First off, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect with "Bravely". All I knew going into this was my love for Disney's Brave and Merida. Although this is a YA read, I still loved the adaptation of Merida's future.

I was blown away about this sequel to 'Brave', which is set several years after the Disney movie. It made the experience that much more enjoyable because I've watched that movie so many times. I absolutely LOVED the way Maggie intertwined ancient deities and mythology. As many of us know based on Merida in the Disney movie, she is always looking for adventure and easily bored. Although this is a YA book, it includes so much emotion and action that leaves the reader flipping the pages to find out what happens next.

The adventure starts when Merida meets Feradach, the God of Destruction, who is determined to destroy her kingdom. Cailleach, the God of Creation, steps in at the last moment with an ultimatum; he gives Merida one year to get her family to change or her kingdom will fall into the hands of Feradach.

This ends up being a story of change and growth, which is exactly what Merida needs to determine she is a worthy ruler and family member. I LOVED watching Merida's determined spirit grow as the story progressed. If YOU are a fan of Disney's Brave - I highly recommend you pick this up and step into the sequel.

Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC for my honest review.

In her newest novel., Maggie Stiefvater has written an intricate tale of wild magic, strong heroines, and long-forgotten folklore.

Bravely is a continuation of Disney/Pixar's Brave, and while it's not my favorite movie, I do enjoy Merida's adventures and her fiery nature. Her adventures have continued in the years since the events of the film, and her nature is as fiery as ever. But when an encounter with a god on a winter's night leads Merida into a bargain that will decide the fate of her family and her kingdom, she'll have to put her strengths to good use and prove that people can change for the better.

Bravely takes a different tone than Brave. While there are certainly sweet, Disney-esque moments, this is a much more serious story with much more drastic consequences. There's also much more introspection; readers get to really see how Merida is struggling to find her place both in the world and in her family, and her bargain pushes her to reflect on how she is (or isn't) causing change through her actions. We also get to see and learn more about Merida's family. I really enjoyed seeing Elinor and Fergus change throughout the course of the story, and I absolutely loved getting to know the triplets as individuals. Harris, Hamish, and Hubert are three very different boys, and Merida's interactions with them lead to some big, important changes for her family and the kingdom of DunBroch.

Of course, there are also big changes caused by Merida's interactions with Feradach, the god of ruin, with whom she is battling against for the fate of DunBroch. Feradach is a very interesting character and very contradictory, too. I loved the conundrum he posed to Merida simply by his very nature, and it was interesting to see her slowly learn exactly why the ruin Feradach brings is needed. The relationship between these two goes back and forth, which is exactly what I would expect between the quick-witted, adventurous princess and any foe, even one that's a god. And things between them go in unexpected but realistic ways, and although the last few scenes between them were bittersweet, that last sentence left me hopeful...

Bravely is a fun adventure that combines Disney characters with Maggie's unique writing style to create something that fans of the movie and new readers will both enjoy. I don't think it hurts to have watched the film beforehand, but I don't think it's necessary. Nonetheless, fans of the film will appreciate how well Maggie has captured Merida's spirit, and everyone will love this story of magic, change, and accepting hard truths about yourself.

Merida of DunBroch is the kind of girl that magic seeks. While others try to understand magic's arcane ways, Merida has known from a young age to be wary of it--especially after a curse almost turned her mother and her younger brothers into bears forever.

Now, Merida knows better than to chase magic. Instead she has traveled. She has explored. She has learned. But it still always feels like something is missing. Like she's waiting for something to change.

Then she hears the knock on Christmas Eve. When goddesses and gods make themselves known to you, you listen whether you want to understand their magic or not.

When Feradach the god of ruin himself says he is going to bring catastrophic change to your home and your family, you try to stop him.

When that doesn't work, you strike a bargain with help from the Cailleach, the most ancient of goddesses and one who might have a soft spot for Merida and her family.

Once the bargain is struck, Merida has a year to change all of the things that have grown stagnant in DunBroch and show Feradach how much they can change without his ruination.

One princess, two gods, three voyages, four seasons for Merida to save everything she holds dear in Bravely (2022) by Maggie Stiefvater.

Bravely is an official continuation of Princess Merida's story (as originally seen in the 2012 Disney film Brave) written by Stiefvater. Set a few years after the events of the film, Bravely references Merida's past but functions on its own. All characters in this Scottish-set story are presumed white.

A close third person narrator and eerie opening lend Bravely a fairytale feel as the stage is set for Merida's bargain with Feradach. Stiefvater populates Merida's world with a combination of historical figures, familiar faces from the film, and gods and goddesses (some historically accurate, some imagined) alongside entirely new characters to create a large cast that takes some time to get to know and care about. Set over the course of the year, this story builds slowly before finding its footing in the second half as the plot shifts into new territory.

A slow start builds to a satisfying conclusion as Bravely blends new and old to create a story centered on themes of change and renewal. Bravely is an appropriately nuanced story perfect for Disney fans and readers of historical fantasy alike.

