4.5 stars - not what I expected, but I loved it.

This story is such a unique way to explore the theme of 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 -- ⁣⁣⁣⁣-- Ruin. Revelation. Renewal.

For anyone who thought Merida was just a bratty, impulsive princess who learned one lesson without consequences—saddle up for a journey of introspection, slow growth, and numerous consequences expertly woven together by Maggie Stiefvater⁣⁣. ⁣⁣

I definitely teared up a few times toward the end of the book—especially as we (and Merida) learn even more about Queen Elinor’s past.

The ending was brut-ifully open-ended with a cliff-hanger that could also be a wink for another book (hopefully!)

Steifvater doesn't disappoint! I'll admit I'm biased in this author's favor and I'm glad that her writing is as lovely as ever.
The book started off a tad slow but once Steifvater hooked me, I was IN. I liked the atmosphere she created and her unique takes on the characters. The ending felt rushed and unresolved...but not in the worst way.

I received my ARC from Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide. Thoughts are mine alone.

Full review to come closer to the release of this book. The short version: Very true to Merida's character in the movie (but obviously she's grown up a bit in the years between the movie's end and the book). I loved the progression and character growth in this. I absolutely recommend it for all of my fellow Merida Stans. A surprisingly emotional read, down to the heartbreaking ending. Absolutely recommend.

This was an excellent continuation of Merida’s story. I have always felt she is completely overlooked among Disney’s princesses and I am thrilled to have a new story for her. Maggie Stiefvater did a beautiful job of making her Merida seem like an older version of the Merida from the movie. She kept her independence and rather quick temper and added a grown-up appreciation for new places and other ways of being. I was surprised that I actually teared up a few times toward the end of the book; it just shows how real and three-dimensional the author made her. I feel that readers who have seen the movie will come into it with the background knowledge of the characters that is needed. I am learning Scots Gaelic and I appreciated the inclusion of Gaelic words as well as Scottish mythology and history. These touches made it feel authentic to the location. Again, I am so pleased with the story and the continuation of Merida’s tale! Thank you to Disney and NetGalley for the eARC. I will definitely be purchasing my own copy to have this story forever!

This is the continuation of Merida's story that I never knew I wanted. If you loved Brave, you will love Stiefvater's take on what happens years after the movie ends.

A wild adventure based on the Disney movie Brave. Merida, our beloved bow-wielding princess is back in action in this YA tale.

Merida is struggling. She loves her family, even though her wild, very unprincess-like behavior distresses her dear mother. She loves her kingdom too. It is peaceful and quiet. But that makes life incredibly boring. Merida is itching for another adventure and she gets more than she bargained for when she encounters Feradach, the God of Destruction. He is determined to destroy her kingdom. Cailleach, the God of Creation, intervenes at the last moment with an ultimatum. 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. Merida must journey to other kingdoms as she seeks to change her family, but realizes that she must also change too.

This isn't some cutesy Disney movie tale. This is an emotional, action packed rollercoaster ride that seems to only be connected to the movie by name alone. This isn't the warm and fuzzy tale you may think it is. This is a tale of survival, introspection and growth. It was so well written, highly engaging and read more like a stand alone YA fantasy than a Disney book. Merida is more nuanced, struggling with becoming the woman she wants to be versus who she has to be. I love how Merida comes to see how life is about balance and that Feradach does have a place in the world. Ruin and renewal are both integral parts of life and she grows to respect their purpose. She learns how dangerous complacency can be. Merida's determined spirit is captured in the pages and it is a fabulous story.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am pissed. Yes that is where I am choosing to begin this review of a book I have rated so highly. I had mixed expectations coming into this book. I did not know whether to expect something more Disney or more Stiefvater. Part of me was thinking it would be more Disney. Something easy to digest all wrapped up in cozy nostalgia. Do not get me wrong there was moments and it was wonderful. But in true rebel Maggie Stiefvater style she took this story and ran. And now I am over whelmed and perhaps a bit heartbroken as any great story by this author has the power to do BUT I WASN'T READY! The ending of this book has honestly left me in shock. I was so utterly unprepared for it and I am going to have to sit with it for a good long while to fully digest it before I can read something else.

I guess what I am trying to say is this was a very good book and so very Maggie. For anyone coming into this with skepticism in regards to her choice to write a Disney centric story have no fear because this author cannot be contained.

Bravely is well written and engaging. Maggie Stiefvater spins a good yarn. I particularly enjoyed how she weaves history and folklore and Disney magic into her own creation. Merida's journey to save her family leads her to unexpected places and it was wonderful to travel with her. Fans of the movie will not be disappointed, yet the book stands well on its own, and can be enjoyed by those who've not seen the film.

Wow.

Just…wow.

I don’t know what else to say about this book. I loved the prose, the way it wrapped around my mind and drew me into the story. the way I grew to love the characters and become invested in their fates, the way it caused me to think about life and ruin and renewal.

Brave is one of my very favorite Disney movies, and this book kept close to it while still being something wholly different and new.

I’m so happy that this book exists. Read it with the intent to enjoy, to feel, and to think deeply. From this book, I learned that destruction and rebirth are only two sides of the same coin.

I received a copy of this book through the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Maggie Stiefvater was the perfect choice to write Merida’s story. Her writing is approachable but also contains a touch of the otherworldly-the fantastic. No one writes fantasy quite like she can.
Her descriptions and storytelling brought 9th-century Scotland to life, and I wanted to live in Dunbroch myself with her loving and hilarious family.
She did a great job too of bringing Merida to life and expanding on the girl we meet in the film. I would even be interested in reading more books about her and her further adventures.

