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Fate Be Changed
What if the witch gave Merida a different spell?
If you could change your fate, would you? Merida understands that as princess of Clan DunBroch, she has certain obligations—but that doesn’t mean she has to like it. Especially when one of those obligations means losing her freedom by becoming betrothed to a man she has never met. Merida balks at this tradition, but her mother Queen Elinor insists that Merida must do this to embrace her role as future queen.
Determined to chart her own path, Merida follows magical wisps to a witch’s cottage, where she is given a magic pastry and promised it will incite “a great transformation” in her mother. But instead of feeding Elinor the pastry, Merida eats it herself.
Merida awakens in the past, a now-teenage Elinor holding a knife to her throat and accusing her of espionage. She’s been transported to a time when the Clans MacCameron and DunBroch are bitter enemies. And it just so happens that the timing of Merida’s arrival has kept Elinor and Fergus from meeting.
Will Merida be able to bridge the rival clans, help her parents fall in love, and change her own fate?
If you could change your fate, would you? Merida understands that as princess of Clan DunBroch, she has certain obligations—but that doesn’t mean she has to like it. Especially when one of those obligations means losing her freedom by becoming betrothed to a man she has never met. Merida balks at this tradition, but her mother Queen Elinor insists that Merida must do this to embrace her role as future queen.
Determined to chart her own path, Merida follows magical wisps to a witch’s cottage, where she is given a magic pastry and promised it will incite “a great transformation” in her mother. But instead of feeding Elinor the pastry, Merida eats it herself.
Merida awakens in the past, a now-teenage Elinor holding a knife to her throat and accusing her of espionage. She’s been transported to a time when the Clans MacCameron and DunBroch are bitter enemies. And it just so happens that the timing of Merida’s arrival has kept Elinor and Fergus from meeting.
Will Merida be able to bridge the rival clans, help her parents fall in love, and change her own fate?
464 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2024
314 people are currently reading
16553 people want to read
About the author
Farrah Rochon
90 books2,505 followersA native of south Louisiana, Farrah Rochon officially began her writing career while waiting in between classes in the student lounge at Xavier University of Louisiana. After earning her Bachelors of Science degree and a Masters of Arts from Southeastern Louisiana University, Farrah decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a published novelist. She was named Shades of Romance Magazine's Best New Author of 2007. Her debut novel, Deliver Me, the first in her Holmes Brothers series, garnered rave reviews, earning Farrah several SORMAG Readers' Choice Awards.
In September 2010, Farrah joined the Kimani Romance family with the launch of her new series that follows the life of the fictional New York Sabers football team.
When she is not writing in her favorite coffee shop, Farrah spends most of her time reading her favorite romance novels, hanging around on Twitter, and trying to attend as many Broadway shows as her budget will allow. An admitted sports fanatic, Farrah feeds her addiction to football by watching New Orleans Saints games on Sunday afternoons.
In September 2010, Farrah joined the Kimani Romance family with the launch of her new series that follows the life of the fictional New York Sabers football team.
When she is not writing in her favorite coffee shop, Farrah spends most of her time reading her favorite romance novels, hanging around on Twitter, and trying to attend as many Broadway shows as her budget will allow. An admitted sports fanatic, Farrah feeds her addiction to football by watching New Orleans Saints games on Sunday afternoons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 546 reviews
August 10, 2024
3,5⭐️
June 6, 2024
I do love the movie 🎬 🎞 but this one is edged out some as my favorite 😍. It's a pity this won't be a movie, I'd be the first in line !
For me, alternate storylines have to be different, not just change a few small things and keep the same plot (my humble opinion). I was disappointed on the Snow White one in this series because of that, but loved Mulan book and this one so much :).
This one kept me turning the pages whenever I picked it up (cursing brain 🧠 fog) , and I feel sad to leave them behind.
Definitely going on my favorites shelf:).
Loved how everything came together and branched off in different ways, but still made for the same strong bond in the end.
Seeing Elinor learning to trust herself and get the courage to stand up for herself was one of my favorite parts.
Also the friendship developing between Merida and her teen parents 💖.
