The Collector

Dante Walker #1

by Victoria Scott

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.

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Demons, Angels, Paranormal Romance

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2013

About the author

Victoria Scott is the acclaimed author of nine novels including FIRE & FLOOD, THE COLLECTOR, and ​TITANS. Victoria’s books have been YALSA-nominated, have appeared on the prestigious Spirit of Texas ​Reading ​Program​, and have been included on Bank Street College of Education's Best Books of the Year list. ​Her stories have been translated and sold in fourteen countries​, and FIRE & FLOOD is currently an Amazon Teacher's Pick selection. ​

Victoria is also the owner and founder of Scribbler, ​a monthly mailing that functions as a writing conference in a box. Scribbler has been featured by BuzzFeed​, Good Morning Texas, and NaNoWriMo​. Victoria holds a master’s degree in ​business ​management, and plans to expand Scribbler into an all-inclusive resource for novelists.

Reviews

[Steph Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Okay, let's start this review off with some straight-up trufax. On my own, it's possible I may not have chosen this book to read. That's not because the blurb didn't sound interesting, it's just that out of all the other YA sub-genres, Paranormal Romance is the one I have a very inconsistent streak with. Which is unfortunate because when it's done right, I fall in love with the story. My start with The Collector reminds me of what happened with Obsidian . I kept seeing it all over other's twitter avatars and hearing about it on a few blogs I follow (you know the drill), but somehow that simply wasn't enough for me to actually say, "Hell yeah. Sign me up." But that was a mistake because The Collector had me LOL'ing from beginning to end.

The thing about this book is that you are not going to like Dante at first. He's an anti-hero who will partly grind your nerves so bad you'll see red. He's the most conceited, selfish, slightly womanizer-ish, sarcastic little prick. And he knows this. Hell, he'd probably respond by saying:

But the thing about Dante is, that deep down he has a good heart. Throughout the story, we see his good growing stronger and stronger through his interactions with Charlie. When he first meets her, he's pretty mean to her. I mean, she's the sweetest girl and he's preying on her like a vulture. I just wanted to toss him out a window, for real. But thankfully, Dante has tons of character growth and becomes somewhat of a standup guy by the end.

That's not to say this is a perfect book. While the writing style and characters were all right up my alley, the second half did seem noticeably weaker than the first. I really think this may have been due to the Big Guy vs. Boss Man mythology. The Collector isn't preachy at all, if you're worried. But I did have a hard time believing that Dante's BFF, Max, didn't know how his Boss got kicked out of heaven. Another thing: there are only 6 Collectors for the entire earth? They must have been putting in some serious overtime.

Still, I really was enjoying myself so whatevs. I'll allow it.

The best part is Dante's voice. HILARIOUS. Scott created a very entertaining character who was really distinctive. When I first read the blurb, I thought it was a little ambitious:

Dante Walker is flippin' awesome, and he knows it.

All that sentence did is make me turn my head to the side and emit an, "O RLY?" But the thing is, that blurb really shows the tone of Dante and the novel (unlike other blurbs that mislead people).

So here are 3 very good reasons why Dante Walker is flippin' awesome:

1. What up, gangsta?

I'm trying to think of the best way to describe this guy. The one thing that sticks out in my mind every time is that he's like a mini gangsta. Which, I guess, makes sense considering he does work for Hell and he calls his "employer" Boss Man. And seriously, all I needed was for him to start rapping.

 But unlike Jamie Kennedy from Malibu's Most Wanted, Dante is cool.  Know why? Well, that brings us to the second reason.

2. Check my swag, yo.

And I'm not talking about that fake wannabe stuff. Sure Dante's a bit full of himself, but he backs that shit up. Because he possesses one thing I think it was incredibly smart of Scott to include. It allowed me to like just a small piece of him until his redeemable qualities showed up.

"Girl, I got swag for days."

And then Dante says things like "fo' shizzle" and I start thinking that he's secretly one of Snoop Dogg's love children.

Park it like it's hot, Snoop!

3. His relationship with Charlie and the gang

Charlie and Dante are the most unlikely PNR couple I've ever encountered so far. I really didn't expect sparks to fly between the two because their first interaction began with Dante turning his nose up. He considers her undesirable, "unpretty", a waste of his time and good charm, etc. Charlie's beauty is something he doesn't understand at first and tries convince her a change is in order. Fortunately, Charlie's lovely qualities have an effect on him and he not only starts to develop a conscience, but feelings for her. He sees how much her friends love her, how despite her background she made something better out of it. It causes him to really look at his own life's actions.

I'll never understand the friendships Charlie has. Friendships where it doesn't take cash or hookups, or saying the right things to stay in the circle. No, Charlie's friendships are different. She tries to protect her people, and they in turn protect her. They accept each other's imperfections and support one another. My friends weren't like her friends, which makes me wonder if I ever had any at all.

I loved seeing his character develop.

And then you have his interactions with the other characters. Scott really brought everyone to life with her wit and charm. I kept bookmarking my favorite quotes until I realized I was damn near highlighted every other page. She spread her awesome out evenly and it resulted in hilarious dialogue, a lot of the times between Charlie's best friend, Annabelle, and Dante.

"In this trunk," she says with a serious face, "is God's gift to women."
"Chocolate?"
"No."
"Midol?"
"What? No."
"Tampons?"
"Stop guessing," she says.

Reading The Collector was like listening to a great rock CD. There are songs I love more than others. There are songs where I find myself singing along. There are ones that make me laugh and the ones that pull at my feels. And let's not forget the slightly annoying ones with the lead singer screaming into the mic. ;) But every last one of them is memorable. I think The Collector will appeal to a lot of readers, especially those with an awesome sense of humor. Even the reluctant ones like myself.

ARC was provided by the author. No favors or monies were exchanged for review, but wouldn't that be awesome?

More reviews and other fantastical things at my blog, Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.

[Victoria Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dante is making me give his book 5 stars. I swear, sometimes that boy gets on my last nerve. You girls can have him...and his bedroom eyes...and his killer smile...and his dangerous ways...and...and...never mind! Dante is mine!!! ;)

[Wendy Higgins]

I loved this book from the first page. It's so unique. Victoria Scott has taken all of the normal YA conventions and thrown them out the window.
First of all, Dante isn't just your run-of-the-mill YA bad boy...he's a villain. A REAL villain, who you often won't like in the beginning. But at the same time, you can't take your eyes off him because he's hot, witty, and just fascinating. And all the while you'll be thinking, "I can't wait to see this boy's world get rocked." It's a sweet journey watching his eyes slowly pried open. LOVED it. And Charlie? Sweet Charlie? There has never been a character like her. I love her so hard.

You guys are going to love it. Can't wait for it to hit the shelves next year! Get ready to laugh, swoon, and be taken on a mystery ride. Victoria Scott is an author to keep your eye on.

[Sarah]

Done. I could only wish I could go shopping like Dante. Wait, what?

Review to be posted. Promise!

UPDATE as of March 30, 2013.

