Merida has been galivanting around and recently returned home. All is as it always has been, minus her mother's insistence that Merida wed. Magic is afoot again and only Merida knows that doom lays in the future if she can't make changes.
I adore the film and will randomly turn it on (sometimes against my family's will). The transition of the characters from movie to book is fairly seamless and pulls a great deal of characterization and ambience. The setting is rich and reminiscent of Disney's Brave (of course!) and Merida is still sassy and independent, determined to beat the magic. It's a fun adventure that forces Merida to question what to hold dear and what to let go.
Thank you to Disney Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Ever wanted to know what happens after the credits roll on the movie Brave? You're in luck!

I'm a longtime fan of Merida and I was thrilled to get more adventures staring the redheaded, arrow-slinging, strong-willed powerhouse. She lives a sleepy life in her kingdom until she must meet a new challenge head-on, and save everything she loves under the pressure of a ticking clock. I loved the characters and their stirring dialogue. The Scottish history and lore were magical and charming. I can't recommend this enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC audiobook and a regular ARC.

Description from NetGalley:

What if you had one year to save everything you loved?

ONE PRINCESS. Merida of DunBroch needs a change. She loves her family—jovial King Fergus, proper Queen Elinor, the mischievous triplets— and her peaceful kingdom. But she’s frustrated by its sluggishness; each day, the same. Merida longs for adventure, purpose, challenge – maybe even, someday, love.

TWO GODS. But the fiery Princess never expects her disquiet to manifest by way of Feradach, an uncanny supernatural being tasked with rooting out rot and stagnation, who appears in DunBroch on Christmas Eve with the intent to demolish the realm – and everyone within. Only the intervention of the Cailleach, an ancient entity of creation, gives Merida a shred of hope: convince her family to change within the year – or suffer the eternal consequences.

THREE VOYAGES. Under the watchful eyes of the gods, Merida leads a series of epic journeys to kingdoms near and far in an attempt to inspire revolution within her family. But in her efforts to save those she loves from ruin, has Merida lost sight of the Clan member grown most stagnant of all – herself?

FOUR SEASONS TO SAVE DUNBROCH – OR SEE IT DESTROYED, FOREVER.

I am a huge Disney/Pixar fan, so I’m extremely excited that I got an advanced ebook and audiobook for Bravely. This felt like a natural extension of Merida’s story from the movie. I really enjoyed the writing and character development.

Overall: 4/5

A great sequel the the film and a great story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I wasn't the target audience for this book. I have seen Brave, but it is not a movie that I revisited. I found the first third of this book to be unnecessarily slow. Once the story started, the plot picked up, but I never cared about the character the way I usually do in a Stiefvater book. I found the book to be disappointing compared to the author's other books, and I don't think I would want to revisit this world.

When I saw this cover I immediately clicked on it! I absolutely loved Brave and Merida is one of my favorite heroines and tales.  This cover is gorgeous and this is the YA sequel to the movie Brave taking place 4-5 years later.

Merida has a new difficult situation to save her family from in this story. Between two gods and a neighboring clan she must change every member of her family and to find a clan to become a part of per their agreement within a year or bad things will happen.

As they journey to the other lands and Merida doesn't fit there, each of her family members she brings does learn something valuable and helps them make a change. But will they all make the necessary change in time to save Dunbroch?

This book was very atmospheric and full of magic. It was fun getting to see how her brothers had grown and their personalities too! 

Thank you disneybooks and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This was a real treat - and any fan of the film, or anyone looking for anything surrounding a fantastical concept, will enjoy this work by Stiefvater. It was enjoyable from start to finish, and a really fun read.

This book left me wanting more from it, but overall I did like it. I thought that the interactions between Merida and Ferandach were good and I enjoyed how they both learned from each other and shared their experiences, but I thought that this book had a lot of untapped potential. There was a lot of allusions to Merida’s past, which is the story that we know, but if you weren’t familiar with the Disney adaptation then it would’ve been very confusing as it is never specified wha Merida’s run-ins with magic in the past were. I also thought that there was a lot of build-up to action but then the action never actually happened; the tension seemed to diffuse without anything really happening, and then Merida was planning something new. I did really like Harris’ character arc and how Merida’s mother’s past was revealed and how her character arc progressed. I had high expectations of this book, but I did not find it was as good as I was hoping even though I liked the style it was written in and the character arcs — it felt like there was just something missing that would make it a more compelling read.

