66) Lunatic Revenge by Sharon Sala

The Blurb :

Do Tara and Flynn stand a ghost of a chance?

The bad guys are after a hidden fortune that belongs to Flynn O’Mara’s dying father—they think Tara can use her psychic powers to find it for them. She’ll need plenty of help from her spirit friends if she and Flynn are going to get out of this trouble alive.


My Thoughts :

I have been following the Lunatic Life Series since the beginning and have really enjoyed following Tara's life.  She has come a long way since the series started it is easy to forget that this is only the third book.  So much is always packed into an installment that sometimes it feels like you are reading three stories at once.  This is also the case in this newest addition.

The first part of the book deals mainly with Flynn and his father and then book moves onto another angle as a tonado hits the town.  By the end of the book the focus changes again and you wonder how anyone in the book can keep track of everything that is going on.  The story isn't complicated and this makes it easier to keep up with the amount of action.  Pieces are put together very quickly and the story moves along nicely without the tedious wait while characters explain themselves or just go to a party and so on.  There is no 'filling in' to make the book longer and it is actually a pleasure to get to business and just keep running.

I like the concept in this series and the ghosts and psychic abilities that come with it.  Tara is a likable character and she is slowly building up a nice support system of friends that now know some of what she is capable of.  How the series will continue is a mystery but I know I want to see things carry on and I will be along for the ride.  Despite being Yound Adult I don't find this to be too teenagy or over the top.  It just has a great story and is fast paced.

If you haven't tried this series yet then I can only highly suggest giving it a go.  If you have a young reader in your life then this may be one you can share.  If you don't, well there are some nice ghosts and psychic moments for you to enjoy even if you feel too old for this read.

 

         

     

               

       

28) Lunatic Detective by Sharon Sala

The Blurb :

As Tara and Flynn are closing in on Dee Dee Broyles' killer, a deadly new ghost begins to threaten them. It's just another day in Tara's lunatic life . . .

All during the day at school, Tara kept picturing the moment when she and Nate would find DeeDee's grave. Even the classes she had with Flynn, who made everything fun, never seemed to end. By the time the last bell rang, she was fired up like a roman candle on the Fourth of July. She bolted from her seat, made a quick stop at her locker, and slipped out a side door instead of taking the front, knowing full well she was going to miss seeing Flynn. She didn't have time to delay or explain, and she had a feeling he wouldn't be all that thrilled in what she was doing. He was pretty cool about her psychic stuff, but digging for bodies fell way out of the realm of normal-even for her.

My Review :

I read the first book in this series quite a while ago and I really wanted to read this sequel when it was released. However the price put me off a little. For a Young Adult book with under 200 pages it was more expensive than a normal full length novel. However I got a copy as a gift and couldn't wait to read it. It is such a shame I didn't read this earlier. It was just as good as the debut!

Actually it may have even been better than the first book, My Lunatic Life. Don't be put off by the strange title, the not so special cover or the fact that this is Young Adult. The young girl in question is very mature for her age and nothing really teenagy silly is going on. After all Tara can talk and see ghosts. She is also psychic.

A wonderful comination of skills and a very nice leading character makes this series a great find. I doubt many people would come across the book on their own and it was only due to me reviewing the first in the series that I came across it. How glad am I that I did! You have ghosts, mystery and murder with some very cool characters involved. I loved the first book and read this second one within a couple of hours. It was just so good.

Well worth trying if you like any of the elements I have mentioned. Maybe you have a special young reader in your life you can share this book with. Although I think adults just as much. I will be getting a copy of the third book in the series very soon. There was a little cliffhanger at the end of this second book and I really want to know what it all means.

136) My Lunatic Life by Sharon Sala

The Blurb :

She plays for Team Spirit.High school senior Tara Luna's got all the usual teen problems: a new school, her attraction to a hunky guy, feuds with the Mean Girls, being regarded as an oddball outsider-PLUS she has psychic powers, a duo of protective, meddlesome ghosts AND an angry, threatening teen girl ghost who wants Tara to solve her murder-or else.Now you know why she calls this "my lunatic life."

My Review :

I have never come across this author before but after looking her up I see that Sharon Sala has quite a lot of published books already under her belt. Which is no wonder if My Lunatic Life is anything to go by. As far as I can tell this is the authors first Young Adult novel but you wouldn't be able to tell. She manages to keep things clean, fun and exciting. I have to say I loved this book!

Although this is a Young Adult book it could also be a nice cozy mystery. With two ghosts to help her and psychic abilities, Tara has all the makings of an amateur sleuth and she proves herself in this debut. I loved Tara instantly and found her witty and totally different to your usual teenie characters. Definitely more grown-up, intelligent and not one of those 'constantly getting into trouble' characters. It was all quite refreshing.

The concept was great and it reminded me a lot of Victoria Laurie's books. This was a good mixture of the Psychic Eye and Ghost Hunter mysteries but aimed at older teens. The writing style was totally cozy mystery and the characters were all fun to get to know. I seriously can't wait to get together with them again.

Before rounding up I have to say that the only thing that put me off this book was the cover. It looks very childish which doesn't reflect well on the actual story inside which is, as I already mentioned, quite grown-up. Also the school uniform was never mentioned and I am pretty sure Tara didn't wear one. So why does the model on the cover look like she has one on? My Lunatic Life is a 'Don't judge a book by it's cover' candidate!

I read this in one day and enjoyed it right till the end. Then I was sad to see it was over and actually wanted to read it again. Although I am not rushing out to check out any other Sharon Sala books I am definitely going to be reading more books in this series. Tara is the kind of girl you wished you were way back when. Oh and this is also a great book to share with that young lady in your life so you have something to chat about.