Guess who's reading The Collector right at this moment.

Gueesssss whoooooo?!

Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!Me!

All those sexy dances have paid off.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled!

***

HOLY SMORGASTASTIFAB!

Oh dear...DANTE,


There goes my pants...



and my shirt..


I am now lying in my own puddle of sweat and nerves...


I shall pose for you to entice you


and sing for you..


and dance dance dance for you

Just promise me SEXY TIMES AHEAD

Cause

For you and you alone.

XO,
Sarah loves

[Emily May · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

What's up, people. Name's Dante.



This was fun. Anyone up for some mindless fun? Then you should definitely drop into Dante's world. He's ridiculously gorgeous, he's sexy, he's dangerous... damn, the tagline says it all: He makes good girls...bad. But this book is also funny enough to balance out that huge dollop of cliche bad boy. I don't quite know how to describe this book and I agree with Wendy Higgins when she describes this as "unique", which I certainly didn't expect to. For one thing, the use of "Collectors" is new to me and brings something delightfully refreshing to the urban fantasy genre. For another, Dante himself is unlike any other character I've read about.

Dante is several different things all at once. He is a villain. As in a real, unapologetic, kinda misogynistic villain. But that's okay because no one's pretending he's the good guy, he gives it to us straight from the very start. He doesn't meet plain old Charlie and just fall madly in love with her for no reason anyone else can see. In fact, his first thought is:

“My eyes widen at the sight of her. This is the girl Boss Man is after? She looks like a porcelain doll... beat three times with an ugly stick.”

and his second thought:

“Her wavy hair falls to mid-waist, and I think how she looks better this way. From the back.”

He's such a dick. But a funny one. I found myself simultaneously laughing and cringing the further I got inside Dante's head. Like this quote:

“Dante, this is Annabelle.”
No. No way. That name is reserved for females with grace and elegance, not this girl. This girl is... beastly.
“Annabelle,” I say. “It suits you.”

I do like that this book is told from the point of view of a guy who genuinely doesn't care. Who is a little evil and doesn't give a damn who's life he ruins while he's just doing his job. Everyone loves a good villain, don't they? Especially one who's funny and happens to look good naked. But that's where I think this book started to let me down in the second half. Because I preferred villainous, doesn't-give-a-damn Dante over the Dante who was madly in love with Charlie. Because the things that made his character so unique started to fade when he became little more than just another love interest.

The story? Dante is a soul collector straight from the fiery pits of hell. He places "seals" on the souls of humans when he catches them engaging in sinful activity; the bigger the sin, the bigger the seal. But now he's been sent on a mission to collect the soul of a girl named Charlie. In order to do that, he must make sure she sins enough so her soul is ready for collection. And Dante Walker has no problem getting women to sin. But as his influence on Charlie leads her further down a path of wrongness, Dante finds himself questioning what he's doing for the first time. And as Charlie becomes more important to him, he starts to wonder if he can really damn her soul to hell.

I have to reiterate the fact that I love this whole "soul collector" idea and would like to see it explored further. But I didn't love the novel's romantic turn. I also found it hard to believe in the development of Dante's feelings for Charlie. It was gradual enough, that wasn't the problem, but Dante's disgust for everything about Charlie in the beginning - her looks, her clothes, her behaviour, her attitude - didn't seem like something that could be turned into attraction. Pity, maybe. But not attraction. I just couldn't put the two of them together in my mind... perhaps it was general chemistry which they lacked? But it didn't work for me.

I do recommend this book for those looking for something light and funny, but I think readers who are not big romance fans should be aware that the second half becomes far more romance-y than the first was.

[Kat Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can’t love Dante Walker then you’re probably not going to love this book. He is cocky, flamboyant, arrogant, hilarious, and sassy. Luckily for me, I absolutely loved him. Victoria Scott has perfectly encapsulated the jerky, arrogant seventeen year old who thinks he’s a straight up badass – and nothing is more satisfying than watching Dante Walker realize that not only does he have a sweet, kind side, but he’s also a good person and a good friend.

The book basically went like this:

Dante would be all like:



And outwardly I would be like:



But then when I thought the book wasn’t looking, I’d be like:



There’s another character, Charlie Cooper, who I just loved. Mostly because, though Dante is so mean about her at the beginning, Scott wrote her with such empathy and compassion. Even while Dante was waxing poetical about how unattractive and what a loser she was, and even while she was acting like a loser, I still loved her. I think everyone who’s been an awkward teenage girl could see part of themselves in Charlie.

Whilst the writing of The Collector was pretty good, it was the slang and dialogue that really got me. Basically, she nailed it. Nailed teenage guy with a great finesse. The plot itself is pretty cool if a little simplistic. Bad Collector dude spies innocent virgin girl. Shenanigans ensue. It was hard for me to grasp the greater moral aspects of the book, the struggle between good and evil etc when I spent the whole book going, “God, girl! Just ride that guy to O-Town already!” As the book progressed, I found myself rocking backwards and forwards begging her to not change. NEVER CHANGE, CHARLIE!

I guess this was the only aspect that I found a little less satisfactory than I would have liked. For me, where it really made up for it was the characters. The dynamics between Blue and Dante and Charlie. Between the Liberator and Max and Dante. Between them all. I just couldn’t get enough of those awwwwww moments. And then it ended, and I wanted more. Especially more of teh sexy. Which meant I finished the book shaking my fist at Victoria Scott, saying:



Which is really just my way of saying, “I love you.”

[Komal Mikaelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't find the energy to write another scathing, negative review this week. So, this is just a..gif review.

The Story





Dante









Charlie







The Love Story





Conclusion





This was a read along with Basuhi. You can read read her review here. She has done a much better job of hating on the book :D

[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given my recent history with hating the influx of obscenely douchey characters in fiction, I'm surprised at how I was more amused than annoyed with Dante. He owned his douchiness to the point of being completely over-the-top with the thoughts in his head, which made for a few laughs on my end. Several of his offbeat comments were quite funny and you could tell they weren't meant to be taken seriously, although a few times his intended sarcasm missed the mark. The "you have to only use one strap" backpack line reminded me of the scene from 21 Jump Street in which Channing's character realizes this no longer applies. I guess someone forgot to inform Dante.



Anyway, back to the story. You see, Dante is living for himself. He's a soul collector. If he collects souls, he gets what he wants - flashy cars, unlimited credit card, hot chicks for days...

Man, it feels good to seal souls. Like eating a little slice of bacon.

Of course, a girl is always bound to come along and screw up every guy's dream life, right?

I could get used to having a sidekick gone rogue.

Charlie was supposed to be the opposite pole, but for the first half of the book she seemed like a kid sister and not really a love interest. I get the "moral" of the story, but hrrmmm...I'm not sure I felt the connection.

What am I supposed to feel? Guilt? Shame? No. I won't. I am The Collector.

That's right Dante - WRECK THAT GIRL. Oops, I meant - have fun trying to turn her bad.

Don't get me wrong. Charlie is a sweet girl. Saintly, even.

