Title: The Collector by Victoria Scott
Published: April 2nd, 2013 by Entangled Teen
Source: Provided for review
Format: eBook
Group age: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Grade rate: A
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.
Find it here: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My Review
Dante stole my heart from the very first page! The Collector is an amazing debut by author Victoria Scott.
For reasons that are too spoilery (yes, I know it's not a
word!), Dante lands downstairs when he dies, and in order to be able to walk on
Earth, he chooses to become a Collector.
There are some intricacies and politics tied to exactly how it works,
but it works fine for Dante. I mean, he
is handsome, confident, and loves the perks that come with the job. The problem is that he is sent to collect a
special soul, namely Charlie.
At the beginning of the story Dante is all those things I
said above, plus selfish, angry and cocky.
You might think that these adjectives are negative, but somehow Ms.
Scott created a character that is full of depth and is so ‘bad’ that it becomes
endearing. In contrast, Charlie is Dante’s
complete opposite. She is not outwardly
beautiful, but her soul is pure and bright and so is her personality. Dante feels an inexplicable pull and
attraction towards her, but he has a work to do and he is use to look out for
himself. The transformation and the
conflict that overtakes Dante is as fun to read as the rest of this story, and
it’s gradual as well.
Other characters in the book are well fleshed out and add to
the story. Annabelle and Blue are
Charlie’s best friends and they form a tight circle of support and protection
around her. Max is Dante’s best friend and
also a fellow collector, he is also cocky and self-assured, but a loyal
friend. Valery (Red) is a bit confusing
to me, but can’t add anything else, least I spoil the book for you ;)
The plot is well thought out and it has a few twists and
turns. Not everything is explained in
this installment and, to be honest, there are a lot of unanswered question at
the conclusion of the book. The writing
is a gem. The story is told in first
person, from Dante’s point of view and his thoughts are a thing of beauty. I also appreciate that, although the story
lasted about two weeks, the romance piece didn’t feel like insta-love.
If you like ‘bad boys’, paranormal stories, demons and
angels and a great romance, The Collector
is the book for you.
Add book two, The Liberator, to your Goodreads
About the Author
I'm a YA writer represented by Laurie McLean. Author of THE COLLECTOR (Entangled Teen, April 2013) and THE BRIMSTONE BLEED (Scholastic, 2014). I have a master's degree in marketing, and live in Dallas with my husband. When not writing, I can be found munching cotton candy and snuggling obese cats.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Dante's Website
The Giveaway
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of YA
Bound Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author.
Although payment may have been received by YA Bound, no payment was received by
me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive
review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily
agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this
review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16
CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in
Advertising*
Great review. I just fell in love with Dante to.
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