For me, alternate storylines have to be different, not just change a few small things and keep the same plot (my humble opinion). I was disappointed on the Snow White one in this series because of that, but loved Mulan book and this one so much :).
This one kept me turning the pages whenever I picked it up (cursing brain 🧠 fog) , and I feel sad to leave them behind.
Definitely going on my favorites shelf:).
Loved how everything came together and branched off in different ways, but still made for the same strong bond in the end.
Seeing Elinor learning to trust herself and get the courage to stand up for herself was one of my favorite parts.
Also the friendship developing between Merida and her teen parents 💖.
December 18, 2023
I cannot express how much I love Farrah Rochon’s writing! She perfectly captures our beloved characters from Brave and gives them the story they deserve in this new Disney Twisted Tale, Fate Be Changed!
Remember in the movie when Merida runs off to the Witch to get a spell to change her fate? Well, the witch gives her a different spell this time that will indeed do the trick! But Merida ate the cake intended for her mother and gets sent back to a time before the clans were united, before her parents were married and before the threat of war.
One person is all it takes to change the future and Merida has set off events that may not be recoverable. It is up to her to fix the past to secure the future in this wild and adventurous twist of a tale!
Thank you to Disney Press for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Remember in the movie when Merida runs off to the Witch to get a spell to change her fate? Well, the witch gives her a different spell this time that will indeed do the trick! But Merida ate the cake intended for her mother and gets sent back to a time before the clans were united, before her parents were married and before the threat of war.
One person is all it takes to change the future and Merida has set off events that may not be recoverable. It is up to her to fix the past to secure the future in this wild and adventurous twist of a tale!
Thank you to Disney Press for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 2, 2024
I really enjoyed this retelling and this was a surprise to me! I’ve heard good things about this series without trying it, and also I’ve never watched ‘Brave’ -so in many ways I’m not the ideal audience. However it was a fun read and did its job very well: keeping me entertained on a cold rainy Saturday afternoon. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
November 26, 2024
Probably my favorite of the Twisted Tales (so far). Of course I love Brave with every bit of my soul, and this was definitely an interesting way to twist that around. Excellent writing and fresh characters (that felt like they were part of the original) made it even better.
June 2, 2024
I love princess Merida and this was such a good twisted tale. I kind of liked it better than the actual movie! What a cool fun twist to her story and I loved that you got more of who her clan is and more Scottish history as well.
September 23, 2025
* All the books in this series are standalone's and can be read separately.
Merida understands that part of being a princess means she has obligations from birth that could impact her entire life. But now she's coming of age, her mother gets more insistent that she has to marry the future king of the DunBroch kingdom. Unwilling to give up her freedom and yet unable to have her mother see reason, Merida purchases a spell from a witch that is supposed to make her mother change her mind. But when Merida uses the spell on herself she is thrown back in time and due to circumstances has to help them fall in love, as so much more is impacted than Merida's own fate.
Pro's:
+ This book is very fast paced and therefore very easy to read. Merida is not sitting still for a second and I could feel the time ticking away in every chapter of this book, with the consequences getting more dire with time too.
+ I really like how small this story started, but the implications of Merida's behavior make this story way bigger and show how her how much influence her family really has. It is getting more layers with every chapter and therefore this really felt like a complete story.
Con's:
- Merida does not have a likable personality in the beginning of this book and it takes her a long time before she can see beyond her own life and fate. The addition of the curse was fun, but it felt a bit lacking in the manner it was supposed to make Merida desperate.
This was a fun read and I think this book is a great youth/ YA book, with more than enough adventure to keep you on the edge of your seat until the book is done. I cannot attest to the accuracy to the Disney movie, as I have never seen that one, but this story is fun and entertaining with a Scottish edge. I have several more Twisted Tales on the TBR pile and I will take not as long anymore to dive into them, as I was just remembered on how much fun these stories are. On to the next story!
Merida understands that part of being a princess means she has obligations from birth that could impact her entire life. But now she's coming of age, her mother gets more insistent that she has to marry the future king of the DunBroch kingdom. Unwilling to give up her freedom and yet unable to have her mother see reason, Merida purchases a spell from a witch that is supposed to make her mother change her mind. But when Merida uses the spell on herself she is thrown back in time and due to circumstances has to help them fall in love, as so much more is impacted than Merida's own fate.