How can someone be cruel to this chick? It's like picking a fight with a chipmunk.

So the big, bad demon found that he had an inner protective streak. Alright, that is kind of cute, I have to admit. I guess it's a not all that far-fetched to see how a guy might feel something when he has a girl who is nice to him because she doesn't realize that he's scamming her, and she actually thinks he's a decent human being.

Maybe I was too hard on Charlie. Chipmunks are cute, after all.

But after reading the synopsis for book 2 - SECOND BITCH BETTA NOT INTERFERE. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Final thoughts : Fun book with a healthy dose of adventure. I expected some steamier moments given Dante's attitude, but he'll be back in book 2, so maybe we'll get there. I'll probably check it out.


This book provided from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Trisha Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AMAZING! I'm too excited to give a full review right now, but I'll be back shortly to rock it how it should be. Mark it to-read. Now!

Oh, and I called dibs on Dante a year ago... He's mine.

Updated:

Dante is one bad mother. I fell in love with him from the first page of THE COLLECTOR. I knew going in that Dante would be a little rough around the edges, and Scott doesn’t hold back with the true bad boy character, for which is extremely refreshing. He doesn’t wobble, walking the line between good and bad, he’s full-on and doesn’t hold back. I found Dante’s swagger and cocky-as-all get-out attitude humorous and deserving of sworn-worthy praise. But that’s not all there is to him—he’s forced to face some very hard choices, and grows through the story to reveal the amazing and lovable guy underneath all that toughness. This is what I loved most about him, the moment he realizes that he’s fallen for the one girl who calls him out on all his crap, and he jumps into protector mode to save his girl. Charlie is a breath of fresh air herself, and she and her band of wonderful friends, along with truly adorable side characters, make this story one that won’t soon be forgotten, and one that will linger with me while I impatiently wait for the next installment.

[Lady Gabriella of Awesomeness (SLOW) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Beauty’s sister is vanity,and its daughter lust.”
—Unknown

even though the first 30 % was ahmazingly irritating the rest of the 70% definatley deserved its 3 stars...

i LOVED DANTE and his POV..seriously. OMG WOW..



-----♥♥♥♥-----------

EXTRACT : Taylor leans in even closer and lowers her voice.“I’ll say and do whatever I want,asshole. And another thing,you better watch your step at Centennial,because I could destroy you and your mutt-faced girlfriend.”

I throw my head back and laugh,long and hard.Then I lean in and whisper in her ear.."You dont know who your fucking with princess,Aint no one do bad like i do. "

-----♥♥♥♥-----------

But even though i loved him so much i cant say the same for most of the other secondary characters, except for well Blue... The way he loved Charlie seriously broke my heart..


wanting her ..and not being able to tell her was horibble enough...But to watch while the DANTE scope in and take the girl...Ouch,that must have hurt :( Oh blue ♥ ....

RECOMMENDATION: If u loved or I can PROMISE that your gonna LOVE this..

But the ending seriously that was smashing..and that's exactly why it ended up giving it a full 4 .

will be looking forward to continuing the series in time.. :)

[Lindsay Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is freaking amazing. It's dark and hilarious all at once. Dante is a bad-A, (and if you don't think so, don't worry. He'll take your soul, and you won't be concerned about this book any longer..) Victoria Scott has an amazing, witty way of writing, and I am dying for book 2! and 3! and anything else she writes.
Bring on the sexy to me, Mr. Collector. I'm ready to see you in the rest of this series.

[Ash Wednesday · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS and favorite-shelved.

Like a religious experience, y'all.

I kept thinking, this author must've at one time sat and said, 'hey, there's a thirty-something girl in the middle of nowhere with a constant hankering for snarky male leads it's painful… I'm gonna write a book just for her.' Then she cranks this one out and I've found my book soulmate.

Dante Walker is a soul collector sent by The Boss Man from hell to manipulate Charlie Cooper into sinning until he can collect her soul in 10 days. As Big Bads go, Dante is the biggest, hottest shit of a motherchucker of all and he knows it.

Annabelle laughs. "Oh, so you think you're hot, do you?"
"Girl, I got swag for days."



I've encountered a lot of YA heroes described as selfish, arrogant and egotistical but Dante just upped the benchmark: our homeboy went to Douchebag University and graduated with a major on being a Tool of the Trade because apart from that, he's also this side of misogynistic, hates cats (dafuq, Dante?!), and ugly people.

My eyes widen at the sight of her. This is the girl Boss Man is after? She looks like a porcelain doll... beat three times with an ugly stick.

There's a whole vault of snarky one-liners and comebacks that I started to fear it's going to be a binge of empty carbs and attitude (carbitude?) but there's a warm and touching story of self-love, forgiveness, kindness and acceptance somewhere in between that made me realize Victoria Scott is all up on my seriouslys.

Early reviews have forewarned that I'll initially hate Dante but I was drawn to him from the get-go. Okay that's putting it mildly, I'm totally, blindly, head-over-heels in love with this guy. He tugs all the right strings with his unassuming heart and twisted kindness revealed in the most unusual circumstances. Even without the evolution of his character from point A to point B, even apart from Charlie, even without Max (okay, maybe NOT without Max) this character totally works. It's his soft spot for geriatrics, his Bromance with Blue, his sob-story of a past... I feel like I can get pregnant just talking about how much I loved this guy.

Charlie held her own against the blinding awesomeness of the hero, which is a bit of a tall order because she can easily tip the scales towards annoyingly perfect pollyanna of a damsel but she came out in the end as intriguing and worth cheering on for. The secondary characters were stellar and their banter with Dante was delightfully organic that even on their own you can't help but be invested in them as the MCs.

I held out a star in my rating because the latter 25% just got a tad bit too heavy on the drama and the big reveal was a bit of a meh. But I can totally see this working for anyone else but me. The nitpicker in me had some qualms about certain aspects of the plot Charlie's transformation and how Annabelle and Blue were too easily accepting of the excuses she and Dante offered or how Dante easily integrated himself in Charlie's life and I may have liked it better if Dante and Charlie got together BEFORE she became perfect because the message applauds and rewards Dante's superficiality, but the LOLs it offered in exchange were enough to bribe me near-blind to them.

I can't possibly write a review as legendary as Dante (he be all "bitch, please") and I can't maintain the proper level of cool as I wait for the next book of this promising series. But as a first installment, yes the thunder was brought.

Review Copy provided by Entangled Publishing thru NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. But I also bought the kindle edition and will probably get the paperback because that's how I roll when I'm in-love.

--------
There are words somewhere in my brain that I need to organize to coherent thoughts but suffice to say: loved it, fo shizzle.

[image error]

Pow!

(I've been reading straight for 10hrs, proper review once I regain some semblance of coherence)

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 big glittery seals (if you read this you’ll know what I mean!)



The Collector is book one in the Dante Walker series by Victoria Scott. I was first introduced to Ms. Scott when I recently read Fire and Flood and immediately fell in love with her and vowed to go back and read this earlier series. And after I finished this first book I can say that I was most definitely NOT disappointed.



