Review of Mortal Obligation by Nicole Chase

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.

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Okay, so Mortal Obligation is the kind of book I'm trying to avoid lately (weak girl has to save the world while being a complete virgin and trying to get the guy) but MO is pretty good, despite many elements I would normally avoid. Much cheese is included, sappy friendship scenes are common and Buffy-Style vampires are rife, while Ree and her friend try and kick Demon butt and save the day - and the world.
 
The story starts just before Ree meets her first Demon, which admittedly didn't quite work. Some character development before the Saving-The-World thing would have equaled a stronger storyline. We get to know Ree's friends quickly through and they're around all the way through the story. Ree's character is easily the weakest, as all she does is complain about how bad her life is and worry that Paden doesn't want her as more than a sister. Whilst being attracted to Roland, who is pretty hot to be honest. Would have worked better to switch between the character's POVs so we get a break from her for a bit! Not too much happens in this book, expectedly as it's setting up the story for the battle ahead. There's a whole lot of running around an island and training to fight demons, with a lot of funny moments. Of course, the story wouldn't be complete with a cheesy cliffhanger and someone going 'Oh, it was me all along!' which I enjoyed immensely, for no apparent reason. Cheese is good sometimes I guess.

4/5