This twisted fairytale is everything I didn't know I needed from Brave. Though it didn't exactly end the way I expected it to, I really enjoyed it. I like how the storyline and the subplot were intertwined, while adding sprinkles of the movie plot in as tribute. Awesome! A must read

Bravely tells the story of Merida of DunBroch after the events of the film Brave. Though Merida has been off adventuring, she learns from a chance meeting with a god that her family and kingdom have become stagnant and in danger of ruin at his hands. Merida has one year to get her family and her home to grow and change, and to become something other than "a storm that moves no roofs".

This was an excellent addition to the Brave canon- we get to see how much Merida has grown (and in some ways, not grown all that much) in the years since the film. I loved learning more about Elinor and the triplets as well. This is definitely a little more nuanced than the film was- while our first meeting with Merida asked us if we would change our fates, this story looks at questions of where fate will take us, and whether ruin and destruction is the worst fate there is. While the start of the book is a little slow, it feels intentional- both introducing the reader to the kingdom and family and emphasizing Merida's own impatience.

As always, I love Maggie Stiefvater's writing and voice. This in particular felt very cinematic, and I would love to see a film version!

I love these franchise tie-ins that provide a lot more depth to characters that young readers already love as well as something for fans as they age up, so essentially sequels for what are now YAs.

Bravely is about Merida, the protagonist from the Disney movie “Brave,” and her adventures several years past the movie. Many fans of Maggie Stiefvater will read this because she is the author, but it will also appeal to fans of the movie. Merida returns home after traveling and living away from the family to find her family in need of change, both because they have become too complacent but also because she has made a bargain with the god of ruin, Feradach, who will destroy DunBroch, the family home, if she is unable to facilitate their change. Merida travels to three different neighboring kingdoms, opening her eyes to the differences, both good and bad, between DunBroch and the governance of their neighbors. She begins to develop mutual respect and understanding of Feradach, his purpose, and why he may have a necessary place in this world. The ending was quite a cliff-hanger, so I’m hoping a sequel is forthcoming.

Stiefvater does a beautiful job with mythological world-building creating a unique tale that could’ve easily been a formulaic franchise extension.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well paced and the characters were fully formed. I would enjoy reading other work by this author in the future.

Maggie Stiefvater's Bravely was a joyous return to one of my favorite Disney princesses, Merida. Her story of Merida's year-long adventure to save her family and home had me flipping the pages furiously to see how this story would end. I've really enjoyed Disney's novelizations of their previous films: Twisted Tales and the Villains series, especially.
Stiefvater recreated a Scotland rife with rich traditions and magic that made me want to keep returning to go on more adventures with Merida and her family. I do wish there was a little more development of her three brothers since their stories and character arcs are important to the resolution. Since we did not get much about the boys in the movie, I was hoping for more development here where the author has more space to build each brother when Merida makes her various trips.
There are plenty of twists and turns throughout to keep readers engaged whether they are returning to a much beloved princess or meeting Merida and the DunBroch family for the first time. Many of the new characters, specifically the two ancient gods, are wonderful and encircle the reader in this mystical world.
This librarian hopes for more from the world of Brave!

This story is about a girl and 2 gods.
There was enough of the Disney personalities in this to truly feel like a sequel to Brave, while still being an entirely Maggie book.
It inspired me to research Scottish history and mythology as well.
I enjoyed getting to know the triplets, as well as Elinor's history.
Overall, a great read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy to review.

Bravely is a thoughtful fairytale about ruin and renewal. It is also a follow-up to the Pixar movie Brave. For me, these two things did not go together. It could be because I watched the movie only hours before I started reading the book, but I could tell that the tone was very different. The main tone I thought of when returning to the book each time was quiet dread. Stiefvater had to add layers to the characters in order to have anything to work with since in the movie the characters only have as many layers as their role requires. While necessary and more nuanced, it changed the characters from how we knew them in the movie and so, again, it felt weird as a follow-up.

I would say that Stiefvater’s book interacts with the history and culture of Scotland more than Brave did, so if you’re looking to feel more of the realism of the era than I would recommend Bravely. I also like the fairytale structure of the story and the exploration of change as those themes did fit the movie, although in a drastically different tone.

Merida is visited by two gods, one of ruin and one of renewal. In order to save her family and kingdom she has to get every member of her family to change by the end of the year or the god of ruin will do what he does and destroy the place to bring renewal and balance. Throughout the story Merida has to come to terms with the change she is bringing to her family. Even though the change will save their lives Merida likes to keep things the way they are. In addition, the god of ruin shows her the change he brings by his power and Merida has to reconcile her feelings about ruin (on the large scale and on the individual level) and the positive results it ultimately has on the places and people it impacts.

The novel is didactic in the way that many fairytales are. It reminded me of Steifvater’s novel All the Crooked Saints. Although I did not enjoy Bravely, the thing that kept me reading was the thoughtful aspect of it. A story exploring the positive impacts of ruin during COVID era is certainly interesting. I would describe it as a pagan approach to the question why does God allow bad things to happen, although without the danger that one incurs from saying all things happen for a reason during a period of tragedy. As Merida struggles to understand ruin the reader must as well. I wonder how a reader who didn’t have that viewpoint already would react. If I was reading this as a teen I’m sure I would find it to be incredibly profound, but I feel like I’ve already been on Merida’s journey and it was more confirming than eye-opening.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bravely does justice both to Disney magic and to Stiefvater magic — which is nothing but an incredible feat. Those who wish to return to Merida will be pleased, and those looking for a story with Stiefvater’s signature magic will not be disappointed. This lush Scottish tale makes even a god of destruction sympathetic. A lovely read I’ll be sure to recommend.

Bravely is the perfect companion piece for the Pixar movie, starring an older but not always wiser Merida. Stiefvater does an amazing job capturing the spirit of these beloved characters and weaving them into a gorgeous narrative about the inevitability of change.