The Collector by Victoria Scott Review

The Collector by Victoria Scott
(Dante Walker, #1)
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen; 352 pages

He makes good girls...bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

I want everyone to know why I put this book off for as long as I did. I was told Dante Walker was a douchebag. Plain and simple. I was given a few quotes from him and it turned me off. Why would I want to read about someone who said a girl was hit with an ugly stick? For him to only turn around later in the book to have this girl be his love interest. No thank you. I'll take that ugly stick and smack him upside the head a few times first. But alas, more and more people convinced me to give it a try. So I caved and said, what the hell - if I don't like it, I'll stop. Turns out, Dante isn't as big of an ass as I originally thought. While he wasn't exactly nice to Charlie he wasn't as bad as I thought. I really thought he'd be this horrible bully and I just can't read books like that. Thankfully, Victoria Scott, also threw in a ton of humor along the way so it gave the book a more fun vibe.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that you could see the changes in Dante as the story went on. He started off as a guy who didn't give a shit about anyone but himself and he was cocky as hell. He met Charlie Coooper and knew he'd have his hands full on trying to convert her to sinning when she was as pure as an angel but who cares, it's Dante and he can do anything. But the more time he spent with (while keep in mind, this story went over a ten day period so they didn't have too long to get to know one another) Charlie, the more you could see his arrogence disappear. He didn't even realize what was happening and why he was suddenly so protective of her when he was supposed to be corrupting him. But the second she's off flirting with another guy, he see's red and can't stand it. Clearly, he has feelings for her but he's not one whose ever loved anyone (besides his parents) so it's all foreign to him. Watching him squirm was entertaining.

Speaking of his parents; when he died (because, let's face it, he did die and he was sent to hell) his father was killed with him and they left behind their mother. His father was sent to Heaven with the Big Guy while he was sent to hell with the Boss Man, as he called them. He was a 'bad boy' while he was alive and though he loves his parents, he never really showed them. His parents didn't seem like the greatest either but really, what family is perfect? Charlie certainly doesn't come from a perfect family. In fact, her family is more messed up than his - not by her choice but then again, with her past who would ever choose that?

So, people like Dante are called Collectors; there are six of them that work for Boss Man and it's basically a competition between Heaven and Hell on who gets more souls because apparently, whichever gets more than the other then they can roam earth without one of their special ankle bands. What the Collectors don't know are there are soul sealers from Heaven, too. How many, we don't know that but they're out there and they're all about leaving souls alone and let them face Judgement Day. Where their soul will be judge upon death about where to go. I love this idea because seriously, who doesn't sin? We're all sinners but does that mean we all deserve to rot in hell along with murderers, rapists, etc? I don't think so.

There aren't many books that come to mind that have made me laugh over and over again. Dante's voice was entertaining, different and refreshing. While the story was okay, to me, it's the character that really made me enjoy this book. I really can't wait to start the next book because I could always use some more laughs. And I'll admit it, Dante is addicting. He's like a drug, you know he's bad for you but you can't get enough.

Thank you so much to Entangled Teen for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.