"Fate Be Changed" is a reimagining of Merida's story in which she accidentally goes back in time and meets her young mother. Their relationship was very sweet in this story. I liked seeing her learn about her young parents and the importance of politics among the clans. The story showed a lot of great character growth.

This series always has the best what if questions that lead down a new Disney rabbit hole.. and this one is no exception. What if Merida got a different spell from the witch and went back in time - to a time before her parents had met.

Our familiar story starts the same, a rebellious girl fleeing an arranged marriage and a life she doesn't want, a witch who offers a spell to change her fate, some bear-y unexpected twists. The magic cake she procured for her mother to change her fate is eaten by... Merida herself.

This is a delightful story of Merida, her mom, and her dad. Merida finds herself needing to bring her parents together. Can she do it before she meets a grizzly fate herself? Read on to find out!

What I loved most: the narrator for this was wonderful, the writing was whimsical and musical, the idea of being a part of your parents love story, the time travel

Fate Be Changed (Hardcover)
by Farrah Rochon
A wonderful story of Meredith and her mother Elenore with a twist. The question if Meredith had taken the potion to change her mother instead of giving the potion to her. This book has more dynamics and even more intriguing than the original story. Not only is the story lengthen, but the description of the kingdom, and her parents courtship. Showing the story has more dynamics in the combination of magic and storytelling

I normally enjoy Farrah Rochon Twisted Tales books, but this one was super slow. It seemed to drag on forever and it was also kind of predictable. Getting to look at Queen Elinor's life when she was younger was a nice twist, however considering how Elinor's mother treated her you would have thought she would have given Merida understanding and consideration when it came to being forced into marriage for the good of the kingdom. The apple did not fall far from the tree at all.

I just reviewed Fate Be Changed by Farrah Rochon. #FateBeChanged #NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for this ARC.

As we know from Brave, Merida is a wild child who believes she will fight for her own hand in marriage, but when she finds out she is destined to marry no matter what, Merida makes a deal with a witch to change her fate.

First of all I was obsessed with this book. You immediately become immersed into the world of Brave from just the first couple of chapters. It made it so easy to visualize, just like if I was watching the movie. Which, this book should be! I enjoyed seeing the relationship between develop between the younger versions her mother and father with Merida. It was so interesting and entertaining seeing the family history and how things were before Merida was born.

I absolutely loved this installment of the Twisted Tales series. This was the first book I have read by Farrah Rochon but it will not be my last. She completely embodies the spirit of Merida in her writing. The pacing and character building was fantastic. Having Merida go back in time to see her mother in a new light was magical. I look forward to including this book in my classroom collection.

The audiobook narration was fantastic. She truly brought Merida to life. I highly recommend it.

This was a fun adventure filled read! I loved getting to know Merida’s mom Elenor more. We always wonder who are parents are outside of “mom” and “dad” and I feel like we really got a chance to see what makes the queen the way she is. I wish we could all have those moments with out own parents.

Farrah Rochon, Merida, and phenomenal narration from Lucy Rayner! How could this not be amazing? The latest Twisted Tale is yet another winning full of so much to recommend it. A fellow reviewer called this BRAVE meets BACK TO THE FUTURE, and that evokes this charmer perfectly. A magical pageturner with heart & wit that will have waiting eagerly for Rochon’s next entry in this beloved series.

Let me preface with, I love Brave the movie. It is one of my favorites. Also, we have most of the Twisted Tales in our library. I have yet to read any, but they do draw my attention. Any time a student checks one out, I ask them to give me a review. Honestly, most students don't finish them or tell me they are 'okay' or 'meh; - not encouraging me to attempt one.

So let me start by thanking Netgalley and Disney Audiobooks for this copy because now I can at least speak to one of the books.

I gave this book this book 4 stars. I'd give the story 3.5 and the narration 5. I realize one of the challenges is when you love the original, it's hard to watch/listen to it go in a different direction. If there was nothing wrong with the original, why change it? But that is the point isn't it... what if a character made a different decision? At first, I didn't like it - really... that is what you changed? As I listened though, the story grew on me. I like the idea that how one decision can affect so many others specifically stated. I like how you get to see Eleanor from a young age and how Merida realizes the gravity of her mistake - how she might not even be born, on this path.

The narration was great! I liked the voice and pacing. It was easy to understand and I like the accent.