Pro's:
+ This book is very fast paced and therefore very easy to read. Merida is not sitting still for a second and I could feel the time ticking away in every chapter of this book, with the consequences getting more dire with time too.
+ I really like how small this story started, but the implications of Merida's behavior make this story way bigger and show how her how much influence her family really has. It is getting more layers with every chapter and therefore this really felt like a complete story.
Con's:
- Merida does not have a likable personality in the beginning of this book and it takes her a long time before she can see beyond her own life and fate. The addition of the curse was fun, but it felt a bit lacking in the manner it was supposed to make Merida desperate.
This was a fun read and I think this book is a great youth/ YA book, with more than enough adventure to keep you on the edge of your seat until the book is done. I cannot attest to the accuracy to the Disney movie, as I have never seen that one, but this story is fun and entertaining with a Scottish edge. I have several more Twisted Tales on the TBR pile and I will take not as long anymore to dive into them, as I was just remembered on how much fun these stories are. On to the next story!
June 17, 2024
I bought this book the day it came out and just now got around to reading it and wow what a great installment! Kind of makes me want to re-watch the movie again!! Great retelling and so happy I read this for #campseasonathon book 7 of the month and 53 of the year!!
five/five stars
five/five stars
April 6, 2024
great twist on the original classic! Can’t wait for next book Sally’s lament in October!
October 3, 2023
First of all I would like to thank "Disney Publishing Group" and Edelweiss for sending me this book. Oh my goodness this was such an amazing story I loved everything about it from the Characters, adventure and plot. This needs to be made into a graphic novel 100%.
May 13, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for the ability to read and review this story!
This was a great story of how Merida had a change of heart for her mom! Merida had been told time and time again of how her parents met and fell in love, but when she wants a different future she has the chance to change everything. Going through the motions and trying to get her parents back together by changing the past, she is also able to change her future!
This was a great story of how Merida had a change of heart for her mom! Merida had been told time and time again of how her parents met and fell in love, but when she wants a different future she has the chance to change everything. Going through the motions and trying to get her parents back together by changing the past, she is also able to change her future!
November 3, 2024
why does every Merida story HAVE to be about her learning domesticity instead of/in addition to Adventure(tm). if we're getting an alternate-universe telling i want there to be ALTERNATE CONSEQUENCES AND LESSONS
also this book was Back to the Future But the Consequence Is Bears, complete with the. like. weird chemistry between Merida and her mom
also this book was Back to the Future But the Consequence Is Bears, complete with the. like. weird chemistry between Merida and her mom
September 20, 2024
Disfrute mucho leyendo este libro, es el segundo que leo de esta saga y tiene todo lo que me gusta: capítulos cortos, personajes divertidos y una bonita forma de escribir de parte de la escritora. No pido más, definitivamente lo recomiendo.
December 9, 2024
well that was a whole journey. i was more stressed than the actual main character.
October 22, 2024
A delightful read. It sheds a much more thoughtful light on Merida's story and I love the added backstory between her parents and also the witch from the woods.
While I hoped for more fleshed our side characters I enjoyed it nonetheless and can only recommend it to fans of the movie that are hungry for more.
While I hoped for more fleshed our side characters I enjoyed it nonetheless and can only recommend it to fans of the movie that are hungry for more.
November 14, 2024
Glad that Penny had me read it, it was a good book 👍
April 3, 2024
Merida's royal family rules dictate that she must be matched with a mate(not of her choosing) in order to prepare for her eventual role as queen. Despite her very vocal opinion that she does not want to be married and finds the tradition horribly outdated. But her mother, Queen Elinor, refuses to listen or change her mind.
In what she views to be her only option, Merida visits a local witch to wish that her mother be different. The wish doesn't go quite as planned... Merida ends up being sent back in time to when her mother was Merida's age. And now she must find out how to go back to her own time period and not disrupt the events that led to her parents falling in love.
I listened to the audiobook version of this and highly recommend it. The narrator kept the already interesting book fast paced and imbued emotion into each character's situation. I loved this re-telling of Disney's Brave and the focus on Merida and her mother's relationship.
