REVIEW: Becoming Calder by Mia Sheridan

Becoming Calder by Mia Sheridan: It is easy not to question things when all you know is the simple ways of life in Acadia, a small community set in the modern world but following olden world norms. This has been home to Calder for all his life, his sole job is to serve his family with faith and honour, but the boy with the body of a God and the heart of a warrior can’t help but want more, especially when Eden comes into his life. The last person that Calder should even think about let alone fall in love with is Eden, their prophesied saviour, the one to lead the community into the eternal peace, beside she is betrothed to someone else…but the heart hears no limits and knows no bounds even if it means they have to go against everything that they have ever known.

I have seen so many people raving about this book, so naturally I too was eager to get in on the craze that was Becoming Calder… however I don’t really see what the big hype was all about. Yes, this was a good, emotional, thought provoking read but I really do not think it was as good as Archer’s Voice. Now I know this is not a popular opinion and I am by no means saying that it was not a good read, I think I just did not get totally wowed by it. In part I think the entire setting and ideas of Acadia that kind of put me off but again this was only a small part, for the most part I enjoyed the forbidden romance between Eden and Calder.

“I’ve wanted you for so long. So long. Every waking minute, in my dreams, too. I want to bury myself in you, drown in you, and never come up for air. I want you to be mine, and only mine…”

Both main characters were great. Even thought they both came from two very different social standing in the community, this didn’t influence them to look at each other differently. I loved that they were both such strong characters and that they both knew that in oder to finally have something of their own it would mean having to sacrifice a lot. It was hard to find fault with either of these two characters.

“My heart is yours. My life is yours. My body is yours…You own each and every part of me.”

I really enjoyed the connection that formed between Calder and Eden, even thought they could not really be together, their stolen moments where just golden. Their connection was something so electric in a place that lacked any real feeling. I loved getting to see their relationship grow from children to teens and getting to see them push the limits to how far they can take their relationship. The forbidden element was super pronounced in this book but I think that just added to the beauty of their story. They both knew nothing could happen of their feelings but this did not stop them from wanting more.

Becoming Calder was an enjoyable read that will pull at your heart strings but also make you love love all that much more. If you are looking for a forbidden romance then this is definitely the book for you. I can not wait to find out how Eden and Calder’s story concludes in Finding Eden.

Book Info:

Publication: October 5, 2014 | Bloom Books |

The first book in the Acadia Duology, a forbidden friends-to-lovers romance, from the New York Times bestselling author of Archer’s Voice . The light of love has always found its way into even the darkest of places, from the beginning of time to the end of the world. There is a place in today’s America with no electricity, no plumbing, and no modern conveniences. In this place, there is no room for dreams, no space for self-expression, and no tolerance for ambition. In the community of Acadia lives a boy named Calder with the body of a god and the heart of a warrior. He serves his family with faith and honor, but he dares to dream of more…especially when an angel-faced girl his age is brought to their community. To Acadia, Eden is obedient perfection, prophesized to lead them to eternal peace, but to Calder, even at first glance, she is so much more. Calder and Eden were never meant to be friends. Certainly never meant to fall in love. After all, Eden is betrothed to Acadia’s leader, secluded until the day of her destiny. But as she and Calder steal fleeting moments and forbidden kisses, their hearts grow dangerously tangled, and it’s too late to heed the warnings. In Acadia, they can never be together. But Acadia is all they know. If they want any chance at a future, they must risk everything to choose between the life they were taught to live and the dream their hearts want to follow.