Transcendante

by Katelyn Detweiler

Iris a dix-sept ans. Elle est née d'une vierge. Et elle ne le sait pas.
Lorsque des terroristes font sauter une bombe à Disney World, Iris Spero a la même réaction d'horreur que tout un chacun. Peu après, un inconnu sonne chez elle, à Brooklyn, pour lui révéler les mystérieuses circonstances qui ont entouré sa naissance. Tout ce qu'elle croyait savoir sur ses parents et sur elle-même se révèle être un mensonge...
Les médias ne tardent pas à s'en mêler, puis les familles des victimes de Disney World, transformant du tout au tout la vie tranquille d'Iris. Mais comment cette jeune fille seule peut-elle panser les plaies d'un monde brisé ?
Le second volet d'un diptyque miraculeux.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Religion, Contemporary

407 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2016

About the author

Katelyn Detweiler was born and raised in Pennsylvania, living in a centuries-old farmhouse surrounded by fields and woods—a setting that fueled her childhood imagination and, many years later, inspired her YA debut, Immaculate. Katelyn is a writer by night (and weekend) and a literary agent by day, representing books for all ages and across all genres. She currently lives, works, and writes in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hugely admire Ms. Detweiler as an author for coming up with and tackling difficult plots. That's partly the reason I was such a huge fan of her first book, Immaculate, about a teenage girl who is a virgin and pregnant.

Transcendent had another heavy plot - it begins with the bombing of Disney World and news reports about terrorists called "the Judges" killing so many innocent people. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to write about children being killed in bombings and it greatly affected me as a reader, especially with all of the terrorist attacks happening in the world right now. It's a scary, real thing and I thought the author captured the weight of this topic well.

“Because our fairy tale ended that day. Our castles were covered in blood.”

It's true that Detweiler came up with a strong, unique plot… but then it seemed like she didn't know what to do with it. The story follows seventeen year old Iris as she wonders, What kind of sick people would bomb Disney World? Iris feels guilty because the bombings didn't touch her or her family and she wants to help those who are suffering. When her mother tells her a secret about herself, her world is turned upside down.

Iris runs away from home and tries to come to terms with this new information that has changed her whole view of herself. Unlike Detweiler's first book, this one didn't have a driven plot. Iris wandered around Brooklyn for most of the book, running into people who were deeply affected by the bombings. The sentimentalities were nice, but after a while I started wondering when the pace would pick up. By the end I didn't even know what point the author was trying to make.

After the prologue about Disney World being bombed, nothing much happened for the rest of the book. The plot was very much driven by emotion - but, sadly, the emotion wasn't enough to carry the entire story. Combine the dull plot with an unnecessary, instalove romance and you get a mediocre young adult book.

It's too bad this remarkable idea was squandered on an overly angsty main character and a plot that seemed to be going in circles. I would highly recommend Detweiler's powerful, exciting first book, Immaculate, but skip this one.

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Transcentdent by Katelyn Detweiler is a unique YA novel.

To start this review off, I have to admit that this book was definitely not for me. I did not enjoy this book even though I typically love YA novels. I dig the whole "only, special person" trope and love peeking into dystopian worlds. Unfortunately, this book just didn't hit me the right way. Katelyn had an absolutely stunning tone and writing style and I'm sure many other readers will enjoy this book.

This book has an interesting plot: A bomb goes off at Disney World and the world is in ruins. The happiest place on earth is now not so happy. All of this happens due to all of the negativity in this world - because terrorists suck, of course. In comes Iris, the teen girl we are following. Turns out, she's "special". Her Mom had a virgin birth and she is essentially the second becoming of Jesus Christ. She can help heal people and make people happy. Her parents don't want her to become famous and take advantage of these powers. She struggles with her sense of self, meets a cute boy, and ends of deciding what to do by the end.

This book had a lot of potential for me, but it fell flat. A lot of the book felt like everyday activities and not much plot. Throw in a romance that didn't need to be there, and I felt... cheated. If the romance would have had more meaning to the story, I probably would have liked it a little bit more. It felt like the romance was there to fit into the YA mold. Similarly, there was one terrorist attack and... that was it? So we needed a girl to come out after a terror attack at one public place? That's... kind of normal these days. If there would have been more terror or horrors, I think it would have made more sense. The amount of good Iris can do didn't exactly match the level of bad one terror attack is (in comparison to our everyday events now. Terrorism is still awful, don't get me wrong).

The book was lacking for me. I had hoped it would pick up speed or add a reason for the romance (Jesus had Mary Magdalene so maybe that could have been brought in?). With all of the religious references, I wish it would have went full force or not at all on it.

And then the book just... exists. There was a lot of substance and descriptions but not a lot of plot. I'm the type of person who needs fast plots, lots of drama, and that good heaping of romance. It just didn't have enough of each for my liking.

So, you might be thinking this review sounds mighty negative. And yes, I feel kinda bad about that since Katelyn's writing was INCREDIBLE. I love how she describes things and I love her tone. Her writing style matched my reading style and I want to read more by her in the future for sure! I would absolutely support her. Unfortunately, we can't like all of the books we read.

Side note: This book is a sequel apparently! Iris's Mom has her own book!

One out of five stars.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Carole (Carole's Random Life)]

DNF @ page 130

This book is not for me. I don't know what I thought it was going to be but this is definitely not it. I am 130 pages into the book and nothing has happened expect for discussion regarding the unbelievable story of Iris's birth. I just can't make myself want to pick this one up again.

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

I remember reading about Immaculate, this author's debut book. As soon as I began reading Transcendent I wondered if it might be a sequel to that book, which was about a high school student who finds herself pregnant by immaculate conception.

Yes, it is. Transcendent follows Iris, that immaculately conceived baby. Iris has grown up in a seemingly normal Brooklyn family, with two parents and a younger brother. But after a terrible tragedy strikes, Iris is shocked to learn about the strange circumstances surrounding her birth.

I wish I'd read Immaculate first, but I certainly felt that Transcendent does a good job of filling the reader in on the events of that book. And though I liked Transcendent overall, it's a book of more subtlety and less plot than I was expecting. I went in thinking that this would be a dystopian or post-apocalyptic story but it was something quite different. The story opens with a bombing in Disney World that kills tens of thousands. That's a pretty dramatic event, but I soon realized that the book wasn't really going to be about that. Those events are described only briefly and are more of an inciting event -- the reason Iris gets outed as the Miracle Baby.

After that, there's a media frenzy and Iris and her family are besieged by people who have all kinds of expectations of her. They think she might be a holy figure, the sign of some sort of Second Coming. I did like the way the book dealt with the whole "pressure of expectations" thing, which is something all of us can relate to even a) if we aren't religious and b) don't have the expectations of the entire world on us.

I think the thing that surprised me most about the book was that for a story about a national tragedy and a (possible) religious second coming, the plot and tone of the book was measured. Even summarizing the plot isn't a spoiler because there are no dramatic events or shocking twists. Iris hides out from the media circus and tries to come to terms with how she can (or can't) help others. That's really about it. While I admired the way the book refused to be more dramatic, at times I was frustrated. Again, I didn't read the first book, but it seemed to me that if the first book described a miracle, Transcendent seemed almost to refute that miracles exist. Or perhaps to argue that miracles are not really religious events but mundane and earthly ones.

I'll be curious to see what other readers think, especially those who have read the first book. Even though this book wasn't entirely what I expected, I did enjoy it.

Read more of my reviews on YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin

I received a free advance copy of this book to review.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

How would you react to finding out you were born to help cure the world? And how would the world react? TRANSCENDENT stays grounded in the totally plausible here and now, an ordinary teen grappling with the fact that the circumstances of her birth have made her extraordinary, with a backdrop of tragedy that packs a huge punch. Lovely and lyrical and frighteningly believable. This book will stay with me for a good long time.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can*]

[Amy]

I tried so hard to read this, but I just can't keep going. I had so many issues with this book that I'm not sure I can summarize them all. The first, and hardest to get around, is the writing style. The writing was so heavy-handed and overdone it was hard to get through one page without rolling my eyes, and the dialogue was even more ridiculous. As a person very close in age to the main character of this book, I feel comfortable saying that no teenager talks like Iris does. I have never met a single teenager that talks in such stilted and ridiculous sentences. The dialogue was one of the main contributors to why I disliked Iris so much, but it definitely wasn't the only reason. This might just be me, but I find it really annoying when characters in books act like people that they've just met are their best friends. This was how Iris acted with pretty much every person she met in the first 200 pages. At some point, I just couldn't handle her treating a random woman that she met on the street like she was her grandmother, or treating this guy she kind of knows from school like he's her best friend when they run into each other. It just got ridiculous. The premise of this book was interesting, a girl finds out that she was born to save the world after Disney World is bombed, but the execution was a little bizarre. It's possible that this would have been explained better had I continued reading, but I found the entire bombing of Disney World to be completely implausible. Overall, I just could get past the little things that irritated me about this book.

I received a free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this story was okay. From the description, I thought it was going to be placed in the magical, supernatural genre but nope, didn't happen, which to me was disappointing. Iris isn't a bad character and I liked Zane and Zoey, but I didn't feel like the characters had too much depth in them. I didn't care for the characters. The "magical" part fell flat. I did like the way the author showed a little of how people react if there is a modern "virgin" birth and if that baby is from God. It was just an okay story that didn't make want to keep reading except that I got it free and I knew it was going to expire off my Ipad, so I wanted to finish before it disappeared. I really had high hopes for this book too.

I received this book through Penguin Random House First to Read program.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as part of the First to Read! program with Penguin Random House.

This book surprised me after I was a few chapters in and started realizing what the subject matter was focused on. From the book description, I was expecting another young adult dystopian leader and it was far from that. The settings are places everyone recognizes: Disney World and New York City. A group of people called The Judges, bomb the happiest place on Earth. They leave behind many victims. Those that are physically hurt from the explosion, those that are mentally traumatized by what they lived through, relatives and friends who are now mourning the loss of their loved ones and a nation that is simply confused and baffled by such a hateful act. Sound familiar?

Our main character is Iris Spero who up until now has just been a happy seventeen year old girl who loves her family, hanging out with her group of close friends and music. She lives for music!! At the beginning of the story, she quickly realizes that her parents have been keeping a really big secret about her. Her mother was apparently a virgin when she conceived Iris. She went through her own ridicule before running away, recreating her identity and hiding the speculation that would surround Iris's birth. When someone from her mother's past reveals the truth, the true story begins. We follow along as Iris goes through denial, mixed feelings regarding her parents and finally acceptance. The media soon gets hold of this story and the public reacts in various ways.

Even though this story touches on the familiar Christian birth, it doesn't follow one set religion. The author does an amazing job of excepting different beliefs and focusing more on the characters just being more open minded to the impossible happening.
"and a lot of people ended up regretting the way they'd treated her. Regretted that they'd been so closed-minded about the impossible being possible - about actual, real-life miracles happening, here and now, in this world."
Yes, religion is a theme present throughout the entire book. However, the focus is more about acceptance, watching a young girl work through some major issues and finally watching her take charge of her life and determine that she needs to live her life in a way that will make her happy regardless of others expectations.

I love that this book makes you think of you own values and beliefs, regardless of what they are. What if, we lived everyday putting those first. Found ways to volunteer or brighten someone's dark days with our unique talents. Focused on forgiveness instead of resentment and hate. Tried to spread a moment of joy each and every day. Those moments could also be considered miracles to some.

This is an unique young adult book that definitely intrigues the reader to do a little self evaluation and reminds us not to be so quick to judge. This was a sequel to the author's first book, Immaculate. That book follows the story of Iris's mother once she discovered she was expecting. I have not read that story yet, but I had no problem following along with one.

I rated this a solid three because the writing was simple at times, but keep in mind who the target audience is! I also thought the ending was rather rushed. We didn't find out about Zane's mysterious disappearances until the final few paragraphs. I almost would have liked an epilogue showing some time passed and how the characters were still making a difference. Just a heads up, there was a lot of curse words throughout the book in case that offends you.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to preface this review with two things. First, I received this book in exchange for a fair review through Penguin's First To Read program. Second, I did not finish this book. I couldn't...it just wasn't very good. But it's my policy to read more than half of a book before I review it, so take that for what it's worth.

To be perfectly blunt: I didn't like this book. In the most damning of faint praise, I thought the premise had promise but the execution fell very, very short.

Some commenters call out the marketing blurb for being misleading, and to be fair, it is. It positions this book as magical realism, and outside of some virgin birth stuff, it has little in the way of either. But the blurb *has* to pull the wool over readers' eyes--if you told me Transcendent would be a long, meandering narrative about a girl born of a virgin, there's no way I'd pick it up. It's just not interesting. And that's the problem here, at its core: this book just isn't interesting.

There's a litany of issues permeating this book in everything from plot conceptualization to characterization. There are so many, in my opinion, that they're not actually worth getting into here. What I would like to call out is the editorial work, which totally fails both the writer and the novel. The pacing issues, the shallow character development, the deus ex machina that starts the story (killing 10,000 people in DisneyWorld? HOW DO YOU EVEN SMUGGLE THAT MUCH EXPLOSIVE MATTER INTO THE PARK? The fact that this bothered me in a story about VIRGIN BIRTH should say worlds about execution)...those are all issues that should have been caught and addressed during the editing process. So while the author is at fault for some of these things, she was failed by her editorial team. So I don't think the blame for every misstep in this book should fall squarely on the author's shoulders here. Were I Penguin, I'd be making some changes to the team responsible for Transcendent.

I will say this: not every YA novel needs to be John Green, nor do they need to be dystopian coming-of-age novels. I appreciate this book's willingness to move in a different direction. But unfortunately, it just doesn't work. This book wants to be a thoughtful exploration of what faith, belief, and hope mean in a world punctuated by tragedy and fear. What it turns out to be is a largely directionless, 200-pages-too-long slog.

[i fall in love book blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This book is extremely hard to review. It's definitely not what I expected when I started reading it, and that affected my feelings on it somewhat. This book shouldn't be marketed as fantasy, because hearing that its a fantasy and then reading the blurb creates certain expectations as to how this book will play out. I do think it is a good book, but I also feel hoodwinked. If I had known what the book was really about then I probably wouldn't have requested/read it. This reads more like general YA fiction which isn't my cuppa.

Honestly speaking, I do think Transcendent is a good book, and I do think it has its audience, but they did themselves a disservice by marketing it the way they have. It shouldn't be getting as low of reviews as it is getting. I found Iris to be an honest, believable character that I could relate to. She's getting through life the best way she knows how given what she finds out. She handles it with poise and grace after taking some time to herself to process the information. She handles everything better than I think most people would. Zane and Zoey were really important characters to include. They added some dimension and helped tie things together. They helped to put a face on tragedy, and not just the tragedy of Disney. They also portrayed the real struggles of homelessness and poverty while exemplifying the strength of sibling love.

This book makes you think. It has a large focus on belief and faith, as well as acceptance. It isn't a religious book, and the main character doesn't practice any sort of religion but she is forced to try to reconcile what she has known to be true her whole life with what the world and her parents are now saying about her. It's a tough pill to swallow, but she manages.

I received a copy of this book from Penguins First to read program in exchange for an honest review.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, the writing was easy to fall into, but the problem is that I just found this story ridiculous. I just don’t believe that main character is this fucking special. I could not understand what was so brilliant about her character that separated her from everyone in the world, that stuck her on a pedestal and made everything about the bombing at Disney World better for some of those affected by it. Also, she spent the first 250 pages HIDING from life because she needed time to accept this. Like I get why; obviously everything about how she was born is enough to make any person run away for a bit. But the book was more about Iris and her new “responsibility” and her figuring out who she is than it’s about the people who were destroyed by the bombing. Like I was kind of expecting more from this in that regard because Kirkus said something about the “the chilling plausibility of the actions and reactions of an America dealing with the murders of thousands of children,” but I didn’t see that? There was hardly any focus on anything other than Iris' past and secret. I did love the messages of forgiveness and hope, of overcoming grief and pain. And I do believe that some people have this innate charisma and compassion that can turn others’ days around. But like I said, I didn’t believe that Iris was special enough to cause all of this happiness. The book also didn’t pack a super emotional punch for me, but that’s probably because I didn’t feel much for Iris, even though she wasn’t a terrible character. Transcendent definitely had some good points to it, but the overall storyline just did not work for me. I couldn't really suspend my disbelief to appreciate it.

Rating: 2.5 Paw Prints!

[adaynasmile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a preview of this book through firsttoread.com.

Transcendent explores the life of a teenage girl who is caught between the desire to be normal and the desire to help the world around her.

Iris lives in a world in which Disneyworld has been bombed. Hope is in short supply as families were torn apart and children are hospitalized with serious injuries from the explosion.

One day a strange man shows up at Iris' house and turns her world upside down. Iris learns the truth of her birth and is faced with a decision to make on how to handle the truth.

While I enjoyed the writing and the characters, I was a bit underwhelmed with the story itself. I felt as though it could have been a story of more magic and a little more explaination for why Iris was the special child that she was.

The brief love story is nice but it felt uncomplete. It just felt like it needed more. In 440 pages, I expected the story to be a bit more exciting and eventful. Some of the charactets never got developed and I was sad not to learn more about certain characters.

I look forward to what the author may come up with in the future as her writing has promise. A more developed story, however, would be ideal.

[Maddie Tiare · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Immaculate was one of my favorite books of 2015. As soon as I finished it, I wanted more from Katelyn Detweiler. So, naturally, when Transcendent was announced, I was beyond excited.

Unfortunately, not every one of any author's books can be every reader's favorite.

Transcendent didn't live up to my expectations. They were quite high, I admit, so I suppose it may have been impossible for Transcendent to meet them. But still, I feel compelled to say how and why I feel like the book let me down, so that other potential readers know what to expect when going from Immaculate to Transcendent (and, really, even though they aren't technically a series, you should read Immaculate before you read Transcendent. Trust me on this.).

First of all, I didn't like the main character as much. Immaculate follows a girl named Mina Dietrich who becomes pregnant, despite being a virgin; Transcendent follows her daughter, Iris, who finds out about her strange beginning and feels compelled to fulfill the destiny set for her by all the people who see her as a miracle.

Iris got on my nerves. First of all, she's seventeen years old and she's running around talking about how she's old enough to know what's best for herself. Newsflash, Iris, you're a minor, and (as much as no teenager would accept the label) a child. Second of all, she spends a good portion of the book angry with her parents for 'betraying' her by not telling her the truth about her conception. Ignoring, for a start, that there's really no way for her parents to have explained her conception to her when she was younger (and would she really have wanted them to?), I'd like to point out that the whole "How dare you not tell me the truth about myself!" trope is completely ridiculous. How were her parents supposed to tell her the truth any sooner? Slight rant ahead, be warned. Small children are untrustworthy. You have no idea who they're going to tell what, you can't give them access to information that they might go spreading around because they don't understand that it's important to keep to themselves. And if you were to ask them to keep it a secret? Who knows what kind of weird, twisted lesson they would learn from that. How can you teach a child that it's good to be honest while also telling them to keep a massive secret?

I also had a harder time getting a grasp on the supporting cast than with Immaculate. I didn't feel like I knew Iris' friends as well as I knew Mina's friends. And, even though Iris' parents were the main characters of Immaculate, I didn't feel like I knew them as well as I knew Mina's parents.

Although, to be fair, I thought that Zane and Zoey were very well developed, and I think they were my favorite characters in this book.

I think part of the problem was that Immaculate was a much more personal story, and its focus was much more tangible. Mina was dealing with something that impacted her and her immediate family, so there was time and space for each character's reaction to be fleshed out; Iris was dealing with something broader and more removed from herself. It was harder for her to have a deep, emotional connection with thousands of victims than it was for Mina to have a deep, emotional connection with the journey she was on, therefore it was more difficult for me to have an emotional connection with Iris' journey than with Mina's. Also, Mina was dealing with something concrete; Iris was dealing with something sort of nebulous and not quite real. There was a lot more internal monologue, a lot more of Iris thinking through the problem, and, while her observations were often quite insightful, they weren't enough to carry the book.

Like I said before, the parts with Zane and Zoey were the best parts. When Iris was at the shelter with them, when she was at their uncle's house with them, I felt like something was really happening then. Iris was learning something, experiencing something new.

I wish I could say I liked Transcendent more. I really really wish that I could, because it was one of my most anticipated books of this year. That being said, I am looking forward to whatever Katelyn Detweiler writes next. Like I said at the beginning of the review; not every one of any author's books can be every reader's favorite. But just because I didn't love one, that doesn't mean I can't love all the rest.

[Mathieu Mazza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ma chronique 4/5 : http://enjoybooksaddict.blogspot.fr/2...

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical but terrifyingly real "Transcendent" which I won through Goodreads Giveaways opens with the bombing of Disney World that killed thousands and left survivors wounded in body and spirit. Seventeen year old Iris Spero like the nation is horrified by the tragedy until a stranger shows up on her doorstep pleading for her mother's miracle child to cure his dying daughter. In a momentous twist of fate Iris's quiet, comfortable life is turned upside down when she learns the truth about her birth and how "special" she's believed to be.

Frightened by the revelation Iris flees her home taking shelter with Zane Davis and his sister Zoey in a homeless shelter where she tries to sort out her feelings. Inwardly she knows she's not the miracle worker grieving parents across the nation want her to be, but she can't remain hidden and safe either. Returning to her home that's surrounded by the press and parents searching for hope, Iris with the help of her family, friends, Zane and Zoey begins to reach out to the children hurt in the attack, bringing a lightness of spirit and music to heal their pain.

In a beautifully-written magical story that's terrifying in its realism, Iris not only uses her renown to touch the lives of the children hurt by radical Americans lashing out at what they considered the privileged but also brings hope and love to a troubled boy and his sister who were abandoned and left homeless. Cleverly Katelyn fuels the plot with intensity and suspense not only when Iris meets a woman with green eyes linked to her mother's past, but she's stalked by a man from Green Hill whose desperation and anger overrules his common sense after the death of his child.

Using the "Virgin birth" as the basis for her story, Katelyn deviates from Christian theology by creating a story where the heroine's power lies in her musical talent and persuasive ability to heal the children's inner rather than physical pain. Even the romance between Zane and Iris grows naturally as she reaches out to an unloved, homeless boy rumored to be a killer and a juvie, holding fast to her belief in his underlying goodness. Set against a tragic background the story vibrates with strong elements of love, friendship and forgiveness.

Talented Iris Spero confused by the truth of her past and the lies her family told to protect her flees her home, hoping to make some sense of all she's learned before the press can catch up to her. She's kind, compassionate and talented with the violin. Tall, commanding Zane Davis marked by inner as well as an outer scar is rough and angry; struggling to provide for the only person he loves until he meets Iris away from the rumours that malign his name. Zoey Davis is little, fragile and scared, but wise for a child of her age much like ten year old Caleb Spero who's also clever and caring. All these characters and a score of others infuse the plot with emotional depth, drama and realism.

I loved " Transcendent with its innovative plot and unforgettable characters and couldn't put it down until the end. I look forward to reading "Immaculate" .

[Kelly Gunderman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out this and other reviews on my young adult book blog, Here's to Happy Endings!

I was incredibly excited for this book, despite not having read Immaculate before wanting to read this one. However, I did pick up Immaculate and read it before I read this one, because I was looking forward to reading the first book that Katelyn Detweiler wrote. While I though Immaculate was a good read, I also really liked this book, and I believe that the writing in Transcendent was a lot better than in Immaculate. To be completely honest, you can read this book without first having to have read Immaculate, but reading the first book fills in a lot of background information, so I'm glad I picked that one up first.

Transcendent is about a seventeen year old girl named Iris. If you read the first book already, this will all make sense to you, but if not, that's okay, too - you can pick it up as you go.

Iris thinks that she knows about her world - her family, her friends - everything is right. However, when a horrible tragedy strikes at Disney World, Iris is devastated like everyone else she knows. How could this happen? What will it mean for the people of the world and their faith in humanity and each other? But then another weird thing happens: a stranger shows up on her doorstep and tries to explain things to her - things that make her question her identity, her family, and why this person might believe that Iris could possibly be the saving grace that the world needs right now. After all, she's just Iris, and she's never met this person before. She doesn't know what to think.

As time goes on and things get even weirder, Iris is left trying to figure out the truth while the press both tears her apart and boosts her up - claiming that she is the new "savior" of their world. When she isn't sure she can handle anymore and is on the verge of finding out who she really is, she only has one person she can trust: a homeless boy named Zane, who doesn't view the world with much optimism at all.

I loved Iris and Zane...they were both trying to figure out who they are and looking for the last remaining sliver of love in a world that seems so bent on hatred. The two of them seemed to work so well together, and they really made a good team. Zane was there for Iris when she wasn't sure she could trust anyone else, and Iris offered Zane a friend when he felt like there were no more positive things left in the world. It was a beautiful friendship between them.

This book was even more powerful than the previous book by Katelyn Detweiler, and that's saying a lot. It was nice to get to meet Iris, and see how her life had turned out, especially after enjoying Immaculate so much. This book explores the possibility of one girl being the savior of a world that is so devoid of hope and love. It was beautiful and inspiring.

Note:I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Sara (A Gingerly Review) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advance copy through Penquin's First to Read. I'll have my review shortly.

Full review here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...

I received a copy of this eARc through Penquin’s First to Read program. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to read and review. This will be a short review as I did not enjoy this story as much as I wanted to.

This is the story of Iris, a teenager who discovers that she may be the one divinely chosen to save the world. All of this comes to light after major events start to happen all around Iris, such as major land marks being blown up by terrorists. When she is approached on the streets of Brooklyn and told she is the one who can save the world, everything changes. The press catches wind of this and starts to air stories of Iris and her “special” status across the planet. Soon, strangers are pinning their hopes on this seventeen year old girl, including Zane, another teenager who has lost his way and lost his hope. Can Iris be the savior the world needs her to be?

When I started this book I thought it would be more adventureous and suspensful but it wasn’t. This felt more like a story about relationships and self-discovery. You could certainly pick up the YA aspects of this story – such as Iris deailng with very teenage things – but it felt like the overall topic of religion/God/Jesus/faith was too heavy, too serious. The topic of religion usually makes people squirm. It is a very personal thing. There were times it felt like the author was trying to shove religion down my throat and make me believe in a higher power. I don’t know about you but I don’t like that. I don’t like a preachy book and this book felt that way. I believe this story will hit a home run with some readers but certainly not all YA readers.

The characters themselves were a bit on the bland side. I did not connect with any of them, nor did I find myself cheering them on. They felt like your average characters. I know that is incredibly vague but that is how they came across to me – nothing truly memorable and nothing that made them stand out in my mind.

Overall, this book was just ho-hum. It wasn’t anything that blew my hair back and it certainly did not make me want to scream this author’s name from the roof tops. Instead, it made me uncomfortable with all of the religious talk (only because I believe that is a personal choice and nobody should try to sway me to one side or the other). I finished this book pretty quickly only because I started skimming the pages. Just nothing stood out to me. I cannot recommend this to anyone as I did not enjoy it enough to push it on others.

[S.E. Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the rare books that starts strong but just fizzles as things go along.

After an awful terrorist attack that shakes the world, people are looking for a miracle. Iris never lost anyone that day, and feels survivor's guilt like many of the rest of New York city. But when a man who used to know her mom shows up at her house one day, claiming that Iris can heal his daughter - and if she doesn't, he'll tell everyone she's he second coming of Jesus - Iris's life is thrown upside down.

I so wanted to like this book. And I did, at first! Iris seemed like a great character, relatable, empathic to the point of being naive, kind and smart. But oddly enough, the book becomes quite - I hate to say this - DULL after she learns the family's secret. You see, she was born of a virgin. I only just learned that this book is the somewhat sequel to "Immaculate", this author's debut novel, about Iris's mother. The good news is that you don't need the first book to follow this one; but from what I'm seeing, the first one might have been more interesting.

Anyways. Once Iris learns this secret, we spend another hundred pages or more of her debating whether or not to tell people, then telling specific people, and then dealing with their reactions. over. And over. Again. Every time she tells the story it's the same, there's not added information, and it's so repetitive.

The other main problem I had with this book was that it was impossible for me to suspend my disbelief. I have no idea why the people of New York are so quick to accept Iris. None at all. Her mother claims to have been a virgin when she was pregnant, and not only are people ready to believe it, it makes national news when she resurfaces. People are looking everywhere for Iris, and then they're mad when she doesn't have mystical powers. I mean - what do you expect? While the author spends an eternity telling us that Iris believes her mother's story, the only explanation we get for the city wide manhunt for Iris is that people just WANT to believe.

Another thing that just didn't work for me was the relationship. The romance between Zane and Iris seems sudden and forced: it just sort of happens. It's weird. And I didn't really see the point.

I was going to put down this novel at the halfway mark or so, but I kept reading because I was curious to see if it would pick up again. Unfortunately, it didn't grab my attention. I didn't care, and the power of music seemed to be an easy way out for the plot.

All in all, not my thing.

[Jeninne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a big book. It's bulky, it's long, and in YA terms, it's longer than typical. I say this so it's absolutely clear how blown my mind is that literally nothing happened in this book.

Literally. Nothing.

The author makes a case that this is a book about some girl who finds out she's the second coming via her mother's virginal pregnancy, and she's meant to ... well, I mean, that's never really clear. Heal people? Unite people? Beg people to stop blowing up Disneyworld?

What this book is, is just talking. These characters stand around and argue about whether or not to do things, but they never actually do do those things. They never do anything. There's seriously no plot in this book. There's no narrative. There's no beginning, middle, or end. There's no villain or adversary. There's no event to overcome, mission to carry out, or diving force of any sort. There's nothing. There's characters, boring fucking characters at that, standing around, talking to each other, arguing about stuff, and ATTEMPTING to debate religiously or philosophically the events that are unfolding in the book.

There's some religious pandering in this book, but absolutely nothing philosophical, and that's a huge missed opportunity.

But mostly I'm just blown away how nothing happens in this book. There's not a single significant event of any sort that actually happens during the book. There's no plot, there's no character growth, there's no pacing because nothing is happening, and seriously, what the fuck is this book? I feel like I can't even properly explain what this thing was to read. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for something to happen--anything, but nope. Nothing. Just more characters. Standing around. Talking to each other. Doing nothing.

Nothing.

[Jerricka Habib · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This isn't what I expected it to be but I liked it. Sometimes you get tired of dystopian settings with the one true savior to put everything right. I'm happy this book was more realistic. I do think it was a tad bit long.

[Maryanne]

Got this book free from FirstToRead.com

I got about 25% through this book and still felt like I didn't understand why the book was happening. The characters were dull and I just didn't care about them so I gave up.

[Laureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite some serious religious overtones, I enjoyed this book. I started it at lunchtime, then finished it off after I got home. It was a definite page turner.

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

What do you get when you mash every single young adult book cliche into one? Transcendent.

From a pointless love story to a “second-coming of God” in the main character, this book couldn’t be more wishy-washy. The premise of the book is a good one—Disney World has been bombed and people are terrified in light of the fact that there’s been another version of 9/11. However, the characters and execution is horrible. The writing has no substance and the characters are one dimensional—Iris as the stereotypical teen girl hero and Zane as the hard-shelled guy that’s had a troubled past. Iris is supposed to be the one everyone looks to in order to save their injured children, as she’s the daughter of Virgin Mina—a woman who was torn apart for being a pregnant virgin, and then claimed to have a miscarriage, fleeing to New York, where they are now. The resolution of the conflict is pathetic—an unrealistic plan to make *almost* everyone happy with a side of a pointless love story in the making.

[Lucie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Après un premier tome surprenant et addictif, j’étais très curieuse de découvrir ce que ce second opus allait nous réserver. Il est vrai que j’étais un peu sceptique concernant l’aspect miraculeux de l’histoire, sans pour autant être totalement fermée aux rebondissements. Dans ce second opus, les croyances sont présentes d’une manière un peu différente et même si l’aspect « Immaculée » était en soi extraordinaire, ce tome va aborder le sujet d’un angle différent et d’une manière convaincante pour ceux qui auraient pu être perturbés.

Dans cette suite, l’auteur a choisi de s’intéresser à Iris l’enfant miracle de Mina. Dix-sept ans ont passé et Mina se fait désormais appeler Noel Spero, son mari Jesse est à ses côtés et ensemble, ils élèvent leurs deux adorables enfants Iris et Caleb. Un terrible attentat à Disney World va venir remettre en cause toute leur certitude et même s’ils ne sont pas directement touchés par l’attentat, le sentiment d’incompréhension est bien présent. Bien que préoccupée par des problèmes d’adolescentes, Iris a toujours été spéciale, mais le secret de sa conception ne lui a jamais été révélé. Lorsqu’un homme sonne à leur porte après avoir recherché Mina, toutes ce qu’Iris croyait savoir de sa vie, va prendre un tournant beaucoup plus incertain. Face aux mensonges de ses parents et à l’étau qui se ressert, la jeune fille va prendre une décision radicale, qui va changer sa vie et la conduire à vivre une expérience qui va changer sa vie.

Dans le contexte actuel, ce roman est une lecture assez particulière. Malheureusement les attentats sont bien trop présents dans nos médias, alors lorsque j’ai commencé ma lecture, j’ai été un peu déstabilisé. Il y a comme un goût de déjà vu et en même temps, c’est terrible d’imaginer qu’une explosion puisse avoir lieu dans un endroit aussi féerique que Disney World. La première partie m’a amené à me poser de nouveaux toutes ces questions qui nous viennent à l’esprit lorsqu’un acte d’une telle barbarie se produit. A l’image d’Iris, j’avais du mal à concevoir qu’un tel acte puisse exister à notre époque. Malgré son jeune âge, la jeune fille fait une analyse très réaliste de la situation et sa douleur est très perceptible. Les révélations concernant sa conception, vont venir ajouter du trouble à son état d’esprit déjà précaire.

Au départ, je ne trouvais pas que ce tome était indispensable et puis à force de découvrir Iris, j’ai appris à connaître une jeune fille réfléchie, avec un sens du devoir assez impressionnant. Lorsque la situation va se compliquer, elle va prendre le temps d’étudier la situation et contrairement à sa mère, elle ne va pas vouloir fuir. C’est probablement ce qui rend son personnage si touchant et aussi cette aura qu’elle renvoie, comme si elle envoûtait ses interlocuteurs et on ne souhaite qu’une chose, la protéger. Ce qui est intéressant avec ce roman, c’est qu’il conserve un côté mystérieux, tout en étant ancré dans une intrigue qui n’a rien de miraculeux. On est d’avantage dans la perception du miracle et les actions associés ont pour vocation de redonner de l’espoir. Iris est née d’un miracle et elle va mettre à profit les attentes du public.

Katelyn Detweiler est très douée, malgré les doutes elle réussit à provoquer des émotions puissantes. J’ai tendance à chercher l’explication logique lorsqu’un acte mystérieux ou inexplicable se présente, pourtant j’ai été prise dans ma lecture et l’espoir est inexplicable. Aujourd’hui, avec les attentats bien présents dans notre quotidien, j’ai eu envie de croire qu’un peu d’espoir ne pouvait pas faire de mal. Les réactions de Mina et Iris sont différentes, elles ne vont pas gérer la situation de la même manière, mais pourtant le chemin qu’Iris emprunte à comme un goût de déjà vu avec Mina lorsqu’elle était adolescente, certes ses décisions sont différentes, mais leurs choix sont tout aussi difficiles, mais toutes les deux sont extrêmement touchantes. Un diptyque que je vous recommande de lire, le message est fort et rempli d’espoir.

Ma chronique : my link text

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Detweiler's first book amazed me in ways I still can't explain. Her debut book, "Immaculate" was beautiful & that's putting it in simple terms. So when I heard that she was publishing a second book I was more than excited to read it, but I quickly found out that it didn't live up to my imagination.

I honestly can't pin point exactly why I didn't love this book, but I have at least narrowed it down to a few points:

***SPOILERS AHEAD***
1. The relationship between Zane and Iris was forced. I didn't like it. They never talked about their feelings for one another until the last few sentences of the book which was irritating because if you set up a romance you need to follow through.

2. Zoey's age seemed to bounce around. What I mean by this is that she was described as being a young girl (I pictured 9-11ish at first), but then the way she talked seemed to be much to harsh for a kid of that age. Also she was described as having tattoos and all throughout the book I could never picture her with neck tattoos because if I did she would have been 16-18 y/o.

3. I truly hated the way Iris handled her situation. Instead of staying at home where it was safe and where she could have talked to her parents about her problems she decided to run away for days on end without even contacting her parents to let them know she was ok. Very immature for someone who was supposed to be special.

4. I know many people are praising Detweiler for leaving the book open ended in regard to reason/ religion, but I didn't like this. I liked it in "Immaculate". I liked how Mina didn't choose one religion to focus in on, but in this book the story focuses on Iris who was the immaculate baby. The baby with no father on earth, yet no explanation was ever given about this. I wanted to know why Mina was chosen and what Iris' purpose was. I wanted it to be less open ended. This didn't necessarily have to involve a religious answer but some type of answer would have been nice.

5. This sort of ties in with point 4, but I didn't think there was anything unique or special about Iris. I mean, aside from all her friends and relatives telling her she was different or "special" there was no reason to even believe she was. I'm not saying this to sound rude, but we are led to believe that she was born of the virgin Mina and that the original Iris (possibly an angel) looked over her and told Mina that her child was meant for greatness but that greatness is never shown. She seems to just be a regular person who volunteers for the Disney Children foundation and helps brighten spirits of some sick and sad little kids. Though this is nice, there is nothing that makes her different from another volunteer who was born to someone else who wasn't a virgin. I was really hoping that Iris would have been able to do more for the children, because the way the book described her it left you wondering why her mom had been put through so much if Iris couldn't even do anything more than a normal person could.

All in all I recommend reading "Immaculate" and stopping there. This book was fine but it was quite slow. It was full of self discovery and shaky feelings which is not what I had been led to believe at the ending of "Immaculate" when Mina finally gave birth to this special child. I still love "Immaculate" though. I highly recommend that book.

[Marcilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 3.5 Stars...

Transcendent is a story about belief. Iris is the 17yr old daughter of Mina (who immaculately conceives Iris, but no one believes Mina’s story). The premise of the story takes place a month after a bombing occurs at Disney World. Like everyone else around her, Iris is trying to sort out her feelings regarding these traumatic events. One day a stranger comes to her door and pleads for her mother’s “miracle” child to cure his dying daughter. Now all of a sudden Iris’s “normal” life is turned upside down as she learns the truth about herself.
To some, the “virgin birth” of Iris might conjure up the idea that this is a religious book. But that is not the case with this story. Transcendent isn’t set around one specific religion. Instead, it is about the idea and concept of belief. What it means to believe and how believing in something or someone can inspire hope in darker times. Which is why after the tragic events that occur in this book, people are so willing to believe that Iris is a “miracle”. They need something or someone to give them hope and they see Iris as that hope.
With the expectations of the world on her shoulder, it is no wonder that Iris flees her home once she discovers the truth from her parents. Frightened and looking for a way to cope with these sudden revelations she ends up at a homeless shelter. While she processes her feelings, Iris befriends siblings Zane and Zoey. Iris knows she is no “savior” or healer, but together with the help of her family and her new friends she finds the courage to use her musical talent and persuasive ability to heal people’s internal suffering rather than their external pain.
Transcendent is well written though it did lag a bit in a few places. The author did a great job creating a realistic and plausible story. However, the ending felt rushed. I think Transcendent is more of a general YA fiction instead of magical realism. Though there are some hints to magical realism, they did not feel strong enough (for me at least).
I did like Iris and I felt protective of her. She wasn’t perfect which made her a relatable heroine. After all, which of us at age 17 would be willing to self-sacrifice for the good of the world? To take on the challenges of making everything better for millions of people? Who just like Iris would not feel overwhelmed and lost? The friendship sparked between Iris with Zane and Zoey made good additions to the story. It helped us see Iris reach out and touch the lives of other children her own age, and brought emotional depth to the characters.
While it is not the story I was expecting, Transcendent did surprise me. The author did a fantastic job keeping her story from becoming overly preachy. Transcendent is about finding the strength to believe in yourself. It teaches us to find our own happiness and to help others who are struggling find it too. It is also about how we should focus on love and acceptance over resentment and hate. Overall, Transcendent is about finding the everyday miracles in each other and in every moment of our lives.
I would like to thank Viking books for Young Readers and Leah at PressshopPR for providing me with a finished copy of Transcendent in return for an honest review.

[LeslecturesdeMylene · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.leslecturesdemylene.com/20...

17/20 - J'ai adoré les sentiments que l'on ressent à la lecture de ce roman et les jolis messages qu'il fait passer !

[grieshaber.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5. I didn’t read the description of this book before I started reading it so I had no idea what it was about. At first, I was hopeful. SUCH a gripping opening: the Magic Kingdom was bombed by terrorists on a high-capacity crowd day. Over ten thousand were killed, most of whom were children. The world is now a very different place. I imagined it like the United States after 9/11 except on a much, much grander and more horrible scale. Talented, intelligent, friend of all (including the homeless), beloved daughter of highly successful parents, Iris, is trying to find her place in this broken world. A couple of chapters in, the book takes a drastic turn. A man shows up at Iris’ family’s NY brownstone demanding to speak with Mina Spero. Iris’ mom’s name is Noel, not Mina. He is insistent that the girl he went to high school with, Mina, lives in this home and he will speak with her. When Iris confronts her mother, it isn’t long before the truth is forced to be revealed. Noel’s real name is Mina. She was forced to change her name and go into hiding after the news got out about her virgin pregnancy. Yep. Mina was visited by an “angel” (that term is never used in the book) and her baby’s birth was foretold. Mass hysteria ensued with everyone wanting a piece of Mina and her future baby. When Mina was trampled one day, she and her parents decided they would tell everyone that she lost the baby, then she (along with her boyfriend) would change their names and go into hiding. Mina’s boyfriend became her husband and Iris’ dad. Yes, Iris is apparently the Messiah. Or something. If word gets out that Iris lived, her life will be in danger because of all the people wanting healing from the Disney attacks. That ends up happening and Iris is forced to make a decision as to what to do. Should she run like her mother or deal with what fate has given her. With the help of her friends (including two new, homeless friends that play a key role in her decision), she figures it out. Aside from the unbelievable circumstance (which I’m totally fine with), the way the plot played out was not believable and the instalove between Iris and Zane (one of the homeless friends) was eye rolling. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think teens who liked I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan might like this one. The themes of hope, desperation, and belief (all kinds of beliefs) are strong, making this book an interesting option for lit circles or book clubs (the writing is on the simple side, though).

[Flavie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book via Goodreads's Giveaways.

http://theboxandthebooks.blogspot.ca/

This book is the sequel of the last book I read, Immaculate, by Katelyn Detweiler. In this second book, the main character is the daughter of Mina, the girl we followed in the first one. In this novel, the story is about Iris, a seventeen year old girl born from an immaculate conception.
She was living a normal life until the day her mother tells her the secret about her birth, after a tragedy occurred at Disney World. Terrorists bombed the famous amusement park, killing a lot of children.

After this big news, she doesn't know if she can trust her parents anymore. Is her dad really her dad? And there's this man, Kyle Bennet, who's harassing them. Wanting Iris to come to the hospital to see his dying daughter, believing that she's a miracle who can save his child. After several ''no'' from Iris and her family, Kyle decide to call the media to tell them that he found Mina and her now grown baby.
The night the media came to her house, Iris was out and when she arrived home and saw all of their cars, she decided to go to a shelter with her new friend Mikki, an homeless lady. After two days at the shelter, Iris decided to follow Zayne, a homeless guy from school, and Zoey, his little sister. They decide to go to a relative of those two to stay there a couple days, hoping the media would go tired of Iris's story.
After a couple of days, Zoey learns who Iris really is and she insists that she go meet an old friend who was at Disney during the explosions and is now blind. Iris accepts, not knowing what to do. The morning after her visit, Zoey tells Iris that her visit worked, Abby is now out of bed and ready to learn how to live without her sight. After this visit, Iris decided to go back home and to go visit the victim of the terrorist attack. How the people will react? Will this work? Does she really have a power?

It took me time to enjoy the story, but when I arrived at chapter nine, I couldn't stop reading.
A lot happens and I was hoping for a romance between Zayne and Iris, I was a little bit disapointed but happy at the same time because a little something happen between those two, but not enough for the fangirl in me. If you enjoyed Immaculate, it's a must read.