Transcendence by C. J. Omololu

325 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Wizard

On a visit to London with her dad and sister, Cole, a gifted cellist, gets a very up close and personal view of Britain’s history. Objects and places keep triggering intense visions of places and times from the past she doesn’t know. She thinks she’s going mad. When she passes out after a particularly gruesome vision of her own execution on a visit to the Tower of London, a handsome young stranger named Griffon Hall helps her. She feels a strong connection to this boy and upon returning home to San Francisco discovers he lives nearby. Her disturbing visions become more frequent the more time she spends with Griffon. He tells her that like him she is an “Akhet,” a person who can remember past lives and use this knowledge for good. Of course not all “Akhet” uphold this philosophy. Her visions now seem to focus on a Italian cello player involved in a murder. The book builds slowly centering around Cole’s thoughts about her visions which are depicted in italics. Once she and Griffon discover that a rogue “Akhet” is after her, the pace picks up dramatically as they race to find out what exactly happened all those years ago and how to fix it. The closer she grows to Griffon, the more she withdraws from friends and family. Her love for classical music is a constant underlying theme. Cole is a realistically drawn character with whom teens can easily identify. This romantic mystery hints at a sequel and will be sure to appeal to teens who enjoy paranormal romance. Recommend to fans of Die for me by Amy Plum.