Customer Reviews

Demon Princess: Reign or Shine

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Demon Princess is the first in an all new Teen Series by Paranormal author Michelle Rowan. Michelle Rowen has written great adult paranormal books but I must say Demon Princess is completely new!

The concept seems a little cookie cutter, mortal girl meets 'other' boy finds out she's a demon princess, yadda yadda. But I can say that Rowen breaks away from the norm with the concepts of Shadows, the Shadow world being the barrier between the Underworlds of Hell, Faery and Demon policies.

Nikki is a normal girl whose mother is on husband number four, blech. A popular girl befriends her and surprisingly they become best friends. (Side plot note, I think her best friend found out she's a demon slayer!) A mysterious boy shows up suddenly everything Nikki thought she knew about herself and her absent father is turned around. Needless to say she doesn't believe that her father's a demon king and that makes her... you guessed it... a demon princess.

She believes when her Darkling (half demon half human) powers emerge. From there the story whirlwinds in to an almost chaotic pace, but the reader is able to keep up, just be prepared to be at the edge of your seat! Nikki meets her father, aunt, other demons, a shadow and a faery king... pretty awesome.

This is such a great first novel because we are introduced to Nikki and her mortal life, yet the plot opens up so many doors that can come into play later in the series such as Melinda (BFF) as a demon slayer, Michael a shadow prince, and the faery king actually liking Nikki. The next book will be out spring of 2010 and I really can not wait!

After finally settling into her new life in small-town Ontario, Nikki Donovan has a near dream-life for a teenager: being friends with the most popular girl in the school and getting asked out by the high-school's hottest boy the day after turning sixteen is enough to boost any girl's ego.

In light of this, it's only natural that when a strange, stalker-like boy shows up and informs Nikki that she's actually the daughter of a demon king, she doesn't believe a word he says -- up until her demon powers begin to manifest themselves. Possessing red eyes are a bit hard to write off as someone else's insanity, after all. And once she finally does acknowledge her status as demon princess, things only become more complicated, and Nikki finds that she just might have a stake in her father's kingdom after all...

Reign or Shine is a fantastic read, and one of those priceless young adult novels that doesn't read as if it's been "dumbed down" by the author for its intended audience: it lacks adult content, but doesn't lack good character development or plot. The book's heroine, Nikki, is strong, caring and a good "role-model" for teen/tween readers, and she deals with the consequences of her actions in responsible, intelligent ways. To top it off, the author creates intriguing romantic interests for her -- especially the supernatural ones -- and the side-characters are well-fleshed-out.

I can't wait to see what comes next in this new series. Five out of five!

When I started reading this book I thought it would be more on the serious and dark side, but it wasn't at all. But ya know what? I was pleasantly surprised with it. Who knew a book about demons could be so fun and sassy!

Lately I've been kind of a stickler when reading. It seems like I can't find the right balance of a story with characters and a plot. This book takes place over just a week's time so at first I wasn't for sure how I'd like how everything was just thrown at me...but (and excuse the fan girl here) I LOVED it!

The characters are so fantastic! Nikki has the sassy and quick witted attitude that had me cracking up. And Michael? Um, hi, I heart you like no other right now. The attraction and chemistry between the two is perfect. I love it when he calls her Princess. The side characters including her dad, her aunt, and even her best friend brought a great mix of things to the story. Little things were dropped here and there, and I'm beyond curious of what will be happening to her best friend in the next book. Also Rhys, I need to know much more about him!

The plot flowed nicely and kept me completely glued. I ended up reading this book in one day! I'm becoming a major fan of paranormal books, and I love how this series is focused on demons in a more light hearted way. I made the mistake of reading the teaser chapter for the next book, and I already want to read more! So basically if you're in the mood for a mixture of sass, fun, and the paranormal then you need to pick this one up!

Michelle Rowen so happens to be one of my favorite authors and I was extatic when I found out she was releasing a YA novel! Nikki is just your average teenager; she goes to an awesome school, is best friends with the most popular girl, and not to mention that Mr. Handsome is taking her to the school dance. Life just couldn't get better... or worse? After Nikki turns 16, she finds out that she is a half demon from a very cute guy named Michael who urges her to come to the Shadowland to meet her Father who so happens to be the King. Only what she doesn't know is that her life is about to change in so many different ways.

