You know that feeling, when you are reading/watching/listening to something and the emotions are welling up inside you, just pushing and growing in every passing moment? They're growing so much that you pull your knees up and hug them because you have to do something to hold yourself together before it bursts out of you. Your hands are up over your mouth in case you let out some unseemly sound and alert other people in the room to your presence but at the same time, it is meant to hide the maniacal grin on your face because teeth lit up in a smile in the dark is an unsettling sight. You're ready to hide sniffles in your knees if it comes to it and to wipe tears from the corners of your eyes because *ahem* it's just an eyelash, leave me alone. And when it comes down to it, you lift your arms and CHEER quietly because that is all you can do when that everything becomes too much.
THAT is the overall feeling I had to wrestle with as I made my way through the journey of this book. By the time I got to the last portion of it, I had two reigning thoughts in my head. One: there are more books to come, right? I know I've seen something about it, another two books? Someone confirm this for me as soon as humanly possible. And Two: I immediately pre-ordered both of Bovalino's upcoming releases, which includes this book and a YA release set for January 2026. I also ordered hardcovers of each of the books I do not currently have from Bovalino's backlist of titles. I want to read everything I can find, Bovalino has a reader/fan for life now. This book has cemented that for me.
The Second Death of Locke is about a world at war, where Mages wield magic and they have their Hands, people with a well of magic inside them that Mages tether to, working together as two pieces of a whole, side by side through thick and thin and everything in between. Grey Flynn is the dedicated Hand to her Mage, Kier, her childhood friend and her everything now as an adult. Together they have risen in the ranks of their nation's army, to the point that the pair are tasked with an impossible mission: protect a child that the army has taken from enemy forces and return that child to those who want them back. Grey and Flynn put together a small group of soldiers and set out to cross the country, hoping to complete their task and avoid all enemies along the way, all while trying to hide the truth: Grey is the lost heir of Locke, an island nation that was lost to the seas nearly two decades before. It was the source of all magic and it's loss was the catalyst that started the war in the first place. Magic has been fading since Locke was lost and Grey could possibly be able to bring magic back if she could figure out how to bring the Isle back. On the other hand, if Grey dies, all of the magic in the world dies with her.
I'd heard of this book in Bovalino's newsletter so I was already on the lookout for it to pre-order when I had the chance. When I saw it was available on Netgalley, I leapt at the chance to read it. Bovalino's writing style is engaging, showing readers everything they need with character interactions and settings, snark in the dialogue and such depth of emotions from Grey and her companions. I loved all of the characters before the book was over, even characters I didn't think I'd like when they were first introduced. Grey was a force, prickly and snarky and so devoted, my heart ached for her at each turn the story took. I loved her connection to Kier, and how entwined they were and yet so wholly independent of each other, they were pig-headed and brash and determined to save each other even if it meant sacrificing themselves and I cheered them on through every battle.
Each character is given their due, from Brit, Ola and Eron, the soldiers chosen to aid Grey and Kier on their assignment, to Sela, the child they are transporting, to even the leaders of the nations they are fighting for and against. Grey would die for her new friends and I echoed that sentiment. Each time Grey made a decision to keep her people safe, I wanted to take up a sword and fight with her. They are all so unique and pushy, and important to Grey and to us readers that I waited with bated breath as I read this story, hoping my favorites would make it through to the end.
Readers are given little asides at the end of each chapter, whether it be letters from characters that have passed before the events of this story, journal entries or even historical texts about the war and the history of the Isle of Locke. There is so much information that I can't even remember if I had any questions sitting in my head because everything readers need to know is given at the right time for the most emotional impact (I'm not kidding, my emotions feel like they've run a gauntlet, I might need time to recover by returning to page 1 and starting the whole journey over again).
The world is filled in enough to feel how it has changed since war has taken over and a map is provided at the start of the book (love me a map in my books, seriously, I sincerely love when a map is provided). Readers learn about who Grey and Kier fight for and who the enemies are and how each are with the others. We learn about how other nation's use their magic and how Mages have certain affinities that they use magic for on the battlefield. It's all so rich with detail, I wanted to stay in this world longer and I truly hope there are more books to come. I have to know if the characters I came to love in this story get everything they want in the future.
And that ending. Ugh, that ending was everything I could have wanted and yet so much more I never would have thought of and it can't end there, it just can't, there is so much more to come, I can feel it. It might hurt in the long run but I have to know how this will all come together by the last page of the last book. I will stand vigil and wait for the return of Grey and her family, new and old, and hope for the best for these characters.
Rating on my scale: 10 STARS. I loved this book. I want more from this world. I can't wait for it's release and for the sequels that just have to happen, they have to. Read this book so it can have sequels, please and thank you.
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