Possible Pairings: Ferryman by Claire McFall, Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Little Thieves by Margaret Owen, Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson, Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*

A must-read for fans of the Disney movie Brave. Maggie Stiefvater perfectly captures Merida's voice, the reader will easily be able to "hear" her as they read. With a compelling story, you'll be pulled to read just one chapter more to find out what happens next. If Disney hasn't optioned this for a movie yet, they should!

When everyone needs to change you can't forget about yourself. Merida must get her entire family to change within a year or they will all die and their home be destroyed. Along the way Merida falls in love with a god and travels to distant lands. Adventurous story and great characters.

Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater is the perfect YA sequel to the Disney hit movie Brave! Merida of DunBroch is tasked to save her family from ruin at the hand of a twisted god. This novel takes place over the course of a year, and follows Merida after she discovers DunBroch, and all she has ever loved, is about to fall to the terrible fate of Feradach, a god tasked to ruin and destroy. The story was perfect for fans of Brave, and I loved the development of both major and minor characters. Everyone in the novel experienced true growth in the most heartwarming of ways.

I would definitely recommend this novel to my students and Disney fans alike!

Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Writing Style: 5
Cover: 4
Enjoyment: 5

Two reasons I was apprehensive about reading "Bravely" -

1. I am not a huge fan of the movie. Visually, holy hell, it's so much wonderful eye candy, but everything else just wasn't enough to get "Brave" on the re-watch list.

2. I hated The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I enjoyed Stiefvater's writing then, but nothing else.

However, this book? Love it. Endlessly. It makes the would-re-read-and-buy list. I am so badly hoping we'll get another installment, but if this is all we'll get, then that's alright. Again, Stiefvater's writing is beautiful, beautiful stuff. I liked the fleshing out of the characters and their voices, including the new ones. The story is solid, as is the conclusion, world-building, and pace.

And! Bonus points for using the correct phrase and not the one commonly misused. "If he thought she would so easily forget wheat she had seen him do in Kinlochy, he had another thought coming." It's another think/thought, not another thing.

This is the first time I’ve read a story that’s a continuation of an animated film. This middle grade novel follows the characters from Disney/Pixar’s Brave, with Merida as the protagonist in another adventure that threatens the safety of her family and home.

I quite enjoyed the historical elements that played out in the book, as well as the folklore that makes this feel very fairytale-ish. It took me a while to get into the story, and I enjoyed it for the most part once I was invested. There is a lot of character development, though I wish there was a bit more depth and description in some areas and not quite as much in others.

If you loved Brave, check this one out!

Bravely is a young adult book sequel to the Disney movie “Brave.” In “Brave,” set in Medieval Scotland, we met 16-year-old Princess Merida of the clan DunBroch. You don’t need to have seen the movie however to enjoy the book. Princess Merida is now several years older, and we learn in the forward, if we hadn’t seen the film, that she is well-acquainted with magic. As her mother explained to her, there are two types of people with Sight, as Merida has: “people who were interested in magic, and people magic was interested in.” Merida understood she was in the latter group.

We (along with Merida) first encounter Feradach, a god of ruin, on Christmas Eve. He is set on destroying DunBroch because it has stagnated. But Cailleach, a goddess of creation, the goddess of winter, the goddess of *Scotland* - happens to favor DunBroch, and has ways of outwitting Feradach.

Merida attempts to make a bargain with Feradach. She tells him she needs *time* to change the members of Clan Dunbroch and help fix the balance. With Cailleach’s mediation, Merida is granted a year, but every member of the family has to change in order for Merida to win the bargain.

As the gods watch, Merida journeys to neighboring kingdoms to inspire change in her family. But she nearly forgets that she needs to change as well.


Evaluation: There is much to like in this magical tale with its spirited heroine and wily gods. Stiefvater is adept at appealing to a young adult audience, and manages to turn a Disney story for younger kids into a riveting adventure for teens.

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t perfect and had some nitpicks, but it felt like a natural follow up to the movie. I enjoyed getting to see all these characters and especially enjoyed getting the characters of the triplets fleshed out more. My biggest complaint was the ending, but most of it was a personal thing. Would definitely read this again and would read more Disney stories from the author.

Thank you Netgalley and Disney Press for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I heard Maggie Stiefvater, author of Shiver and The Raven Cycle, was writing a sequel to Brave, I was ecstatic! The cover is absolutely gorgeous, you really can't go wrong with a Charlie Bowater illustration. And of course, Merida is one of my favorite Disney Princesses and has one of the better storylines in the Disney Universe.

Though the book has greatness attached to it I did end up not finishing the story. I have been finding myself not as interested in the younger YA category and sometimes there are great hits but for the most part, greater misses. This one was a bit of a miss for me. I wanted to adore the writing and the continued world building, and honestly you couldn't have picked a better author for this book but sometimes not even the author can save it from failing.

I think once the book is officially released I will give Merida's world another shot, but for now this one was just not for me.

