Review: The Liberator

Book: The Liberator by Victoria Scott
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Series: Dante Walker series (#2)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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.


Overall Review:
The Liberator was such a fun and fast read that I started and finished it in a day, easily. Now the fact that I could finish all of Victoria Scott's books in a day, two of which on the same day, I think really says something not only about her writing but also about how amazing her books are! I'll admit that The Liberator was off to a pretty rocky start and it took me awhile to really get into it because it seemed like all the characters were in full on annoying mode and I didn't like it one bit. The story really picked up and got super interesting around the second half of the story, and since I sped right through this book it didn't take me a whole long time to get to the second half. There were times that things were so utterly predictable and times where I wanted to Gibbs slap (NCIS reference--it's a slap to the back of the head) characters for being so blind and/or dumb. But then there were the times where things were so intense and action packed that I couldn't put the book down even if I wanted to (and I assure you I didn't). There were twists and turns around so many corners that I had no idea where the story would end up! The Liberator was also about 10 times more swoony and steamy than The Collector and I'm not ashamed to admit I read the hot scenes more than once before moving on with the story. If there are two things Victoria Scott knows how to do, it's write some kick ass action scenes and damn fine steamy scenes!

Dante was both different and the same in The Liberator than he was in The Collector. There was still that cocky attitude that only Dante could ever make seem charming, but he was definitely less of a judgmental, selfish asshole. He was definitely struggling with all the pressure that was suddenly on him to be a good guy and do good things, when for almost his entire life he's been nothing but bad. It was a tough and sudden transition for him and I don't think he knew what to do. He acted out to still try and be who he was before, but at the same time he struggled to do the good everyone expected him to do. He was a much better and nicer guy than in The Collector which I liked a lot, but he still kept his cocky and macho personality that was all him. I think he could've tried a bit harder to be a better person and make up for the things he's done, but seeing after everything he's been through and the fact that one minute he was a collector for Hell and the next a liberator for Heaven, I can see why he would mess up at times. It's a lot to take in. I really like this change in him but also like how Scott was able to incorporate the old Dante with the new Dante and make this awesome Dante that was almost the best of both worlds. I can't wait to see what he's like and how he'll grow in The Warrior!

There's some serious swoons going on between Dante and Charlie during The Liberator. I feel like now that they've got most of the drama and issues behind them they were able to open up and be closer to each other. They weren't afraid to practically eat each other's faces off or sit by each other or even make cutesy declarations of love in front of other people. They had a much more open relationship than before and I loved every second of it. They had their bumps in the road and their fights but man oh man did they know how to make up! Dear lord I could just read those make up scenes over and over again! I also would love to make the point that Scott did not make this a love triangle between Aspen, Charlie, and Dante. That was one thing I was seriously worried about when I first read the synopsis but it didn't happen and I adore Victoria Scott for not putting a stupid love triangle in. Instead there's a close brother sister bond between Aspen and Dante with a mutual respect between Aspen and Charlie. I love it!

The pace was pretty fast once again, helping make The Liberator just as quick a read as The Collector! The Liberator was off to a pretty rough start because it was a little slow and the characters all seemed to have taken their annoying pills but for the second half it was nothing but nonstop awesome! Some things were a little predictable and there were times (in the first half anyway) where I could see where things were going to go but come the second half there were twists and turns all over the place and it was hard to see what was going to happen next and I loved it! The action and suspense was just as good as before, and the swoons were even better! Dante was different yet the same because while he still had that cocky full of himself attitude, he struggled to be a better person and not like the asshole that he was before. He was really struggling to figure out who he was supposed to be to make everyone happy but also still remain himself. He made mistakes but I understand that. He spent his life being nothing but bad, now he's expected to do nothing but good. The relationship between Dante and Charlie was better than ever. They had their rough patches but they were more open with each other physically, emotionally, and in terms of trust. Not exactly sure what caused this but whatever it is I'm glad. I'm also really glad that Scott didn't make a love triangle between Aspen, Charlie, and Dante because I would've been so mad over that. Instead she did the best thing ever and made a brother-sister relationship between Dante and Aspen with a mutual respect between Aspen and Charlie. I think the title is pretty cool now that Dante is a liberator and not a collector. I really like the cover too since before as a collector it was red, but now as a liberator it's blue. Also, there's Dante!


Overall Rating:
I give The Liberator a 3.5 out of 5 star rating. I really liked reading it but it wasn't as good as The Collector and it had a lot more rough moments. It was still a good book and I really enjoyed it, but there were some problems with the first half that I just didn't like. Not a huge deal, though, just a personal thing. I'd still recommend this series to people who like kick ass heroes who are pretty awesome and know it. If you like great action and/or swoons that will make you want to fan yourself, then you'll really like the Dante Walker series! I simply cannot wait for The Warrior to come out! Thanks for reading!

3.5/5 stars

~Kayla~