The Liberator (Dante Walker, #2)

by Victoria Scott

[Angie]

Being introduced to Dante Walker earlier this year was one of the most fun moments I’ve had reading. Now he’s back in The Liberator, and even though he’s playing for the angels now rather than the demons, he’s still the same ol’ Dante. While I’m glad that he’s still himself, his old ways definitely do not fit into the Big Guy’s plan. Dante has received his first assignment as a liberator: liberate the soul of one Aspen, who is essentially the female version of himself. Saving her soul is part of the bigger picture involving Charlie and her soul, as well as the impending war between Heaven and Hell. Dante doesn’t feel like he’s the right one for this job and he doesn’t feel comfortable leaving Charlie alone while collectors are still after her. Plus, being around Aspen and her partying ways just brings out those things in Dante…

There is a lot going on plot-wise in The Liberator. We have the overarching war story, Dante’s new assignment, and Dante’s changing relationship with Charlie. At times I felt like not of all these melded well together. One plot thread would be at the front and the others would just disappear for awhile or become less important, and then another would come to the front and the others would fall back. For me, this was especially true for Dante and Aspen’s plot. He goes to Denver for his assignment and things are going well, but then things go back to being about him and Charlie and we don’t see much of Aspen until the very end when her story picks up again. I definitely would have liked a better balance between the different threads, rather than having them overshadowing each other at different points.

The relationship between Dante and Charlie has certainly heated up in The Liberator! The author has written some very sexy scenes between these two without being graphic. I was quite surprised with Charlie, but I’m glad to see her growing and changing. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows in her world anymore, so she’s adapting. She hasn’t gone bad like Dante wanted in The Collector, but she is experience the darker side of life more. This actually puts a strain on their relationship in the beginning, which was interesting to read, since Dante admits that he loves Charlie being just the way she is, while she tries to be a bit more daring for him. I will admit that I was a little annoyed with Charlie, but once we find out what’s really going on, I felt much better about her character changes.

The Liberator also introduces us to Hell, which is a super strange place! It’s not just fire, brimstone, and agony. It’s a total mindtrip! I found the author’s take on Hell to be really imaginative without being too over the top or weird. We get to see several different sections, one more terrifying than the next. There are some very strange elements that I found to be kind of silly, but I still thought they were fun inclusions. Not that Hell is fun, but it kept the place from being too dark. I can’t wait to see more of it though!

In the end, I really enjoyed The Liberator. I didn’t like it quite as much as the first book, but it was still a highly entertaining sequel. I really appreciated that the author kept Dante true to himself, while still having him evolve as a character. He’s not just the vulgar rich kid anymore. He’s softening, but still struggling with his demons. Lots of new pieces were added to the Heaven/Hell war plot and the stakes just got even higher as Dante and his friends learn a very important detail. I’m very excited to see where this all is going!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.