Reign Check
Demon Princess, Book #2
By Michelle Rowen
ISBN# 9780802795496
Author’s Website: http://www.michellerowen.com/
Review brought to you by OBS staff member Dawn
Synopsis:
Nikki heads back to school after the recent drama with her demon King father. Everything has changed in her life since she found out she’s half demon. She feels different but she wants to live the life of a normal teenager.
She spots Melinda, who is extremely excited, near her locker…There’s a new boy in school – it’s Rhys, King of the faery realm, posing as an exchange student. What is he doing at her high school?
Rhys says he’s there because Nikki is a danger to his kingdom. She is the first of her kind in 1000 years and there’s a scary new prophecy. Supposedly Nikki will cause great destruction.
Chris and Nikki went on a disastrous school dance date. Chris knows Nikki’s secret and he wants to talk….
Larissa, a friend of Melinda’s, is jealous of Nikki and bent on being bitchy.
Nikki’s feelings for Michael continue to grow, despite it being forbidden.
She’s feeling stressed and it’s difficult to control her Darkling form during those times…..
Review: HEAVY SPOILERS!!
Nikki is one of my favorite YA characters. She’s surprisingly mature, unafraid to speak her mind.
Case in point: when her father wants to see her, she confronts him about keeping his promise to set Michael free.
Middle books in series tend to suck, but this one is the exception. There’s a lot of action and problems coming at Nikki from all directions. The second book has several intricate plots going on with Michael, Rhys, Melinda (the demon slayer), Chris, Kieran …but it’s not so busy that you can’t follow. Nikki approaches each situation with a refreshing honesty and strong will to do what is right.
It’s hard to get a read on Rhys. He seems to care for Nikki but also pushes her away. He encourages Nikki to seek a second opinion on the prophecy. While Irena is unable to confirm or deny the prophecy, she sees that Nikki is in danger. Irena is able to tell Rhys that Nikki is not a danger to him because she is pure of heart. BUT….Rhys finds out his betrothed is Nikki which is not exactly welcome news. Nikki is hysterically horrified and I’m not sure what to think.
My heart broke for Melinda and Michael when they saw Nikki and Rhys kissing under the mistletoe but later Rhys is able to explain it away. He promptly asks Melinda out.
Whoa! I was shocked when Chris turned out to be Irena’s child. Chris must have inherited some of her abilities because he gives Nikki a drawing of herself in full Darkling form in the Shadowlands. I did not see that one coming but it’s a great plot twist.
When the council wants to see Nikki she chooses to go against her father and Rhys’ wishes. I felt like a proud parent as she made her choice to protect her loved ones. Kassandra (Kieran’s sister) and Nikki strike up an unlikely friendship. When Michael gets thrown in the dungeon for using his powers, Kassandra helps get him out. But, in the process, Nikki finds out a shadow (Jones who was a friend of Micheal’s father) killed Rhys’ parents. It freaked me out that a shadow can kill those they serve. Could Michael be hiding his true motives???
Nikki struggles with controlling her emotions which in turn control her Darkling form. She deals with a great deal of adversity in the second installment but she continues to handle everything with a maturity way beyond her years.
I can’t wait to read the final book in the series. Will Nikki stay with Michael or end up with Rhys? Will Melinda figure out Nikki is a demon? What does Kieran have up his sleeve?
