stationed and he wants his son to be born there. Ofelia is not happy to be in such a dismal place. She misses her dead father terribly, and hates her new stepfather with a passion. Obsessed with books, particularly fairy tales, Ofelia finds herself drawn to the woods where she comes across an ancient labyrinth and finds herself in a mystical, magical world where she meets fairies and a faun.

This is a violent and often bloody fairy tale for grown ups. Perhaps slightly reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland in some ways but much darker.

It is very unusual for me to read a book based on a movie, rather than the other way round but I very much enjoyed this book. The story is obviously very much like the movie but it adds a little bit of extra backstory and I would certainly recommend the book to all fans of the movie and newcomers to the story as well.

3.75 stars.

I loved the film of Pan's Labyrinth,but I fear it spoilt the book for me a bit.
I wasn't given the chance to imagine any of the creatures because they were already there in my head.
As was the story,although I've forgotten a good bit of it.
I don't think I've read anything by Funke before,but if this is her style,I'm sure I will in the future.
Where this book will really come into it's own,is in a beautifully illustrated hardback.
It was brutal in parts,but also just a little bit magical.
I liked it a lot,just sorry I didn't love it

I have been very lucky to read some great books through net valley and there have been a few I have considered buying afterwards but Pans Labyrinth is a definite future purchase, it has been beautifully written and evokes memories of reading fairy tales when I was younger, the story builds around several interlocking fairy tales and the brave Ophelia who has been torn from her loving home to a forest with her evil step rather and her pregnant mother. It follows the movie brilliantly (if you haven't seen it you must) and as you read the story you remember the amazing characters that were created for it All in all I loved it and I think the next thing to do is do an illustrated version. I can't wait for release day.