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Synopsis from publisher:
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?
My review:
3/5 stars. I’ve read a few of the Disney Twisted Tales now. Fate Be Changed isn’t the worst I’ve read, but it also isn’t my favorite. I mostly had problems with the pacing and the writing style. But I liked a lot of other aspects. I enjoyed Merida’s character development throughout the course of the novel. I also got a lot more invested in the second half and wanted to keep reading to find out how it would all be resolved, despite the book’s issues.
I love time travel stories, so the premise of this Twisted Tale really interested me. That whole concept continued to be the most interesting to me as I read. The stakes are high, since Merida wouldn’t exist if she didn’t get her parents together. I kept reading to find out what would happen.
Although I was invested much more in the second half, the first half really dragged. It took me a long time to finish this novel because I wasn’t engaged early on.
Fate Be Changed has a lot of cliches, both in terms of plot and the writing itself. Elinor’s attitude toward marriage and independence is overdone and unrealistic for the setting. As for the writing itself, I noticed a lot of repetitive, cliche phrases. There’s also a bit too much telling instead of showing, both with the developing romance and the ending.
However, I loved Merida’s arc. She realizes what life is like for servants and vows to never treat her staff that way. It’s also heartwarming to see her realize how kind and respectful her mother actually is and understand why she is the way she is.
Some other Twisted Tales are As Old As Time and What Once Was Mine.
Rated: Mild. No language, mild violence that isn’t detailed, and no sexual content beyond kissing.
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