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.

Thank you Netgalley for the digital ARC!

I had really high hopes for this book because of the beautiful cover, the author and Merida being one of my favorite disney princesses. It was a good book but I didn’t like the writing that much and the character description.

Thank you so much to Disney Publishing for an advanced copy of Bravely. This book was so good!

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Fantasy
Pub Date: May 3, 2022

Bravely is by far the best Disney book I've read. The book remained true to the folklore of the Brave story and the original movie characters while also incorporating new concepts and people. The story really had a good flow to it, and while the book started a bit slow, it really picked up at the halfway point. I thought the writing was consistent and engaging (a problem I've noticed in other Disney books), and I was really invested in the storyline. I liked that the ending stayed true to the movie, but also expanded on it at the same time. Overall, this was a fabulous addition to my Disney reading, and I'll definitely be buying a copy for my shelves.

I think this is a hard book for me to review because overall I did not click well with the writing. It felt overly wordy and personally not in the enjoyable way. Maybe it’s just not a good fit as I’m not the target audience but I’ve read other middle grade stories and enjoyed them. I think I might have over hyped this up in my head too much from the cover and the idea of a Brave part 2 type of story. I found my mind wandering and not caring and for a book I thought would be a fun easy read coming from a Disney story I did not find that. I love the movie Brave and adore Merida but this story seems to have lost that magic. Maybe if I had never watched or known anything about the movie version of Merida I could have enjoyed this story more. Overall this book is decent I think just isn’t for me. Maybe for a younger audience or someone who enjoys the authors writing style they would enjoy this.

Thank you Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie Stiefvater either stole or I sold her my soul many moons ago but what a ride it's been ever since.

This was atmospheric and wonderful and funny and warm and beautiful. Brave is such a great story and being able to immerse myself in Maggie's writing in a familiar world was such a gift.

I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book

while I love Maggie Stiefvater and read all of her books, sadly don't love all of them and this is one of those, I guess I had high expectations and was waiting for a book with heavily magical elements, don't get me wrong it was a good read just didn't quite get there for me

When I heard Maggie Stiefvater was going to be giving us a young adult novel based on Brave..... I knew we were about to have something good on our hands. Brave wasn't my favorite Disney movie but what I did enjoy was the beautiful atmosphere DunBroch and how that plays a part of the story. And of course, Stiefvater wrote the land just like what I saw on screen plus giving the readers more of the culture and residents.
The story overall had a slow start but I could see the concept playing out while reading and found it very compelling.
The characters were well written, I do wish there was a balance between getting to know all the side characters as it felt some were shown off more than others.
The ending made up for the slow beginning but I just hope readers will stick around for it.

Whilst this book was very poetic and woven with Scottish beauty, my reading genre has greatly changed since I was a tween - my childhood self would have adored it!

I especially enjoyed reading about my favorite Disney princess. Although, she no longer felt like the strong and reckless young girl she was in the movie Brave. Of course, she was in no way meant to be depicted similarly to the movie, but I did figure that she would have remnants of that independent girl.

Other than that, the book itself was woven beautifully. I loved how clear the mythology was, as well as the god of disaster and the goddess of renewal - their witty behavior were characteristics I deeply enjoyed reading about.

Overall, this was a great read! I highly recommend the book itself for middle school readers.

Rating : 3.0

I wanted to read this book because I want to read anything Maggie writes. At first, I was trying too hard to remember and refer back to the events of the Disney movie and trying to fit this story into that one. I put the book down, read a few others, and came back with a new perspective. Once I let go of the Disney movie, I could enjoy this story as a fairytale and coming of age story in its own right. I enjoyed a look at a Scottish "mythology" that I didn't know anything about and a look at the various Scottish villages and customs. I appreciate the "messiness" of the family; they love each other, but it's complicated. Overall, I think readers who like a good fairytale will enjoy this novel even if they are not familiar with Merida's backstory. Thanks, NetGalley, for the opportunity to get a sneak peek at this novel by a favorite author.

Maggie Stiefvater does it again yall! I absolutely LOVED this book, Merida and the movie Brave has been one of my favorites since it came out in 2012 and I was SOOO excited to get an eARC from NetGalley. Plz note this isn’t a retelling or a Disney twist, it’s a sequel to the movie itself!

This book is just PERFECT. Im honestly surprised there wasn’t a single thing I didn’t like. We get to explore more of Merida’s Scotland and explore more of the characters and their lives without straying too far from the original characters we see in the movie. The perfect blend of Disney and mythology! Even the romance (yes I said romance, but bear with me) is flawless. Merida is obviously still the Merida we love and know so don’t judge a book by it’s romance. One of my favorite things is that we get to see more of the triplets and their individual personalities, their own struggles and how they deal with things! Gives them more character than just Merida’s little brothers.

I don’t want to say too much more and spoil it- gotta leave the magic of surprise! But Maggie’s writing, the plot and the characters are just all flawless. If you love anything and everything Disney, you’ll like (maybe even love,) this book!

I’d like to thank Disney Publishing Worldwide for allowing me to read an eArc for this book!

“There are two types of people. There are people who seek the magic, and people the magic seeks.”

I loved this book as a follow-up to the movie. I think that Maggie’s writing style really paired super well with this story. It takes place (I assume) 5+ years after the original movie and includes many of the characters we loved, but also many new faces. I 100% think this book could be a standalone read to anyone that never saw the movie because these characters (especially the triplets) have grown up and you get introduced to them as they are now without leaning on what the movie showed. I think it references the events of the movie maybe once.

