Review: The Collector by Victoria Scott

Published: April 2, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 352
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 4.5 out of 5






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.

     Dante, Dante, Dante, he is one bad ass sexy dude! He is the shiz and he knows it. At first I was skeptical to read this book because I thought it was going to be similar to the Fifty Shades series. While many people raved about Fifty Shades, I HATED it! I literally threw it across the room when I finished the first book because I thought it was that vile! Okay enough ranting. As I was saying, I was a bit apprehensive at first, but then many bloggers that I follow really enjoyed it saying how awesome it was. So I gave it a try and I ended up loving it! Yes the book does have its flaws but what book doesn't?
     Dante Walker is a soul collector for the dark side. He and five other collectors steal souls that the Boss Man tells them to collect. When Boss Man tells him to collect the soul of an innocent teenager, he is surprised yet doesn't care because it's just a job. When he first meets Charlie, he thinks the worst of her. She's ugly, with crooked teeth, acne, and a huge limp to boot. He hates that he has to do the job but it's his ticket to freedom if he collects her soul. As he gets to know her though, he realizes that through her unattractive looks Charlie has a beautiful heart. This has Dante second guessing himself and doing his job. He comes to her defense against bullies and slowly he begins to fall in love with Charlie.
     When I first began reading The Collector, Dante was a total Asshole! I mean 100%! He was cocky, judgmental, only thought of himself, and only associated with people who were rich or drop dead gorgeous. This is the part that made me skeptical since he reminded me of Christian Grey. I had to groan when I read the beginning of the book. Some where along the line though he started changing. Dante had to do a lot of growing up and reflecting through out the book. While Dante was changing, I liked the fact that he was still snarky, sarcastic, and hilarious. That's what made him swoon worthy in my opinion. He was hot and charming, yet he had some what of a heart! I believe that is what made this book so enjoyable because through Dante's point of view he never made the story dull. From Dante's point of view I saw a different side to the story. I think had it been from Charlie's point of view, the story would have been like most books out there and would have been much more boring.
     Charlie on the other hand was a bit more difficult for me to like surprisingly. She was naïve, had low self-esteem, and did not know how to stand up for herself. She let Dante decide everything for her. She was so gullible and pressured too easily just to become a pretty person. I did not like that one bit. Charlie did have a kind heart, helping the poor people or handicapped people, but it wasn't enough to show why she was such a great person. Eventually, she started coming to, thinking for herself and having a backbone. By then, I did not care that much because she already became beautiful. I wanted her to see that before her transformation.
     Overall, this was an awesome book! I loved the story plot especially Dante! I also enjoyed reading about the side characters Annabelle and Max. They brought out the hilarity of the book. If anyone wants to read a funny, light read, I really recommend this book. The only warning I would give is that there is profanity so if you are sensitive to bad language then don't read this. I can't wait to read The Liberator, the second book in the series! I hope Charlie becomes more brave and stands up for herself. I also want to see more back story on the bad guys since there wasn't much about them in the first book. This was a great first book for the beginning of a series!