My Library in the Making

(View this review on My Library in the Making.)The Liberator picks up a few weeks after the events of the first book. There is immediate tension as Dante's given his first job as a Liberator, but that means we get immediate fun. Even though I read The Collector a few months back, I didn't have a hard time getting back into this fictional world of Team Heaven, Team Hell, and soul stamps.I liked Charlie in the first book but even then, she felt flat, and that unfortunately carries on here in the sequel. I know she's complex, but she somehow doesn't feel that way. And then she goes on doing stupid things out of pressure, and I just downright disliked her. Dislike, actually, as in present, but I hope that changes in the next book.Thank the Big Guy for Aspen, the reason why I enjoyed The Liberator so much more than its predecessor. She's infinitely more interesting than Charlie, and I'm sad that she didn't get more of the spotlight. Aspen is a broken soul, but that sadness doesn't keep her from being fierce.It's Aspen who speaks next. "Can it, chick. If you're really able to bring a hundred years of peace to this hellhole, then this isn't just about you. Got it?"You said it, girl.Wait, I'm forgetting something here. What—oh, right, it's who. Sorry, D-Dub. I'm pleased to say that Dante Walker is still his rude, expensive-brand-loving self, and I still loved him. He's badass but sassy, something I haven't seen in any other bookish guy. Like the first book, The Liberator worked because of Dante's entertaining voice, and I seriously can listen to him prattling on his narcissistic shit for days.I remember letting this slide in The Collector, but here I see less basis for the "love" between Charlie and Dante. There's a lot else going on plot-wise, and we're made to accept their relationship for what we're told about it. Intense and fast-paced yet still poignant and touching, The Liberator certainly outdid The Collector. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who'll find it hard to put down, and I can't wait to pick up the third book in this delightful series!MY FAVORITE PART is Dante being bad with Aspen. I never shipped them, but their dynamic's just so good.