Nikkis is absoloutly one of my favorite characters! She's sarcastic and a complete bad ass (which is very common in Rowen's books :) ). I love the way Michelle writes! It's as if your taking this from a real life teenager. The language is up to date, the events are things that could totally happen to any teenager and not to mention the emotions! It's as if I was going right back to high school (except for the supernatural stuff ;)). I loved the idea of a demon princess, as well as a brand new world that Rowen creates. The Shadowlands captivated me from the first moment it was mention and I was always anxious and impatient for our heroine to return. Rowent does an excellent job with the emotions that this novel projects! When the character experiences her first kiss with a certain person who I will not tell you, it just reminded me of how it felt when I had my first kiss with that person I really liked. If your looking for a fun, sarcastic humored, captivating novel; then Demon Princess is def a must read! I give this novel 4 out of 5 paws!

This book is a lot of fun! Nikki is a lively, bright girl, and she handles finding out that she's the daughter of the demon king of the Shadowlands just as a half-demon might! She has difficult choices to make; obviously her life is going to be different from how she thought it would be. But she faces challenges bravely; she's not going to be satisfied with being told how things are done. She knows how things *should* be done, and she's ready to try to make change happen--and still manages to find time for romance! A fun, light read!

I can't say I hated this book. I did enjoy the idea of a 16 year old girl, on the cusp of popularity, who suddenly finds that she is the daughter of a demon king. From that description, you expect all sorts of entertaining mayhem to ensue, but sadly, the story is rather flat. The characters themselves are one dimensional and completely predictable. The "surprise" enemy is painfully obvious from the first moment they step into the story. Maybe I am spoiled by other urban fantasy novel written in the first person, because I kept expecting some witty thoughts and comments from our heroine, but none ever came, only tears and a mild anger at being told what to do.

I think this series could turn out to be a good one, but a serious overhaul of the characters is needed to make them interesting.

(I will not cover the plot, since that can be found in the book summary and other reviews.)

I feel that Reign or Shine contains characters that most girls can relate to. It shows the new girl who thinks she never fits in, the popular girl who is actually insecure, the mother who searches for true love again and again, and so forth. Pretty much every character is an example of "don't judge a book by its cover". Nikki, the main character, gains strength throughout the story.

I think the book would have been even better if it was about twice as long. There were a lot of sections I felt were skimmed over, but I know this was necessary for the length of the story. I liked the story building but was not thrilled with the last few chapters. I felt that the "ending" of this story was typical and forced. It felt like the ending was wrapped up too quickly.

I did enjoy something Nikki's best friend said to her at the school dance, and I think it is a sneak peek at maybe the next book. I will not give it away, but the girls laughed at their comments. However, I think they were both telling the truth but afraid to be ridiculed and laughed at. Should make for a very good series!!! I would have given this book 5 stars if it wasn't for the quick/forced/predictable ending.

This is a wonderful story about a (not quite average) girl doing her best to protect those she loves. The plot has already been well summarized by other reviewers who are more familiar with Michelle Rowen's work than I am (this is the first time I tried her book) so I will concentrate on my reactions to the book. I loved the plot twists and I thought the morals (don't judge by appearances, make up your own mind) were good.

It was also nice to see a girl taking care of herself and others for a change. (It was fun seeing the references to "knight in shining armor"--coming from her.) So in general, I would say that this is a fun and light read. The perfect book to relax with.

No matter your age.

"Demon Princess: Reign or Shine" is the story of Nikki Donovan. At 16, she's moved all over the country with her romance author mother and her various stepfathers. She's used to being the outcast because she's attended so many different schools, but in Erin Heights she's finally found a place where she fits in.

Then, two days after her 16th birthday, she's visited by a handsome, mysterious stranger who tells her that her long-lost father is the Demon King of the Shadowlands and she's his Darkling (half human, half demon) heir to the throne. That's where the real fun begins!

This freshman novel of Michelle Rowen's "Demon Princess" series has a little bit of everything. There's intrigue and suspense, emotional turmoil, humor, a pair of star-crossed lovers and so much more.

This can easily be classified as my favorite find through the Amazon Vine program, thus far. And I will be EAGERLY awaiting the release of further installments to this series!

Demon Princess is a much sweeter story than the title might lead you to believe. Nikki, the title character, is horrified at first to hear that her father was a demon, but she wants to know whatever there is to know about her origins and her nature. She can choose to become completely human and to forget that she ever knew her father, her aunt, or her shadow servant Michael, but it's hard to wish to erase even a really scary part of one's self, isn't it? In the end, Nikki faces the reality of her situation with courage and love, as we would all hope to do.

So, it's a teen romance with demons, but it's not silly or stupid. It raises some interesting questions, and it resolves enough of them to complete the story, but leaves enough of them open to make room for a sequel. If Michelle Rowen writes one, I'll be happy to read it.