Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater || A Dark Disney Fairy Tale

Bravely

Merida goes on an all-new, life-changing adventure in this original YA novel set several years after the close of Brave!
What if you had one year to save everything you loved?

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. 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.

THREE VOYAGES. Under the watchful eyes of the gods, Merida leads a series of 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?

FOUR SEASONS TO SAVE DUNBROCH – OR SEE IT DESTROYED, FOREVER.

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• A retelling of a beloved Disney classic, Brave
• An expansion of a familiar story that delves deeper into family dynamics
• Unique Irish mythology
• Rebellious, confident princess trying her best to save her kingdom
• But who definitely still doesn’t need a prince, thanks

Many thanks to Disney Press and Rockstar Book Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Given that this book is half good, old-fashioned Disney retelling vibes and half snarky red-headed princess, I knew I needed to read this book the minute I saw it announced. Merida has long been my favorite princess, mostly because of the way she so unabashedly bucked tradition because princesses don’t live solely to find their prince. Plus, the fact that Maggie Stiefvater is the author was just icing on an already ridiculously sweet cake.

Bravely takes the same Merida we’ve all come to love and gives her an impossible task: force her stagnant family to change or their kingdom will be destroyed. She might even change herself in the process.

I had a ton of fun with this book! Stiefvater manages to capture the essence and stubbornness of Merida that I’ve come to expect while also being able to dig deeper into the character and world. Given what a rich world the movie Brave sets up, it makes sense to want to explore it more, but with an older Merida this time and another meddling god.

Stiefvater manages to capture the essence of Merida, while also aging her several years to young adulthood. Despite being slightly older and slightly more mature, it’s still the same Merida leading this adventure, in all her stubborn glory.

If you enjoyed Merida from Brave as I did, rest assured that Stiefvater manages to capture her flawlessly. She’s a bit more complex, sure, since the story is from her point of view and we’re able to delve deeper into her thoughts and feelings, which includes some of her doubts and fears. Overall, though, the essence of her character is still there, and it’s glorious.

Though maybe perhaps a bit older and maybe a teensy bit less hot-headed, Merida is still the quick-witted, impulsive character she’s always been . . . and it’s still getting her in trouble. Around here, though, we like trouble, right? Leads to some interesting situations. You know, like making bets with ancient gods that you can convince your family to change towards progress or face the destruction of your entire kingdom.

In this book, you’ll meet Feradach, a destroyer of a god, who weeds out rot and stagnation and forces progress through destruction and ruin.

If you’re already suspecting that things maybe aren’t quite as they seem when it comes to this god, you’d be right. Because how boring would it be if things were exactly as they looked on the surface? If you assume that a god of destruction and ruin would be a bad thing, you’d be right. But not completely. Because progress is complicated.

While clearly the antagonist of this book, especially as Merida is concerned (because, you know, who wants their kingdom and everyone they love destroyed?!), things aren’t as cut and dry as they seem. I really appreciated the layers and complexity Stiefvater adds to this situation. I definitely felt for Feradach and his situation.

While the movie was focused on learning how to accept each other and become a family again, family bonds is a heavy theme of this book and learning what it means to exist as a family.

Remember, in this book, Merida is older, as are the triplets, and being a family can sometimes be harder as you age and change. While the triplets are still reminiscent of the adorable little boys we met in the movie, they’re developing their own personalities and desires separate from each other and separate from what their parents and siblings might have expected.

Despite everything, though, they are still a family. I absolutely love the family dynamic in this book! It isn’t always easy (because family can be frustrating, right?!), but the DunBrochs make it work for them. This book introduces a new character in the form of Leezie, who despite being a servant in the castle is really like a sister for Merida.

Favorite Quotes

It probably comes as absolutely no surprise that Maggie Stiefvater has so many great scenes that I just absolutely could not narrow down all the quotes I chose! Good news for you, though, because I’m going to share some of my extra favorites here.

About Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Raven Cycle, the Shiver trilogy, and other novels for young and adult readers. She is also an artist, an auto enthusiast, and a bagpiper. She lives on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley with her husband, two children, and an assortment of fainting goats.

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1 winner will receive a finished copy of BRAVELY, US Only.

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