I Am Princess X

Synopsis

May is a lonely teenager living in Atlanta with her mother, but spends summers in Seattle with her father. Years ago, before her parents divorced and they all lived in Seattle, she and her best friend Libby worked together to create the fictional character Princess X, a warrior-princess that went through whatever adventures the two of them could dream up. This all came to an end when Libby died in a car accident on the Ballard Bridge. Now in present day May begins seeing stickers and other memorabilia that showcase Princess X during the summer before her 17th birthday. She's directed to a website containing stories of Princess X's exploits, all of which are similar to the stories May wrote years earlier. This leads May to wonder if Libby is still alive. She decides to follow a series of clues left by the people responsible for the website, however as she progresses she discovers that she is not the only person looking for Libby. As the book progresses May discovers that Libby is indeed alive and that she was actually kidnapped by a man who wanted Libby's parents to allow her to be used as part of a medical procedure to save his own daughter. They refuse due to the risk of Libby's own health and well-being, only for the man to murder them and steal Libby away to raise in the place of his own daughter, who died soon after he was turned away. Libby managed to escape, but had to remain continually on the run, as the man kept searching for her and lied to authorities, saying that she was his mentally unhinged daughter. The book ends with May and Libby reuniting and the end of her captor's attempts to kidnap her.

Reception

Critical reception for I Am Princess X has been positive. MuggleNet praised the book and wrote "The plot’s no Gordian knot, but Priest’s readable style, and the incorporation of a Princess X webcomic into the text itself, keeps you from getting bored with this story. I Am Princess X is pure fun and a much-needed addition to the canon of YA literature for girls who like Reddit and superheroes." Geeks of Doom also wrote a favorable review, commenting that the book's only flaw was that "while it is a perfect read for the female 12 and up set, younger boys might not be interested solely because of the title. But that might be on purpose – the desired readership could be tween and teen girls."