I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest: A Book Review

  


  I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest is a book I first read in 7th grade. And although it was a quick read, with small chunks of it being a graphic novel, there were deep ideas that were interesting enough for me to want to delve into at the time. Because I Am Princess X is a book I own, one day recently I decided to pick it up again to see if I still liked the book as much. 

    I Am Princess X is a book about a girl who as a child became best friends with a girl named Libby, together they created a character with a story, Princess X. Together with the main character, May's, skills of writing and Libby's skills of drawing could create the persona they wanted. Tragically, a few years before the main part of the book takes place, Libby and her mom die in a car crash which causes May to stop writing about Princess X entirely. Soon after, May moved away and many years passed by. The start of the present time part of the book begins with May going back to her hometown where she starts thinking about Libby, and Princess X again. Soon May had to become a detective because of Princess X, although I don't want to spoil what happens. This investigation happens throughout the rest of the book, as new people and friendships come into play. 

    The first thing I noticed when reading was how unsophisticated the writing of the book was. The author often leaves no room for insightfulness and presumes the reader can't deduct or remember anything while reading. It gave me a sense of nostalgia because I had read it before, but I was able to see why I enjoyed it so much in 7th grade. It was very simple but overcomplicated at the same time. The investigation May went through during almost the entire book could have easily, in a way that had more logical sense, been complete. It almost made me mad in a sense when I noticed things that seemed unnecessary and unrealistic. Keeping in mind that this book doesn't actually have magical princesses, and is supposed to be fairly coherent and similar to the world we live in today. 

    Overall, I see why I liked it when I was in 7th grade. It had some comics in it, and there was some sort of mystery that needed to be solved. Now, when reading it again it was hard to overlook annoying little details that just weren't necessary. 

My Rating: 5/10

                                                                                                                            -Ava Roberts

Comments

  1. AbbyMarch 8, 2024 at 2:37 PM

    Hey Ava, I also remember reading this book in 6th grade and loving it but now opinion has probably changed like yours. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cecilia CalfasMarch 18, 2024 at 1:26 PM

    Hi Ava! I remember reading this book when I was younger too. It was out of my usually genre but I really enjoy some of the mystical aspects to the book. Awesome review!

    ReplyDelete

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