**REVIEW & GIVEAWAY** TRANSCEND by Christine Fonseca

 All seventeen-year-old composer Ien Montgomery desires is an escape from his family's rigid expectations for his life; someone to inspire his music. When he meets a beautiful violin-prodigy, Kiera McDougal, his life music takes on new life. With her, he imagines a future outside of his parents’ control. That is, until a horrible accident tears them apart. Sent to die in a sanatorium, Ien’s obsession for Kiera grows unbearable. Tortured by thoughts he can’t escape and the truth of his monstrous disfigurement, he flees, desperate to exact revenge on the people that ruined his life – his parents. But, vengeance is empty. Betrayed by those closest to him, Ien discovers that the price for his happiness may be his sanity.Set amidst the landscape of New York's Gilded Age, and inspired by Phantom of the Opera, TRANSCEND exposes the fine line between love and madness.

   Those of you that have followed me for awhile will know that I am a serious Christine Fonseca fan girl.  This started with Lacrimosa but has continued on with every other thing I have picked up of hers.  This book was no exception but I am at a loss for words with it.  Seeing I got so invested both mentally and emotionally I figured that pouring it into a review would be no problem.  Problem is everything just wont come out the way I want it to.  This beautiful and dark novel is escaping all proper description from me.

  Transcend begins with Ien and his desire to do not what his family expects but what he wants.  To have the woman he loves love him back and to make music.  However nothing in life is ever that simple is it?  A tragic accident changes everything for Ien and leaves him not who he was.  It leaves him with more damage than you can see.  I was glued to Ien and everythime something changed my mind raced with his.  My thoughts were continuous and my heart broke for him on several occasions for many different reasons.  Some times it was almost painful to read all of the sorrow that Ien dealt with.

  The depth in which Christine takes you into Ien's mind is astounding.  After the accident there is much of Ien that in't right.  His obsession becomes almost dangerous and he believes things that may or may not be there.  There is some minor looping but it is what creates and develops much of Ien.  It is after the accident when he is sent away because of his injuries and his families inability to want to care for him that you see many of the true colours  of the novel.  The beautiful, dark, mesmerizing and entrapping world that ensues Ien's accident is beyond anything that I could imagine.   

  Although there are many secondary characters you don't see them very much.  Yet some how they all are memorable in their own way.  Jenna, Kiera and James all only held a small portion of this book yet they captured much of it.  Even when they are not there Ien quite often recalls things that involve each of the characters and you really feel like you know them by the time you close the book. Jenna was by far my favourite of all of them.  She is the girl that you hope the guy ends up with.  Strange we always hope for the bad boy when it's a girl but when it comes down to guys we want them to end up with the sweet heart.

  The story itself is so unique.  There are many twists and surprises and no matter how much you think you have it figured out you really don't.  It really tosses you around and pulls you in many directions.  But you don't ever feel lost, it's more like it helps you become a part of the madness and take you deeper into Ien and his story.  

  Christine once again created something that will enchant you and you will savour long after you put the book down.  She never fails to astound me with her lyrical and remarkable writing style.  Still after finishing this novel I find myself being pulled back  and running through many of the events that led up to the end.  In the start I questioned my own thoughts and by the end I questioned if anything I thought and read was true.  Pick this one up if you want something that is emotionally vested and can take you into darkness while keeping you thinking.  

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