3.5 stars rounded up to 4

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a good YA Fantasy continuing the story of the Disney movie Brave. The book is set several years after the movie and we find Merida traveling the countryside learning new skills and the triplets languishing at home, unchanged and unmotivated. In fact, most of her family seems to be stuck, with little purpose or motivation to change things. Which is the problem.

On Christmas Eve Merida encounters two gods. One tasked with rooting out rot and stagnation, and intent on destroying DunBroch and everyone within it. 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. Merida immediately starts her quest, which is fraught with a multitude of complications, some from her family and some from external forces. Will she be able to convince her family to change a lifetime of complacency?

I loved this movie so I jumped at the chance to read this continuation of it. Merida is her usual capable self, although she is not immune from feeling complacent and aimless at times. Merida must re-learn what she thought she knew about her family members in order to find out what they need to jolt themselves out of their rut. Some are easy, while others will test Merida's abilities and patience. One further complication is her growing feelings for the destructive god Feradach. She slowly learns more of his backstory and just how much his duties weigh on him. These feelings complicate Merida's journey, although her family will always come first.

Despite plenty of action in the book, there were times when the story slowed down and the pace was uneven. The author's ability to develop characters, even minor ones, however, helps pull the reader out of the slow parts. This was a thoroughly enjoyable book, even if you're not a huge fan of the movie Brave. I recommend you read it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide and Disney Press. All opinions are my own.

This was unexpected. I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I saw was Maggie's name and I asked for it. Not until much later did I realize that this is not only a Disney story, but a sequel to Brave. I was surprised and scared all at the same time. I have always had every faith in Maggie's writing. So I was nervous and then very curious to how this would work out, how it would connect with what we know from the movie.

It was really good. Like, really. It's on the younger side of the YA range for me, but hey... it's still a fun story.

I'm not one to go over the plot and what the book is really about. Readers can get enough of that from the blurb. What I will say is that I really dug it, liked where it went, and how it ended. It was a lot of fun to be in this world and I think I may go and watch Brave again before I read this one more time.

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.

I really enjoyed this novel and story that jumps in right after the movie. Its YA- but I would say its better suited to middle grade/tweens. It does have some mature themes with the consequences of the God of destruction being death but all in all its a great story for kids 10+.

It draws you in right from the beginning, but is a tad slow in the middle. I had to push to get through the middle but it picks up again and the last 35% is a whirlwind

This story was okay but maybe not for me. I got a little bored and didn't finish. I may try again later.

I'm giving this three stars. Even though I DNF'd it, its not a negative review on the authors part or even the book itself. Its all my fault for asking for this one knowing that Brave is my least favorite Disney movie but I thought I'd give it a shot since I love Stiefvaters writing but unfortunately the story is not for me.

When I heard there was going to be a novel about Merida, my favorite Disney princess, I was a little worried. Then I heard Maggie Stiefvater was writing it, and I relaxed a little. She did not break my trust; this was amazing.

Stiefvater so well captures Merida's free spirit and strong sense of self and weaves it into a fantastic adventure story. This book added so much (in a great way) to Merida's story and deepened her character.

This made me want Stiefvater to write books for more princesses.

Bravely is a continuation of the Brave story with Merida a few years older and a little bit wiser. Stiefvater does a great job of keeping the general feel of the original characters while allowing them to grow and evolve. I can't wait to put this title in our library's collection.

This book was everything I would have wanted and more! Merida is my favorite princess (as a grown up) and I loved this story for her. The world building was also very well done and something I enjoyed.

Absolutely brilliant. The writing was flawless and brought Merida to life as someone YA/NA readers can relate to. The relationship between her and Feradach was complex and inspiring. A true tale of finding oneself when you least expect to. The subtle parallels between the story and current events and mindsets was executed flawlessly and I truly hope there will be a follow-up novel.

This was ... okay. I wanted to LOVE it, like really love it. Brave, the movie, was so empowering. I didn't get that from this continuation.

I love this author and knew that her style was different, but it still drug a lot in the middle for me. There were some interesting parts, especially DunBroch and all the traditions held there.

I've put this review off because I won't be posting it anywhere. My reasoning for this is simple, people will love this book and I don't want to put any negative thoughts out to ruin it for others.

I'm grateful for the chance to read and review this. My plan is to read it again, as I'm a mood reader, it could have been the timing for me.

