review: Demon Princess: Reign or Shine

Demon Princess: Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowan. Walker, 2009 (978-8027-9534-2) $9.99 mmpb

Depite being the New Kid, things are going great for just-turned-16 Nikki. She's best friends with the Queen of the popular kids and the cutest boy in school just asked her to the Winter Formal. What more could she possibly want? Definitely not to learn, from a strange yet strangely attractive boy named Michael, that the father that abandoned her mother before she was born is a Demon King--and she is his only heir.

Everything about the look of this book proclaims it's a fun, frothy, conventional read... and it is. I found Reign or Shine thoroughly predictable, yet still engaging. Even expecting (and receiving) virtually no surprises, I was eager to read on. The competent first-person never dips much below the surface but I nonetheless liked the characters, especially when Nikki discovers and uses her demon strength; her romantic interests are no physical match for her at all, which is one nice twist (and in the case of a near date-rape, a very good thing.) There's an enjoyable forbidden love theme and some hints of intriguing future plotlines that make me curious to continue the series.

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts


FTC disclaimer: Reviewed from a copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Other Blog Reviews:

The Hiding Spot
Cornuopia of Reviews
So Many Books, So Little Time
My Favorite Books
Reader Girls
My Pile of Books