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. 
