Review - Demon Princess: Reign Check by Michelle Rowen (4.5/5 stars)

This is the second book in the Demon Princess series by Michelle Rowen.  I absolutely loved the first book Reign or Shine and this book was just as good.  It is a fun read with a well developed world and a lead character who is believable.

Nikki has returned to school after saving her father (King of the Shadowlands) from assassination from her Aunt.  She just wants things to be normal; well as normal as they can be with her Darkling (Half-demon) powers and a Shadow (Michael) for a boyfriend.  But alas her life is not meant to be simple.  There is a new student at school and he is no other than Rhys, the King of the Fairy Realm who tried to kill her in the first book.  Then Nikki finds out that there is a prophecy saying that she will destroy all of the Netherworlds.  Between trying to control her Darkling powers, trying to convince the Queen of the Underworld that she is harmless, dodging Rhys, trying to find time to spend with Michael, finding out that her best friend is a demon slayer, and hunting down a dragon to confirm the prophecy...when will Nikki ever have time to get her homework done?

This is a great book.  Everything about it is just spot on.  The characters are wonderful.  The politics about Shadow rights are interesting.  Nikki learning to control her powers is interesting as well and I loved learning more about this multi-faceted world.  Nikki and Michael, as well as Nikki and Rhys, all have great chemistry and the tension between them all is delicious.  Rowen does an excellent job balancing action, a great world, politics, teenage elements, and romance elements.  The story is non-stop, never gets boring and is very engaging.

I loved learning more about the Underworld and Hell and also learning more about Rhys and about the Shadow race.  The whole idea of Nikki having a horrible prophecy looming over her and having to prove whether or not it is accurate was great too.  There are quite a few laughs in this book so things never get too serious.  All in all it is a light-hearted read that deals with some serious issues.  I love how balanced Nikki is and how well she is doing with coping with all of the things going on in her life.  Rowen is an organized writer whose writing is easy and natural to read; I really enjoyed it.

My only complaint would be that we don't get to see very much of Darkling Nikki in this book or watch her kick much butt.  Still the story was very well done and wrapped up nicely, while leaving enough things hanging that I really want to read the next book.  I would recommend this for Vampire Academy fans or Blue Bloods fans that want something that's creative and bit more lighthearted.

Overall I highly recommend this book.  It is an excellent young adult series that is fun, very well done, features a great new world, and has an admirable heroine.  I am desperately waiting to read the next book in this series and seriously considering checking out Rowen's adult series as well.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- The Young Adult Reading Challenge
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge
- Summer Romance Reading Challenge