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Princeless (Collected Editions) #3
Princeless, Vol. 3: The Pirate Princess
Adrienne has been on the run and working to save her sisters, but when she finds another princess locked away in a tower, she decides to spring her! But Raven Xingtao, the daughter of the Pirate King, is more of a handful than Adrienne could have ever expected. Before she knows it, Adrienne is off on a whirlwind adventure to complete Raven's quest for revenge! The complete collected edition of Princeless: The Pirate Princess!
128 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2015
10 people are currently reading
721 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Whitley
409 books339 followersJeremy Whitley is the son of two teachers and the husband of a third.
Born in La Mesa, CA, Jeremy went to high school in Lenoir, NC and college at The University of North Carolina. He graduated with a Bachelors in English, and a minor in Creative Writing.
Jeremy lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Alicia and his two daughters Zuri and Amara.
Jeremy is the writer/creator of the comic series Princeless, Raven the Pirate Princess, School for Extraterrestrial Girls, and The Dog Knight. He is also the writer of the acclaimed Marvel series "The Unstoppable Wasp". His other works include extensive work for Marvel, the "Sea of Thieves" comics, and over sixty issues of My Little Pony comics.
Awards and Nominations:
3 time Glyph Winner
5 time Glyph Nominee
2 time Eisner Nominee
2 time Cyblis Nominee
2 time Bloomer Nominee
1 time Most Likely to Succeed Winner
Born in La Mesa, CA, Jeremy went to high school in Lenoir, NC and college at The University of North Carolina. He graduated with a Bachelors in English, and a minor in Creative Writing.
Jeremy lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Alicia and his two daughters Zuri and Amara.
Jeremy is the writer/creator of the comic series Princeless, Raven the Pirate Princess, School for Extraterrestrial Girls, and The Dog Knight. He is also the writer of the acclaimed Marvel series "The Unstoppable Wasp". His other works include extensive work for Marvel, the "Sea of Thieves" comics, and over sixty issues of My Little Pony comics.
Awards and Nominations:
3 time Glyph Winner
5 time Glyph Nominee
2 time Eisner Nominee
2 time Cyblis Nominee
2 time Bloomer Nominee
1 time Most Likely to Succeed Winner
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
July 1, 2015
I think I'm done with this series.
I love what it's trying to do but the lack of characterization at this point, the stereotyped female behavior (the cat fight on dragonback completely pissed me off because if Mean Girls taught us anything, it's that you go in snarking and then you make friends. Yeah, actually? It doesn't work like that, especially not in a 10-page spread), the over-the-top gender-role reversal, it's too pandering for my comfort.
I'm glad this is resonating with so many women, especially women with daughters. I hope this opens the door to some discussions that parents need to have with their kids. For me, though, it's a useless tool.
I'd recommend this to young readers, maybe 8- to 12-year-olds.
I love what it's trying to do but the lack of characterization at this point, the stereotyped female behavior (the cat fight on dragonback completely pissed me off because if Mean Girls taught us anything, it's that you go in snarking and then you make friends. Yeah, actually? It doesn't work like that, especially not in a 10-page spread), the over-the-top gender-role reversal, it's too pandering for my comfort.
I'm glad this is resonating with so many women, especially women with daughters. I hope this opens the door to some discussions that parents need to have with their kids. For me, though, it's a useless tool.
I'd recommend this to young readers, maybe 8- to 12-year-olds.
October 12, 2015
Another great entry in the series. This one introduces Raven, a much more practiced hero than Adrienne. It's a shame that she doesn't stick around (she's off to lead her own series). It's also a shame that Whitley seemed to be building some romantic tension between Raven and Adrienne only to apparently back off to making them sisterly instead. As an introduction to Raven, this book definitely did the job. I really liked her, and I was sorry to see her leaving the group. I probably will try out her own series, though. Could've done without the not-exactly-obligatory catfight, though.
July 16, 2019
I!! LOVE!! RAVEN!! SO!! MUCH!!
