These Disney sequels tend to either be hit or miss for me. However Bravely was a hit. Maggie Stiefvater gave me Merida growing into her own, and learning to be the leader she needed to be. Merida grew older and wiser and didn't change who she truly was. She was still the same Merida we got in Brave and I loved that.

<i>"Change isn't about getting taller or changing the roof over your head. Change happens in your heart, in your way of thinking, of moving in the world. And if it were present at DunBroch, I wouldn't be called here. Moth to flame, osprey to water, salmon to birthplace; they have their nature. I have my nature."</i>

<i>"Before you left, you were a person who would do those things. Now that you are back, you are a person who has done those things. You would do them again. What mark has been left on your heart or in the world from the doing of them? You have been learning new skills and riding horses here and there for your entire life.[...] Some storms make a lot of noise but move no rooftops."</i>

TL;DR: A sequel to Disney/Pixar's <i>Brave</i> which sees Merida as an older, somewhat wiser version of our headstrong & impetuous princess (although she is still both of those things) -- but given more emotional & psychological depth through Maggie Stiefvater's deft blending of characterization and medieval Celtic mythology.

<b><i>Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Netgalley & Disney Publishing in exchange for an honest review.</b></i>

Vibes: Disney/Pixar's <i>Brave</i> + [book:The Raven Boys|17675462]

Genre: YA/NA Fairy Tale Retelling
*I know this is marketed as a YA novel, but honestly? Merida reads so much older than the...21 (?) she's supposed to be in this book. (Depends on how old you see her as in the Pixar film. I know she's technically 16, but meh. She acted younger IMO.) I would also say that Maggie Stiefvater's books are so layered and nuanced and sophisticated that "target age" is really tricky to nail here.

Romance Meter: 🖤 🖤 ♡ ♡ ♡
There *is* romance, which I'm sure pisses some people off to no end -- Merida is, technically, the anti-romance princess; more on that below -- but I thought it was really, really well handled. Very in line with The Raven Cycle, where Blue & Gansy's romance is *there* but it doesn't dominate the entire plot, and it doesn't feel like a Romance story.

Character MVP: Leezie -- I got touches of Madison-from-She-Hulk as I was reading, mainly because what could have been a throwaway flat character was written with heart and nuance.

Verdict: 5/5. As to be expected with a Maggie book.

I love, love, loved this. It was both a wise and poor decision to read this over Christmas -- wise, because it made my mood-reading-heart happy, as the story starts and ends at Yuletide. Poor, because given everything going on around Christmas, it was hard to just sit down and read the way I would have liked to.

And Maggie Stiefvater writes with that extremely rare gift of combining beautiful & lush prose with a perfectly-paced plot.

THIS is what I want all Disney sequels and spin-offs to be. (And yes, Disney, I am still salty about that AWFUL Raising the Horseman story -- what Maggie Stiefvater could have done with that story....*shakes head mournfully at the wasted potential*)

What worked:

✔️ -- I can see some people not appreciating this, but I liked how Maggie handled Merida's character. If you wanted the *same* headstrong impetuous character as the film, you'd be disappointed, because Stiefvater's Merida isn't a teenager anymore; she's a young woman, and has matured accordingly. But the thing is that Merida *is* still headstrong & impetuous, since the catalyst for the plot is literally Merida running barefoot through the snow in the middle of the night because she's chasing down a stranger in the castle.

✔️ -- Feradach -- and his relationship with Merida -- is similarly handled well, and again, I can see this being something people took issue with.
If you saw Merida as the Anti-Marriage and Anti-Romance princess -- essentially the Anti-Disney-Princess -- then, yeah, I can see that.
BUT.
Just as Merida was never canonically queer she was never canonically Ace or anti-marriage. She was just Anti-Being-Ordered-Around-And-Told-What-To-D0. It's not that she *never* wanted to get married, she just didn't want to get married *then* because her mother told her to. She wanted it to be her choice, and I love how that ripples through the undercurrent of the plot. There are references to the events of the film, and the uneasy truce Merida and Elinor have.
And, really: it makes 100% sense that Merida wouldn't fall for a human boy and that she would fall in love with a god. Any human boy -- even in medieval Scotland -- would be too simple, too easy for her. And this Merida still loves a challenge and not taking the easy way out.
I even think that Maggie Stiefvater pulled a Charlotte Bronte at the end: if you want to, you can read the ending as ambiguous and platonic. (I don't; I chose to read it romantically, partly because...)

