Review: Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater

I received this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater
Published by Disney Press on 2022-05-03
Length: 384 pages
Reviewing eARC from Netgalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2022 New Release Challenge, COYER 2022

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.

Absolutely loved this continuation of Merida’s story! Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater isn’t a retelling of Disney’s Brave, but a continuation, picking up a few years after the events of the movie. Merida is stuck, not changing, and so is the rest of Castle Dunbroch. They are comfortable in their routines, living their lives in a bubble, ignoring the outside world around them. Then the god of ruin comes to bring change, but a timely knock on the kitchen door sends Merida out in time to stop him. Striking a deal to save her family and home, the story follows Merida’s journey over the course of a year.

Merida is exactly as I remembered. Feisty, stubborn, and refusing to marry. Can’t say I blame her, she is still young and wants to marry for love as her parents did, not for alliance. Merida’s journey over the year is born of desperation and that leaks out and adds urgency to the plot. Merida has to show the god of ruin that her and her family, that Dunbroch itself, can change. That they all still matter to the world. The stories and legends surrounding what the god of ruin can do haunt her dreams and urge her on her journeys.

I loved her interactions with each of the triplets. Merida has traveled before, learning different customs and things along the way, but has always left her brothers behind. This time, she encourages her family to allow her to visit three different kingdoms ad take a different brother to each. It was interesting seeing how the brothers adapted to different situations. I loved Merida’s relationship with her family in the movie, and it comes out in the story strong.

But her family and kingdom aren’t the only ones that need to change. Merida herself must as well. I loved taking this journey with her. Just as Merida must prove herself to the god of ruin, their bargain says he needs to show her his magic as well. I loved this addition to the story. Seeing him through Merida’s eyes, she believes he is a monster at first, but gradually sees what ruin brings. The dynamic between them is interesting, and I loved the snippets we get from the god of ruin’s POV.

Overall, if you can’t tell, I loved Bravely. It’s an exciting adventure. The desperation to stop the god of ruin drives Merida, but it is all she learns throughout the year about her family and her home that truly makes this story great. If you enjoy fairy tales, historical fiction, and of course Merida herself, I highly recommend it.

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