Lmao, she's so gay and Adrienne is so obvious about it! I can't wait to read her spin-off series!
It was neat to see them all working together and have some girl-on-girl conflict that wasn't just a catty argument or a boy related problem but was based on a conflict of interests caused by both girls' arcs and backgrounds.
Lmao, she's so gay and Adrienne is so obvious about it! I can't wait to read her spin-off series!
It was neat to see them all working together and have some girl-on-girl conflict that wasn't just a catty argument or a boy related problem but was based on a conflict of interests caused by both girls' arcs and backgrounds.
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July 12, 2016
I don't know. Maybe I've just gotten used to this series' style or something, but this book seemed to be marking time more than advancing the story. Yes, Raven is a wonderful character, but did we really need an entire volume just for her introduction? And it seems as though Adrienne's father isn't the only king with a fetish for locking his daughters in towers. What the heck? For some reason, I'm cool with one king doing this, but more than one, possibly all of them? That's just weird ... I trust we'll eventually get an explanation. I imagine that there must be architectural firms that specialize in this sort of thing. "Need a tower for your daughter? Contact Illium and sons! We guarantee taller, more secure towers than any in the land! Reasonable rates. Act now and get a free gatehouse with every purchase, while supplies last!" This is still fun, but it seems just a tad less fun than the previous two volumes. Hope this isn't a trend.
May 14, 2019
This volume has the best art in the series so far. However, the story has lost it's focus. The main protagonist and her quest take a backseat to the introduction of a new character. I would have preferred for the series to stay focused on the main quest.
February 4, 2016
I absolutely love this series -- it's so charming and funny! Yes, the feminist Girl Power message is fairly simplistic, and while I would normally find this pandering, this title has such a great energy that this hasn't bothered me in the least. Also, points for diversity and awesome female friendships.
Volume 3 starts right where volume 2 left us: Adrienne and Bedelia are still on their quest to save the former's sisters, but they decide to make a quick pit stop to save another princess who looks in need of rescuing. Their new companion is in fact not a "real" princess, but Raven Xingtao, daughter of the Pirate King. Jealous that she's the heir to her father's pirate empire, her younger brothers convinced good ol' Dad to lock her up and Raven is none too happy about this.
As I said, this title has a wonderful energy to it with lots of quippy dialogue alongside the action and adventure. There's been an artist switch since volume 2 and I have to say that I preferred the art in this volume quite a bit. The action scenes are drawn really well, with lots of movement and fluidity, and everything is really colourful which suits the tone of the story.
The only quibble I had was
I'm really excited that Raven is getting her own series! I'll definitely have to check out this spin-off at some point and I look forward to volume 4 of this main title.
Volume 3 starts right where volume 2 left us: Adrienne and Bedelia are still on their quest to save the former's sisters, but they decide to make a quick pit stop to save another princess who looks in need of rescuing. Their new companion is in fact not a "real" princess, but Raven Xingtao, daughter of the Pirate King. Jealous that she's the heir to her father's pirate empire, her younger brothers convinced good ol' Dad to lock her up and Raven is none too happy about this.
As I said, this title has a wonderful energy to it with lots of quippy dialogue alongside the action and adventure. There's been an artist switch since volume 2 and I have to say that I preferred the art in this volume quite a bit. The action scenes are drawn really well, with lots of movement and fluidity, and everything is really colourful which suits the tone of the story.
The only quibble I had was
I'm really excited that Raven is getting her own series! I'll definitely have to check out this spin-off at some point and I look forward to volume 4 of this main title.
October 27, 2015
Another enjoyable entry into the Princeless world. Raven was a bit brash at first, but she won me over. It looks like she'll be getting her own comic, and I look forward to reading it. I was entertained that Raven seemed interested in Adrienne, and Adrienne was totally oblivious (I've been the oblivious one before) - I wonder if that will be explored at another time? One can dream... though it does look like the comic is keeping things pretty PG, it's nice to introduce the concept of "not everyone is straight".
