Author: Victoria Scott
Format Acquired: Paperback
Publication Date: April 2, 2o13
Publishing House: Entangled Teen
ISBN: 9781620612422
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked
Summary:
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 assignement 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.
Review:
The only thing - soul, whatever - standing in Dante's way of getting his promotion is geeky Charlie Cooper who can't possibly tell the difference between Forever 21 and Fendi. Boss Man wants Charlie's soul, and to Dante's amazement, even the other side is invested in her. To him, she's a less-than regular chick who's hardly worth a second glance, but there's something about her that makes him different. Someone... good.
Dante Walker isn't quite Carlos Fuentes, the baddest bad boy from Simone Elkeles' Rules of Attraction, but he's okay. I think I'm taking Dante for granted because I keep comparing every dubbed bad boy there is to Carlos, so if you haven't started on Simone Elkeles' series, you might end up loving Dante to bits. I like how Scott has tapped into Dante and made him seem a very believable arrogant - but caring - prick. I will not glaze over the fact that you will want to torture Dante very slowly and resurrect him when he dies only to torture him some more because of how he maniacally destroys any semblance of Charlie's self-esteem. But I cannot disagree that when he grows a conscience, man does it really grow. While I do have some hang-ups about his rather quick change of character, I must admit that he has had me almost convinced. Almost.
I like the humor and candor Dante goes about with, and his interactions with Charlie more so. Charlie is immensely likable if only because she will throw every misconception about female protagonists you have ever had out the window and will dutifully stomp on it. Maybe it's because we're viewing Charlie from Dante's set of standards which is why some parts must be overly exaggerated (because if you haven't noticed, he is quite a dramatic guy) but she is definitely someone that you would not find yourself rooting for as soon as you've met her - something that Scott will gradually make you do over time.
While The Collector is very absorbing, there were some times that I looked up and went all, "Whaaaat?" because some things just didn't seem all right with me. Even the romance aspect of it didn't quite sell to me, but I figured that it was okay because The Collector is meant to be a fun read, and not a book where I must. Connect. All. The. Dots. For it to make sense. I did feel bad that Charlie felt that she had to change just to be considered beautiful by society standards, but hey, she's a teenager and she's wont to be insecure with herself every once in a while. And while I did like how both protagonists found their own versions of beauty (No, I am not trying to go all after-school special on you. Maybe.) I loved the idea that we all have to go through our own personal battles just to fully realize that yes, we are, in all actuality, enough.
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked
Summary:
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 assignement 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.
Review:
The only thing - soul, whatever - standing in Dante's way of getting his promotion is geeky Charlie Cooper who can't possibly tell the difference between Forever 21 and Fendi. Boss Man wants Charlie's soul, and to Dante's amazement, even the other side is invested in her. To him, she's a less-than regular chick who's hardly worth a second glance, but there's something about her that makes him different. Someone... good.
Dante Walker isn't quite Carlos Fuentes, the baddest bad boy from Simone Elkeles' Rules of Attraction, but he's okay. I think I'm taking Dante for granted because I keep comparing every dubbed bad boy there is to Carlos, so if you haven't started on Simone Elkeles' series, you might end up loving Dante to bits. I like how Scott has tapped into Dante and made him seem a very believable arrogant - but caring - prick. I will not glaze over the fact that you will want to torture Dante very slowly and resurrect him when he dies only to torture him some more because of how he maniacally destroys any semblance of Charlie's self-esteem. But I cannot disagree that when he grows a conscience, man does it really grow. While I do have some hang-ups about his rather quick change of character, I must admit that he has had me almost convinced. Almost.
I like the humor and candor Dante goes about with, and his interactions with Charlie more so. Charlie is immensely likable if only because she will throw every misconception about female protagonists you have ever had out the window and will dutifully stomp on it. Maybe it's because we're viewing Charlie from Dante's set of standards which is why some parts must be overly exaggerated (because if you haven't noticed, he is quite a dramatic guy) but she is definitely someone that you would not find yourself rooting for as soon as you've met her - something that Scott will gradually make you do over time.
While The Collector is very absorbing, there were some times that I looked up and went all, "Whaaaat?" because some things just didn't seem all right with me. Even the romance aspect of it didn't quite sell to me, but I figured that it was okay because The Collector is meant to be a fun read, and not a book where I must. Connect. All. The. Dots. For it to make sense. I did feel bad that Charlie felt that she had to change just to be considered beautiful by society standards, but hey, she's a teenager and she's wont to be insecure with herself every once in a while. And while I did like how both protagonists found their own versions of beauty (No, I am not trying to go all after-school special on you. Maybe.) I loved the idea that we all have to go through our own personal battles just to fully realize that yes, we are, in all actuality, enough.
Rating:
I have this but I have yet to read it. I guess I just have to be non-critical when I read this and just enjoy it for what it gives me. I certainly am curious to Dante's brand of humor!
ReplyDeleteDante's humor may be childish at times, so it may not be everyone's cup of tea.
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