ONE PRINCESS. Merida of DunBroch needs a change. She loves her family―jovial King Fergus, proper Queen Elinor, the mischievous triplets― and her peaceful kingdom. But she’s frustrated by its sluggishness; each day, the same. Merida longs for adventure, purpose, challenge – maybe even, someday, love.

TWO GODS. But the fiery Princess never expects her disquiet to manifest by way of Feradach, an uncanny supernatural being tasked with rooting out rot and stagnation, who appears in DunBroch on Christmas Eve with the intent to demolish the realm – and everyone within. Only the intervention of the Cailleach, an ancient entity of creation, gives Merida a shred of hope: convince her family to change within the year – or suffer the eternal consequences.

I was super excited for this book! Merida is one of my favorite Disney princesses with such bravery:) and bold behavior! This book did not disappoint! I had never read the Raven Boys which is one of the author’s most well-known works, but I loved the book so much I definitely need to check it out! I gave it four stars. I didn’t think the book stayed too true to the plot of the movie which I really appreciated reading a new take on Merida’s story!

I loved Brave, the movie and I also love Maggie Stiefvater so combining the two had to be good, right?! So right! When I first started reading the book I was a little unsure of my mood which could potentially be a problem being a mood reader. But I didn’t need to worry about that… I was almost instantly sucked into the story.

Merida had been away from home for awhile traveling. Not long after she returned she was thrown into a mess between two gods. A bargain was struck and for the next year, Merida was to try her hardest to make changes to the stagnation that had fallen upon her home and family. If she could not prove enough change, Feradach would be forced to bring ruination to her home and family. Of course with Merida being very headstrong, she was bound to have some issues with Feradach and getting her family to change themselves without being able to tell anyone about the bargain that had been struck. I really enjoyed the banter between Merida and Feradach. There were a few things I didn’t really like about this book. It felt like a very young YA, almost bordering on middle grade. And although I knew that Maggie Stiefvater wrote it, it didn’t really feel like it. The writing was rather basic and not what I have come to love and expect from her. Overall I enjoyed this book but would have enjoyed it a bit more were it not for those two issues I had with it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited for this new book by Maggie Stiefvater as I have adored Stiefvater's writing in the past, specifically with The Raven Cycle series, however, I was admittedly tepid. The beginning was a little slow for me, though, I completely know why as it took quite a bit of world-building and lore to catch the reader up to speed. But after the beginning 10%, I literally read the rest in one sitting, I was enamored with the folklore, the expansion of familiar characters, and the introduction of new ones and the story! oh my goodness, the story, was incredible. I was a puddle of tears by the end of the book and though I am an emotional person who pretty much cries at everything, I can count on my hands the books that have made me cry. Something about Stiefvater's writing is so captivating, Stiefvater does an excellent job at making every character relatable and I found myself admiring every single one in this story. I especially loved the year countdown and the fickle nature of magic in this story just as we had seen in Brave.

I will admit, I am not very adept at Scottish folklore so I can't make a comment on the accuracy. However, at the end of the story, I did love Maggie's encouragement to look into the folklore mentioned within Bravely. I think Maggie did an excellent job weaving the story we saw unfold on the screens for Brave into a new story and I absolutely can't recommend this story enough. .

Merida has always been my favorite, there aren't many redhead princesses and I adore all the Scottish culture. I loved this book! Diving deeper into the culture and folklore. I'm not usually one for books with Gods involved but this one was very well done. I need this to be a movie, Merida needs more love! It did get slow towards the middle but it was still very easy to get through. The author really brought Merida to life and it felt like her from the movie.

As a fan of the Disney movie Brave AND a Maggie Stiefvater fan, Bravely was one of my most anticipated books of 2022. I knew Maggie Stiefvater was going to be the perfect author for this project and she did not disappoint!

Bravely was a great extension of Brave, one of my favorite Disney movies. Stiefvater captured what I loved best about the movie, the medieval Scotland setting, the loveable characters, and the fairytale feel.

I loved getting to revisit the kingdom of DunBroch and this amazing clan of characters. Stiefvater’s portrayal of Merida and the rest of Clan DunBroch felt very authentic. Each character that we fell in love with in the movie Brave felt well represented.

