Becoming Calder is the story of good versus evil, fear versus bravery, and the truth that 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.

I know anything by Mia Sheridan is going to pull me in, keep me enthralled, and make me feel. I went into Becoming Calder blind and did not even re-read the blurb, I just got ready for the journey. And oh what a journey it was...She hits us right away with a prologue full of desperation then leads us back to where the story began.

This story is completely unique and unlike anything I have read before. The whole set of circumstances of how these people live, relate, work and worship is different. It is a place that appears frozen in the past with no modern conveniences and their own shared values and expectations. Their leader, Hector Bias, takes the education, beliefs, and values of his followers seriously, and expects obedience in exchange for a sense of peace and the promise of a positive shared future

We hadn't chosen this life. It had chosen us.

My heart still hurts. I felt every emotion in this story so strongly from both of their points of view. My mind is spinning. I am thinking back to the prologue and how it fits with the ending. I am looking forward to what comes next. This one is leaving me with a book hangover for sure. And I can guarantee that Finding Eden will put me thorough the wringer all the same, but I can't wait to get there and experience it all good, bad and in between.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review. 

I don’t even know what to say. Part of me wishes I could have written this review before I finished the book because putting coherent sentences together right now is a challenge! Without too many spoilers, I fear writing a review will be nothing but a serious of oh my goshes. And while that pretty accurately describes my feelings right this second, it doesn’t give much clue about whether another reader will love or hate this book. 

Calder Raynes grew up in Acadia, a community with no running water and no electricity. He has never been to the outside world, nor has he had any desire to do so. He has everything he needs, his family, and hope for the future that has been foretold. He is the water-bearer, making sure the crops are watered and the people have drinking water.

Eden came to Acadia as a child. She is kept secluded from the rest of the community, apart from the workers and all the other children. She is sweet in her innocence, strong in her convictions, and stealthy in her challenges. She was so easy to love from the very beginning.

Neither character chose the life they were leading, but the situation they find themselves in is in no way easy. This book challenged me in so many ways. With religion at the center of so much of their story, I was by turns frustrated and sympathetic with the situation. With choices removed because of their age and station within the community, I often felt equal parts horror and awe at how they handled themselves. 

Oh my Gosh. Hector Bias, the leader of Acadia was creepy in his charisma early on. It made me reconsider the quick judgement when religious cults hit the news. He has a power that causes people to believe him, follow him, and blindly accept his edicts as gospel. Even as he made me cringe with what he taught and how he interacted with Calder and Eden, his leadership of his people showed their faith in his teachings.

I spent as much of this book anticipating Calder and Eden’s plans coming to fruition as I did worrying that it would never work. There were as many sweet moments as there were heartbreaking ones. And after the prologue, I spent the remainder of the book both wondering how Eden ended up where she did and in horror of finding out how she ended up in that situation. 

As with previous books in this series, Becoming Calder is a standalone. There is no overlap between any of these characters. But what does carry over from each book is a set of strong characters. Each new set of characters faces completely different challenges in a way that The Signs of Love series always feels fresh and it addresses situations that constantly challenge its readers. 

This is one book where I am so glad the author has decided to publish both portions of the complete story at the same time, and I will be ready to read Finding Eden as soon as I can possibly get my hands on a copy. I must know how this story ends.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Leo's Chance (male POV of Leo):
Goodreads/Amazon/B&N

Kim's 5 star review