Transcendence by C.J. Omololu
Published by Walker & Company
Publish Date: June 5, 2012
336 Pages
Source: NetGalley
When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider.
As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both.
Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live? –(summary from Goodreads)
My Thoughts: Transcendence is a fun story about reincarnation and love. And there’s music in there in the form of a cello, which sort of thrilled me to pieces.
Cole Ryan is visiting London with her sister and father when she starts having these very strange, oddly familiar visions. She watches a beheading with near-clarity while her sister thinks she is dehydrated and about to faint. Griffin Hall, standing nearby, comes to her rescue and BAM! an instant connection is made between the two.
It turns out these two have something in common – they’re both Akhet. Akhet are people that can remember who they were in lives past. These people tend to keep their memories in each life while everyone else just starts over with new memories with each new life. The Akhet can sense each other in proximity, which is why Griffin was so quick to rush to Cole’s side when she was acting sick – because he knew the real reason for her behavior. While most Akhet are the good guys, some end up being the bad guys. Rogues, they called them. Interestingly enough, Cole has a rogue on her trail and Griffin is the guy who will step and and not only teach her about what she really is, but he’ll try and keep her safe as well.
Reincarnation Stories
Romance: seems instant, no triangle
Books Containing Music: Cello
Transcendence by C.J. Omololu
is available for purchase on June 5, 2012.
**I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion and review. I received no compensation for my thoughts. Thank you Bloomsbury USA & NetGalley!
you find music or the arts in a book?
to see so much of the cello in this one!
About Asheley
Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.
You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.
Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!
I love love LOVE this cover! And the summary REALLY intrigues me. Thank you for sharing!
I love the cover too Emily! It's really one of my favorites out there right now. So well done and this team should be so proud!
I plan on reading this one too. Maybe if there is an audiobook version, I'll do that one since the cello is a prominent part of the book.
Oooh, that's a great idea Tanya! I didn't even think about what a cello might add to the audio.
Fantastic review, honey! I've been eying this one for a while now, mainly because of its unusual cover (I love the racial diversity). And the premise sound really great, too! I'm glad you enjoyed it, might need to give it a try sometime soon! 🙂 And a cello! Oh my! 🙂
Hey Evie!!!
You would really like this one. I could see you enjoying it, for sure. And yes, this cover is just amazing.
Love it when you come by Evie!!
I love the cover! Finally! I am sick of white people on covers. Lol. Especially when the characters aren't "white." *Cough cough* Immortal Rules.
Great review, Ash. I really want to read this now.
This cover is pretty amazing. Such a great creative job!
I didn't realize when I read it there would be another book, but the more I think about it, the more excited I am to continue with the series.
I was excited to see the cello so prominent (I play viola so I'm always happy to see strings in a book). I also thought the reincarnation angle was interesting; I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this.
I loved the strings too and I was thrilled when the cello portion was much more important than I realized. At first, I thought it was just a small detail.
Wow, you've sold me! As you said, awesome cover featuring non-white individual, musical aspect (via cello) AND some reincarnation shtuffs – so unique! Also, it's been awhile since I've read some paranormal, time to remedy that!
Yes, all of that! It's a quick read, too, so a good one for when you need one of those quick reads between the heavier books. I enjoyed it a lot!
Yay for PoC in books and ON COVERS!! Seeing the cover of this book made me super happy. I'm still unsure about this one, partially because I'm just not in the mood for this type of read as of late, but I am still so happy it's out there.
Have you read If I Stay by Gayle Forman? Yes, it's contemp and EMOTIONAL, but it features Mia who's a cello player, and music is a HUGE part of the story, which makes it awesome.
OH I KNOW, I cannot get over this cover. It's brilliant, really. The non-white, male lead is standing in front of the white lead (LOVE) but even the rest of the detailing on the cover is great – there's a cityscape and the edging is really pretty. You know I'm a cover girl, so I'm all over it.
I HAVE read If I Stay – a long time ago, actually – and I just bought Where She Went a couple of weeks ago because I found it for like $2. My library never bought the second book! Why have a series if you're not going to complete it? Anyway, yes, I loved the cello angle in that story as well and I'm eager to read Where She Went.
I also LOVE the cover of this book especially because I love racial diversity in my YA books. The reincarnation aspects were fresh too and I'm looking forward to the next book. Geat review!
NC
Truly Bookish
Great Mature YA Read. Highly recommend. I usually like my YA with more action, and there were spots that seemed a bit slow. But overall it was a great read and full of surprises.
Mariz
Great data for Belden Catalogue