Bravely

Merida of DunBroch has a loving family and a peaceful kingdom, and she is bored by both. Her father Fergus is jovial, her mother Elinor is the very model of propriety, and her three little brothers are forever making mischief. Yet every day in DunBroch looks like the one before, and the princess longs for challenge, purpose and adventure, and perhaps even love someday.

Her restlessness takes a dangerous form on Christmas Eve, when a supernatural being named Feradach arrives. His task is to clear away anything that has gone stale or rotten, and he has decided that includes the whole realm and everyone in it. The only reprieve comes from the Cailleach, an ancient power tied to creation itself. She gives Merida one year to persuade her family to change. If she fails, the consequences will be eternal.

With the gods watching, Merida sets out across the seasons on a series of long journeys to kingdoms both near and far, hoping to stir her family out of their old ways. But as she works to rescue the people she loves, a harder question closes in on her. Which member of the clan has grown the most stagnant of all, and could it be Merida herself?

This is a Scottish-flavored fantasy adventure from Maggie Stiefvater, built around a ticking clock and the cost of refusing to change. DunBroch will be saved or destroyed by the end of the year.