I see that some reviews call Whitley's non-traditional female characterizations simplistic, and I can see that. Still, I think they are meant to be mostly light-hearted, and conversation starters. The stereotypes being reversed are rather simplistic, too, eh?
If you're looking for something complex and dark, this isn't the comic for you. If you want some fun, middle-grade lampooning of traditional fantasy gender roles, I highly recommend it!
I see that some reviews call Whitley's non-traditional female characterizations simplistic, and I can see that. Still, I think they are meant to be mostly light-hearted, and conversation starters. The stereotypes being reversed are rather simplistic, too, eh?
If you're looking for something complex and dark, this isn't the comic for you. If you want some fun, middle-grade lampooning of traditional fantasy gender roles, I highly recommend it!
August 18, 2015
I almost didn't pick this one up because the previous volume was ok but not great, and that would have been a tragedy, because Raven is great and the way Adrienne sparks off of her is great and basically they are SO ADORABLY IN LOVE and this is SO CANON and that is SO GREAT. If you like the idea of two enemy princesses rescuing each other, having a dragonback swordfight, and then falling asleep in each other's arms on a desert island after tearful confessions, and then, like, blushy skinny-dipping and and so on, this is the book for you.
May 20, 2015
My current favorite comic -- and comic team. Disclaimer: I may have a mad crush on the Black Arrow ; ) Well written, artists do an excellent job with the action scenes, great fun characters and storytelling. Plus, how can you beat swashbuckling gay girl pirate out to save the oppressed while flirting and fighting. This is just the kind of comic I would have loved to have had growing up and am very glad to be able to keep on hand now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2015
At first, I wasn't sure about Raven. But the more I saw her, I came to love her. She's a great multi-dimensional character that challenges Adrienne in many different ways. I hope there's more of her in upcoming series!
July 29, 2016
This is why I LOVED Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess #1 so much!
September 15, 2015
This series just keeps getting better.
August 30, 2017
Mainiosti alkaneen Princeless-sarjan fokus on nyt hieman kateissa, sillä päähenkilö tässä albumissa ei enää olekaan prinsessasisariaan pelastamaan lähtenyt Adrienne, vaan merirosvoprinsessa Raven. Ravenista onkin tämän jälkeen tullut oma sarjansa Raven: the pirate princess. Vaikka toimintaa ja kaikkea tarvittavaa tästäkin albumista löytyy, niin olisin mieluummin lukenut Adriennen, kuin Ravenin tarinaa. Hyvää sarjakuvaa kuitenkin.
July 1, 2017
This was fun, but not amazing. I'm definitely in love with Raven tho, wow! Also, why did I start this series with the 3rd volume??
April 17, 2017
I love the idea of a bunch of women of different backgrounds becoming friends. The fight scenes were super fun and the "pirate princess" is a great character. FUN!
December 27, 2015
that awkward moment when the girl you've been flirting with all volume declares you sisters. /o\ i feel bad for raven but ngl, her face when adrienne was like 'it's nice to hear a compliment that isn't just because some guy likes me!' was pretty hilarious
it's okay raven, you're getting your own spinoff, i'm sure you'll have future opportunities to review the definition of sisters with adrienne at a later date
ANYWAYS. so this volume features a detour from adrienne's main sister* rescuing quest when she finds raven locked in a tower and proceeds with the rescuing. raven is very grateful to be rescued! alas raven is a pirate princess and grateful does not preclude stealing adrienne's dragon to try to attack her brothers' ships and reclaim her legacy
look, she was GONNA give her back when she finished. probably
this of course brings us to exciting battles, swashbuckling, and romantic tension that apparently adrienne somehow...failed to notice?
