The Collector
Dante Walker #1
Victoria Scott
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publication Date: April 2, 2013
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.
There is nothing better than a good ole’ antihero story. Victoria Scott delivers! The Collector is a story in which the villain becomes the hero and the innocent is tarnished. Seems like the opposite of what you want to happen. But trust me, it is perfect! It is a story of contradiction that sets up for a series I am dying to have in my hands. Dante and Charlie are the epitome of opposites attract. Granted it started as a job for Dante and shifted into something more, but when the hearts wants something, it does whatever it takes to be satisfied.
Dante is undoubtedly the best part of this book! He is a villain, the ultimate bad guy. But he transforms into something so much more. He keeps his edge but evolves into an antihero that I could not get enough of. Seeing the story unfold allows for us to understand his struggle. Nothing is black and white. He has his orders but cannot decide what he should do. And when his decision is made, nothing will ever go back to the way it has been.
Every character in this book adds depth. Charlie is the perfect YA leading lady, one who is sweet, unassuming, and kind with a heart of gold. She is everything Dante is not, and she sees the good in him, even when it seems impossible. Add in other Collectors, Liberators, and high school friends and you have a cast that is fun, sassy, and determined to prevail.
I am on pins and needles waiting to see what happens in the next book. The end was a surprise and there are so many paths we could follow. I cannot wait to see where Victoria Scott takes this story and to see what happens to Dante, Charlie, and the whole gang!