Saturday, December 14, 2013

Review: The Liberator by Victoria Scott

The Liberator (Dante Walker, #2)The Liberator by Victoria Scott
Steph's Rating: 5 stars
Dani's Rating: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars

Format: Paperback
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: August 27th, 2013
Pages: 331

Goodreads Synopsis:
Bad boy, meet bad girl.

Dante has a shiny new cuff wrapped around his ankle, and he doesn't like that mess one bit. His new accessory comes straight from Big Guy himself and marks the former demon as a liberator. Despite his gritty past and bad boy ways, Dante Walker has been granted a second chance.

When Dante is given his first mission as a liberator to save the soul of seventeen-year-old Aspen, he knows he’s got this. But Aspen reminds him of the rebellious life he used to live and is making it difficult to resist sinful temptations. Though Dante is committed to living clean for his girlfriend Charlie, this dude’s been a playboy for far too long…and old demons die hard.

With Charlie becoming the girl she was never able to be pre-makeover and Aspen showing him how delicious it feels to embrace his inner beast, Dante will have to go somewhere he never thought he’d return to in order to accomplish the impossible: save the girl he’s been assigned to, and keep the girl he loves.

Steph's Review:  

I didn't love The Collector, bet yes I LOVE The Liberator with something fierce. I was a little hesitant at first to purchase and read this book lest I be slightly disappointed yet again, but I can't be happier with my decision now. Victoria Scott has improved so much with this book, not only on her writing style but also pacing, plot development, and characters. While I felt bored in some parts of The Collector, and felt like some scenes didn't need to be in the book, everything in The Liberator was p-e-r-f-e-c-t. Waiting for The Warrior (book 3) is going to be long and arduous.

As a new Liberator, Big Guy up there has given Dante his first task to prove himself worthy of the title. Forcing Dante to leave Charlie when things finally seem to be settling down to a point, Dante must track down 17-year old Aspen and liberate her soul. Seems easy enough to Dante, who's betting on his wit and charm to complete the mission. Once he sees the life Aspen leads though, he is reminded too much of the life he once had and hasn't really let go of. The partying. The binge drinking. The rebelling. Temptation for Dante is around ever corner and he is struggling to put himself in line, much less liberate Aspen who reminds himself so much of how he once was. It doesn't help that back at home, Charlie seems to be changing into a new girl--and not for the better.

The Liberator, as I see it, is the HUGE game changer of the series. We learn why Charlie's soul has such an important role, and later, how much Aspen's will too. We learn the dynamics of Heaven and Hell...with a detour to Hell itself included ;). This installment is fast paced with action every which way--and I can't say it enough that the amount of action written into a book is huge factor in my ratings, along with character development.

And in that department, Victoria Scott does not disappoint. I wasn't too impressed with Dante in The Collector--he was just that generic hot bad boy (it sounds like an oxymoron, but there are many hot boys out there, just saying). But Dante 2.0? Victoria Scott just starts peeling and revealing Dante's intricate layers, and he turns out to be a really deep character as he struggles to call himself a Collector, or a Liberator.

I thought Aspen was going to turn out being a slightly more feminine version of Dante, and at first she seemed though by the end of the story she seemed so different from him. Aspen has her own set of nightmares to deal with, and her rebellious nature seems right when it's revealed what happened to her. I wouldn't believe it if Aspen could have stayed a good-girl. It also helps that Aspen can fight like a pro. Not joking, I'm pretty sure she could take out Dante (hah!). I'm pretty sure she is my favorite character in the book, no offense to Dante or anything *ahem*.

Then comes Charlie...*taps finger on table*. I just never really liked Charlie from the start. She was a bit too innocent, and I didn't think she fit that well with Dante. I suppose I liked her more by the end of The Liberator, but I wasn't too happy with her for at least the first half of the book. Even though, a well-done to Victoria Scott for her awesome characters!

Now there was this one part that humored me a lot in this book, and that is Liberator School. No that's not really what it's called but that was it's purpose. Watching Mr. Bad Boy Dante in this school was rather...hilarious...but much needed. I think time under Kraven (Mr. White Wings) puts a lot into Dante's change as a character (heh heh :D).

I was overjoyed with The Liberator and really, the amping up of the series. Can't wait to see how Victoria Scott concludes with The Warrior. If anything, if you haven't started the series, read The Collector so you can enjoy The Liberator!

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