I also really enjoyed that, because of Merida growing up, the story also felt more mature and a touch darker. As it explains how the cycle of ruin turns to new growth we do see towns meet fairly gruesome ends. Death is not something that was shied away from in this book.

I was also pleasantly surprised when it came to the “love interest” aspect as that (or lack thereof) was such a pivotal point in the movie. However, Merida has grown as time has passed and still wasn’t interested in ending up with someone she didn’t want to be with. The like ending love confession was a bit odd and I don’t know if the characters really had a lot of chemistry, but it definitely prompted some development from Merida and I appreciate that her values were still put first.

Definitely check it out if you love Brave and/or the writing style of Maggie Stiefvater.

Oh what a delightful continuation of the movie Brave. Maggie Stiefvater is an excellent writer and she captured the spirit of Merida perfectly and added depth to the triplets letting each be his own individual self. Well worth the read.

Bravely is a sequel to the movie Brave, and I enjoyed the premise. I thought the writing style was lush and lovely. The Celtic folklore was interesting, and I enjoyed those elements.

The pacing could be better. Some things were rushed while some things dragged on. The dialogue could be a bit choppy sometimes and I found myself skimming conversations. New characters galore! Some of them were meh, some were great! I enjoyed seeing the differences in the triplets as they got older. I especially loved the expansion on Elinor's character.

I liked Merida's ending and I thought it was very fitting for her character.

Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I will review this on my bookstagram account! Bravely is a retelling of Disney’s Brave. I loved this take on Merida and how it’s a much darker story than the Disneyfied version !!

Ruin and renewal, two gods, a bargain, a family at stake, and possible romance all come together in this beautiful story. The story follows Merida of DunBroch, princess and protagonist of the movie Brave, except now she’s older and this all happens a few years after the movie. Merida finds herself between two gods, Feradach, a god of ruin and Cailleach, a god of creation. Merida must prove to the gods that she can change her family in a year or they will all be ruined. Now we will follow Merida through the four seasons as she travels to three different kingdoms to witness the good and bad and help her family change while also uncovering change within herself. We are given more insight into her family, especially her mother and father’s past as well as more characterization of her triplet brothers. I loved the whole “ruin and renewal” lesson of the book, how we sometimes need to destroy something to pave way for something new. Also the very soft romance that just leaves off on an unresolved note?? Please I need a second book or a bonus epilogue or something, you’ve completely shattered me with that unresolved ending Maggie Stiefvater. HONESTLY WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO NOW? I NEED ANSWERS SO BADLY. I did enjoy reading this book but that ending just kind of broke my heart. I want more, I would honestly love a sequel to go on with this story and get some resolution cuz oh god do I need it.

*Thank you Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Several years after the events of Brave, our favorite red headed archer princess is back! Merida once again gets herself tangled up in another adventure, this one with even higher stakes than her first adventure. Maggie Stiefvater has expanded the world of Brave far beyond what Disney did with their film, adding more detail and world building that extends far past the borders of Dunbroch.

Let’s start with the things I liked first. Oh man did I MISS MERIDA. I missed Brave and DunBroch and the triplets. As soon as she started describing Dunbroch and Merida’s day to day life, I was hit with nostalgic. I had never read anything by Maggie Stiefvater before this and I picked up how talented of a writer she is within the first couple pages. The way that she describes Dunbroch clearly displays her poetic way of writing and literary talent.

“Now, there are three DunBrochs: the castle DunBroch, gazing watchfully over the wooded hillsides. The kingdom DunBroch, with its lochs and burns, its lowland fields and highland shielings, its coven of white-haired mountains and sliver of black-tongued sea. And the Clan DunBroch: King Fergus, Queen Elinor, Princess Merida, and three triplet princes, Hubert, Harris, and Hamish.“

Maggie also captured Merida’s personality really well, and she’s such as fiery and impulsive as she was in the film. Like the movie, she has a lot of heart as well.

I also loved the family dynamic. Reading about how bustling, full, and happy DunBroch was made me feel like I was celebrating Christmas in a house full of family members. Reading about the triplets, Merida, her parents, and their beloved staff on their daily adventures just felt so warm and comforting, like how you’d feel if you had the hustle and bustle of living with a big family.

The only thing that I didn’t like about Brave was the added addition of Celtic mythology as a plot device. Honestly, it felt random to tie in Merida’s world with mythology. Personally, I didn’t like it and I thought that it didn’t fit with Merida’s story or the world that was established in Brave. It felt super random to me and I was surprised to see that Maggie had chosen to go that route for a sequel to Brave. For that reason, Bravely doesn’t feel like a true continuation of the original movie. An alternate reality version, maybe. But this veered too much into foreign territory for me to consider this canon. It went from a movie with a magical story about witches and will o wisps, to delving into Celtic mythology? It just felt so random and left field.

Yes, this book is technically a fairytale, but it felt less so of a fairytale than the original film did. The mythology concept just made it feel too separate from the original film. I’d recommend Bravely to celtic mythology fans rather than fairytale lovers. However, fans of the original film will enjoy seeing Merida and DunBroch again.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

3 stars, this is a book I so desperately wish I could give a higher rating to. But unfortunately the pacing was just not there for me. There were scenes I found myself skimming because they just went on when they didn't have to, while the book seemed to rush through scenes I would have loved to see more of.

I feel this book spent a lot of time trying to stay true to its Brave roots, instead of honouring it's new story.

At the very end it got quite exciting, with loads of action. But again, it rushed through it.

I also would have LOVED to see more of the revealed relationship. Unfortunately, the book ended there. :(