I was also excited to discover this book is a part of a series called Twisted Tale - all books that spin classic Disney stories to see how things would play out differently under slightly different circumstances.
If you love retellings, stories of brave women, the movie Brave or exciting time travel stories set in Scotland, I recommend this. Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion Reimagined for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
In what she views to be her only option, Merida visits a local witch to wish that her mother be different. The wish doesn't go quite as planned... Merida ends up being sent back in time to when her mother was Merida's age. And now she must find out how to go back to her own time period and not disrupt the events that led to her parents falling in love.
I listened to the audiobook version of this and highly recommend it. The narrator kept the already interesting book fast paced and imbued emotion into each character's situation. I loved this re-telling of Disney's Brave and the focus on Merida and her mother's relationship.
I was also excited to discover this book is a part of a series called Twisted Tale - all books that spin classic Disney stories to see how things would play out differently under slightly different circumstances.
If you love retellings, stories of brave women, the movie Brave or exciting time travel stories set in Scotland, I recommend this. Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion Reimagined for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
July 18, 2025
I absolutely adore this book. Unfortunately, I do not think the book is as amazing as the brand and characters. My favorite movie is Brave so I feel like I’m a bit biased!
A few things I have to say:
I feel like Merida acts a bit out of character at some points in the book. I could not imagine her making the decisions she made in the book in the movie. The same with Elinor. I mainly felt this way at the very end of the book when the timeline is fixed. They just magically came to a conclusion just like that? I feel like Merida ended up getting what she wanted in the end. Yes, she did change, but the ending fell flat.
Another thing is the whole bear side-plot. I understand that perhaps two things happening is not interesting enough (the threat and her parents getting together), but the bear thing kind of confused me. It felt much different from the ideas of the movie if that makes sense. Her slowly turning into a bear? Nobody really caring that much?
It felt a bit cliché. Yes, it is a Disney book after all. I just felt like the ending wrapped up too nicely with a bow when it could have been given more depth. The beginning was a bit slow, the middle was my favorite part, and the ending kind of felt rushed and disappointed me a bit.
A few things I have to say:
I feel like Merida acts a bit out of character at some points in the book. I could not imagine her making the decisions she made in the book in the movie. The same with Elinor. I mainly felt this way at the very end of the book when the timeline is fixed. They just magically came to a conclusion just like that? I feel like Merida ended up getting what she wanted in the end. Yes, she did change, but the ending fell flat.
Another thing is the whole bear side-plot. I understand that perhaps two things happening is not interesting enough (the threat and her parents getting together), but the bear thing kind of confused me. It felt much different from the ideas of the movie if that makes sense. Her slowly turning into a bear? Nobody really caring that much?
It felt a bit cliché. Yes, it is a Disney book after all. I just felt like the ending wrapped up too nicely with a bow when it could have been given more depth. The beginning was a bit slow, the middle was my favorite part, and the ending kind of felt rushed and disappointed me a bit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2024
Some in this series are better than others. I really liked this one!
January 31, 2025
3.5 stars
I just read this book and the also Brave-based Bravely back-to-back, and this story is definitely closer in tone to the movie. Bravely felt like a historical-fiction novel about Scottish mythology that happened to star a girl named Merida, and this book feels more like a story Pixar would have told about Merida. If you've ever watched the movie Brave and thought to yourself “wow this movie makes Elinor realize the error of her ways but doesn't address Merida's actual problems at all?” then this book is for you. I love stories about time-travel and people meeting young versions of their family, so of course I picked this one up, and while it was never the greatest book I've read recently it was pretty good. Merida joins Marty McFly in the long and proud history of people named after themselves.
I just read this book and the also Brave-based Bravely back-to-back, and this story is definitely closer in tone to the movie. Bravely felt like a historical-fiction novel about Scottish mythology that happened to star a girl named Merida, and this book feels more like a story Pixar would have told about Merida. If you've ever watched the movie Brave and thought to yourself “wow this movie makes Elinor realize the error of her ways but doesn't address Merida's actual problems at all?” then this book is for you. I love stories about time-travel and people meeting young versions of their family, so of course I picked this one up, and while it was never the greatest book I've read recently it was pretty good. Merida joins Marty McFly in the long and proud history of people named after themselves.