Dante Walker is a collector. He collects souls for the Boss Man that lives “downstairs!” Dante lacks nothing in the self-confidence department. He’s good at his job and he knows it. But his latest assignment is the biggest of his two year career. He has been given ten days to collect the soul of Charlie Cooper. If he completes this task, he will get to stay “above ground” for good. No more fiery pits of hell. And he has complete confidence that he will complete this task. His future depends on it. Charlie will be putty in his hands, or will she?!



Charlie Cooper is good. She has a pure soul. When Dante first meets her, she is not at all what he expected. She’s a tiny little thing and a total nerd. She has frizzy hair, walks with a limp and has crooked teeth. But as Dante gets to know her, he realizes that Charlie’s beauty is within. But, he cannot figure out what Boss Man wants with this girl. Still, no matter the reason, he is committed to getting Charlie to give up her soul.

“I like the sound the world makes,” says Charlie.
“But as I watch Charlie listen to her favorite station, I realize she has something most never will-peace.”

So when I first met Dante, I saw what he wanted everyone to see, a guy that is confident, cocky, and gets what he wants. But as I got to know him better, I fell in love with him. I saw the reason for his actions. And once Dante commits himself to something, he does not waver. At first it was to complete his assignment. But as he got to know Charlie his loyalties change. And when Dante falls, he falls hard.

“My heart throbs, and I know it’s over for me. I’m done. Putty in her hands.”

This book has everything, quirky humor, some heart pounding action, plenty of good guys and bad guys, and some of the sweetest moments. The two main characters won me over immediately. But we have plenty of fantastic secondary characters as well. Dante’s best friend, Max, Charlie’s two best friends, Annabelle and Blue, and Valery who is a Liberator which is what the soul collectors that work for the Big Guy upstairs are called.



This is a fantastic first book for this series and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Dante and Charlie.

[Navessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was me waiting for this book to come out:


This was me at the beginning of this book:


This was me at the end of the book:


I suppose I should start at the beginning because I’m having trouble sorting out my thoughts here. Based on the blurb I’d read I expected this book to be intense. I didn’t expect it to be funny but surprisingly it was, at least in the beginning. The story opens with Dante in New Orleans and we get a peek into his mind. He’s self absorbed and overconfident. Hypothetically that arrogance would annoy me. In actuality I thought it was done with enough humor to make it charming and the fact that he could admit to his weaknesses (fear of cats, which he describes as having “creepy little teeth and finger blades”) brought him back down to earth for me and made him likeable.

Onto the story. I loved the premise. I thought it was a fresh take on the whole heaven/hell, angels/demons paradigm. I loved the fact that Charlie was a “Nerd Alert”. She’s your typical teenager caught smack dab in the middle of her awkward phase, complete with acne, glasses, frizzy hair and poor fashion sense. She also has a huge heart and the potential to affect a lot of people’s lives with her vision of a more charitable future.

I was so excited for the dynamic between these two because Dante is the type of boy most teenage girls would throw themselves at and Charlie is the type of girl that most teenage boys don’t even see. I wanted Dante to see her, to see the beauty beneath her skin and fall in love with her quirky personality, her ever present smiles and her huge heart. Sadly, things didn’t quit happen the way I wanted them to.

I think everything started going wrong for me when Dante was able to convince her she needed to be beautiful. After that, I frowned a lot. I started having more issues but I won’t go into them because they’d be spoilers and I want to let people form their own opinions.

I just…ugh. This book had so much potential and I just felt like it didn’t live up to it.

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm gonna learn how to be flippin' awesome... oh wait I already am XD

And later...

I must say, I had a hell of a time following Dante Walker. Here’s the kind of guy who can insult cats and old people in the space of a single breath, and if what I’d just said doesn’t spark at least morbid curiosity, well, then The Collector is probably not the right book for you. But besides the easily offended, for the rest of us looking for a little edge to our black comedy, it’s always refreshing to see a character so unapologetically craven .

I know, I didn’t think there could be anything new to the done to death paranormal romance between the good girl and the bad boy either, I think I’d rather gouge my eyes out than finish another one, but Victoria Scott turns the genre on its head with The Collector. In retrospect, it’s so easy, as any Troper would know - Evil Is Fun while Good Is Boring after all, but unlike even those other paranormals written from male points of view, Dante Walker actually is the epitome of unabashed egomaniac. Who knew all that this genre needed was a little shock to the system in the form of one guy who knows how to put some swagger in his step and just exudes overconfidence? I’ll be honest, some of what he’s thinking is a bit uncomfortable to read about, sometimes because it just flies in the face of good taste, sometimes because it’s just too much of a male stereotype (aka ‘is this what women really think of us guys?’), and even sometimes because it’s just too true, but hey this is the book that turns the genre on its head after all, and who better to parody every single other male lead than Dante Walker? I’m ok with it, and plus, also means he’s not boring. Never boring.

If this book has a weakness though, it’d be Charlie Cooper. So she’s Dante Walker’s weakness (get it?), but that’s not what I mean, not really. I’m fine with her being pretty much the stereotype of the good girl, down to the not even a peep when Dante shows up in her room uninvited (her room! her room!!), but umm personally I thought the reasons why Boss Man and Big Guy targeted her made her a bit too super special in my book. Sure, it fits the overall plot of why a big shot like Dante would hang out with little old her, but, yeah, reason why Charlie’s so important in the whole grand scheme of heaven versus hell thing could’ve used a bit more tweaking. Although she’s a good character - mostly as in she’s a good person though, cause Dante is obviously the star of the show and she's stuck with second fiddle syndrome. But the tradeoff though is Charlie sure has some funny friends and family, include a horny grandmother, a cool best friend in Annabelle, and Blue, who is way more than just the best male friend displaced by the new bad boy, because he’s actually somebody who gets a really good character arc, courtesy of Dante and Blue’s own choices towards the end of the book.

Speaking of Blue, he really goes to show that The Collector, while fairly predictable in some respects, is also very surprising in others. Dante’s voice loses some of his edge as the story progresses, but I chalked it up to him developing that annoying thing known as a conscience. A sign perhaps, that while Victoria Scott put a lot of fun into this, she also knew how to exploit the serious moments, so I can’t say this is not a book without depth. Yeah, it's mostly fun and games in the first half, but only because there's character arcs to be had in spades in the second half, both of the expected and the unexpected varieties. A lot of things I'd normally check off as predictable, Dante being the jerk with the heart of gold who Charlie sets on the path of redemption is easily gleaned from the summary, best friend and fellow Collector Max and his relationship with Liberator Valery is fairly transparent too, much of the ending pretty much as well, actually worked here despite not coming out of left field, because again, depth, that and character development. I for one totally guessed the stuff between Dante and his parents for example, but the scenes between him and his mother in particular are still really good for what they do, setting Dante up for where he needs to go. Or Blue again, how could I complain about the ending when he gets the sort of character development that makes me actually respect both him and Dante in the end?

