Demon Princess: Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowen

All Nikki Donovan wants to do after her mother’s fourth marriage and subsequent move is fit into her new home. So, it’s almost too good to be true when she becomes best friends with Melinda, the most popular girl in school. Now, Nikki is the worthiest member of Melinda’s “Royal Party” entourage and can benefit from the perks of being popular, particularly in the form of hot boyfriends. But all that social perfection is threatened when she finds out that she is a half-human, half-demon princess, and heir to the throne of the Shadowlands. That’s a lot of weight to absorb, if Nikki can even believe what Michael, her long-lost father’s messenger, tells her. According to Michael, her father, the demon King of the Shadowlands, is dying and wants Nikki to assume the throne upon his death, as is her right. There’s only one way to escape this responsibility, but this seemingly simple decision is complicated by her forbidden feelings for Michael. Add in a deadly plot brewing in the Shadowlands and strange half-demon powers, and this might be more than plain old Nikki can handle. It might just be a good thing this princess is half-demon.

Reign or Shine starts out as a snippet from an unexpected social climber’s life, but the story quickly gains momentum with the introduction of supernatural elements. Nikki is undoubtedly a realistic and likable character; she struggles to come to terms with the knowledge that she isn’t entirely human, and even if she is somewhat shallow, she has a good and caring heard, as evidenced by her valid friendship with popular Melinda and her protectiveness of her mother. Another plus was the development of the minor characters, which I enjoyed reading about very much. There were only a couple of characters that escaped this trend by being too evil or too perfect, but as a whole, the cast was very believable. The plot is fun and exciting, with the unpredictability of Nikki’s half demon nature, the king’s mysterious ailment, and especially Nikki and Michael’s forbidden romance. For a debut young adult novel, I am quite impressed that such as lighthearted and entertaining read as Reign or Shine is could be so enjoyable for me, even if I was generally one step ahead of the plot. The greatest part of this is that there’s so much room for the story to grow, character-wise and with plot surprises, in a sequel. There’s nothing particularly meaningful about this novel, but it is still a great read for a boring day.

Reign or Shine will be enjoyed by those who also liked Need by Carrie Jones, Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins, and Devilish by Maureen Johnson. I look forward to catching the continuation of this story in its sequel Reign Check.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from Amazon Vine