3 stars for what I have read so far (about 40%)

Let me just say that this cover is actually gorgeous. Like I am actually obsessed. But anyways, I thought it was really good. The plot was interesting and so were the characters. I also liked the fact that this was a Brave retelling, I loved that movie when I was younger so I was so excited to read this when I found out I got the ARC. I think the only thing I do have to say about this book though was that it was really confusing in the beginning. Maggie’s books are always kind of like that, so I probably shouldn’t have been surprised but I still was. Other than that this was a 4/5 for me. Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of this book!

I have been a fan of Maggie Stiefvater since Shiver in 2009. I knew going into this book that Bravely would be a completely new voice for Maggie and a continuation of Merida’s character in Brave.

I wholeheartedly love the idea of taking a beloved character and bringing it across multiple spaces. Bravely was a breath of fresh air on a Disney plot. I love what Maggie Stiefvater did to the character her family and the other characters at Dunbroch. I think this is a fantastic middle grade reader that children, parents, and teachers can enjoy.

I'd like to thank #netgalley for letting me read this eArc of #Bravely by #MaggieStiefvater.
So first off the cover of this book is breathtaking! Other than it being a Disney book that is what pulled me to it because if I'm being honest I never really liked the movie Brave. I have never cared for the story but the cover of this book and the description sounded amazing and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read it early! Although it follows after the movie but several years after it felt more grown up which I suppose it is. Merida is still her stubborn self that is very opinionated and passionate about her thoughts. But in this story we get a deeper look into the triplets and her parents. Destruction is at their door step but more than one type and Merida as always thinks that she has solved both problems but has she? Magic is once again at work in Merida's life forcing her to work with two forces of nature. She must incite change but not on a surface level and she must remember to change herself as well. Is true change possible or is Dunbroch better off starting anew from the ashes of the old?

Definitely my favourite Disney spin-off novel by a fantastic author. This story picks up years after the movie with Merida having to save her home from Federach, the god of ruin. In striking a bargain with the gods, Merida can save her home if she brings about enough change in DunBroch castle.

The author created well developed characters, not just Merida but also her brothers, parents, Federach and even some of the household staff. I was impressed by how she managed to develop the characters and show their changes over time without causing the plot to drag. She fluidly wove all parts together into a masterful whole.

Thank you to #netgalley for the arc copy to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for this ARC!

I adored this book to no end. Maggie Stiefvater has such a beautiful way with words and the character development is so sound you can't help but get fully immersed into the story.

I love the movie Brave and could not wait to read this book that can be viewed as a second instalment. We really get to dive into the world at DunBroch and understand what motivates every member of the family.

And the magic!
This was one of my best reads on NetGalley. 5 stars without hesitation!

I love when Disney allows authors to create new stories! Merida is my favorite Disney princess! I loved this story and the journey that Merida has to go on to save her kingdom! I have already preordered this and can't wait for it to arrive to reread the physical copy!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

As much as I hate to say it I personally didn't enjoy this one. I went into the novel knowing nothing beforehand about the plot, and after reading several other reviews I think a lot of people were blindsided by the fact that it was a sequel. A sequel of different sorts, though, it was one of a movie. I am glad that I did have the pre-standing knowledge of the movie Brave, but I can see where many others are coming from as far as their critics on that level. The thing I struggled with the most, though, was the connection with the characters. I felt like the author was so focused on the word choice that she completely lost track of the fact that she should be spending some time fleshing these characters out a little more. I was also mildly disappointed, too, with the author in general. I was very excited to finally tackle my first Maggie Stiefvater novel and was disappointed by the fact that I had been let down so hard by this anticipated author. Given the fact that I have seen many others admit that this was not her best work and that it certainly did not compare to the Raven Boys series, I will be giving her another try, but I will definitely be a little more apprehensive about it.

This book was a no-brainer for me. One of my favorite Disney movies 'check'. One of my favorite authors writing about one of my favorite Disney characters? TRIPLE-CHECK!!!

Seeing as how Maggie Stiefvater is a skilled Celtic musician on several different instruments and her novels all lean towards Celtic folklore and traditions, I was expecting her take on the Dunbroch clan to be suitably steeped in Celtic lore/history and traditions and I was NOT disappointed.

Taking place several years after the events of the movie Brave, Merida is at loose ends with herself. Simultaneously loving and despairing of her family. Then she catches a stranger in the courtyard and finds herself entangled once again with magic. This time with much larger stakes than just her mum turning into a bear.

Really enjoyed finding out about Elinor and Fergus when they were younger and also was intrigued by the changes in the triplets. Fingers crossed for a book about Elinor and Fergus's courtship. I want to know HOW these two met and came together!

I actually rate Bravely as a 4.5 stars. I'm withholding that extra 1/2 a star for personal reasons that would be a spoiler in review.

If you enjoyed Brave and love Merida and her rowdy clan, this book does not disappoint! It also brings up some very good and pertinent points about stagnation and the power of change. I need to go sit in a corner and think about some of the thoughts and feelings stirred up by these insights.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was absolutely amazing. The writing entranced me from the beginning and I loved seeing Merida’s story expand with this book. It was beautiful and bittersweet and I loved every second.