So I didn’t actually learn how to be flippin’ awesome from reading this, but I sure as hell still had a great time. Victoria Scott sure knew how to pile on the fun, but leave room for some predictable, yes, but still surprisingly effective character development that made these characters, well, characters . Hey, if Roger Ebert can get behind Bad Santa, I can definitely get behind The Collector.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was intrigued by this after seeing all the rave reviews, but this story, style, and characters just aren't for me.

If you're curious about the book, I'd recommend downloading sample chapters when they're available--opening should give you a good idea whether you'll like the book.

Similarly hot guys, but with stronger characters and story, in my opinion: The Merrick boys in the Elementals series by Brigid Kemmerer.

[Mary Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a blast. A fast-paced story told in a fresh, witty voice. Victoria Scott nails it!

Dante Walker is the kind of guy I wish I'd met when I was seventeen. And the kind of guy I'd kill if my daughter brought him home.

[Darkshadow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bir alttaki ilk tepkilerime bakın bir de okuduktan sonra verdiğim puana. Bir şey demiyorum. Kitap çıktıktan sonra bir iki laf daha ederim.

***

"He makes good girls...bad."
Oohhhh...

First:


Then:


And then:


Finally:

[Giselle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gah! I'm torn on this one and is probably more of a 3.5. On one hand, it's endlessly entertaining with great humor and character dynamics. On the other hand, Dante's conceited personality was sometimes a little to close to the "jerks we're supposed to swoon over" line to which most know by now I'm not a fan of. He's also the type who I could see talk about himself in 3rd person (he doesn't in the book though thank goodness, but... you know the type)--though this side of him is mostly amusing. Yes he does grow and change throughout the story where we see he has a heart underneath his shallowness but... too little too late, maybe? I wasn't going to fall for him by that point. Plus it happens after Charlie is well near perfect so I'm not sure how much credit to give him in the end. I saw a few comparing him to Daemon from Obsidian but I'm not so sure. Daemon loves to push buttons for sure, and he is a jerk, yes, but Dante talks about girls' looks sometimes that, I don't know, it got under my skin. I mean, the whole plot surrounds him trying to get Charlie to change until she is "finally" pretty and in turn he gets her soul. Don't get me wrong though, I do not hate on Dante--please stop throwing those tomatoes!--I just like him differently than I was meant to: I like him as someone who makes you laugh because he says and does things that shock you in hilarity (who doesn't love a good dose of political incorrectness?), not as someone to swoon over romantically. I also loved his voice throughout this story, I loved that it was his POV and not Charlie's--great change of pace--though what I loved the most was his humor; while some of it does come close to being offensive, his ability to make me laugh out loud deserves some props!

Besides Dante, we have a great cast, here, who are all charming in their own ways. Charlie is neither pretty nor popular, and the friends that she has are real; caring and loyal. I found this refreshing. These side characters are just as vibrant as the main supporting role. Blue is especially intriguing with a personality you can't quite decipher at first. He surprised me in a lot of ways and I came to care about him a lot. As for Charlie herself, I found her quite sympathetic as she's faced with an opportunity that most girls would die for at her age, where self esteem hangs low and looks seem to be the most important thing. I also liked how she was just a normal girl; not the most popular nor a complete loser, she was simply average. Sure she has a quirky habit or two (Skittles FTW), but overall Charlie is an every day kind of girl that I found much easier to relate to.

The book is also incredibly fun as well as fast paced. I was not bored once. However, I did find some of the story building belonged on the "things you should look over" side. Like how there is only 6 collectors for the whole world (and they all seem to hang close to each other, location wise), or the explanation behind Charlie's importance which, as it stands, I'm not convinced would result in such monumental effects. As for the romance, it was very sweet although a little fast--not insta-love fast but not so far off either.

With that said, I really did enjoy myself completely while reading this book even if I was expecting more from all the rave reviews thus far. Mostly I feel like it's a story we have all heard many times before: Someone goes to do a job, but is unable to because he falls for the person who should be his victim/prey/target. *shrugs* Will I recommend this to friends? Sure! Will I still remember what I read in this book in a year's time above all others? Not so sure. Either way, if you want to be amused and charmed by a hot dude who's full of himself, by all means this one is not to be missed! ;)

--
An advance copy was provided by the author for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

[Brigid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest here and say that I was ready to put this book down after the second page. I just did not see how a cocky little shit like Dante could ever work his way into my heart. But he was clever, and he was funny, and he backed up his attitude with real charm and charisma. He made me laugh out loud several times, and I loved watching him grow.

Definitely pick this one up if you have a chance. A very fun read.

[Nymeria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Italian version of the review can be found below.
La versione italiana delle recensione si trova più in basso.

I waited patiently not thinking about anything else for months, the release of The Collector. So you can imagine my excitement when the book came out a few days earlier than expected.



I could't believe to be able to finally make the acquaintance of Dante Walker. I had high expectations for this book, a new bad boy and a story that seems to have all the right cards have this kind of effect on me. Have these expectations been fulfilled?



Mmmmm... Not exactly. The relationship between me and the first chapter was not of the best, they made curl a little my nose. Dante is a guy with a really huge ego, which at first I found it hard to digest and I found some scenes, especially his first encounter with Charlie, a bit forced. But I did not demoralized and going forward, the story started to get me as I was hoping it would have happened from the beginning.

Dante is not easy to love, I did not feel for him what can be summed up in the well-known love at first sight, but you learn to love him. Slowly he managed to gain first my sympathy and then he conquer me completely. Dante works for Boss Man of the underworld, he is a Collector and his task is to seal human souls whenever people make a bad action. Task that allows him to not be locked up forever in Hell (certainly not one of the most beautiful places to visit) so when he is assigned the task of acquiring once and for all the soul of seventeen years old Charlie, in exchange for a promotion that will allow him to spend the rest of eternity on Earth he is more than happy to complete the job.

He did't know he had to deal with one of the purest and most gentle souls on the planet. Charlie is a girl like no one, she will not be a bad ass but she has a forse all hers. Despite a past that gives her every right to see the world through different eyes, she see what is good in the world and she is willing to do averything in order to help others. Charlie seems to be a very important pawn in the battle between Heaven and Hell. Battle in which Dante is, willy-nilly, entangled.

Charlie is a girl that undermines what Dante had always believed, she slowly causes him to lose his points of reference. Discussing the book with my best book friend (yes, you know I'm talking about you :)), she had pointed out that Dante often see Charlie as an ugly and just average girl. I do not think this is just a ploy to make see Charlie as beautiful on the inside, not just this. Going forward in the book, Charlie penetrates Dante's armour, he starts to see her in a different way, start to notice small details that make she beautiful in his eyes. Knowing Charliem Dante becomes a different person, a better one. If he at first was blind, too attached to appearances, Charlie opens his eyes.

The Collector is not without flaws, but in the end it is the first Victoria Scott's book. The collector is a book that made slowly love it, but it finally conquered me.

