Transcendence by C.J. Omololu

 My thoughts in a sentence: I'm so glad I bought my own copy instead of ordering it at the library; I want the sequel soon!

 First of all, it must be said that C. J. Omololu has an awesome name. It's unique but not difficult to pronounce.


Transcendence gave me what I wanted: a capable and intelligent heroine, a realistically flawed but still attractive love interest, and twists that were totally believable that I didn't see coming. (The day before I read this, I was complaining to my sister about the dearth of books with realistic twists that I was unable to guess. The universe heard my plea!)


I will concede that the plot originally develops slowly, but it picks up rapidly.


The title really seems to fit it, as there are at least two references to music being transcendent. Also, I think a theme for this book could be "love transcends time" or "transcending past wrongs is essential to living a good life". Whoever came up with this title really nailed the heart of the story.


Cole (the heroine) is a cello prodigy, and since I've read quite a few books involving cellos recently, I'm feeling this urge to go pick up the cello again... I'm not sure whether that's a positive or a negative.


The way Transcendence is written would be like someone telling Sarah Rees Brennan to write a mashup of If I Stay and Incarnate. (Sidenote: I love all of those.)



Something that really makes Transcendence stand out is its incredible sense of place. I could definitely tell that C. J. had lived in the areas featured in the book. 


The cover is the real reason I bought this book. I first heard about C. J. through the blogs of Daisy Whitney and Nova Ren Suma, both of whom featured a giveaway of Transcendence earlier this month. On Nova's blog, C. J. talked about how the love interest, Griffon, is biracial, and he is also on the cover. This really caught my attention, as there are not nearly enough books about non-white people just living their lives, and often the ones that do exist have a white person on the cover. I am all for diversity on covers, so I decided right them to show Walker/Bloomsbury with my money that they need to keep publishing books like this with covers like this. Also, that boy on the cover is a lot more attractive than a lot of the other male models I've seen on YA books. 


Overall, I am super happy I bought my own copy, since I can tell I'll be rereading it more than a few times. I bought my copy from Barnes and Noble, where it was shelved in the "Paranormal Romance" section, which, okay, it might technically be, but it is unlike anything else I've read in that genre. (And that's a good thing.)

 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.)

C. J.'s website is http://www.cjomololu.com/