I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest

Pages: 227

Intended Audience: Tweens and up

Genre: Adventure / Mystery

Notes for Parents: Contains some mature material

The Back Cover

Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the comics, May wrote the stories, and Princess X fought monsters, ghosts, and other assorted creepazoids from her haunted house high on a hill.

Once upon a few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across a bridge on a rainy night. When the car went over the side, Libby passed away, and Princess X died with her.

Once upon a now, May is sixteen and lonely when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window – a figure in a gold crown, pink dress, red Chucks, and a long katana sword…

Princess X? Suddenly, May sees the princess everywhere: stickers, patches, graffiti – an entire underground world built around a web comic at IAmPrincessX.com. The more May explores the comic, the more shocking connections she finds between Libby’s death and Princess X’s adventures. And that means only one person could have started this phenomenon – her best friend, Libby, who lives.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

While she has had 19 full length books published, this is the author’s first young adult novel.

What’s good?

When May discovers though a web comic that her friend Libby, who she thought died in a car crash, may still be alive, she teams up with a neighborhood computer geek to find some answers. This is a sophisticated mystery with plenty of action and adventure. The web comic interspersed throughout the story gives it a graphic novel feel. The plot is complex but easy to follow and the pace is fast, making this a quick and effortless read. Friendship and perseverance are strong themes, the concept is creative, and the characters are interesting.

Best Part: The cover.

What isn’t good?

Pointless dialogue and unnecessary details muddy the story and distract from some of the mystery. Meanwhile, the absence of physical and emotional descriptors means the overall atmosphere of the story is a little stale. Character depth is also lacking, making it difficult to understand some of the choices that May and Trick make. I was annoyed that more than once, the characters don’t call for help because they assume the police won’t handle the situation correctly. It’s nothing but a ridiculous excuse to keep the adventure going.

Worst part: “It was the third loudest thing she ever heard.” (pg. 218)

Recommendation ☻☻☻☻☺ (4/5)

Despite some strange logistical choices, I found this story to be very entertaining. It wasn’t until after I was finished reading it and preparing to write this review that some of the plotting really started to bother me. However, for as many weaknesses it has, this story has a lot of strengths, including an engaging storyline, likeable characters, and a unique premise.

Priest, Cherie. I Am Princess X. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2015.