Red Handed

After reading "Playing with Fire", I wasn't really interested in reading more of Gena Showalter's books. Plus, a story about an "alien huntress" seemed a little weird to me.But I am glad I gave it a shot. The plot was compelling and interesting and the characters were likable, if obviously cliché. This book is a mixture of sci-fi and urban fantasy and makes for a light, entertaining read. I am now interested in the whole cast of characters and want to read the rest of the "Alien Huntress" series.Good read! ( )

This book was about a young troubled teen named Pheonix Germaine getting a second chance to make something of herself in a world where aliens invaded. Most aliens are friendly however there are some predatory aliens out there but the public doesn't know about them thanks to a secret agency entitled A.I.R (a.k.a Alien Investigation and Removal) who protects the public against the predatory aliens. The main character Pheomix encounters both the A.I.R and predatory aliens at a party one night and fights the aliens off and recieves an offer of a lifetime.

I love this book and i'm usually not big on books about aliens. The author made you feel like you knew pheonix and of course had a hot guy named Ryan stone to drool over. I am excited to read more about the young Pheonix and then start the actual alien huntress novels, featuring the all groen up pheonix germaine. ( )

Phoenix has a problem. A drug problem. After getting out of rehab, Phoenix thinks she's kicked it to the curb and is concerned with trying to gain back her mothers trust. That plan is thrown away when a party turns into a fight with aliens and Phoenix is brought home by a strange man, looking like she's been into drugs again. Now Phoenix is off to a special bootcamp for wayward teens. Or so she thinks. What it turns out to be is a facility that fights the bad aliens of the world and Phoenix has been recruited to train for them. She's in for the surprise of her life when she finds out Ryan, the sexy hottie she talked and fought aliens with at the party is her instuctor! Ryan and Phoenix want to be together but its forbidden for an instructor to date a student. That doesn't stop them from wanting each other, though...

I picked this book up when it first came out in 2007 and immediately fell in love with the story! I have re-read this book so many times and I never get tired of it. There is so much action, romance, and fantasy that its 250+ pages seem like so much more. Ryan, the hero in the story, is such a hottie and his chemistry with Phoenix sizzles off the pages! I wish they had a second story of their own because I love their banter, along their the love they share for each other. This book, along with the second book, are going to be released together sometime in the near future and I recommend getting the book when they do! ( )

After reading this, i am pretty sure that it falls into the young adults section. However, i really enjoyed it. I have read and sort of enjoyed the first 2 books in the regular alien huntress series and i thought this one was much better. ( )

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. ( )