Advanced Review: The Scarecrow Princess

The Scarecrow Princess

Writer/Artist: Federico Rossi Edrighi
English Edition Published By: Lion Forge, LLC
Original Title: La Principessa Spaventapasseri

A review by Samantha Pearson

The Scarecrow Princess is a thrilling, young adult horror story about power, corruption, greed, and familial love. When Morrigan’s mom and brother move her into a quaint town occupied primarily by rich people with getaway homes outside of the city, she’s miserable. Both her mother and brother are authors who are investigating a local myth for their next book… But when it turns out that the myth is more real than they thought, it’s up to Morrigan to stop The King of the Crows and save the town from ruin.

I couldn’t stop reading this book once I began. Federico Rossi Edrighi’s story is incredibly well-written, and his artistic style matches the mood of the story perfectly. At first, I was put off by the sharp angles and harsh colors, but after a few pages I sank fully into the art. The King of Crows is a terrifying figure who never shows his face. The crows he controls cover panels with their sharp, black wings, and the stark monochromatic colors of his villainy are countered by Morrigan’s bright yellow hair and bright purple mantle.

In many ways, The Scarecrow Princess feels like a traditional Halloween tale. Morrigan makes friends with a local dog-sitter and attempts to be normal: shopping, talking about boys, going to the end of summer ball. She complains about her family and is more interested in being online than biking to libraries to research a little-known myth. She’s 14 years old and super bratty and, to be frank, pretty damn selfish. Somehow, these qualities make her the ideal vessel for the mantle of The Scarecrow Prince, the only power big enough to battle The King of the Crows.

Morrigan struggles under her newfound responsibility. The mantle makes her cruel and eventually reveals itself to be corrupt in its own way, even though its purpose is to eliminate the threat of The King of Crows. Because Morrigan is so different and so stubborn about it, she’s able to combat both forces, but the cost is great. No matter what choice she makes, someone suffers. And for a 14 year-old who doesn’t think her family really needs to be in the middle of nowhere researching this myth, that’s a lot to take on. 

The Lion Forge, LLC edition of The Scarecrow Princess is translated to English from the original Italian. Unfortunately, that means some of the language is really clunky. It’s not usually noticeable, but it can be jarring in more emotional moments. The onomatopoeias are incredibly well-placed, and the different dialogue boxes keep everything very clear. The Kind of Crows’ dialogue is in dreamy, shapeless bubbles that make it seem like his voice is somehow larger than life. Morrigan’s speech is surrounded by jagged edges and points, whereas the other people she interacts with have regular speech bubbles. And Morrigan’s thoughts are in small, square boxes, which seem more grounded than any of the other text in the book. That makes sense, since she constantly tells herself to stay focused, calm, and sure as she fights her way through this unexpected war.

What I loved most about this book is the fact that, although Morrigan is an unexpected hero and in many ways occupies the “strong female protagonist” role, she’s flawed. And the ending to her story isn’t perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. It isn’t neat. Her selfishness is both a virtue and a vice, and she has a significant amount of growing up to do. She comes into The Scarecrow Princess as a bratty teenager and leaves it the same way, albeit with a significant, life-altering experience under her belt. She grows, but not unreasonably. And suddenly gaining powers to battle evil doesn’t make her perfect or wash away her worst traits.

For a horror story based in supernatural forces, Edrighi has managed to create an incredibly realistic tale.

The Verdict
Oh, you absolutely have to buy it! I mean it when I say that I couldn’t put this graphic novel down; I highly recommend it for any reader, and hope that Edrighi has more up his sleeve. I’ll be following his work closely after reading The Scarecrow Princess. This one is going to stick with me for a very long time.