Mortal Obligation by Nichole Chase (Blog tour: Review + Interview)

Mortal Obligation (Dark Betrayal Trilogy #1) by Nichole Chase
Genre: YA Paranormal - Publisher: Self Published - Publication Date: July 29, 2011 - Format: eBook - Pages: 142 - Source: Author and Bree @ The Magic Attic for tour

Ree will face the darkest form of betrayal before the year is out.

Seventeen year old Ree McKenna has three goals: get through high school, convince her crush she is more than his best friend’s little sister, and save money for college. Fate, though, has other plans for her. After the untimely death of her older brother, Ree is haunted by dreadful nightmares and terrifying visions. To make matters worse, Ree has started to suspect that something dangerous is stalking her from the shadows.

A night full of frightening surprises leaves Ree with unsettling news. Gifted by the gods with unusual powers, she must devote herself to a battle that could very well lead to not only her death, but the demise of everyone she knows and loves. After all, Ree is the only mortal standing between the Earth and utter darkness.

Set in Savannah, Ga, Mortal Obligation is the first book of The Dark Betrayal Trilogy. (Goodreads.com)

Uh, wow. This book stunned me! Heart-pounding action, exciting characters, and shocking secrets ensnared me in the world of Mortal Obligation.

Nichole Chase has a writing style that demanded my attention from the very beginning. After the first sentence, I was completely hooked! She has a way of creating a fitting atmosphere for every scene. I could feel the danger that lurked, feel when the mood tensed and lightened. And I could see everything in my head as if I was watching a movie.

This story is different than the everyday discovering-your-destiny-and-finding-out-you-have-mad-powers story. For starters, Ree is a human. Her friends are immortal, but she is human. She is the "weak" one in the group. She isn't as fast as her friends, can't hear as well, not as strong as them, and she has to constantly have people looking out for her. Even with those limitations, she is incredibly powerful and crucial to the survival of...well, the world. This book had an interesting premise with a unique back story, and there are obviously even better things to come in the next novel!

The characters were all great. Ree gets upset really easily, but she is loyal and kind and, even though she cries and whatnot, she is really strong. I loved her. She's funny and isn't afraid to say what's on her mind. And Paden. Mmmm mmm mmmm. Hello hott stuff! He doesn't have the bad boy thing going on, which is totally awesome for Ree. He's protective and can get moody, but he is definitely a sweetheart. The rest of the group was great to! They each brought distinct traits to the story that really boosted the greatness by one hundred percent! They each made me laugh and groan and roll my eyes and smirk. I didn't really like Roland or Sophie though. I guess I just didn't feel all that connected to Sophie. And Roland...well, he just infuriated me.

This was a great read that I had issues turning away from. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

• The romance. I loved the romance in this book soooo much! First of all, it was very appropriate. The romantic scenes came at the right time. Second, it wasn't overpowering the plot. Third, there is the beginning of a love triangle, but I'll just say it's not your run-of-the-mill love triangle.
• The action. There were some fabulous fight scenes in this!
• The wit. There were so many funny one-liners in this. Gave me quite a few chuckles.

 

Amazon - B&N Nook - B&N Paperback - Indiebound 

Hey Nichole! I'm so thrilled to have you on the blog today!
What do you think is the most important thing for readers to know about Mortal Obligation before reading it?

In all honesty I set out to write a book that would hopefully entertain people. I don't think you need to know anything in particular about the story before hand. In fact, I think it's better if you learn as you read. That way you are really caught up in Ree's story.

What made you decide that you were going to finally buckle down, write a book, and publish it? 

i received a Nook for Christmas last year and found some amazing authors I had never heard of before. To my surprise they were 'indie' authors or self published. I realized that I could avoid the slush piles, the querying, the stomach ulcers, and just concentrate on my writing. I can now put my stories out for people to read, and they will sink or swim on their own merit. Everything depends on how much hard work I put into my books and that tipped the scales for me. I finally sat down and finished Mortal Obligation.  Oh, that's a tough one. There are so many awesome paranormal creatures I could be! If I had to choose one thing, I think that I would want to be a sorceress. Why? Well, because they can do just about anything! Ha! I beat the system. ;) 

If you could be any paranormal creature, which one would you choose? 

Are there any books that inspire your work? What about music? 

I don't think there are any books out there that inspired Mortal Obligation. I suppose that there are authors that inspire me, though. I'm on a big Lili St. Crow kick right now. Her books are gritty, and her characters are realistic. Well, you know. Realistic for being paranormal creatures. Anne McCaffrey also inspires me to reach further with my imagination. Anything can believable if the writer can get the reader to suspend disbelief. Music expires me all the time, but it changes daily. The Dark Betrayal Trilogy originally started while listening to an Evanescence song, so I guess you could say that band inspired the series.

What was something very important that you learned while writing Mortal Obligation? 

To trust my gut and to listen to my muses. Yes, I realize that my muses are just voices in my head, but they are smart voices. Every time I told them to shut up and let me write what I wanted, I regretted it! Oh, and to stop procrastinating. The book isn't going to write itself. 

If you could have dinner with any writer, dead or alive, who would you choose? 

So, to be cliche, but honest, I have to admit that I would love to meet J.K. Rowling. She's my hero. Seriously. She is a woman who knows her own mind.

What can you tell us about book number two!? 

Mortal Defiance is the second novel in the Dark Betrayal Trilogy. It will be released in December of this year. I'm very excited, but nervous about book two. A lot happens in this novel that is very important to the storyline. We really get into Ree's head more too. In the first book she was reacting to the situations she was put in, but in book 2 she starts questioning things and even begins to take charge of situations. She is battling so many different things, on different fronts, including her heart.

Do you have any other projects planned, besides the Dark Betrayal Trilogy? 

I have a secret project planned, but I'm not going to talk about that right now. It may not be started right away, but instead be worked on next summer. There are a couple of other stories that are demanding my attention, including a flash fiction piece that I recently wrote titled, Hauntingly. Those characters have more to say and are pretty loud about it too. I also have an adult series that I would like to write, well two actually, but I'm not sure where they will fit into the schedule.

Thank you for having me today! I really enjoyed the questions.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Nichole!

Also, there will be a grand prize for which you can enter by commenting on tour stops. One comment per tour stop per person. Winners will get:

1st place winner!

2nd place winner!

Thanks to Nichole for allowing me to participate in this tour, and Bree @ The Magic Attic for hosting this tour and putting so much work into it! And don't forget to check out The Fairy Tale Nerd tomorrow for the next stop on the tour!