by Cherie Priest
Summary from Amazon:
Best friends, big fans, a mysterious webcomic, and a long-lost girl collide in this riveting novel, perfect for fans of both Cory Doctorow and Sara Dessen, & illustrated throughout with comics.
Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure.
Once upon a few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across the Ballard 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, wandering the streets of Seattle, when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window. Princess X? When May looks around, she sees the Princess everywhere: Stickers. Patches. Graffiti. There's an entire underground culture, focused around a webcomic at IAmPrincessX.com. The more May explores the webcomic, the more she sees disturbing similarities between Libby's story and Princess X online. And that means that only one person could have started this phenomenon - her best friend, Libby, who lives.
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When I picked out this book to read from the library, it was with a purpose. I was reading this as part of a librarian/teacher book club on Twitter. It's the last book of the season and I was bound and determined to finish it before the chat so I could actually participate in one. (I tend to get behind, don't finish the book, and miss the chats.)
I read the summary of the book several times, and I kept putting it off. I kept thinking, "I'm not going to like this book." "This book isn't my usual read. I don't think I'm going to get into it." I'd look at it and wait a little longer before checking it out, look at it, and wait some more. I wasn't completely sold on trying this book out just yet.
I finally checked out the eBook from the library and got started on it. The first thing that pulled me into this book were the illustrations. This is a novel mixed with a little bit of comic/graphic novel. It really pulled me in and gave me a break from reading chapter after chapter. It was a little surprise you get to when you're reading and it refreshes your mind and your eyes. It allows you to connect some visuals with the text that you're reading.
As the story begins you meet the main character May and her best friend Libby. I quickly made a connection with the two because it reminded me of a friendship I had when I was growing up. You quickly were drawn into their lives and their imagination, before tragedy strikes.
The author gives you this warm opening and then you're devastated, quickly, by the death of a character. I was so drawn to the characters already that I felt the emotions May went through as she dealt with her best friend's death.
The story skips a few years and you're taken into May's life as she splits her time between her parents. That was another connection for me as well. My parents divorced when I was a little younger than May, but I understood what she was going through. She was going from one place to another and only seeing her parents at certain times. It's a different lifestyle and one that can through a young persons emotions through a loop.
The story follows May as she's visiting her dad back where her and Libby were best friends. She soon discovers a piece of her past, of her and Libby's past all around Seattle. These signs and discoveries take her on a journey to find out where they're coming from and who is placing them all over the town. It brings on a new friendship with someone and ultimately brings her a huge shock.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was quickly drawn into the story, felt what the characters were feeling, and followed May on her journey to discover the truth. I highly recommend the book to anyone. I'm anxious to add this book to the library at my school. I hope my students have as much fun reading it as I did.
