by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke
Can I just say this is the best book I’ve read in a long time, better even than Convenience Store Woman? Holy moly. Maybe it’s because I loved the movie so much, but goodness.
In case you haven’t seen the movie (maybe you should pause here and go watch it), a girl named Ofelia and her pregnant mother, Carmen, arrive at a mill to live with Vidal, Carmen’s new husband in the midst of war. Ofelia soon meets a Faun and is asked to perform three tasks. Ofelia does her best to comply while her mother is struggling and her stepfather is busy being a generally horrible human being.
The book has a slightly childish air to it, but don’t let that fool you; I believe that’s due to the innocence of the main character. The book is very dark and deals with some very grown-up themes.
One thing I liked that I didn’t expect to was the expansion of the mythology of the movie (at least, I think it was an expansion…I probably should’ve rewatched it). Every little tale you read gives a little more substance to the tale before it and to the “real world” of the story.
So in conclusion, I liked this so much that I will probably be buying my own copy.
My Dear Watson Books 