LOVE THIS COVER

Maggie Stiefvater's Bravely helps mark the 10 years since Brave released from Pixar, with this uniquely fresh take on Princess Merida set several years following the close of the film. Stiefvater is best-known for her ability to steep readers in age-old cultures, legends, and lore in a way that still feels accessible and enticing for today's teen. In Bravely, the author brings her talents to the ancient, rolling hills of Scotland, to the kingdom of DunBroch and its fiery-headed--and fiery-tempered--Princess Merida.

After a year of traveling to see a variety of different places, Merida comes home for Christmas to face off against the ancient gods of Scotland in this magic-infused epic adventure where each step will bring Merida closer to saving the family she loves -- or losing them forever. DunBroch has fallen into stagnation, and the gods have marked it for ruin and rebirth. Merida never expected 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. Merida has one year to get her family to change or her beloved kingdom will be at the mercy of Feradach to wipe it from the face of the earth. Under the watchful eyes of the gods, Merida leads a series of three 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?

There is also a growing threat from a nearby king who wants DunBroch to kneel to him, give up one of the triplets or marry off Merida to another kingdom, and an additional promise to reach out to neighboring kingdoms and learn from them. Each of her journey's are with a member of her family. From travel with her brother Hubert where she is uncomfortable in her surroundings, to travel with her father King Fergus who discovers a village already in danger of being destroyed, and lastly her mother Elinor where Merida gets a surprise revelation about her mothers own past.

This Merida is a bit older and wiser, having lived and traveled, but still has the wild heart and stubborn nature. Her evolving relationship with Feradach, the god of destruction is complex and compelling, and I believe most readers will want more than what we get. Feradach is a very interesting character and very contradictory, too. While she's pretty much been left alone by her mother Queen Elinor, learning more about who she was before she met her father is enlightening. There's still some conflict there. She also has to put up with her devious triplet brothers (toddlers in the movie) who love antagonizing her. But the brothers are more than devious boys who love to create chaos.

Overall, I think people who watched Brave, will definitely enjoy this story. It's good getting caught up with the characters we've all seen on TV, or the movies.

I'll be honest: I fell asleep listening to this. Twice.
Which isn't great. After finding my spot the first time, and re-listening to the parts before, I wasn't into it. So the second time, I barely wanted to find my spot.

Maggie Stiefvater is an author that I sometimes feel like I have to fight to finish, and unfortunately my love of Disney didn't help this time.
I'm sure some other people will LOVE this, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

I loved this version of Merida! This story takes place after the events of Brave. Merida is a teen and her triplet brothers are older; however, they still spark of the characters you know and love from the movie. Merida lives for her family and does whatever she can do save them: even if that means making deals with the gods.

Dunbroch has become stagnant. No one changes: not even Merida. The king is still his joyful self. The queen is still prim and proper. Merida LOVES her bow and still dominates over everyone on the range. The triplets still cause trouble and have yet to find their own callings/distinct personalities. And where stagnation reigns, ruin is sure to follow at least where the gods are concerned.

Feradach is the god of ruin and destruction and Dunbroch is calling to him. So Merida will have to call upon the Cailleach, the goddess of creation, to help save all that she holds dear. Merida has a year to change everyone and everything around her. Can she do it and not lose herself? Read on to find out!

I loved all the characters and their feisty personalities, but I wasn't expecting to come to love Feradach as much as I did.

Big thanks to Netgalley, Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Press and Maggie Stiefvater for the eARC in exchange for a review.

This story follows Merida after the Disney movie. She's now an adult and her mother is no longer pressuring her to marry.

Life is standard, regular and easy going, until she meets the God of destruction, before he has the chance to start the destruction. They make a deal, and Merida has a year to change her family.

I'm giving it 5 stars. It follows the theme Disney started with, and Merida continues to be a strong independent woman.

Bravely is a serviceable story, and the folklore and history shine. However, the pace was oddly slow, a lot of the relationships felt stilted, and I wasn't sure why Leezy (one of the main characters, a new addition not present in the movie) was even present, to be completely honest.