(i probably shouldn't find this as hilarious as i do but i just keep laughing bc like. raven pulled out all the moves there! there was cuddling! banter! showing off her battle prowess! SISTERS omg, adrienne darling i think we may need to have a chat about what that word means xD)
so yeah. fun stuff! my only objection is that i think raven needs to rethink calling the dudes she fights whiny girls, you are in an ostensibly feminist series raven; girl should NOT be an insult :l
4 stars
*actual sisters. oh lord, this series is gonna turn sisters into one of those words i snicker at the same way troy did cousins, isn't it? >_>
it's okay raven, you're getting your own spinoff, i'm sure you'll have future opportunities to review the definition of sisters with adrienne at a later date
ANYWAYS. so this volume features a detour from adrienne's main sister* rescuing quest when she finds raven locked in a tower and proceeds with the rescuing. raven is very grateful to be rescued! alas raven is a pirate princess and grateful does not preclude stealing adrienne's dragon to try to attack her brothers' ships and reclaim her legacy
look, she was GONNA give her back when she finished. probably
this of course brings us to exciting battles, swashbuckling, and romantic tension that apparently adrienne somehow...failed to notice?
(i probably shouldn't find this as hilarious as i do but i just keep laughing bc like. raven pulled out all the moves there! there was cuddling! banter! showing off her battle prowess! SISTERS omg, adrienne darling i think we may need to have a chat about what that word means xD)
so yeah. fun stuff! my only objection is that i think raven needs to rethink calling the dudes she fights whiny girls, you are in an ostensibly feminist series raven; girl should NOT be an insult :l
4 stars
*actual sisters. oh lord, this series is gonna turn sisters into one of those words i snicker at the same way troy did cousins, isn't it? >_>
December 23, 2015
So I devoured this one even quicker than volume 2. The artwork really reminded me of Disney, and Raven's character specifically reminded me of a badass Mulan-meets-Captain-Jack. I'm not going to lie, my loyalties may have switched during this volume to Raven. Don't get me wrong, I'm still eagerly anticipating the rest of the Princeless story line...but Raven is getting a spin-off and I'm ecstatic!
This volume introduces Raven as a Princess--in so much as one can be a princess when her father is the Pirate King. Raven is also locked in a tower, but in her case it's more of a punishment/prison than as a way to find her a husband. Raven is a legend in her own right (and I couldn't agree with Bedelia's fangirl reaction more if I tried), and she has a mission of her own.
Adrienne's mission is completely sidetracked while Raven seeks out revenge and a swashbuckling good time. I was a little sad that Bedelia didn't get to join Adrienne and Raven on their adventure, but at least Sparky got some print-time. There was also some disappointment that Raven won't be continuing on with Adrienne, Bedelia, and Sparky...but SPIN-OFF!!!
This volume introduces Raven as a Princess--in so much as one can be a princess when her father is the Pirate King. Raven is also locked in a tower, but in her case it's more of a punishment/prison than as a way to find her a husband. Raven is a legend in her own right (and I couldn't agree with Bedelia's fangirl reaction more if I tried), and she has a mission of her own.
Adrienne's mission is completely sidetracked while Raven seeks out revenge and a swashbuckling good time. I was a little sad that Bedelia didn't get to join Adrienne and Raven on their adventure, but at least Sparky got some print-time. There was also some disappointment that Raven won't be continuing on with Adrienne, Bedelia, and Sparky...but SPIN-OFF!!!
July 15, 2016
HOMOEROTICISM.
Okay so I know Raven's spin-off story has queer elements, but I haven't actually read that series yet, so I don't know if Raven herself is queer or if she's surrounded by LGBT+ people (don't spoil it for me, I'll start that series soon, I promise). There are a lot of moments between Adrienne and Raven that come off as flirty, and I kept hoping something would happen, but I'm okay with nothing happening AS LONG AS Adrienne continues saving her sisters and doesn't fall in love at all. Because it's okay for girls to just kick some ass without falling in love.
This series continues to amaze me. Raven is also not white, and she's incredible, and there's more with Adrienne's brother and the emphasis that just like it's okay for girls to be physically strong and fearless, it's okay for boys to not be as strong and to like things like poetry and mysteries. I love it. I love how blatantly this defies tropes, and I'm excited to keep going.