Now I can at least speak to students about this novel. Maybe it will encourage a few more to read it (or any of the other Twisted Tales).

Title: Fate Be Changed
Author: Farrah Rochon

Fate Be Changed is a retelling of Disney's Brave. Imagine if the witch bestowed Merida an entirely different enchantment. Merida, the princess of Clan DunBroch, is pressured to uphold her role and duty by marrying a man she doesn't know. Merida is different from the typical princess and has no interest in being married or abiding by tradition like her mother, Queen Elinor. Merida is desperate to find a way out of her impending future; she finds magical wisps to find a witch to change her fate.

Instead of obtaining a spell for herself, she gets one for her mother, Elinor. Merida takes the spell for herself, which transports her back to when King Fergus and Queen Elinor were not married. Merida could disrupt the delicate balance of the past, preventing Elinor and Fergus from crossing paths, and could reshape her destiny.

Let me say that Brave is one of the most unrated Disney princess movies of all time. Merida is a character that speaks to my soul. She wants more for herself and doesn't want the life chosen for her. Unlike women of her time, she is willing to defy tradition. I am glad that her strong-willed character is not lost in this retelling. Through the story, you get a side of Queen Elinor that you did not see in the movie. There is a mystery woven into the story that Merida must figure out while trying to bring her parents together.

If you love "Back to the Future", you will enjoy this book. It was a great story with humor, friendship, and political intrigue. I loved the witch and relished her comedic element in the story. Even though this is not my typical book genre, it was a delight. It made me think deeply about the lives of women before me and their struggle with societal expectations. We may never genuinely know our mothers' actual experiences. I love that we have another story where women did not need a man to save them. Fate Be Changed is fun and light but full of good messages.

This is my honest review based on an ARC copy of the audiobook from Disney Audio and Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.

Merida's royal family rules dictate that she must be matched with a mate(not of her choosing) in order to prepare for her eventual role as queen. Despite her very vocal opinion that she does not want to be married and finds the tradition horribly outdated. But her mother, Queen Elinor, refuses to listen or change her mind.

In what she views to be her only option, Merida visits a local witch to wish that her mother be different. The wish doesn't go quite as planned... Merida ends up being sent back in time to when her mother was Merida's age. And now she must find out how to go back to her own time period and not disrupt the events that led to her parents falling in love.

I listened to the audiobook version of this and highly recommend it. The narrator kept the already interesting book fast paced and imbued emotion into each character's situation. I loved this re-telling of Disney's Brave and the focus on Merida and her mother's relationship.

I was also excited to discover this book is a part of a series called Twisted Tale - all books that spin classic Disney stories to see how things would play out differently under slightly different circumstances.

If you love retellings, stories of brave women, the movie Brave or exciting time travel stories set in Scotland, I recommend this. Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion Reimagined for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this retelling of Disney’s Brave! I was hesitant to choose this book because I enjoyed the original story so much, but this reimagining was fantastic! It was really fun to experience the story of Merida’s parents when they were younger. It kept the whimsical fantasy of the original story while also maintaining the tension of the spell and possible outcomes. This book would be great for middle grade and YA readers, as well as adults who enjoy this genre.

The narrator was the perfect fit for this book as she read with a Scottish accent, adding the right amount of brogue to characters as required, while also speaking clearly so it was easy to understand.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Disney #BuenaVistaBooksInc. for an audiobook preview version of #FateBeChanged by #FarrahRochon in exchange for honest feedback.
- 5 stars

I love a twisted tale. This is a retelling of Disney’s Merida, in which the witch changes the spell she gave Merida. Now, Merida is changing and has been sent back in time and has to save her kingdom, get her parents to fall in love all before her bear transformation is final. It’s a sweet story of family and love and what if you got the chance to befriend your younger parents and see who they were. If you like twisted tales, this is a great, easy read.

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#fatebechanged

I'm try to read the entire collection of Twisted Tales alongside my cousin and friend. So, when NetGalley provided me with an advance reader copy of "Fate Be Changed," the Brave Twisted Tale, I was genuinely thrilled. However, this book only earned a 3-star rating from me, making it my least favorite among the Twisted Tales. Personally, I found myself rather disengaged throughout the narrative and contemplated abandoning it several times. The plot seemed to lack significant developments, predominantly revolving around dialogue. This was disappointing, especially considering Disney's knack for crafting action-packed movies. I eagerly anticipate delving into other reviews to gauge how others perceived the story.