The Liberator, I'm waiting for you!

ITALIAN VERSION

Ho atteso pazientemente non pensando ad altro per mesi l’uscita di The Collector. Potete quindi immaginare la mia gioia quando il libro è uscito con qualche giorno di anticipo.



Non vedevo l’ora di poter fare finalmente la conoscenza di Dante Walker. Avevo grandi aspettative per questo libro, uno nuovo bad boy e una storia che sembra avere tutte le carte giuste hanno questo effetto su di me. Queste aspettative sono state soddisfatte?



Mmm… Si e no. Il rapporto tra me e i primi capitoli non è stato dei migliori, anzi mi hanno fatto arricciare un po’ il naso. Dante è un ragazzo con un ego davvero enorme, che all’inizio ho trovato difficile da digerire e alcune scene, in particolare il suo primo approccio con Charlie, le ho trovate un po’ forzate. Ma non mi sono demoralizzata e andando avanti la storia ha iniziato ad ingranare e a prendermi come speravo succedesse fin dall’inizio.

Dante non è facile da amare, non ho provato nei suoi confronti quello che può essere riassunto con il ben noto colpo di fulmine, però lo si impara ad amare. Piano piano è riuscito a guadagnare prima la mia simpatia e poi a conquistarmi del tutto. Dante lavora per il Grande Capo dei Piani Inferiori, è un Collector e il suo compito è quello di bollare l’anima degli umani ogni qualvolta questi compiono una cattiva azione. Compito che gli permette di non essere rinchiuso per sempre nell’Inferno, di certo non uno dei più bei posti da visitare, quindi quando gli viene assegnato il compito di acquisire una volta per tutte l’anima della diciassettenne Charlie in cambio di una promozione che gli permetterà di passare il resto della sua eternità sulla terra lui è più che lieto di concludere il lavoro.

Non sapeva avrebbe avuto a che fare con una delle anime più pure e gentili del pianeta. Charlie è una ragazza come poche, non sarà una bad ass ma ha una forza tutta sua, nonostante un passato che le da tutto il diritto di vedere il mondo con occhi diversi lei riesce a vedere ciò che c’è di buono, si fa in quattro pur di aiutare il prossimo e sembra essere una pedina molto importante nella battaglia tra Inferno e Paradiso. Battaglia in cui Dante rimane, volente o nolente, invischiato.

Charlie è una ragazza che mina ciò in cui Dante aveva sempre creduto, che piano piano gli fa perdere i suoi punti di riferimento. Discutendo del libro con la mia best book friend (si, tu sai sto parlando di te :) ), lei mi aveva fatto notare come spesso Dante veda Charlie come una ragazza bruttina e appena nella media. Io non credo questo sia solo un espediente per far notare Charlie sia bella dentro, non è solo questo. Andando avanti, man a mano che Charlie penetra le corazze di Dante, lui inizia a vederla in modo diverso, inizia a notare piccoli particolari che la rendono bella ai suoi occhi. Conoscendola Dante diventa una persona diversa, migliore. Se prima era cieco, troppo attaccato alle apparenze, Charlie gli apre gli occhi.

The Collector non manca di difetti ma in fin dei conti è il primo libro uscito dalla penna di Victoria Scott. E’ un libro che si è fatto amare piano piano, ma che mi ha definitivamente conquistata.

The Liberator, ti aspetto!

----
01/02/2012
Dear Dante,
89 days separate us, 3 months ç__ç
I'm thinking about you almost every day.
Always yours.
Nymeria
----
I need this book. Desperately.

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: I initially rounded to 4 stars, but the fact that weeks later I CANNOT STOP quoting this book and thinking about it cemented that it's worthy of that extra star. :)

4.5 "Oh, Dante" Stars!

“Dante. Oh, Dante. Seal me! Seal me so hard!” He grabs my hips and pumps his toward mine. “Oh, Dante! You’re so hot when you seal souls.”

Damn you, Max! You took the words right out of my mouth.

Oh, Dante… Dante, Dante, Dante… how I love you, you arrogant, self-centered, ass.

I am The Collector. It’s not as bad as it sounds. I’m kinda like Santa Claus. We’re both jolly guys with a passion for frosted cookies, the color red… and sorting souls. My 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 I get the fun ones.

Right away, we meet Dante, “The Collector,” we find out what that means, and we find out he has a new assignment, to seal the soul of our sweet, innocent, dorky, lovable little Charlie for his boss, the guy downstairs. And, it must be done within 10 days.

The story is told completely in Dante’s POV and he’s one of the most entertaining narrators I have EVER encountered. EVER. He’s so unapologetically rude, crude, and self-absorbed. There is this nonchalance about him that really added to his hilarity, ”Whatev.” His inner thoughts, his dialogue and retorts were hilarious and very current. I really couldn’t get enough of him. At first I was questioning myself, why do I like this kid? He’s so mean! How can he be so mean to Charlie? Example 1 of MANY: “She looks like a porcelain doll… beat three times with an ugly stick.”

Not only did I love Dante, but I loved Charlie too and ALL of their friends. Dante’s friend Max has some of my favorite lines!

“You nasty, you nasty. You mama said you nasty!”
…
“Hey,” he says. He pulls out my black Hugo Boss dress shirt, then holds it up to his nose and sniffs loudly.
“Dude. Stop.” I pull the shirt from his hands and toss it on the bed.
“I just love your scent,” he says in his chick voice.
“You and everyone else, my friend.”

Then there are Charlie’s friends Annabelle and Blue who are made of awesome as well. The character development and the relationships were so well done and I loved every second of it.

My one minor complaint is that I think the transformation of some of the characters happened a bit too quickly. It wasn’t enough to bother me too much, but I guess I wasn’t expecting certain events to happen in the first book of the series. The whole assignment is 10 days, the first couple days he’s hating it, then by day 7 he’s already in love with Charlie and spending the last couple of days trying to figure out what to do about it.But, still! SWOOOON, cuz I still loved it! Lol ”the words tumble out. “I love you, Charlie,” I say. “I fucking love you so much.” I’m such a contradiction.

This book was not on my radar AT ALL. My friend, Steph was visiting me, we’re both just hanging out, I’m minding my own business while she reads and I do my ADD thing. Then every few minutes (or seconds?) I’d hear… “Oh, Dante.” And lots of laughing. I immediately made it my next read and I AM SOOOO GLAD I did! If I hadn’t witnessed the reactions first hand, I may never have read this and that would be a damn shame! Can’t wait for the next one, I’ll definitely be refreshing my kindle like a psycho on August 27th!

I hunger for her to know this is who I am.
And to accept me anyway.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am The Collector. It’s not as bad as it sounds. I’m kinda like Santa Claus. We’re both jolly guys with a passion for frosted cookies, the color red…and sorting souls.

