The Liberator by Victoria Scott Review

The Liberator by Victoria Scott
(Dante Walker, #2)
Release Date: August 27, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen; 331 pages
Rating:

Bad boy, meet bad girl.

Dante has a shiny new cuff wrapped around his ankle, and he doesn't like that mess one bit. His new accessory comes straight from Big Guy himself and marks the former demon as a liberator. Despite his gritty past and bad boy ways, Dante Walker has been granted a second chance.

When Dante is given his first mission as a liberator to save the soul of seventeen-year-old Aspen, he knows he’s got this. But Aspen reminds him of the rebellious life he used to live and is making it difficult to resist sinful temptations. Though Dante is committed to living clean for his girlfriend Charlie, this dude’s been a playboy for far too long…and old demons die hard.

With Charlie becoming the girl she was never able to be pre-makeover and Aspen showing him how delicious it feels to embrace his inner beast, Dante will have to go somewhere he never thought he’d return to in order to accomplish the impossible: save the girl he’s been assigned to, and keep the girl he loves.

If you have NOT read The Collector, please read with caution. There are some spoilers that were unavoidable. Proceed with caution . . . 

One thing you can expect when reading this books is tons and tons of entertainment. Though I don't believe there were as many witty moments in this book as there were in the first book, The Collector, it still had me laughing on more than one occasion. The humor and sarcasm behind the main character, Dante Walker, is just constant that you should never be surprised with what comes out of his mouth (or runs through his head) but yet, sometimes, you still are. It amazes me, really.

I was hesitant to read this book because of 'Bad boy. Meet bad girl.' on the front cover. I was really happy with a book without a love triangle and seeing that made me cringe because that's automatically what I thought. Why do you have to go and ruin a good thing that's already working, right? But then I started reading it and kicking myself because there's no such love triangle . . . at all.

So we're introduced to the bad girl, Aspen (who is, ironically, from Colorado) and while I was very hesitant of her at first, let me tell you, by the end of the book, I was yelling Noooooooooooooo and then debating about immediately starting The Warrior or not to see what happens next. She fits in so well with Dante and his band of misfits that it's like she was destined to be a part of their group all along. And while I thought she may become a love interest for Dante I am happy to see she's become more like a sibling figure than anything. They are like long lost siblings finally reunited.

*highlight to view spoiler* I may or may not have squealed very loud when Blue came back as a Liberator. I may or may not have also danced around the room with too much excitement to contain. I freaking love Blue. When he died in the Collector, I wanted to cry my bloody eyes out but he's back and he's better than ever. Best thing is? Though he still loves Charlie, he's not actively going after her which gives me peace of mind for Dante. But BLUE IS BACK!!! *end spoiler*

I was wondering how Dante as a Liberator was going to work. I couldn't see him doing the Big Guy's work as doing good thing for other's just doesn't seem like his specialty. The war between heaven and hell is looking more and more like it's going to happen any day now and he's fighting with himself about who he is and what he can do. It seems so minor compared to the bigger picture but without him doing the Big Guy's work, he wouldn't be here and then we'd all be crying our eyes out.

One of the things (one of the many things) that cracked me up about this book is picture Max and Dante sitting there, concentrating so hard on trying to make wings appear that they look constipated. They've been trying and trying to form wings ever since they saw Kraven and Rector with some at the end of the Collector. And I can only imagine their facial expressions while attempting this and that, my friends, cracks me up. Just sit here for a moment and imagine it yourselves. Don't tell me you're not laughing.