Blacklisted [Paperback]

Blacklisted is an exciting and gritty follow-up to Red Handed (Teen Alien Huntress). Most of the main characters from Red Handed make a peripheral appearance; the focus here is on Erik, who has apparently turned from A.I.R. agent into an illicit dealer in Onadyn, a drug that is used by oxygen-intolerant aliens to live -- and by human drug addicts.

Ms Showalter does an excellent job in several areas:

- in showing how 1 decision can change a person's life in major ways. This applies to both Erik and Camille, albeit they each made separate, unrelated, life-altering decisions at different times that have led them into a somewhat harrowing adventure together.

- in making believable the reasons behind the decisons Erik and Camille made

- in describing the lengths to which female teens might go to in order to pursue those they're infatuated with

- in the pacing and suspense of the story

- in reintroducing some of the main characters we saw in Red Handed

- in showing that "the authorities" can be just as brutal, unsympathetic, and unjust as the criminals they pursue

I did enjoy this book and would recommend it. However, the reason I gave only 4 stars for Blacklisted was due to a combination of things, almost all tied to loose ends:

** POSSIBLE MILD SPOILERS BELOW **

- It's difficult to believe that having known and trained with Erik for so long that no one at A.I.R. -- including his former peers and instructors -- seems to question why or delve deeper into the reasons Erik has done what they think he's done. I don't really count the negligible protest by Cara, Erik's former flame because it was only a brief protest. The fact that she may have second-guessed herself is implied, but even so she's still the only person who appears to have at least thought about whether her assumptions about Erik might have been wrong.

- As a corollary to the above point, A.I.R. comprises several aliens among its staff and students. It's been mentioned in both Red Handed and Blacklisted that there are aliens who are telepathic to the extent that they can mind read humans. Since A.I.R. is willing to resort to violence in their interrogations, why weren't they willing to find a mind-reading alien who could probe their thoughts? (Clearly, it had nothing to do with the rights of Erik or Camille, and of course, this would likely have shortened the story considerably, but at least a reason why this option wasn't explored by A.I.R. should have been explained.)

- Erik mentions to Camille at one point that her actions hadn't made much of a difference to what occurred at the club ("the Ship") because his past had caught up to him. That wasn't really explained, although one might attribute it to the fact that his former peers have shown up at the club and indicated they're watching him.

- Camille and her friend Shanel have lied to their parents about their whereabouts and it's clear later that they have no money, yet they're able to order drinks at the club's bar. The inference seems to be that the drinks are charged somehow... which would likely show up in an invoice/statement somewhere their parents would end up seeing.

- After a whirlwind sequence of events, the ending is very abrupt. After all the things the A.I.R. agents have put Erik and Camille through, the denouement is without fanfare, Camille's parents are suddenly in agreement with Camille's actions, and that's it. The issue of Silver is left hanging as well.

** POSSIBLE MILD SPOILERS ABOVE **

Blacklisted is the second book in Gena Showalter's Teen Alien Hunters series. One of the things I love about both the previous book, Red Handed and this entry is that fans of the author's adult Alien Hunters series get to see some of their favorite characters in these books and will enjoy them just as much. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when I got this book and realized I wouldn't be reading about the further adventures of Phoenix and Ryan, but that feeling did not last long. Instead we learn about Eric, who was a secondary character in Red Handed, and why he has seemingly turned against AIR and his friends. It was interesting to see things from an entirely different perspective proving once again that there are two sides to every story. The love story is also great with Eric deservedly ending up with a worthy partner. If I had any criticism it would be that I felt the ending was a bit rushed, but not enough so that it detracted from the rest of the story. I can't wait for the next book!

This second book in the TEEN ALIEN HUNTRESS series, following Red Handed (Teen Alien Huntress), is not a direct continuation of that story. Familiar characters make an appearance, but really this is just another book taking place in that same well-created world of the first. That said, it's well worth reading, too!

BLACKLISTED is about Camille, who is a pretty average teenage girl. With her best friend, Shanel, she sneaks into a nightclub, trying to catch the attention of her crush. Camille's persistence, however, leads them into a situation that they were not anticipating when they came to the club.

Soon, after getting in the middle of a fight in a high security area that isn't really part of the club they came to see, Camille and Erik are on the run from AIR (Alien Investigation and Removal) agents, while Shanel and Silver manage to elude them. Erik's finally noticing Camille, so she's inclined to help him out, but the AIR agents are accusing him of something that she definitely doesn't want to be a part of.

What's a girl to do?

BLACKLISTED is just as action-packed and fast-paced as the first book in the series, and I think the characters might even be a little better! I love the way Gena Showalter is able to deal with aliens without being cliched or cheesy; her books are very original, not exactly Star Trek. This is a fun, interesting series that is sure to appeal to readers!!

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 11 reviews  4.2 out of 5 stars