✔️ -- Merida's change.
This was perhaps the biggest nod to the story being marketed as YA, because in the end, Merida's change comes through having her heart broken. But as someone who didn't have their heart broken until they were in their mid-20s, this isn't a uniquely YA experience. And it does significantly and irrevocably change you, in deep and profound ways -- ways you can't fully understand unless it's happened to you. It's not something Maggie spends a lot of time on; it's enough -- if you've lived through it -- to say it happened, this is what Merida did, and this is where she ends up.

I would 100% read a sequel, Disney, if you choose to go that route. And also -- put authors like Maggie Stiefvater -- who can actually write stories with believable dialogue, an actual plot, and emotionally complex characters -- in charge of MORE projects instead of relying on Serena Valentino who has yet to do those things in a book that I've read. PLEASE.

"I have no interest in talking to you, and you have no business here yet. If I had my bow right now I would shoot you right through the eye; I don't care if you can be killed or not. I would do it for the satisfaction of pinning your face to the ground with an arrow." I am just going to add this to my dating profile because to the concern of my mother this is a mood. Overall, I think that this is a sweet read. I definitely think there were parts that could have been stronger, but overall I think that it was a book that was entertaining and quick to read.

This is a great book to give to Brave fans! Overall, I would definitely recommend it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I wanted to like this but I could not get into the story or the characters. I felt that it was pretty far fetched and not something I could connect to.

A fun sequel to the movie Brave. It was a fun read, but very YA, which was expected but I think I am just a bit too older for these types of books now.

Incidentally, this was my first book by this author which is likely not her most popular book so I should try the others. I love the Disney movie Brave, especially the setting, so I did enjoy this retelling. The audiobook narration was well done and I will not be hesitating to pass it along to my children at some point in the future.

As a longtime reader of anything Stievater, I was elated that she was writing a Merida story. There is so much depth in her world and character development. I will always read and recommend her books and Bravely is no exception. She is a phenomenal writer and brings this story to life.

For anyone who loves Disney's Brave, this story will immerse you back into Merida's life. A great tale for young adult, fantasy readers.

This cover is beautiful and the story is fun to go with it. I didn't think it was as excellent as some of Maggie Stiefvater's other writing but I did enjoy it. What I actually liked most was the setting and the lore, which is why I would actually recommend this book. So go in with an open mind and you will probably enjoy this one!

4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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I’ll be honest, I just totally forgot to write a review for this… sorry!! I’m not gonna go too in-depth about it.
Bravely is a continuation of the Disney/Pixar movie Brave… but only kind of. It deals with the same characters, but there’s almost no reference to the movie events. This isn’t to say it’s good or bad! Just can’t be compared too much to its source material.
I enjoyed the story itself very much—Stiefvater’s interpretation of the Celtic gods was interesting, and the story held my interest. It was fun for a continuation of Merida’s story, but I can’t really speak on how faithful Stiefvater’s version of Merida is to the movie. This isn’t because I like/dislike Brave too much, but rather because I’m awful at seeing if a book character is accurate to a movie adaptation. It’s just a bit difficult for me!
This is definitely not my best review, but a lot of the details I was going to include have faded out of my mind since May—this is why I review right away!!! I promise I did actually have fun with this story—the entire concept of Feradach and the bargain was very interesting, and I loved seeing Feradach pop up throughout the book. It’s a solidly ‘good’ read, but not something I’ll come back to for a while. 4 stars.

I’ve always thought it’d be fun to write for Disney and was thrilled to see that the amazing Maggie Stiefvater was teaming up with Disney Publishing to bring us a story about Merida from Pixar’s Brave.⁠
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Bravely (which was released May 3rd!!) has an amazing story that picks up about a year after Brave the film in which Merida has one year to save Dunbroch, or see it destroyed forever. Stiefvater really brought Merida to life on the page, and brings a richness to the story like only her writing can do. Each scene was brought to life, and has me (once again) wanting to book a trip to Scotland.⁠
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Whether you’re a fan of Brave, Disney Princesses, or Maggie Stiefvater, this is definitely a good addition to your TBR.

You cannot go wrong with Maggie Stiefvater's books. She has the remarkable ability to create entirely new stories unlike you've read before. Her knowledge of European mythology is vast and nuanced, which you'll know if you'd read her "Raven Boys" series. With this knowledge, it makes sense that Stiefvater is the perfect vessel for Merida's new story told in "Bravely." An epic, imaginative tale indeed.

