Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater

I read in an interview with Maggie Stiefvater that this book would appeal to both fans of the Disney movie Brave, as this is a sequel to the movie, and to her longtime fans. I happen to be an adult fan of both. I decided to rewatch the movie before reading the book because even though Merida is my favorite Disney princess, I haven't seen the movie since it was released, and I wanted to make sure it was fresh in my mind in case I needed to remember any plot points. This is not necessary though, as readers new to Merida's story can still find enjoyment in the book. It picks up a few years after the movie, and though it does occasionally mention the events of the movie, it is an entirely new story, where Merida, the princess of DunBroch, must spend a year trying to bring change to her family in order to save them after making a bargain with two gods.

In a way, I think rewatching the movie first hindered my enjoyment of the book, because for the first half, I kept hearing movie Merida's voice and accent as I read the dialogue of the book, and I think that kept me from feeling the Stiefvaterness of the story. I still enjoyed it though, and once I really got into the reading and story, and let the accent fall away, I felt Stiefvater's magical presence in the writing so much more. Merida is true to the character in the movie, and the triplets are each given their own personalities. I thought from other reviews I'd read that I would be a fan of little Hamish, but it turned out that Harris was my favorite triplet. Stiefvater's writing especially shines through in the character of the god Feradach, who I couldn't help but love once I got to know him more. Oh, and I won't spoil what happened, but that ending of the chapter just before the epilogue - can't deny the author when you read that - I was shaking my fist and grumbling "Stiefvater!" after that!

If you love Merida and the movie Brave and/or if you love Maggie Stiefvater, I think you'll enjoy this book. It has family, gods, battles, ruin, change, and of course, magic.

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