The Scavenger Princess

by Penelope Wright

In less than a moon cycle, Abra will come of age... and assume responsibility for the debts her mother ran away from years ago, when she abandoned Abra as a child. Unfortunately, the men who hold Ma's debts aren't the type to let Abra pay them off in fish and clams. Her life is over before it has even begun.

But then, a once in a generation storm gives Abra a chance to escape north. Most likely, the Arkansan coast guard will catch her, chop off one of her fingers, and send her back. But slim hope is better than none.

Abra didn't plan on finding the murdered woman half buried in the sand beneath the overturned hull of the boat. She didn't plan on assuming her identity either. But the dead woman's father, King Sarva, has made promises his daughter must fulfill, and Abra looks an awful lot like her...

Now, thrust into the palace with nothing but a flimsy cover story, a fancy new wardrobe, and her wits, Abra must convince everyone that she is royalty. But someone close to King Sarva murdered the real Princess Nyana... so somebody in the king's inner circle knows she's an imposter.

And nothing will stop the assassin from trying again...

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2025

About the author

Penelope Wright spent a quarter of her life on the east coast and the rest in Washington state. She worked her way through college in restaurants, hospitals, factories, and everything in between, finally graduating summa cum laude from the University of Washington after an absurdly long time. She loves both traditions and new experiences, and will try anything once, except skydiving, which is a hard no. She lives north of Seattle with her husband and two amazing teenagers.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew before reading this that only the first in the series was out, but I couldn't help myself. 🫣

So of course I was left with a frustrating cliffhanger and the sure knowledge that once the second book comes out in JUNE I will have forgotten enough that I will need to reread this book and then read the second. And this cycle may or may not repeat through the entire series....which is why I like to wait for a series to be out and then binge it.

Thankfully, Wright's books are always fantastic so I'm not sure it is very sad at all, despite me really wanting to know what happens next right now instead of waiting 7 1/2 months.

That aside, this was a fun start to this series. I like the protagonist and love that it is set in the same world as The Princess Trials. The latter was in Rustonia, of course, but this book takes place in an island south of Arkansa and in Arkansa as well. The plot is compelling and I enjoyed getting acquainted with the characters we have met so far as well.

My only caveat is that the first half of the book felt kind of slow. This was true in her other series too and I understand that it is a hard balance to strike because world building is essential to a good book or series. I just found some parts were a bit more tedious to read than I would have liked. That said, this was still a reallllly good book and I'm anxious to find out what comes next!

[Rachael K Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick imaginative adventure

This was a fun and quick read that teased the imagination. Clean and low key violence with a futuristic survival lonely twist. Seriously one of the best books that I have enjoyed in a long time. Kept me awake and turning the pg.

[Kairi Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and unexpected

Some of the brutality you fear and a lot of the humanity you hope for in a semi-post-apocalyptic world. I enjoyed the twists it took!