The Review

This was a great read. The author excelled at continuously building an atmosphere and tone that reflected both the magic and historic nature of the narrative. The world-building was excellent here, as the author built upon the storied setting of Castle Dunbroch and the kingdom that Disney established in the film Brave and managed to craft enough new narrative to make the world feel even bigger and more alive.

The mythos, history, and imagery are all that really drove this narrative forward and elevated the characters to the heights that they reached. The way Scottish mythology and mythological figures played into the story, as well as the emotional storyline that was brought to life through Merida and her family, made for a brilliant story overall. Yet despite instances of magical action and adventure featuring ancient gods and mythological figures, the real emphasis on history that this story brought to life allowed for a really well-balanced novel that kept readers invested in this world.

The Verdict

Rich in world-building, heartfelt character growth, and entertaining mythology, author Maggie Stiefvater’s “Bravely” is a must-read YA Historical Fiction and Fantasy novel of 2022. The deep dive into Scottish mythology and history blended so well with the established Disney storylines and characters that Brave introduced, and yet the author’s unique twist on the character’s new story and the atmospheric world that the author brought to life through imagery and tone made this one of the year’s best YA reads.

This was flat and uninspired. I guess I thought that a continuation of the story told in the cartoon Brave would be intriguing in the hands of Stiefvater, who wrote The Raven Cycle series, which I love. However, these characters are cardboard, the dialogue stilted, and the story basically a recycle of the cartoon even though everyone has aged up and romance plays a central theme. I wanted an actual novel…I did not get one. Let’s be honest though, I’ll keep this book because that cover is amazing. Sigh.

I loved reading this book! To begin, Brave was always one of my favorite Disney movies so this was something I was already interested in but Stiefvater brought the character to life!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Disney Publishing Worldwide, and the amazing Maggie Stiefvater for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review, all opinions are my own.

This was a wonderful rendition of Merida and I loved Stiefvater's writing in this book. I think it's a great YA novel that would appeal to those on any end of the YA spectrum, it's a great read.

It had a great medieval feel to it throughout, and I loved the growth of the characters. Would definitely recommend this read to all YA readers.

Merida of DunBroch has just returned home for the Christmas holidays after traveling about the kingdom and surrounding lands—meeting new people and learning new things. She returns to find everything just as she left it and the only changes are those of accumulating more wear and tear. She hasn't been home that long but she's already restless.

Then on Christmas Eve, three knocks on the door that leads from the kitchen to the outside, and what she sees when she opens that door sets her on an adventure that she fears she will lose. By the end of one year, she must prove to Feradach that DunBroch and all its people are worthy of continuing otherwise he will destroy the people, the castle, and the land.

A quest. She did it once before. Could she do it again? Without the intervention of Cailleach, Feradach would already have acted, she has one year, four seasons, to prove that her family--mother, father, three brothers, and the people of the kingdom--can change, move forward, and look forward instead of standing still.

It's not going to be easy. She plans to travel with members of her family and hopefully open them up to change. But nothing goes as she plans. It seems people have their own ideas of what to do with their lives. She also learns she doesn't know her family members as well as she thought she did.

It's a glorious, dangerous, exciting series of adventures with each one teaching Merida something about her family and herself. She also has to change herself as well as the others and that is a much more difficult task than she ever expected or thought it would be.

A delightful, exciting, frustrating, and horrifying tale of adventure and growth. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Anyone who enjoyed these characters from the movie, Brave is sure to enjoy Bravely.

A very fun YA adventure that can appeal to the younger and older side of YA. I wasn't sure about it at first, but my enjoyment grew as I continued. I would recommend this to many teens especially for those teens who want to start reading YA.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Bravely, the story of how Princess Merida of Disney fame, grew up is set years after our introduction to Merida in the film Brave. Merida of DunBroch has been traveling around Scotland to get to know other parts of the country. Upon her return home, she encounters magic in the form of Feradach, a god whose role is to speed up rot and ruin. Cailleach, the god of renewal steps in and a bargain is made. Feradach won't destroy Merida's home of DunBroch and her family if she can instigate positive change in the place and people dearest to her.

Merida travels again to help her brothers learn about the kingdom and to learn how to make improvements in the lot of her family's life. While she loves her parents and brothers, even Merida has to admit that they have all let things slide. The castle is in disrepair. Her brothers are indolent, and her father hasn't been reigning as a proper king.

This book is recommended for readers of all ages who enjoyed the movie, enjoy medieval history, and/or enjoy fantasy. Stiefvater has created a complex, but full world for the inhabitants of DunBroch.