November 10, 2024
Brave was never my favorite Disney movie, but this was still a fun retelling.
Merida gets to go to the past and meet her parents when they're younger and help get them together.
While she gets to understand more about her mom at that age, her mom is a totally different person by the time Elinor gets to be a mother and when Merida gets to be a young woman. To me, that took away the bonding moments that Merida and Elinor had together for the Brave movie and made this story seem less important because only Merida learned the lesson.
Unless I've forgotten Brave entirely and Elinor didn't actually remember being a bear and all that? I might have to rewatch the movie now.
Merida gets to go to the past and meet her parents when they're younger and help get them together.
While she gets to understand more about her mom at that age, her mom is a totally different person by the time Elinor gets to be a mother and when Merida gets to be a young woman. To me, that took away the bonding moments that Merida and Elinor had together for the Brave movie and made this story seem less important because only Merida learned the lesson.
Unless I've forgotten Brave entirely and Elinor didn't actually remember being a bear and all that? I might have to rewatch the movie now.
July 22, 2024
Merida wants a spell to change her mother and winds up throwing herself into history when she consumes the spell herself. Disrupting the past, Merida must help her parents fall in love to return to her own time. A lovely interesting read that shows the importance of remembering people are multi-dimensional (especially your parents). I would have liked more resolution for the conspiracy that drives much of the novel, but another fun and enjoyable read in the Twisted Tales series.
September 13, 2025
Merida is one of my favourite Disney princesses, so when I found out that there would be a twisted tale about Brave, I was really looking forward to reading it. The story had a pretty slow start, but it wasn’t long until things became more interesting and I wanted to keep on reading to find out what happened next. It put a Back To The Future style spin on the plot of Brave, which was one of the better twists within this series. I thought that it was a pretty good book overall, I just thought that it took a little bit too long to get to the good stuff. Definitely worth a read though.
April 11, 2024
Loved this Twisted Tale for the same reason I loved the original story: not all the best stories are love stories. Sometimes, we all need to be reminded that the power to embrace and change our own fate lies within us; we just need to be brave enough to do so.
I love Merida's stubbornness and unwillingness to give up. Her journey is an important one, for girls old and young alike. This story made me long for a hug from my mother, who I considered a friend just as Merida and Elinor came to be.
I love Merida's stubbornness and unwillingness to give up. Her journey is an important one, for girls old and young alike. This story made me long for a hug from my mother, who I considered a friend just as Merida and Elinor came to be.
March 29, 2024
I love twisted tales. I also love the brave story so seeing it twisted was enjoyable.
Imagine brave meets back to the future and you’ve got your story in a nutshell. It’s not the twist I expected but it worked flawlessly.
Quick, light read that leaves you feeling content.
Imagine brave meets back to the future and you’ve got your story in a nutshell. It’s not the twist I expected but it worked flawlessly.
Quick, light read that leaves you feeling content.
August 8, 2024
3,5stars
November 25, 2024
Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this retelling. Super easy to get into and follow along with. Was the perfect palette cleanser.
January 31, 2025
I think anyone who likes the Disney movie “Brave” would enjoy this book! The book truly feels authentic to its source material. I plan on reading more of these books with my daughter.
April 11, 2025
Fate Be Changed: 4/5 stars
It’s not unknown that Brave is one of my favorite Disney movies so reading this book was an adventure in and of itself. This book was so well written I wanna see this turned into a movie! Overall it was just fun and cute and the twisted tale series is one I truly love and enjoy.
It’s not unknown that Brave is one of my favorite Disney movies so reading this book was an adventure in and of itself. This book was so well written I wanna see this turned into a movie! Overall it was just fun and cute and the twisted tale series is one I truly love and enjoy.
May 20, 2024
4.5
I love Merida and Brave. I love her in any form. I love her in this book. An almost perfect, but not quite, form but definitely a loveable one.
I love Merida and Brave. I love her in any form. I love her in this book. An almost perfect, but not quite, form but definitely a loveable one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 546 reviews