Christ on a cracker, I loved this book! The Collector is the most entertaining story I’ve read in recent memory and I was sorry to see it end. Dante had me laughing out loud from the beginning with his snarky observations and well, I’ll just come right out and say it, total douche bag behavior. From word one Dante’s a self-centered, egotistical prick and my inner teen Jen wants to be his very best friend, if only to listen to the stuff that comes out of his mouth that I’d never have the nerve to think, much less say.

I look like a movie star and move like an athlete. That didn’t change when I kicked the bucket. It’s okay to be jealous, to covet me. It’s a delicious sin- tastes like chicken.

Charlie, Dante’s latest assignment, is a walking teen disaster at first glance. Plain looking, eager to please and a sense of fashion straight out of the 80’s means she’s not exactly setting the social scene on fire. Dante’s mission is to get her to sin and sin good so he can collect her soul and deliver it to the Man downstairs. Surprisingly enough this presents a challenge because, at her core, Charlie is a truly amazing person who loves and supports the people around her. Her friends and the loyalty she inspires are a reflection of that. The more time he spends with her, the harder it becomes for Dante to justify bringing her over to the dark side.

Charlie’s friendships are different. She tries to protect her people, and they in turn protect her. They accept one another’s imperfections and support one another. My friends weren’t like her friends, which makes me wonder if I ever had any at all.

That’s it, Dante. Don’t be afraid to go deep with those thoughts. His struggle to take the easy way out and do the selfish thing or to do what’s right for the greater good lasts most of the book, but the end result was never really in question. As much as I enjoyed Dante, Charlie and all of the supporting characters something's holding me back from going all out and giving it 5 stars. The ending felt rushed and a little too neatly tied up and I would’ve liked to have seen some more interaction between Dante and the underworld badasses. This is a story about good vs. evil, after all, and Dante’s fellow collector Max didn’t really foot the bill as far as badasses are concerned, more like guy you’d like to grab a beer with. Witnessing Dante’s transformation at the hands of Charlie from a selfish charmer to a guy who actually gave a damn more than made up for any shortcomings and I loved every minute of this book.

It’s Charlie. That girl got in my brain and dug around. She found the one morsel of good in there, held it up to the light and said, “See here? See this? Look how sparkly! Let’s make it grow.”

ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reason I loved this book is pretty obvious, I’m a sucker for 'bad boy gets the nerd' type of books. I think this book was really different, most books I’ve read always portray the heroine as models *signs* but this author chose not to. Charlie was portrayed as not good-looking and the author really showed all her flaws. I loved the H in this book too, at the beginning I did not like him much but he made me laugh with his comments. He didn’t plan to like Charlie but slowly, overtime it all changes.

These were some of my fave moments which made me laugh out loud. (I had a lot more but I did not write them down)

"Apparently Charlie doesn’t have a car. “But don’t worry,” she tells me, “we can walk to school from here.” Thrilling. It’ll only take a few lifetimes, what with her limp and all."

"I’m not sure how this chick stays so tiny. She eats like a hippopotamus.”

"Great, I’ve come to collect Mother Teresa."

“It’s not that I have a problem talking to people.” Yeah, I gathered that much."

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Taste the Rainbow Stars

This novel has ‘something’, there are so many reasons why it shouldn’t quite work and yet it totally does. I had a great time reading it. Whether that is because of Dante, the Demon with an ego the size of a jet liner, or the goody-two-shoes Charlie who is absolutely saccharine sweet I’m not really sure. It could even be the side characters or the mythology created in the story. This just has a little something that makes it an enjoyable read.

I shouldn’t like Dante. For the most part, especially in the beginning he is an ass. He is selfish, egotistical, rude, vain, sarcastic and a bit shallow. His only concern in life or death, as the case may be, is beating everyone else at the soul collecting game. Dante walks the earth putting marks on people’s souls for team evil and he is the best at it. To get a promotion though he needs to collect a specific girl’s soul and only has 10 days to do it. No problem he is the best so it will be a piece of cake. But Charlie is not what he was expecting and she might be getting to him more than he is getting to her.

“Let’s name it.”
“Name my car? No.”
“Yes! Ooh, let me do it. How about Elizabeth Taylor? She was flashy and looked good in red.”
“You want to name my car Elizabeth Taylor?”
“Not want to. Did. It’s done.”

Charlie has had the deck stacked against her. She isn’t pretty in a conventional sense and she has lost a lot in her life. But, none of that has stopped her from being a great person. She is kind, caring, trusting and a bazillion other things that make her the least likely person to ever go to hell.

How can someone be cruel to this chick? It’s like picking a fight with a chipmunk.

If anything Charlie is too perfect. She is forgiving but has just enough of a backbone that I never felt like she was being walked on. She is the epitome of a Polyanna, always finding the best in any situation, continually looking on the bright side of life. Good thing that we have Dante and his snark to balance it all out. Each of them is so far on the left and right of the spectrum of nice and mean that it all just balances out well somewhere in the middle.

I love a book with good friendships in them. Sometimes I like the friendships more than the romantic couple when they are done well. I really liked the relationship that Charlie has with her friends. They all accept each other exactly as is and it is wonderful how comfortable they are with one another.

She tries to protect her people, and they in turn protect her. They accept one another’s imperfections and support one another. My friends weren’t like her friends, which makes me wonder if I ever had any at all.

I had a great time with the moral dilemma that Dante faced trying to choose between his job and possibly defying Satan himself or……giving into the mixed feeling he was having for Charlie.

It all gets a little deep toward the end and the snarky Dante loses a little something that I liked about him but I guess it is too be expected. I liked the resolution to the story. It could have gone a few ways but I guess to make a sequel it had to go the way it did. Interesting ending to the story and while I guessed a few things along the way I totally enjoyed my entire experience with the book.

[Mags · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dante Walker is arrogant, sarcastic, cocky, self-centered, selfish, over-confident and ... well ...he's a weird cross between Daemon Black and Snoop Dog (Or Eminem, or Coolio ... dunno ... my knowledge of rap music is limited to the 90's) with a bit of swag. So he's something like this but with BOSS shirts and red chucks.



My first reaction was



But then, he began to grow on me ..... even though he was doing things like ...



And that just made me want to ...



I mean, he was the typical anti-hero, he collects souls for Boss Man aka The Devil. But inside, very deep inside, he has a beautiful heart, full of love and redemption. And he made me laugh!!!

When his boss asks him to collect Charlie's soul in 10 days, he's ready for the job ... but things are not easy. Charlie is a geeky girl with the purest heart in the world, she's selfless, generous, kind, a great friend, she's an angel ... and Dante has to turn her bad.

Ar first, Dante finds her ugly ....

"The girl spins around. My eyes widen at the sight of her. This is the girl Boss Man is after? She looks like a porcelain doll ... beat three times with an ugly stick. I take it all in: glasses, frizzy blond hair, a spray of pimples, and a stick figure so not attractive on a seventeen-year-old girl."

But later, he falls for her, HARD.

Will he stick to his duties and collect her soul? Will he protect her even tough that means an eternity of pain and punishment in hell for him?

