Scrapped Princess

Scrapped Princess

Volume 1 – A Tale of destiny
Volume 2 – Song of the forgiven

By Ichiro Sakaki

These are the novels that inspired the Scrapped Princess anime series. There are 14 Volumes planned.

Fourteen years ago, in the kingdom of Linevan, the queen gave birth to twins – a boy and a girl. However, a prophecy foretold that the girl would, on her 16th birthday, destroy the world, and therefore should be executed immediately. Heartbroken, the queen could not kill her daughter, but instead arranged for her to be adopted by local friends.

Pacifica grows up with her new siblings, Shannon and Raquel, unaware of her true fate. However, when it is revealed that she is the Scrapped Princess, the trio decide to avenge the murder of their father and to test the truth of the prophecy. Fast-paced adventure and action ensues, as the three journey across the kingdom, hunted by fierce warriors intent on killing the Princess before she destroys their world.

A fun series, though a bit slow in some spots, and clearly missing the visual details of the manga and anime. An interesting blend of a manga and a novel – it’s more an illustrated novel really - with several manga-style illustrations.

Snakehead

Snakehead

By Anthony Horowitz

Another action-packed Alex Rider story, the seventh in this series. This one is set in Australia, with Alex working with ASIS to foil the South East Asian criminal group called Snakehead.

There’s action galore - threats to the environment, a Great Big Bomb, threats of non-con organ transplants, a martial arts tournament of death, and new gadgets to play with. There’s also Alex’s godfather, Ash, who may or may not unlock secrets from Alex’s past. Alex’s character grows a little deeper, a little more complex with each installment. As the series continues, I’m hoping that Horowitz continues to balance the exciting James Bond side of his story with the journey of personal growth that Alex is undertaking in his search for identity.