Review: The Collector

The Collector (Dante Walker #1) by Victoria Scott
Release Date ~ April 2, 2013
Entangled Teen
ISBN13: 9781620612422
e-galley received from publisher for review

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.


The Collector's basic premise sounds familiar - a bad boy, a love story, and its paranormal. But what makes The Collector so good is how Victoria has fun with idea and puts her own spin on it.

Told from the perspective of the bad boy, The Collector is surprisingly sweet, poignant, and hilarious and should work well for readers who enjoy paranormal books but want a fresh take on this genre.

1. Dante's voice is all his own:
   
   This really stands out among other books, but Dante's voice is VERY distinct. He has his own sense of humour, his own quirks, and he sounds unlike any other character I've read. It really helped me get into his head and better understand his character, but I think it's going to be hit-or-miss for most readers. Some people just won't take to it at all, and that's a matter of taste. But I thought Victoria did an incredible job letting Dante take on a life of his own with his narrative.
   
2. Gradual romance:
   
   Have you noticed how often this is one of my "reasons to read" when I like a book? I'm never a fan of insta-love, never ever. I like it slow and I love the anticipation from the build-up. I like that Dante is slow and steady, because it makes the romance more believable to me as a reader. It's like a slow burn, and I like it.
   
3. Thoughtful character development:
   
   Dante undergoes a fairly drastic transformation in The Collector, and Victoria must be commended for her insight on the feelings and internal struggle of a teenager. And she handles Charlie's own transformation in a very different but interesting way. It has so much to do with that desire to be accepted by someone, and they are such fascinating characters. 

I mentioned earlier that not all readers are going to connect with Dante; he has his moments of being a jerk, and some readers just don't relate to that at all. And some of the lines are so cheesy, but I have the impression that they're supposed to be somewhat cheesy. It adds to the humour.

The plot also felt a bit too convenient for me. I didn't find it to be that surprising or shocking, but that barely took away from my enjoyment of this new series. It's a lot of fun, and a great new take on YA paranormal and the male perspective makes it stand out even more.