I loved that this wasn't a retelling but rather a continuation of the story.

Maggie Stiefvater always captures an amazing story and this is no exception.

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.

Narrator Fiona Hardingham does an excellent job of voicing the characters. Her Scottish accents are a joy to hear. 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.

The audio book was decent enough, but I struggled to fall into the story and I am not sure if it was due to the audio or the story itself. In a few months, I want to give it another go with the print format.

This audiobook was a DNF for me. The narrator was great, but I don't think I could get myself into the story. Fantasy is kind of a hit and miss for me, though.

This story continues Merida’s story from the Disney movie “Brave”. It definitely falls into the relatively new category of retellings and continuations of beloved stories. Personally, I found it to be quite repetitive and not as adventurous as I expected. The twist at the very very end seemed a bit forced and out of character for the Merida that we love from the movie. This novel may be better suited for readers who have a stronger relationship with the movie Brave than I do.
Thanks to @netgalley @Disneybooks and @maggie_stievater for the Audio and E-book ARCs.

Merida is the spit fire girl who refused to bend to an old rule that would have her marry instead of rule. Now she is is tasked with one of the hardest tasks, to change her family. Ever since Brave, the family has fallen to complacency and now have stopped changing and progressing. The book is infused with magic and grit but it lacked the spark that Merida first brought to Brave. The intriguing plot and theme of change being a good thing was prevalent, it seemed everything that had happened in Brave never occurred. Which made this book feel strained against who the original Merida was. The triplets where the most developed characters and it was interesting to read how they differed in characteristics and personality. Merida's parents on the other hand seem less developed and not as fleshed out.

I loved the Disney movie and I love Stiefvater, but did not find myself invested in the plot of the book. I ended up bailing.

I am a huge Disney fan and Brace is one of my favorite movies. So I was extremely excited for this book. I did struggle some with the story since it did feel like it jumped around. I loved the mythology I the book. I was not familiar with Scottish mythology so that was a big plus. I do thing that would be a great book for some of my higher level middle school readers and will be recommending it. The narrator was great and definitely added to the Merida feel of the story.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook.

A fun entry into the current trend of Disney novels for middle grade to young adult readers. Narrator is good and we will be purchasing the book for our collection.

Maggie Stiefvater’s Bravely is a wonderful continuation of Merida’s story in Brave. Stiefvater does an excellent job holding true to Merida’s independent, strong, and loyal personality that shines through in the movie. Everything we like about Merida is still there.

Stiefvater also does an excellent job with the Scottish gods. She introduces her readers to Cailleach, the divine hag who can be found in many Scottish legends, and creates a Scottish god of ruin (Feradach) who is intriguing and believable. (Even though I knew Feradach was made up, I still had to do some research to see if there was a similar god in Scottish legends, because it seemed like belief in such a god could have existed.)

Fiona Hardignham is the narrator of the audiobook, and she tells the story beautifully. She transitions between a gentle British accent when narrating to a rich and warm Scottish burr when the characters speak. It was a joy to listen to her read.

Thank you NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#Bravely #NetGalley

I've enjoyed every Maggie Stiefvater I've read and this one is no exception. Full of adventure, trials of growing up and an understanding of what is truly important can all be found in this book. Excellent!

Maggie Stiefvater was the perfect choice of YA authors to pen this Brave story, which is not an adaptation of the Disney movie, but a new and unique fantasy quest of magic, female empowerment, truth-seeking and family loyalty. The audiobook version is rich with Scottish accents (Merida's voice is similar to the voice actor in the movie) which add flavor and depth to the storytelling without artifice. The Young Adult labeling is somewhat questionable as the content could be repackaged for middle school age readers; overall, the narrative lacks the edgy quality that appeals to readers of YA literature. In other words, the content is totally clean with no mature language or scenes, and the challenges faced by Merida never venture into territory that is disturbingly dark or desperate. Bravely is a good choice for tweens and younger teens looking for adventure and strong-willed heroines, but may be too safe and moralistic for older teens.

Thank you to Disney Audiobooks and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this great book! I really enjoyed Bravely, the sequel to Brave — a Disney movie. Such a delightful read. Am sure that my YA students would enjoy it.

Here we follow Merida after the events we know from Brave. She is tasked with trying to save her her kingdom in a year while trying to shake things up in herself and her family.

I honestly didn't enjoy the book as a whole. I found it difficult to pay attention and care about all the journeys and things happening to the middle of the book. I had a firm grasp on the beginning which did make me look forward to what would happen, and then I liked the ending.

However, I really enjoyed the audio aspect. The narrator was great and I loved the Scottish accents that really made the people and setting come to life. On that note, I only really liked the setting overall. It was atmospheric and the parts of the book I enjoyed the most.

Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater is a YA sequel to Disney’s Brave. It takes place after the events of Brave. Merida makes a bargain with a god to save her clan Dunbroch, and her family. She is challenged to help Dunbroch adapt and grow to avoid living in stagnation. If not, her home could end in ruin.

I thought this book was absolutely darling! I liked the family dynamics and the journey Merida goes on. Merida is given a year to save her family from the god of destruction. On her journey she learns more about herself along with those she loves.

This book was delightful to read and was very heartwarming. I loved getting to go back to Medieval Scotland with the clan of Dunbroch. Merida’s brothers are older and each have their own personalities. Merida is her same confident self, but is still to be challenged and grow.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Disney Press for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bravely follows the life of Disney's beloved heroine, Merida, after the events that happened in Brave.

I need to preface this review by saying that I love Brave. It's one of my favorite Disney movies. That said, unfortunately I cannot say the same for Bravely. I've never read any books by Maggie Stiefvater, but if this is her typical writing style, I don't think this author is for me. First of all, throughout most of the book, I felt like I'd just walked into the middle of a conversation that had been going on for a while. The story felt like it was all over the place. Merida just doesn't have the same charm here as she did in the film. The story lacked tension, and I was either dozing off or my mind started wandering,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Fiona Hardingham was an amazing narrator, completely nailing all those Scottish accents. In fact, her reading was the only thing I liked about this book.

This is a fun continuation of the movie and Maggie is a great person to do it. I enjoyed the narrator and was impressed by her Scottish accent! I watched the movie again before listening and that definitely added to the experience. The cover is one of the best I've seen in a while and truly encompasses Merida as a character. I know many readers were worried about Merida having a love interest when the movie codes her as ace or aromantic but I am neutral about this. I thought the gods were really cool and I appreciated the introduction/prologue as it reminded me of a fairy tale. Will recommend this to upper middle grade and teen readers who love Disney!

I enjoyed this one a lot and I think fans of the movie will like it even more.

The story as whole is good however it does bog down a bit in the middle but still a good story! This was a great continuation of Merida’s story.

I saw something from Maggie Stiefvater that said she worked with Disney to keep this story true to the movie and that made me love this book even more!

Fiona Hardingham’s narration was fabulous all the different characters and so many accents such a great job at the narration I highly recommend this one on audiobook!

Fans of Brave will love this story and people new to the mythos will enjoy it too!

4 stars

I received this audiobook from the publisher Disney and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

I recommend this audiobook book for fans of the Disney movie Brave and fans of Scottish historical fiction. The reader is engaging.

An we’ll-written adventure for Merida. Stiefvater captures the personalities of the original Brave cast of characters. The novel focuses on change and the challenges Merida faces keep the story moving. The new characters are well-drawn and present Merida with an expanded perspective. While the story did feel a bit predictable at times, the ending goes beyond the expected and provides a strong resolution.