In Red Handed, Phoenix is a recovering drug adult trying to redeem herself in her mother's eyes. Phoenix tries to stay away from her friends that still use but misses the companionship, so she ends up at a party in the woods where many kids are high. Aliens attack the party expecting little resistance but Phoenix fights back with the help of a mysterious boy. Unfortunately for Phoenix, when she gets home her mother only thinks it's more drugs. Under guise as a boot camp to straighten Phoenix up, she is shipped to a training center for A.I.R. I enjoyed reading about Phoenix's struggles to prove that she has moved past her addiction and to become more than an ex-junkie. The portrayal of the bitterness from others, especially her mother, for what Phoenix put them through and Phoenix's subsequent shame added depth to the story. This ended up being my favorite book in this series. P.S. This book is for mature teen readers: there are sexual situations.
Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com
Phoenix has been in more than a bit of trouble lately, thanks to Onadyn, a new drug that she used. She's gone to rehab and kicked it now, but her mother still doesn't trust her. And when she's at a party in the woods that turns into a fight with aliens, her mother thinks it was more drugs.
That's the last straw.
However, this new program that Phoenix is taken to turns out to be not another drug rehab or anything, but a training facility. Phoenix is going to learn to fight aliens. She's been recruited to become a part of the elite Alien Investigation and Removal agency, or AIR.
RED HANDED is a real page-turner! Strong characters and a very imaginative and interesting premise make this book well worth reading. It's action-packed, and, as such, is a much quicker read than its 250+ pages would suggest. The world in which this book takes place is created very well, too.
RED HANDED easily captures the reader's attention from the first page, and as soon as you're done you'll want to pick up the next book in the TEEN ALIEN HUNTRESS series, BLACKLISTED, as soon as possible!
Phoenix has been in more than a bit of trouble lately, thanks to Onadyn, a new drug that she used. She's gone to rehab and kicked it now, but her mother still doesn't trust her. And when she's at a party in the woods that turns into a fight with aliens, her mother thinks it was more drugs.
That's the last straw.
However, this new program that Phoenix is taken to turns out to be not another drug rehab or anything, but a training facility. Phoenix is going to learn to fight aliens. She's been recruited to become a part of the elite Alien Investigation and Removal agency, or AIR.
RED HANDED is a real page-turner! Strong characters and a very imaginative and interesting premise make this book well worth reading. It's action-packed, and, as such, is a much quicker read than its 250+ pages would suggest. The world in which this book takes place is created very well, too.
RED HANDED easily captures the reader's attention from the first page, and as soon as you're done you'll want to pick up the next book in the TEEN ALIEN HUNTRESS series, BLACKLISTED, as soon as possible!
I liked the first couple books in Showalter's Alien Huntress series, but didn't like the last few. So, I had mixed feelings about reading the Teen Alien Huntress series. Luckily this was a pretty darn good book. It is not high literature, but is fun to read and full of action.
Phoenix has been through rehab twice already and is trying to kick her addiction to Onadyn for good. Still she needs to see her friends sometimes, so she sneaks out to a party to meet up with them. There she meets the super hot Ryan who warns her to leave because some Outers are coming to attack the party. Phoenix doesn't listen (she has a real attitude problem) and instead hangs around. When the party is attacked by Sybilins (water sucking aliens, that will literally suck you dry) Phoenix stays and fights instead of leaving like she was told. Afterwards Ryan knocks her out and returns her home. Phoenix's mom thinks she's been using again and this time it is the last straw. Phoenix's mom signs her up to go to a new "hard-love" rehab school. Only the school isn't what it seems to be and Phoenix is learning about *way* more than how to kick her habit.
This was a fun read and action packed. The characters aren't the greatest ever created, but they are somewhat interesting and engaging. The world Showalter has created with multiple human races isn't gone into in any great depth, but promises to be interesting. For those who have read the adult Alien Huntress series (definitely not appropriate for younger readers because of being so heavy on the sex) you will recognize many of the teachers at the school; Mia is there as well as Le'Ace. I actually liked this book a lot better than the Adult Alien Huntress series, maybe because more page space is given to action and plot.
