Reading Review - The Collector by Victoria Scott

Hello, all! I've been looking through my shelf and Kindle for some books that I've loved and haven't yet reviewed here, so I'd like to start adding those in as some Reading Reviews. After all, I want to talk about all the books I've enjoyed, not just the ones I'm currently reading, but my favorite series and books as well. Today we're talking about The Collector by Victoria Scott, which is the first book in the Dante Walker trilogy. 

Alright, let's get into this review. I'm just going to start off by saying this book is fantastic. It's fantastic because it's well written, it's developed well, and because it breaks away from every YA cliche I've read. Want some evidence? The narrator in this series is a guy. While that's already unusual enough for a YA book, the narrator is a funny, snarky guy who has an attitude and an arrogance that can make anyone laugh out loud while reading this. And the girl featured in most of this story? She's not a typical 'beauty but she doesn't know it' sort of girl. The guy, Dante, describes her as unattractive. She's not the prettiest girl around, but she doesn't need to be, as she's a really good person with an amazing heart. Which brings us back to Dante, and why his character is so unique. You see, Dante's not a hero knight on a white horse. He collects souls for Hell, and he's good at his job. So, he's definitely not your perfect hero waiting for the maiden. Dante's got a lot of moral flaws, obviously, and Charlie's not this incredibly attractive girl. In short, they're characters that have flaws, but in different ways and grow in different ways as well. All I'll say about character development in this story, without spoilers, is that it's excellent. These people really come to life within the book, and I was so caught up in this story and seeing how everything would turn out.

Now, let's talk a little bit about the story. There's a lot going on in this book. The plot was definitely good and grabs your attention, but what really stood out to me in this book were the characters. Plots tend to be pretty unique in the YA genre, but there are so many stereotypes that characters fall into that it can easily affect the plot. Here, the characters were unique enough to have some unexpected twists in the plot, and it was a good read. Overall, I gave this book 4.5 stars, and I really enjoyed it. I think that the characters really made this story for me, and the story was good and allowed for excellent character development. I'll probably write a review for the sequel as well, since that book totally went above and beyond my expectations. But, that's a story for The Liberator's review. In the meantime, happy reading!

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.

Check it out on Goodreads!    Visit the Author's Website

From a paper world,

V