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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater
4.0
I'm deeply ashamed. Even though I got myself the Merida Animator Doll (also nicknamed Chucky by people visiting my home) before the movie was even released I never really watched the movie. Until a few weeks ago. Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favorite authors and I therefore really wanted to read this book, but that wouldn't make sense without seeing the movie first. I enjoyed the movie and I was therefore even more excited to dive into this sort of sequel!
What I absolutely loved about this novel is how original it is. It's clear that Stiefvater has only been asked to write a sequel for Brave without limitations or instructions. It allowed her to insert loads of new magic and even a couple of Gods! The introduction pages of the book were already sucking me in and once I reconnected with Merida and her family it was clear that I was gonna finish this book with only a brief break for a couple of hours of sleep.
Without it being obvious or annoying this book brings the time periode to life perfectly. We get to experience the parties, what they ate, how they celebrated. We also learned a lot about the conflicts in the area, the sometimes tense relationships between the different clans and we even get to see how the villagers are living and spending their time. It makes this book, just like the movie, one big and exciting adventure constantly giving us something new.
Stiefvater also did an amazing job keeping the characters the same and recognizable while also giving them a story-arc and a way to grow and learn. Each and every character, Merida included, is learning something during this story. In some cases the changes are more subtle while in others they are much more obvious, but still. I also like that we get to know Merida's parents and her brothers a little better and I especially love that the triplets are slowly becoming their own people instead of just the triplets.
Disney novels rarely disappoint, do they?
What I absolutely loved about this novel is how original it is. It's clear that Stiefvater has only been asked to write a sequel for Brave without limitations or instructions. It allowed her to insert loads of new magic and even a couple of Gods! The introduction pages of the book were already sucking me in and once I reconnected with Merida and her family it was clear that I was gonna finish this book with only a brief break for a couple of hours of sleep.
Without it being obvious or annoying this book brings the time periode to life perfectly. We get to experience the parties, what they ate, how they celebrated. We also learned a lot about the conflicts in the area, the sometimes tense relationships between the different clans and we even get to see how the villagers are living and spending their time. It makes this book, just like the movie, one big and exciting adventure constantly giving us something new.
Stiefvater also did an amazing job keeping the characters the same and recognizable while also giving them a story-arc and a way to grow and learn. Each and every character, Merida included, is learning something during this story. In some cases the changes are more subtle while in others they are much more obvious, but still. I also like that we get to know Merida's parents and her brothers a little better and I especially love that the triplets are slowly becoming their own people instead of just the triplets.
Disney novels rarely disappoint, do they?