While Phoenix is definitely not a role-model for young adults, she does grow throughout the book and starts to become someone readers can admire as the plot progresses. The action scenes are well-written. For those who have read Vampire Academy and are intrigued by the teacher-student relationship between Rose and Dimitri, you will find something similar in this book. Ryan and Phoenix really hit it off, but as Ryan is one of Phoenix's teachers their relationship is (of course) forbidden. This adds some nice tension to the story.
Much of the story is spent with Phoenix learning her new skills and learning about Otherworlders. The story is engaging and a fast, fun read. I am looking forward to reading "Blacklisted" the second Teen Alien Huntress book.
Phoenix has been through rehab twice already and is trying to kick her addiction to Onadyn for good. Still she needs to see her friends sometimes, so she sneaks out to a party to meet up with them. There she meets the super hot Ryan who warns her to leave because some Outers are coming to attack the party. Phoenix doesn't listen (she has a real attitude problem) and instead hangs around. When the party is attacked by Sybilins (water sucking aliens, that will literally suck you dry) Phoenix stays and fights instead of leaving like she was told. Afterwards Ryan knocks her out and returns her home. Phoenix's mom thinks she's been using again and this time it is the last straw. Phoenix's mom signs her up to go to a new "hard-love" rehab school. Only the school isn't what it seems to be and Phoenix is learning about *way* more than how to kick her habit.
This was a fun read and action packed. The characters aren't the greatest ever created, but they are somewhat interesting and engaging. The world Showalter has created with multiple human races isn't gone into in any great depth, but promises to be interesting. For those who have read the adult Alien Huntress series (definitely not appropriate for younger readers because of being so heavy on the sex) you will recognize many of the teachers at the school; Mia is there as well as Le'Ace. I actually liked this book a lot better than the Adult Alien Huntress series, maybe because more page space is given to action and plot.
While Phoenix is definitely not a role-model for young adults, she does grow throughout the book and starts to become someone readers can admire as the plot progresses. The action scenes are well-written. For those who have read Vampire Academy and are intrigued by the teacher-student relationship between Rose and Dimitri, you will find something similar in this book. Ryan and Phoenix really hit it off, but as Ryan is one of Phoenix's teachers their relationship is (of course) forbidden. This adds some nice tension to the story.
Much of the story is spent with Phoenix learning her new skills and learning about Otherworlders. The story is engaging and a fast, fun read. I am looking forward to reading "Blacklisted" the second Teen Alien Huntress book.
Showalter's Alien Huntress books are AWFUL...so I was really expecting to just skim the Teen versions & pass them along.
Color me surprised! The Teen Huntress books ROCK! They are SUPERB stories that flow fast & smooth & read like a rollercoaster ride--fast & furious.
Her regular AH series is terrible--not anywhere near as good as her LOTU series or even her quirky Dragon/Vampire/Atlantis books. The AH books relied on WAY too much violence & detailed fight scenes...YAWN. Not enough romance!
Her Teen Hunters are smart & witty & kick-ass. The stories are full of believable romance & awesome endings. Definitely pick up Red Handed & Blacklisted--and SKIP the other Alien Huntress books....
Color me surprised! The Teen Huntress books ROCK! They are SUPERB stories that flow fast & smooth & read like a rollercoaster ride--fast & furious.
Her regular AH series is terrible--not anywhere near as good as her LOTU series or even her quirky Dragon/Vampire/Atlantis books. The AH books relied on WAY too much violence & detailed fight scenes...YAWN. Not enough romance!
Her Teen Hunters are smart & witty & kick-ass. The stories are full of believable romance & awesome endings. Definitely pick up Red Handed & Blacklisted--and SKIP the other Alien Huntress books....
