I Am Princess X

Cherie Priest is one of my favorite authors. I’ve always found her books very down to earth and easy to ready, though this is my first time reading something not in one of her steam punk series, that didn’t change how much I enjoyed it. If you’ve read her work before then you know what to expect, if not and this is your first foray into her books then you’ve picked a good start, this is also her first foray into young adult.I am Princess x has some very fun parts going on, with a early childhood friendship serving as a first hook and then what happens to that friendship serving as a close second. Cherie Priest has a great grip on good writing, in that the book sets the stage in act one marvelously. You know whose who and what is what about them and the appropriate emotional connection to the characters to last you to the curtain. Act 2 is where the book really takes off with a hook that will easily last you until the end. When other characters are introduced they are done so in fitting with the theme and premise of the story, instead of throwing in messy additions. Never does Priest include a romance in her book for the sake of added hook or cheap gimmicks, either it belongs or it doesn’t and if it doesn’t then it isn’t in the book.While Princess X may seem like a straight forward book, there is an interesting recurring theme about society that seems to be going on. There is the forgotten things, the people and history out of sight and out of mind. This comes up with the messages that might be left by a sticker or graffiti or the very ruins of an old city build beneath the thriving one. This extends into the people of the story too as many of the characters are beneath notice, the sort of person your attention slides past and I had no problem seeing this as true for the people in the story. Finally, there is the main antagonist, who you could see as a person, or someone with the resources and funds to affect the world around them, someone who isn’t seen as human extra and thus important. All of this is written beneath the scenes, but yet the entire book seems to call back to these much deeper themes even while the story itself can be read as extremely straight forward.Another aspect of this story that Priest seemed to take very seriously was the research that went into it. I do not know if Priest herself is interested in the internet and the workings there of but she writes about it well. The callbacks to real life sits like reddit and 4chan feel appropriate and not forced. This isn’t your Sandra Bullock attempt to sound techie in the movie hackers, this is someone who bothered to learn about the thing she was writing about. The same can be said about the history of Seattle. I do not know what exists beneath the streets there, but nothing written about it in this book felt particularly implausible to me.So should you read I am Princess x? If you’re interested or curious then I would say yes, you probably should. It is shorter than I might of liked, but the book is actually just the right length for what it delves into and for me at least was a very quick read. Usually I like to give critical stuff along with my positive, but there just isn’t anything critical I can say about this one. I read it in a day. Cherie Priest remains one of my favorite authors.

I am Princess X is very different from Boneshaker and it's sequels. It's a very grounded story, but, like everything Cherie Priest does, it's exceptionally well-written. You can easily believe these girls are real people, and you'll want to follow their story to the very end. Priest proves she can write fantastically in whatever genre she chooses. It even has excellent comic book pages with beautiful artwork accompanying the story.However, the book has one serious drawback, and it has nothing to do with Priest's writing. You see, the font is tiny for an ebook, and it strained my eyes to read it. You can zoom with the Kindle, but it zooms in too far and you have to scroll through the now-oversize text. Maybe the problem lies with the limitations of my first-generation Kindle, but I couldn't read this for more than a half hour. I'm guessing the paperback version is easier to read, so I would go with that if possible.Anyway, the story itself is excellent and has good pacing. If you can get a version that won't hurt your eyes, I strongly recommend I am Princess X.

I've been slowly making my way through a long list of books recommended by a librarian friend I follow online. Next up on the list was this detective story with an interesting twist---a mystery that involved a webcomic. And seeing as how I too self publish my own comics, I was eager to give this a look. And it turned out to be more dark and emotional than the synopsis gave it credit for.Taking place in Seattle, Washington, May and Libby are two young girls who became extremely close friends via a character they made up one day on the playground---a warrior sporting a pink dress, red Converse sneakers, and a purple katana named Princess X. The girls kept their imaginary game and friendship going for years....until one fateful night, when Libby is tragically killed in a car accident. Heartbroken and alone, May must find the strength to move on without her friend by her side. But then, three lonely and tough years later, May is taking a casual stroll through town when she happens upon a bunch of flyers and stickers showing up around the city---advertisements for a smash hit new webcomic called "I Am Princess X". And all of them sport Libby's signature artwork. Naturally stunned beyond belief, May begins reading the comic---a comic that weaves a horrifying tale of a princess who was kidnapped by the evil Needle Man, and is on a quest to gather the items she needs to escape her captor and defeat him once and for all. With the help of her new computer hacker friend named Trick, May soon embarks on a quest of her own....a quest to put together the clues hidden within the comic and discover who's behind the Princess X website....and come to the shocking realization that there was more to Libby's death than what was first believed.This is one of the first books I've seen that's half written traditionally and half graphic novel, with excerpts from the Princess X webcomic sprinkled throughout to help tell the story and solve the mystery. And though this is aimed towards a pre-teen/teenage audience, it doesn't shy away from dark topics like murder, kidnapping, homelessness, and child endangerment. This is all the more exemplified in our cast of characters who all go above and beyond to do what the adults in their lives have failed to accomplish. May always considered herself to be the shy one in comparison to Libby---never acting out or causing trouble, and never really able to make long lasting friends outside of Libby. But by stepping up to solve the mystery, she slowly becomes more bold and brave---racking up an odd network of allies, and is determined to find her best friend at any cost. Trick is your typical snarky, sarcastic know-it-all, but he IS a good kid, and he CAN put his money where his mouth is, because he IS extremely adept at hacking into virtually any computer network. Also, good on the author for having a male and female lead and NOT having them become a romantic couple by the end. He and May just remain good friends, and that's a dynamic we need to see more often in fiction. As for Libby, to talk about her would spoil much of the plot, but all I can safely say is that her story is incredibly sad and brutal, and she's easily one of the bravest kids on the planet, and it's her creativity and ingenuity that's her ultimate salvation.My one and only nitpick, and the one thing that holds this back from being a full five stars is that key points of the mystery are solved via pure luck or happenstance. It's very lucky that May happens to notice the Princess X stickers around town, or that she's willing to risk life and limb to track down her friend, or she just so happens to run into a kid who is a super genius computer hacker, who is also willing to put his life on the line to help this girl he's only known for a couple days. Not to mention it's a bunch of kids who are hacking databases and going toe-to-toe with a killer, and pulling off feats the trained professional adults couldn't. If this were in the realm of the sci-fi, fantasy, or superhero genres, I could forgive it more, but considering this is supposed to be grounded in reality, some of the things these kids pull off is a bit of a stretch.Still, if you're willing to suspend your disbelief just a bit, this is an extremely engaging and suspenseful murder mystery adventure for young adults, emphasizing the power of friendship, of taking charge when the law fails, and the importance of never giving up.

This was a really good story; a good mystery.I do want to complain about the kindle and tablet formatting. It's stuck in landscape mode and the print is small, but you can't expand it. I did okay on a tablet, but I don't know how anyone could read this on a Kindle. Skip this version and buy a physical copy.The story is solid and you're going to love it. Your kids will love it. Your grandparents will love it. So a physical copy is well worth it.

Super, reçu dans les temps et qualité nickel. Merci

I liked almost everything about the book. It's unique because it includes comics from the story into the book itself so it makes you feel like you're right in the story, seeing what the characters see. The plot is very interesting and the author does a great job in holding and even increasing your interest as you progress through the book. The book itself is a pleasure to read from. The cover, the print with the pictures and the comics make it a very fun experience. It's a great read, clever and thrilling, not just for kids but adults too.

This copy was actually a gift for my niece. The author does a great job with the setting/city of Seattle(somewhere I recently moved to) I had read it previously and felt it would provide them with a vibe of the city along with being a great story. Both her and mother enjoyed it and after finishing it they went to local library to find other books by Cherie Priest.

I am a big fan of Cherie Priest's work and very much looked forward to reading this new book. I like the interweaving of novel and comic which is a format I've never come across before. The story follows May who starts finding images and comics based on a character she invented with a friend who she believes died years before. With mystery and the need to know what happens next this book kept me interested throughout. I did not want to put this book down. The look of the book is fantastic. The design, layout and illustrations combine to make this an attractive object as well as a great novel. Cannot wait to read more Cherie Priest novels.

It is a nice product