The story was predictable until some point, then at the end a couple of things were a nice surprise, however I felt the end was rushed... like "Ohh by the way, this is the bad guy, you would never have suspected of him because he was never around" ...... meh .......... I was left with a bunch of unanswered questions.

The book was pretty entertaining, the characters were the best ... they made me laugh, and Dante made my hand twitch of desire to punch him in the face a couple of times ... more than a couple of times.

Not amazing, but overall, a good read.


------------------
IG @cafecitoxlibros

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dante Walker is the bad guy.
He is conceited, self-absorbed and thinks he is the best think that ever happened to the world.

He did at first get on my nerves but then made me laugh like crazy...



So, in case you're wondering, Dante Walker is a soul collector. Working for the guy downstairs, he goes around earth to "label souls". When he gives someone his stamp, it means that person did a bad action and so, a step closer to hell.

Now, to get a promotion with Boss man, we most collect Charlie's soul in 10 days. He must get her to make a deal, in exchange of wishes , she gave away her soul.

So what started with an assignment becomes something more...if in the start he couldn't care why it was important to get Charlie's soul, he soon realize that with her, he was looking and questioning his own humanity or what's left of it.

And that was the thing that sold me to this story, i LOVED to see Dante's transformation and above all his journey to see he isn't as bad as he thought and that everyone can get a chance of redemption.
And well, it was great to see when we really starts seeing Charlie and fells in love with her.

She glances at the rim,takes a deep breath, pulls the ball up --and shoots. It's the world's worst shot. The worst. But it makes me so damn proud I could freakin' scream.

*YAAAYY*

So if you're looking for a fun read, with action packed scenes and yes, romance too...this one is for you!

You sure will be having fun with Dante...



You can find this one and more reviews at :

A Bookworm Confessions



***egalley kindly provided via netgalley in exchange of an honest review***

[Vishous]

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Also posted on the blog

OMG OMG OMG. I have read THE COLLECTOR. After lusting for it for months now, I finally got to read it. When I got the email, I just screamed. Yep. And my parents thought I was getting attacked. Great. But the point is, you have NO idea how much I want this book. It's one of my top most anticipated books this year and not to mention, have a buttload of expectations for it! And it passed all of my ridiculously high expectations and more!Lemme tell you know, this book will be MASSIVE. I just know it. It seriously deserves all the hype surrounding it, that's for sure!



Paranormal romance is still my favourite YA genre and this just had everything that I would want in that kinda book. And Victoria Scott made her story so original and so captivating! Yes, we have the Hell and Heaven. And the demons and angels. BUT. The tiny creative things sprinkled in this book just made it one of the most unique and engaging stories ever. There's not one thing I would change about it. NONE. (Which is rare, guys.)



DANTE. Oh my. He can make me bad any time. Jesus, he's now my top book boyfriend (sorry, Daemon!) and I just want to cry coz he's not real. He's like my dream guy. Dark hair and blue eyes with such confidence and swagger. HIS SWAGGER. *dies* He has so many layers inside of him but what I love most is that he's a cocky hottie but with a very big heart. He cares, people. I love him when he's so naughty and funny, but what I loved the most is when we see him vulnerable and sweet. Along the way, you learn that he's got a few inner demons to fight on his own, and his insecurities just made me love him even more. I didn't even know that was possible, but yeah. I also very much enjoyed his narrative. Dante's voice is so hilarious! I was laughing in almost every page!



And now we have the girl. Charlie Cooper. (Can I just say how much I love the name Charlie? 'Cause I do). OH I JUST LOVE YA, GIRL. There's not a character like Charlie Cooper. First, she's really, and I mean really not your typical heroine. She's not physically perfect. Far from it. She's got glasses, rubbish hair, acne, limp, wonky teeth etc. And I want to hug her since I'm SO effing tired of reading about all these other heroines being beautiful, gorgeous, perfect. Oh, and another reason to love her: she's a nerd! And she's so sweet and gullible and charming and so kind it makes my heart hurt.



THE COLLECTOR is filled with action, humour (lots of it) and the best part, the romance. No one has better chemistry than Dante and Charlie. I loved reading about them slowly falling in love with each other, and you just realise that no other two people would work as well as them. Like Charlie said: 'Because I see you. Even though you try so hard, I see you anyway.' EXACTLY. You know, you can take a look at my FAVES blog page at the top, I'm pretty sure you'll see their names in most of the lists. :) There was a very special scene and OMG the wait was so worth it. Did I forgot to mention that this is a hot book? Whoa! *fans self*



Not only that, there's also a cast of very likeable and memorable characters. Annabelle and Blue! Max! Charlie's Grandma (who I have a crush on, by the way)! I grew to love each of these characters and I can't help but shed a tear or two when......Ok. I'll stop talking now. Don't want to give anything away.



Victoria Scott has definitely earned a spot in my all time favourite authors list. No doubt I would read everything that she will publish, and I just want to wish her the best since she sooooo deserves it! Her writing is just so addictive, I literally couldn't put my kindle down. I knew I was flying through this book but God help me I just couldn't stop myself! Now, if only I could read the sequel, The Liberator right now! This is part of a trilogy (Yayyyyyyyy!!!!!) but unlike other series, I was very satisfied with the ending of book one and GASP! It didn't end in an evil cliffhanger. But that doesn't mean that I'm not dying for the sequel. Because I am. A girl gotta have more Dante.



Oh, and Victoria, I want to hug you so much right now.



Love from your #1 VMafia soldier,



Jana (aka Dante's girlfriend, sorry Charlie!)

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was highly anticipating meeting Dante Walker. We've been hearing about him for a while now and I thought he sounded like an awesome, swoonworthy character. I felt he might resemble Patch from the Hush Hush series, with his bad boy attitude that I would love. But this wasn't what Dante was. I found him to be rude and ignorant moreso than bad boy. He was actually more good! Almost straight away he's looking out for and trying to help Charlie. And for anything bad that he does do, he's riddled with guilt. This didn't quite fit the guy that I thought I was going to be reading about.

I didn't build up much feeling towards Charlie, the girl whose soul Dante is supposed to take, either. When they first met she came across as being very immature and childlike. It annoyed me how she never questioned Dante, just trusted him, this complete stranger who just arrived at her door one morning, in everything he said. The whole book takes place in less than ten days and yet we have the 'L' word being thrown around. This annoys me no end.

Annabelle, Charlie's unlikely, in my opinion, friend is probably the most likeable character in the book, the little we know of her. Annabelle, nor their other friend Blue, who are fairly significant, are not very well fleshed out. I couldn't say the plot thrilled me too much either. The romance, if you could call it that, was boring and stank of insta love. And I felt a lot was vague and unanswered.

One thing that really bugged me about this book was how many times Charlie's 'ugliness' came up. Complete strangers commenting on it?? Does this happen? Are people really this shallow? I understand a lot of the plot was based on how she looked, but come on. Really?

Anyway, I feel there is little else I can say about this book. As one of my most highly anticipated reads for this year, to say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. Do I need to state the fact that I won't be continuing with this series?