I Am Princess X

High school student May lost her best friend Libby in a car accident years ago. The two girls had created Princess X, a sword-wielding heroine in a cape, through countless stories and drawings they made together in Seattle. Three years later, May spots Princess X appearing mysteriously around Seattle - in stickers, graffiti, and finally in an underground webcomic. The webcomic's story contains details only May and Libby could have known, leading May to question everything she believed about her friend's death. With help from Patrick, a tech-savvy new friend, May follows a trail of digital breadcrumbs through Seattle's streets and cyberspace. The investigation puts them on a collision course with dangerous people who want to keep the truth hidden. This hybrid novel combines traditional prose with graphic novel segments to explore themes of friendship, identity, and the power of storytelling to preserve connections across time and distance.

Readers found this YA mystery-thriller engaging and fast-paced, with many finishing it in one sitting. The integration of manga-style illustrations with traditional prose helped drive the story and appealed to both comic and novel fans. Liked: - Strong female friendship at the core - Seattle setting details bring authenticity - Creative format mixing illustrations and text - Well-crafted mystery elements - Age-appropriate thriller content Disliked: - Plot holes and coincidences strain credibility - Some found the ending rushed - Tech/hacking aspects feel unrealistic - Supporting characters lack depth - Several readers wanted more manga sections Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (16,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (300+ reviews) Common Sense Media: 4/5 "The combination of artwork and prose creates a unique reading experience" - Teen reviewer on Common Sense Media "Too many convenient plot solutions" - Goodreads reviewer

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🗡️ The character of Princess X was inspired by Priest's own childhood experiences creating comics with friends, though her stories featured vampire hunters rather than sword-wielding princesses. 👑 Seattle's famous underground city, which plays a key role in the book's mystery, is a real network of subterranean passageways created when the city was rebuilt after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. 🎨 The graphic novel portions of the book were illustrated by Kali Ciesemier, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and other major publications. 💻 The book accurately portrays early 2010s internet culture, including references to 4chan, IRC chat rooms, and the then-emerging webcomic scene. 🏆 I Am Princess X won several awards, including a spot on YALSA's 2016 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list and the 2017-2018 Florida Teens Read Award.