New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater has conquered the worlds of psychics, demons, water horses, and even boys becoming wolves — and now, Collider can exclusively announce that she’s moving into the world of princesses. (Disney princesses, to be specific.) Bravely, the latest novel from the author of The Raven Cycle, follows Merida of DunBroch, the princess featured in Disney/Pixar’s 2012 film Brave, in a new young adult adventure that pits the headstrong maiden against supernatural forces of nature.
The young princess needs a change in her life — a new adventure, a purpose for herself — amongst the humdrum of days surrounded by her clan. What she doesn’t expect is for that change to come in the form of Feradach, a supernatural being intent on destroying the whole of DunBroch and everyone within it. In order to save her realm and those she loves, Merida makes a deal with the ancient Cailleach: convince her family to change, and remove the rot and stagnation from their lives as royals, or suffer the consequences.
Merida has four seasons to save her home and her family, or risk it being destroyed forever, embarking on a series of journeys in an attempt to rouse rebellion within those she loves. Can she successfully battle time and rescue her kingdom — or will her own stagnation become her downfall?
As a standalone novel, Bravely will exist outside the tales of Brave that audiences know and love — including any unfortunate shapeshifting accidents involving bears. But fans of Merida and her fearlessness still have much to look forward to when the new young adult novel hits shelves next year, including plenty more of the mythology Scotland is steeped in, promising the same kind of magical adventures Stiefvater is well known for.
Gravitating towards a princess like Merida was an obvious choice for Stiefvater, who grew up steeped in the legends that penetrate every aspect of her heroine’s life:
“There’s not much about Merida’s world that wasn’t made for me to write in. Merida’s family lives in medieval Scotland, and grapples with old Scottish legends. I grew up deeply immersed in Celtic story, culture, and music. I was a competitive highland bagpiper and a wedding harpist; in college, I majored in history with a concentration in medieval Scotland; I live in the Shenandoah Valley, a place still steeped with the half-forgotten, borrowed legends imported from Scotland long ago. And Merida has a close-knit, messy family; she and her siblings have a huge age gap. I’m one of five siblings, and I, too, had a similar age gap. I couldn’t wait to tackle that dynamic in a standalone novel.”
Of the novel’s many themes, she hopes people will connect as deeply with the lives of the DunBroch clan through her novel as they did seeing Brave for the first time: “I hope that folks who gravitated toward the complicated, loving relationships in the family DunBroch will enjoy seeing how those relationships continue to grow in the future . . . and diving deeper into the world Merida lives in.”
Bravely will be released on May 3, 2022. The novel is available for preorder now through Disney Publishing, and fans can also get an exclusive look at the book’s cover below, designed by artist Charlie Bowater:
