Reign or Shine (Demon Princess, #1)

Reign or Shine (Demon Princess #1)

by
3.89 of 5 stars 3.89  ·  rating details  ·  1,766 ratings  ·  217 reviews
As if trying to fit in at a new school isn't stressful enough, sixteen-year-old Nikki Donovan just found out that her long-lost father is, in fact, the demon king of the Shadowlands—theworld that separates and protects us from the Underworld. When she is brought there by the mysterious—and surprisingly cute—messenger Michael, she learns that her father is dying, and he wan...more
Hardcover, 274 pages
Published September 29th 2009 by Walker Books for Young Readers
more details... edit details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
Catching Fire by Suzanne CollinsCity of Glass by Cassandra ClareBlood Promise by Richelle MeadHunted by P.C. CastEvermore by Alyson Noel
Books for 2009
209th out of 554 books — 2,373 voters
Catching Fire by Suzanne CollinsCity of Glass by Cassandra ClareHush, Hush by Becca FitzpatrickThe Last Olympian by Rick RiordanFallen by Lauren Kate
2010 Best Books for Young Adults (Nominations)
215th out of 608 books — 2,007 voters


More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)
filter  |  sort: default (?)  |  rating details
Sita Sargeant
Picked it up at the place that replaced borders for $5 and was reading it while I waited for Reel Steel to start (amazing by the way). And this book sure jumped right into the plot. Too bad I lost the book in my bedroom. How is that possible? You are probably asking, well I am the one person that can make it possible. So when I find it, I'll review and rate it properly.
Merna
Why the fuck did I ever read that book? I mean the title reveals it all, including: “Don’t read me. I'm shit." I really should stop picking books that Richelle Mead quotes on the front cover and states something along the lines of: “Demons , magic and sexy guys. This is a series I definitely want to keep reading.” Geez Richelle Mead how much did they have to pay you to say something polite about this book? I undeniably don’t want to keep reading this for sure. Sexy guys? Wait…there were sexy gu...more
Kailia
A demon Princess? This is something we don't hear of everyday. So when a mysterious, but cute, guys begins following Nikki around every where, she gets annoyed. So when she confronts him, she's hoping for an "I'm sorry." Not a "You're the Demon Princess and you're in danger." Thus begins this in thrilling tale of Nikki and her new found news, not to mention her powers.

I am happy to report that I enjoyed this novel a lot. It's a great beginning to a series I think many will enjoy reading. It be...more
Ashley
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
SES Sleater
I’m sorry I haven’t been posting much lately. I’ve been busy working and READING. I read three books last week. I get in a cycles where I read nonstop and do almost nothing else. It’s not good for my waistline but still worth it.

I read this book in one day after a ten year old I know just finished it. It’s incredibly fast (I think the book is in a three day period) and full of action. I like the way Rowen sketches her main character: an honest 16 year old who finds out her father is the king of...more
Cel
I really liked how Michelle Rowen fictionalized her stories. I was introduced to her writing on "Dark Kiss," in which I very much enjoyed reading it. While waiting for book 2 of Nightwatchers series, I decided to read this book. The synopsis was so enticing and intriguing. Since I already knew the author's style of writing, I did not doubt that this would be a good read as well.

The story was about a high school student named Nikki Donovan (sixteen years old who was abandoned by his father since...more
Sara
Plot: 4 Stars
Demon Princess had a very fresh take on demons. I liked that they weren't necessarily bad or evil like most books. The world-building was also top notch, and I hope we'll get to see more of it, like the faery realm, in the next book. Rowen also did a very good job weaving the supernatural adventure into Nikki's every day life that included school and dances.

Pace: 3.5 Stars
The story took a tad bit too long to get to the action at the end. There was a little too much build up to the e...more
Paula  Phillips
Starting a new school can always be stressful , finding new friends, easing into groups of friends who have known each other for years and been best friends since kindergarten and trying to adjust to her mum's new husband can be very difficult. Nikki Donovan is sixteen and starting another brand new school , life is stressful enough without adding any other big bombs in her life. When things are starting to look up for Nikki , the popular girl at school wants to be her friend and one of the hott...more
Asharia Calderon
The "Demon Princes : Reign Or Shine" was very interesing for several reasons. Nikki Donovan was 15 and she basically was miserable with her life . Her mom has been married four times and she has had to move to different schools everytime . She felt like an outsider. She hated that she moved 3,000 miles away from her previous home in San Diego because she started to kind of like it there but she felt like she should be used to it already because she's been moved four times. From San Diegp , he m...more
Karissa
I got this book as an ARC (advanced reading copy) through the Amazon Vine program. When I received the bright turquoise book with a bubble-gum looking blond on the front sporting a tiara and horns...I was was unsure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised; this was a really good book!

Nikki Donovan is your typical teen. She has just moved into a new school and lucked out in making friends with the popular girl in school. Her luck holds when the hottest guy in class asks her to the dance and ev...more
Tina
Dec 12, 2010 Tina added it
Shelves: giveaway-swap
See full review here.

"That guy is staring at you."

Yep, that first line had me hooked. Reading Demon Princess is like sinking into a relaxating read that keeps a light, happy smile on your face all the way through. Michelle Rowen writes with a light, bubbly aura that radiates throughout the story. While she keeps the story moving forward with dialogue, she builds up the various settings in a way that captivates the reader's imagination.

In the beginning, some characters and parts of the plot were...more
Puzzle
So,when I picked this book I thought it would be awesome.Is sounded a lot like Demon Envy by Erin Lynn,which I loved.But,man the book started somewhat fine and went downhill from there.
Every single character was stupidly naive and shallow and with no depth whatsoever.I mean even the supposed evil bitch was stupid enough to be manipulated.
The two main characters and their love story were very annoying,I mean they literally went from crazy stalker and person being stalked, to forbidden love and sa...more
Hope
This was a very cute and fun book. I enjoyed reading it very much, and I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

Nikki Donovan is a sixteen year old who just recently moved to a new town and also discovers that she is a Demon Princess, half human and half demon. As the story progresses and she accepts the fact that she is the Demon Princess. This new discovery leads her to her father who has sent Michael to bring her to Shadowland, where he is the king.

The main characters,...more
Anni
I thought it sounded interesting in Publisher's Weekly, but I after seeing the cover I had SERIOUS doubts. These doubts transformed into disparaging contempt after two chapters.
Yup, that's all it took.
See, the main character is all, 'oooh i'm POPULAR and the 'cutest boy in school' kissed me and there's another hot guy following me telling me I'm a demon princess even though I look like a normal POPULAR human teenager so I'm going to not believe him' and then after a while you know she'll see tha...more
Rachael
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,...more
Wicked Walker
Nikki Donovan is your normal high school teenager just trying to survive in her new school after her mother's newest marriage. Her day is going perfect; she has the most popular friends, and a really cute guy just asked her to the dance AND kissed her! Nikki's world gets shaken up when she realizes she is being stalked by a strange guy that keeps calling her Princess and telling her that her father, that she has never met, is actual the demon king of the Shadowlands. When she finally is convince...more
Chessa
Oct 22, 2009 Chessa rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Richelle Mead, Rachel Caine, Katie MacAlister
Recommended to Chessa by: blurb by Richelle Mead
Cute new YA series I picked up based on the blurb by Richelle Mead. It features Nikki, a teenage girl at a new school, who finds out a few days after her 16th birthday that her estranged father is a demon (actually, KING of the demons of Shadowland) and that she is a Princess and a Darkling, or half-human, half-demon. Oh, and she might become Queen of the Shadowland if things go badly - which would mean she'd be trapped there forever in the castle. There's also a super cute emissary from the Sha...more
Kelsey
May 29, 2010 Kelsey rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: own
I've been looking forward to reading this for a long time. The cover made it appear to be a light and cute read, but the summary and title implied something darker. This was exactly what Reign or Shine was. It was a cute book, with darker undertones that made it an overall wonderful read.

The plot was extremely original and was a refreshing change from the vampire and werewolf scene. Demons are a set of creatures I've never read about and I really liked how Rowen presented them. Faeries and unic...more
Molly
Feb 18, 2013 Molly rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Teens, People who are into romance and paranormal romance
Reign or Shine is the first book of the 'Demon Princess', and it was an alright start to the series, but I would first like to say the rest of the series is a lot better. The book follows Nikki, a teenage girl living in Canada. She comes a bad home as her mother is no longer married to Nikki's birth father and is now married to a awful new father.

Nikki never knew too much about her birth father, until one day a mysterious boy starts following her around and tells her that her father is a demon,...more
Rachel
This book was interesting and was a very easy read. Nikki Donovan, the main character, transferred schools often because of her mom. She had hard time making friends because "Not only did [her] mom move [them] three thousand miles away from [their] old home in San Diego, but she'd move [them] right out of the country" (Rowen 2). Then as Nikki got used to her knew school and actually made friends, she thought to herself that she "seriously lucked out when [she] [became] friends with her" (Rowen 2...more
Lady Allison
It was a cute story with a good premise, but that's really about it.

Nikki is a regular 16 year old girl who has to pick up and move whenever her mom remarries (She's on hubby #4 now). After stalking her for a couple days, a Shadow named Michael presents himself to her & spills that she is actually a Demon Princess, her father being the Demon King, & that she needs to come back to Shadowland with him in order to meet her father. Even though she was creeped out with him for two days, she...more
Lisa
Nikki Donovan just turned sixteen years old. If starting a new High School a few months prior wasn't bad enough, she just found out the father she never knew is a demon. And not just any demon, but demon king of the Shadowlands(a dimension between our world and the underworld.
So now Nikki must go to him so he can explain her new status as half demon princess, which puts her next in line for the throne. Plus she now has an assigned "shadow" AKA demon servant named Michael who happens to be very...more
Meghan McInnis
Jun 25, 2010 Meghan McInnis rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: young adult fantasy lovers
Shelves: young-adult
When I first saw this book, the cover illustration and the title made me think it was going to be pretty cheesy. But I was drawn to the synopsis given in the jacket flap, so I thought I would give it a go.
I was so wrong. This book isn't cheesy. It is very well-written and lots of fun to read. It kept me up into the early hours of the morning, because I had to finish just one more chapter!
This book is about Nikki Donovan, who has just moved to a small town in Canada (yay!) called Erin Heights. Sh...more
Sierra
When I got this book, admittedly, I was excited to read it. I'd read the synopsis on Goodreads, and I was thinking how great of a book it was going to be. And, unsurprisingly, it was.
The aspect of the story wasn't anything new--I've read tons of demon-related books this past year, but I have to say that this was one that I rank in the 'best' list. I liked Nikki; she was funny, and she thought logically. She wasn't irrational (cough; cough, Bella Swan), and her feeling were relatable and believa...more
Nina
really fell in love with that shiny cover and wanted to have the book as soon as possible. Yes, talk about cover love. Okay, so that wasn’t the only reason I wanted to read this book, it was also the damn nice description of the story. I’m glad I bought it, because it did not disappoint me at all.

The story begins with Nikki telling us how she moved to a new city, after her mother married guy number four. Mom, not the romantic type keeps marrying the wrong men and as you can expect moves around...more
Katie Wurn
This book was exciting! Reign or Shine is a great story about family, friends, and romance set inside a fantastical, paranormal universe. I really enjoyed the characters, and the different realms / dimensions were awesome. The way Michelle describes them, made me want to take off and explore, especially the faerie realm. (Is a total sucker for all things faerie) I hope that the other books in the series go more into the other realms, and explore more of the different beings that live there.

It w...more
Tynga
Nikki lives with her mother and moves from town to town as her mother marries and divorces. Nikki's mom as it her 4th marriage when they move in Erin Heights, Ontario, Canada.

Nikki tries to live an as normal life as the "new girl" can live and it's about to change very abruptly when a strange stalker tries to convince her her father is a demon and she's a half-demon princess. Yeah Right! Crazy much?

Well not so much...

Demon Princess: Reign or Shine was a quick, fun and awesome novel! Michelle Ro...more
Sophie
Demon Princess: Reign or Shine is a cute, fun and unexpectedly brilliant read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Michelle Rowen crafted a tale full of excellent and likeable characters. Nikki is brave and stubborn and yet still manages to represent a loving and confused sixteen-year-old girl. Michael is so sweet and protective of Nikki. But he also has the mysterious thing going on and brings one of my favourite story elements to Demon Princess: forbidden love. In addition, you’ve got perfect popular Chri...more
Amanda
★★★★☆ I loved it

This is just the sort of book I love. The idea of a girl having a normal, human life and then discovering that someone they know or they themselves are some sort of paranormal creature destined for an unnatural life. Throw in a love story and I'm set. Yep this book gave me all that and a few twists at the end. Perfect. Well, almost. I do have to mention that it dragged on a little at times, giving a bit too much descriptive information. I did finish it in one day though so I just...more
Angela
This started out as a 3, quickly dropped to a 2 (when I totally guessed the major points of the climax and almost stopped reading) and then ended on a 4.

I really liked the last 100 pages or so of this book and I'm interested to see where the story goes next. I know there is a sequel, but beyond that I'm not sure how many more books are in the series.

I think my biggest annoyance with the book were how much of it was "setting up" the series. Yes it was information I needed to know, I just wasn't...more
« previous 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 99 100 next »
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
Reign or Shine (Demon Princess, #1)
Reign or Shine (Demon Princess, #1)
Demon Princess: Reign or Shine (ebook)
38531
National bestselling author MICHELLE ROWEN writes paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and young adult fantasy, both light and dark, sexy and sweet, long and short -- it all depends on the story! She's won a Holt Medallion for Best First Book and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award for Vampire Romance. For more information, please visit Michelle at her website at www.michellerowen.com.
More about Michelle Rowen...
Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide Bitten & Smitten (Immortality Bites, #1) Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers, #1) Fanged & Fabulous (Immortality Bites, #2) Lady & the Vamp (Immortality Bites, #3)

Share This Book

Your website

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

“I'm a half-demon princess. Sure. What's so hard to grasp about that?” 13 people liked it
“I think I know who you are," he finally said. "It took me a minute, since you're better looking than I thought you'd be, but I think I've got it.” 12 people liked it
More quotes…