Book Review: Lang’s Labyrinth

I love fantasy books – I think they’re so fun and offer you an escape from reality. When I was offered an advanced copy of Lang’s Labyrinth from the Forests of the Fae book series, I was excited to start reading it.

Lang’s Labyrinth is the 3rd book of the series and when I was asked if I would like an advanced copy, I asked if I needed to have read books 1 and 2 because I hadn’t and I didn’t think it would make sense to start reading the third book out of nowhere. They told me it wasn’t necessary, so I agreed to enter this magical story.

It turns out, I should’ve read books 1 and 2. I could get through Lang’s Labyrinth but I didn’t fully understand what was going on since I hadn’t read the previous books. And they do connect.

Since I didn’t fully understand everything going on this review is going to be quick. The story follows Anne, a young girl who is trying to save her friend. In one of the previous books, probably, Anne realizes that fairies or the fae really do exist and they’re not like the kind you see in movies that are magical and loving, but actually evil and grotesque. From what I understand, the fae trick people into following them and then they take over their bodies creating changelings. The lands where they live are scary looking and by their descriptions made me think of some hell-like place with lava and the smell of corpses and rot.

In Lang’s Labyrinth, Anne is trying to track down the original twelve books for which the Forests of the Fae were named to try to save her family and friends. Her sidekick through this journey is Grace who is trapped in a raven’s body.

I found the story entertaining and a nice fantasy book for a younger audience. The premise and storyline isn’t too mature so it’s perfect for middle school age kids, although there is a little bit of cursing, but nothing too excessive.

I did enjoy the book, but I think I would’ve gotten a lot more out of it if I read the first two books. I would’ve understood the storyline better, been familiar with the background stories of the characters and what had happened that led them to this point, etc.

*I received the book complimentary, but all opinions are my own.*