The plotline kept me interested from start to finish, Merida forming a bargain with gods, journeying to nearby kingdoms, and doing her best to save her kingdom and family. In true Maggie Stiefvater fashion, Bravely is a very atmospheric and otherworldly read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fairytales or fairytale retellings.

My only criticism of Bravely would be that I felt some parts of the story were a bit rushed and could have been more developed. For example, Merida’s travels throughout the story visiting neighboring kingdoms.

I really enjoyed how the story ended, bittersweet and open-ended to give us a glimpse of hope.

*Thank you to NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review*

An excellent addition to the Brave universe, Maggie Stiefvater expertly balances magic and history to bring Merida's family—and life—to the reader in a new and intriguing way.

Brave is one of my all time favorite Disney movies. She reminds me so much of myself, hair included. I was thrilled to be able to get an arc of this. I was not disappointed. I love the continuation of where Brave left off (a few years later). I was sucked right back into the Kingdom of DunBroch. I thought the story was perfect. I loved every minute of it but knew I would since it was Maggie Steifvater. Definitely recommend!

Finished this book just in time! While plenty of Maggie's books are on my shelf thanks to my sister, this is the first one I've read myself (but certainly not the last). Brave is one of my all time favorite animated films. Merida is one of my favorite heroines and Maggie did not disappoint with this book. While there were several points in the story that seemed a little slow and boring to me, it was overall a very enjoyable read. A little too YA for me, but that may just be my preferences moving to NA and adult fantasy books now. Overall, I love how Maggie stayed true to the film character while developing her further. I loved being able to explore more of Dunbroch. Maggie's writing is incredibly lush and really pulls you into the world. The story did get a bit slow sometimes which is what made me give it 3.75 stars, but overall I did enjoy this story and can't wait to own a copy!

I absolutely love the story of Brave, and this YA novel continuation of the story was absolutely incredible. Maggie Stiefvater kept a lot of the same magical vibe that the Disney movie created which was really nice. It allowed the story to feel like a connected piece and nit something separate.

I love the external and internal journeys that play out within this story, and it's truly made me love Merida even more than I already did. I was so submerged into this story, and loved it so much. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this novel.

Years after the conclusion of Brave, Merida finds herself making a deal with a god, Feradach. In order to save her family, Merida has one year to change all of them. Merdia sets out on three journeys to satisfy the mortal deal with another kingdom. Along the way, Feradach keeps showing up wherever she goes.
Opinion
Being a fan of Brave and Maggie Stiefvater, I just had to read this book. The book told a fantasy worthy of a Disney movie. (Disney, can you turn this book into a movie?) With a quest and lessons to learn, Merida sets out on a royal quest. This book is ideal for fans of fairy tales.
If you plan on listening to the audio book, prepare to be enchanted. The narrator does such a superb job. The accent makes it that much more fantastic.
Many thanks to Net Galley, Disney Audiobooks and Disney Publishing Worldwide for providing me with an ARC of both the e-book and the audiobook.

Thank you to the Disney Publishing and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this sequel to the movie Brave. In this story, Merida has a year to save her family from ruin, when a god, Feradach, shows up at Christmas and threatens her family.

I really enjoyed this story, especially listening to it as an audiobook. I have never read anything by Maggie Stiefvater before, but will definitely be checking out some of her other work.

Brave is not one of my favorite movies but I'm a sucker for anything Disney and when I saw that Maggie Stiefvater was writing, it became a MUST to request this E-arc. This story follows Merida’s journey a couple of years later after the movie. It was so fun to see the characters again, the triplets and her dad who did not fail to make me laugh. I loved that Maggie is so good with character writing that she managed to keep their essence but at the same time have them grow and mature. She was also great with the new characters and the setting description, I knew she would not disappoint me on that front. Merida goes on a journey to save her kingdom from ruin and uphold a bargain with a God and show him that change in the minds of her family is possible. On the other hand, Feradach, the God of Ruin, needs to show Merida why ruin is necessary for growth.

The middle did go a little slow for me but I enjoyed reading about the different cultures around DunBroch, how they all managed themselves differently, and had separate routines and priorities. If you are not used to Stiefvater’s writing style you might have trouble with her pacing but she will always reward you with a great ending and keeps you thinking afterward. It was a fun ride, watching Merida’s realization of the need for change but her determination to save her family and her kingdom, along with her wit and attitude makes this book such an exciting read.