TRANSCENDENCE by CJ Omololu

Nicole fears she's losing her mind. Lately, everywhere she goes, everything she touches, triggers vivid scenes of a time she doesn't know, in a place she's never lived. Then she loses her heart too . . .

When Griffon first sees Cole, he knows immediately that she is special, like him - that her visions are memories of past lives. And he is sure their paths were meant to cross in this life . . .

With Griffon's help, Cole pieces together clues from many lifetimes and discovers a secret that could ruin her only chance of a future with Griffon. But risking his love may be the only way to save them both.

Wow, what a gorgeous cover! You know what's better than a lovely cover? An awesome story, which is exactly what this book turned out to be.

 

When Nicole and her sister visit the Tower of London she starts to see things. This is also where she meets the very alluring Griffon, a guy who helps her when she stumbles from a vision showing a girl getting executed. Even after she goes home to San Francisco, these strange visions continue. No matter how hard Cole tries to concentrate on her gift and passion for playing the cello, she can't stop focusing on the familiar lives she's suddenly remembering. Or about the cute guy she met in England.

 

The good thing is that Griffon actually lives nearby and they start seeing each other. That's when Cole's life gets complicated. Griffon claims to know what's going on with her. Tells her all about people who can remember previous lifetimes. The Akhet can remember their past lives and even carry skills from one lifetime to another.

 

As soon as she start to believe him, danger from one of her past lives follows her right into this one.

 

This is an incredible book about a gifted teenager who finds herself in the middle of some very unbelievable truths. It doesn't take long for her to start doubting everyone and wondering who she can really trust with this newfound knowledge.

 

Transcendence is a beautiful book that deals with reincarnation in a very interesting and unique way. The worldbuilding and explanations make total sense and don't overburden the narrative. Cole is a great narrator, an awkward gifted girl who's unsure of a lot of things and slowly starts to change as she accepts a destiny she doesn't know quite how to handle yet. I also loved how everything felt so linear at first and then several twists struck, leaving me wondering what was going to happen next. Love that!

 

Yeah, I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to see what happens to Cole now that she's found a very important person from her past...

Transcendence, July 2013, ISBN  9781408836910, Bloomsbury Childrens