I love all the Disney movies and especially enjoyed Brave when it came out so I was really excited for this one! The audio is fantastic and the story itself is so much fun. I love getting to see more of Merida and her parents -- and the witch! I'm a big fan of retellings of all kinds because I love seeing my favorite characters in more adventures. There's magic, time travel, Clan politics, and the whole crazy experience of getting to meet your parents before they even meet each other which is such a fun storyline. In this story Merida's mom is in a very similar situation as Merida herself was in her own time and we get to hear from her POV too which is great. Both young girls are smart, stubborn, independent in their own ways and it's nice to see how much Merida takes after each of her parents. Plus, there's a little romance of course! It's a very cute story and I think Disney fans will love it. Farrah Rochon is a fantastic author and actually has another book coming out this year too so I'm excited to read that one soon.

Lucy Raynor does a great job narrating and is so easy to listen to. She's really clear and gets into the emotion of the characters, bringing life to the story which kept me fully engaged in listening. There's no hesitation or lulls, everything flows really smoothly and she's just a great fit for both Merida and Elinor.

Thank you Disney Hyperion Reimagined for the digital ALC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you have read any of the other twisted Disney tales, then this one was very on-brand with the others. I enjoy this particular genre of what I consider "fan fiction." I liked this one better than some of the others I have read in the series. I enjoyed learning more about Merida and her mother, and I thought that the story was well-crafted. I liked how there was enough of the original story in this one. I listened to the audiobook, and I very much enjoyed the Scottish narrator. She made it feel more authentic. My only critique is that the ending was a little slow. There was some filler in there that didn't seem totally necessary to the story. If you like this series, then definitely check this one out.

Fate Be Changed is another fantastic addition to Disney's Twisted Tales series. Merida's story has always been one of my favorites and I love that readers have the opportunity to get to know Merida's parents and their backstory in this revamped tale. The narrator is fantastic! Highly recommended where the Twisted Tales series is popular!

Merida wants to change her fate. She follows the wisps to the witch's home. She ends up taking the potion meant for her mother, to get more time. Merida travels back in time and meets her parents as young adults. This book didn't have as many bears as the movie had. Once I accepted that this was a different story. The story now had a love element, but not Merida's, her mother and father. This was a much different message than the movie but it is a twisted tale. I enjoyed Merida as a character and getting POV from her young mother. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook copy.

This book was such a fun read! I’m always a fan of the Twisted Tale series, and I was intrigued from the get-go about how Merida’s story might be flipped in this book. I received both a digital and audio copy to review, so I began by flipping between the two formats. While I enjoyed both, I ended up settling on listening to the audio only because the narration was so excellent! We love a narrator with a Scottish accent!

This book moves quickly right from the beginning, which I really appreciated. Sometimes retellings drag at the beginning because they try to set up the story and prep the reader for changes, but this one picks up right as Merida is riding in the woods after her big fight with her mother. She ends up at the witch’s cottage, but that’s when things start taking a turn. When I realized what was going on, I was initially a little skeptical. A teen sent back in time whose presence prevents their parents from falling in love, which the teen then has to fix? Sounds familiar and done to death. However, the story continued to travel down its own unique path with a great storyline and such lovable characters.

The story is full of mystery, adventure, and a bit of romance. I loved getting to know Elinor and Fergus in a different light, and now I kind of have a bit of a crush on King Fergus, which is a little confusing. The shifting POVs between Elinor and Merida really highlight the two women’s similarities in a deeper way than seen in the film. I was enchanted the whole time and definitely recommend this title to any Brave fan!

I love Merida and the movie Brave, so when I saw this book, I pre-ordered it right away! I was so chuffed when I was able to get this audio version of the book form netgalley. It was such an excellent story! The twist is that Merida ends up eating the enchanted pastry instead of her mother, Queen Elinor! In this tale we get to follow Merida back in time where she meets a teenage Elinor. She hasn’t yet meet Fergus, and now Merida has to figure out how to change fate and make Elinor and Fergus fall in love. Only then will Merida be able to go back to her time. I was a big fan of this book. It was well written and the narrator did an excellent job! Most definitely worth a read or a listen!