Review: Transcendence by C.J. Omololu

Title: Transcendence {Transcendence #1}

Published: Bloomsbury UK July 2013

Status: Read from July 10 to 11, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

It has been three weeks since sixteen year old Nicole, sight-seeing at the Tower of London, was dizzied by a vision of an executioner’s axe and a jeering crowd. Now, back home in San Francisco, Cole is surprised but pleased when Griffon, the cute boy who rescued from her faint in England, appears on her doorstep but she soon learns that Griffon has sought her out for a reason. Cole, like Griffon, is Ahket and her seemingly inexplicable visions of people and places in times long ago are memories of her past lives intruding on to her present.

Transcendence is the introduction to a new young adult series by C.J. Omololu in which she explores reincarnation, fate and destiny. I really like this fresh mythology and the way in which the author combines contemporary, paranormal, history and mystery to create a story that crosses genres.

Though I found that the characterisation was not always consistent, most noticeably with Cole, I find both she and Griffon generally appealing. I love that Cole is a cellist prodigy, finally a heroine with a hobby! Unfortunately Omololu hasn’t strayed quite far enough way from the character traits I’ve come to expect in the YA genre, Cole is insecure about her appearance, lacking in generally in self confidence and impulsive enough to create her own trouble.

This being YA, a romance is obligatory. To be honest I think it is a little creepy for Griffon, who is physically seventeen years old but with the memories and experience of a man centuries old, to be in love with Cole, who has still not integrated her memories. The author does make an attempt to address the issues that come from such a significant ‘age’ difference though and I hope that feeling will wane though as Cole regains her knowledge from past lives.

In general, Transcendence is a well written story, the flashbacks in particular are well handled. I thought the pace was okay
and there is a twist or two, though no real surprises.

I think Transcendence, as a series, has promise and this novel is a good introduction into Omololu’s world. Both Transcendence and the second book, Intuition are already available in the US (from Walker Books)