I read in an interview with Maggie Stiefvater that this book would appeal to both fans of the Disney movie Brave, as this is a sequel to the movie, and to her longtime fans. I happen to be an adult fan of both. I decided to rewatch the movie before reading the book because even though Merida is my favorite Disney princess, I haven't seen the movie since it was released, and I wanted to make sure it was fresh in my mind in case I needed to remember any plot points. This is not necessary though, as readers new to Merida's story can still find enjoyment in the book. It picks up a few years after the movie, and though it does occasionally mention the events of the movie, it is an entirely new story, where Merida, the princess of DunBroch, must spend a year trying to bring change to her family in order to save them after making a bargain with two gods.

In a way, I think rewatching the movie first hindered my enjoyment of the book, because for the first half, I kept hearing movie Merida's voice and accent as I read the dialogue of the book, and I think that kept me from feeling the Stiefvaterness of the story. I still enjoyed it though, and once I really got into the reading and story, and let the accent fall away, I felt Stiefvater's magical presence in the writing so much more. Merida is true to the character in the movie, and the triplets are each given their own personalities. I thought from other reviews I'd read that I would be a fan of little Hamish, but it turned out that Harris was my favorite triplet. Stiefvater's writing especially shines through in the character of the god Feradach, who I couldn't help but love once I got to know him more. Oh, and I won't spoil what happened, but that ending of the chapter just before the epilogue - can't deny the author when you read that - I was shaking my fist and grumbling "Stiefvater!" after that!

If you love Merida and the movie Brave and/or if you love Maggie Stiefvater, I think you'll enjoy this book. It has family, gods, battles, ruin, change, and of course, magic.

Thank you @netgalley and @disneybooks for sending me and ARC of Bravely!

I hate leaving non glowing / not positive reviews… so I have kinda been putting this off.

Bravely - ⭐️⭐️
When I heard that a book based on Brave was coming out and Maggie Stiefvater was writing it I was so excited! Brave is one of my all time favorite films and so my expectations were high…. Sad to say I think my high expectations ruined this book for me.

On a positive note I really enjoyed revisiting Merida and her family in this book. Merida is still her fierce self and I think her character was on point with the movie. Sadly I was expecting more humor in this book. I find the movie to be filled with jokes and was hoping this book would also have that humor.

The writing was also not it for me… I have loved Maggie Stiefvater’s book and writing in the past but the book was full of just telling you what was happening … there wasn’t a lot showing you with descriptions or words … I don’t know if that makes sense. I was hoping for a whimsical feeling but it was just a lot of he said she said.

Another issue I had was with Merida's mom Elenore. This book is supposed to take place after the movie, but it feels like all the development between Merida and Elenore just disappeared or didn't happen because they act the same as they did in the beginning of Brave.

The cherry on top that made me go "really?" was the romance in this book. It comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere. While yes I did like the romantic interest ( I don't want to spoil) It felt very sudden and just a convenient way to wrap up the story. Throughout the story I didn't feel any romantic chemistry between them. It was more of a friendship, and then suddenly its all I would do anything for you / I am in love with you.

If I went into this book with fewer expectations or wasn't the big fan of Brave that I am I honestly think I would have liked it more, but I think being a fan kind of ruined this book for me. If you have seen Brave, but aren't obsessed with it like I am. You probably will enjoy this book

One year for Merida to save Dunbroch from destruction. Is this really the adventure she wanted? Was her boredom really all that terrible? A fun book for all ages, but I would recommend it to 10-13 year olds.

3.5 stars. I was interested to see how Maggie would tackle a Disney story. This I felt had her brand of interesting prose, and she deftly wove the lore from the movie into this YA sequel. It was also just as funny as the movie! Overall, this was very enjoyable.

It has been a few years since Merida had her last big adventure and she assumed her life would stay as it is. She loves her family, but she is bored and longs for another adventure. When she runs into Feradach, a being whose job is to get rid of doomed things, she makes an agreement to save DunBroch. Will she get her family to change their ways … within a year? Will DunBroch be saved? What will Merida learn through her newest adventure?

Bravely is a stand-alone fantasy adventure that readers can enjoy even if they never saw or read the original tale. Stiefvater has taken a character that many are familiar with and given her new depths and additional escapades to read about. This book should be geared towards teens, yet it feels as if the author let it also be readable by younger people looking to learn more about Merida. As long as older readers know that the audience is wide, this lower level of complexity can be overlooked. I enjoyed the adventure and couldn’t wait to find out how it would end.