Okay so I know Raven's spin-off story has queer elements, but I haven't actually read that series yet, so I don't know if Raven herself is queer or if she's surrounded by LGBT+ people (don't spoil it for me, I'll start that series soon, I promise). There are a lot of moments between Adrienne and Raven that come off as flirty, and I kept hoping something would happen, but I'm okay with nothing happening AS LONG AS Adrienne continues saving her sisters and doesn't fall in love at all. Because it's okay for girls to just kick some ass without falling in love.
This series continues to amaze me. Raven is also not white, and she's incredible, and there's more with Adrienne's brother and the emphasis that just like it's okay for girls to be physically strong and fearless, it's okay for boys to not be as strong and to like things like poetry and mysteries. I love it. I love how blatantly this defies tropes, and I'm excited to keep going.
July 30, 2015
A coworker handed this to me, and I was expecting to love it. The diversity in characters was great and the colors are just awesome, but that's where the positives end for me. There is little to no substance to the main characters. They entire basis for their personalities seems rooted in the totally played out notion that they're somehow cool because they're not girly-girls.
I could have written off one or two instances of anything feminine being used as an insult between characters, because I really did want to like this. HOWEVER, when the main character very early on used "whiny girls" as an insult, my mind made itself up.
I could have written off one or two instances of anything feminine being used as an insult between characters, because I really did want to like this. HOWEVER, when the main character very early on used "whiny girls" as an insult, my mind made itself up.
May 16, 2016
I mean, I sped right through it, but it was also the first book not written for 3-5th graders that I read for several months.
Totally agree with Erica about the fight on the dragon, and specifically wanna call out the concern for injuring each other's faces. WAY too much emphasis on personal appearance to fit with a badass warrior character (cf Brienne of Tarth), or, at least, in a story purported to be changing comics in a feminist way...
Yeah, think I'm done too - starting to read this looking for the problems. Which is not going to help the world of cool comics love.
Totally agree with Erica about the fight on the dragon, and specifically wanna call out the concern for injuring each other's faces. WAY too much emphasis on personal appearance to fit with a badass warrior character (cf Brienne of Tarth), or, at least, in a story purported to be changing comics in a feminist way...
Yeah, think I'm done too - starting to read this looking for the problems. Which is not going to help the world of cool comics love.
October 24, 2015
ANOTHER PERFECT VOLUME TO A PERFECT (so far but it will probably continue) SERIES.
January 24, 2022
I just love this comic!
December 10, 2017
Man, I really enjoyed Raven! Some parts of this volume were a bit much, but over all I’m still totally enjoying this series and will probably also give Raven’s spin-off a try. The ads in these trade volumes, though—suuuuper annoying.
February 1, 2017
After saving one of her sisters she come across a tower and saves a Pirate Princess. Which she didn't find out until after the fact. To think she just made a friend out of her father's enemy.
May 4, 2018
Another exciting tale! A great intro to Raven, and it's fun to see her with a dragon.
Also fun to see her flirt and the person not even notice. One girl who can resist raven's charm!
Also fun to see her flirt and the person not even notice. One girl who can resist raven's charm!
May 6, 2019
This volume is *SO MUCH FUN* and I love it to pieces. Adrienne and Raven's rivalry is entertaining and their eventual friendship is absolutely fantastic. I love this volume.
August 28, 2021
I quite enjoyed this. You really don't need to worry much about continuity either. If you want you can jump right in and learn all about Raven the Pirate Princess and why she is in fact the best.
June 6, 2023
This book has been the best in the series so far. I loved Raven.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2020
Overall rating: 3 stars
Style/writing: 3 stars
Themes: 3 stars
Characters: 3.5 stars
Plot: 2 stars
Worldbuilding: 3 stars
Art: 3 stars
Style/writing: 3 stars
Themes: 3 stars
Characters: 3.5 stars
Plot: 2 stars
Worldbuilding: 3 stars
Art: 3 stars
March 21, 2017
Never trust a pirate.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews