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Review

“I had dreams as well. In that moment, right there and then, I admitted to myself that I longed for more for my life and maybe those dreams were beautiful too. Brave. I had always pushed that desire away, ashamed of it, thinking it sinful, selfish.
But maybe, just maybe, my own dreams weren’t as sinful as I’d always thought them to be…somehow.”

5 huge stars

Holy hell! I have just finished this book and am absolutely reeling from it. I’m a mad fan of Mia Sheridan and went into this book completely blind, but with huge expectations based on all of the gushing reviews. I am thrilled to add my gushy review to all of the rest because this book is stunning! Absolutely stunning!

Mia is such a gifted storyteller, with her books always taking me on an emotional rollercoaster that I cannot get enough of, and she has done it again, giving us a unique story which is incredibly uplifting, heartbreakingly tragic and heartachingly beautiful!! The prologue of this book completely sucked me in, and within a few short pages, my heart was pounding, and I was captivated.

We meet Calder as a ten year old. He is a contented boy, living a simple life with his family away from all modern technology, as part of a religious sect. He works hard for his family and friends, living a pure life in the hopes of attaining eternal happiness in Elysium. Eden is introduced to his community as the future bride of their leader, the girl who will be the key to all of their salvation. And even as children, their first meeting on the playground is a significant moment for them both. And Even though Eden is whisked away to be cared for away from others, she and Calder remain in secret contact, so when they meet again, it is as friends with a special secret, and from there a beautiful relationship develops.

This is a slow building relationship with lots of meaningful glances, stolen moments, easy conversations, and a growing bond between them that slowly turns into an inevitable love that consumes them both.

“You’re mine, Eden. You always have been, from the very first second I saw you.”
I nodded. It seemed like the simplest truth the world had ever known.

This love story is beautiful! It’s powerful yet natural, and every little moment between them seems almost sacred. And even though Calder and Eden are a very innocent 18 and 17 when most of the story takes place, let me tell you, this is certainly not not a YA read. Not only is the subject matter is a serious one, but the romance is pretty hot – passionate, emotive and full of love, but still pretty steamy.

“I’m going to take it slow this time. We’re going to burn every stroke, every touch, and every kiss into our skin so when we’re back together, it will only then just be cooling. While we’re apart, we’ll still be keeping each other warm.”

The forbidden nature of their relationship adds to the intensity of it, and I was cheering for both of them as they carved out a place for themselves in the rigidity of their existence. Being betrothed to a religious nutjob, Eden is aware of the dangers that she is facing, but Calder’s inquisitive and questioning nature also lead him to believe that there is more to life than what he is living. And his love for Eden, and his need to protect her and be with her, gives him hope and drives him to fight for the life that they want and deserve together.

“I’m going to take you away from here, to a place where my bed is your bed, and my home is your home. And in that place, I’ll never be more than an arm’s reach from you.”

God, I love these characters! They are both sheltered and innocent in the general scheme of things, but the strength that they show, and their absolute dedication and commitment to each other is incredible. And through all that they go through, they never give up on each other, or their hope for more.

And all the while I was falling in love right alongside Calder and Eden as they dreamed and planned for a life together, I was also terrified by the risks that they were taking and the suffering they endured because of the way they felt for each other. And right in the middle of all of the swoon and beautiful romance, I remembered that ominous prequel and I honestly started to feel sick, knowing a little bit about what is to come. And Mia Sheridan builds it brilliantly!

The whole book builds upon itself, gaining in intensity right up to the epic climax which is crazy intense! I was surprised at the way it all played out (and I love that!), and it was so well done, all leading to heartpounding, jaw dropping, stunning events that had me on the edge of my chair and screaming with incredulity at all that was going down. And yeah, there’s a cliffy, and it’s HIDEOUS! Thank God the follow up book was released the same day as this one – yet another stroke of genius, thank you very much Ms Sheridan!

This is such a beautifully written story! I lapped up every word, and I felt everything right alongside Calder and Eden. I’m diving straight into book 2 now!

5 huge stars.

 

The Becoming Calder duet

 

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