I Should Read That

Book review¹

Love. Loyalty. Sacrifice.

Grey Flynn has dedicated her life to her mage, Kier.

She will be his blade on the battlefield, his healer and protector. The deep well of raw power inside her is Kier’s to use. Grey would do anything for Kier – be anything for him – if he would only ask.

When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into the dangerous heart of their nation’s war, Grey and Kier will need to decide what they are willing to sacrifice to protect their secret.

For Grey is no ordinary magical well, but heir to the lost island of Locke – the root of all power. If she dies, all magic dies with her.

2025 is the year of the lady knight, and I’m totally here for it. Bovalino’s upcoming release The Second Death of Locke is my first of 2025’s lady knight titles, and if they’re all this good then we are in for a fabulous reading year!

The plot of this book started a little slow for me, partially due to the complications of the world, however it has a fantastic payoff. I really loved the world building – it feels like it has been so long since I’ve read a fantasy book set in a truly gritty world. The reader is thrown in the deep end of warring nations and underhanded politics, and admittedly it took me awhile to get to grips with all the information. However, I ended up really loving the politics, diplomacy and intrigue. In many ways, it was giving me Skyrim vibes – one of my favourite games of all time. The magic system is also incredibly cool with the concept of wells and mages – mages cannot perform magic without a well and a well holds power but cannot use magic. It’s a symbiotic relationship that leads to a lit of interesting relationships and conflicts throughout the story. I especially loved the way she explored Grey and Kier’s relationship through their well/mage pairing and how important their bond was to the overall story.

Speaking of our main characters, I think this is where the strength of this book lies – Bovalino does a fantastic job of creating realistic, complicated, and sympathetic characters. We spend our time with Grey and see the world through her point of view. She’s a fabulous lead – hardheaded, loyal to a fault, and deeply committed to the few people she loves and trusts, her perspective brings so much emotion and I really loved her. She’s not very soft, but when that softness does come through you can see the person she might have been, had her world not ended sixteen years earlier. I loved her chemistry with her friends and, most importantly, with Keir. I have to admit I’m often not fond of male love interests, but I really adored Keir. He’s her childhood best friend, the mage she is duty-bound to protect, and her great love. His kindness, softness, and loyalty make him a perfect match for Grey and there wasn’t a second in which I asked myself, ‘him? Really?’. Plus the pining! The yearning! These two are the definition of the ‘just kiss, you idiots’ trope and I am totally here for it.

The Second Death of Locke is a fabulous romantic fantasy tale with some teeth. It stands alone very well on its own, but I suspect this may be the start to a new series. I cannot wait to return to this world! If you like your romance yearning, your worlds gritty, and your fantasy epic, you should absolutely pick up a copy of The Second Death of Locke this autumn.

1. Many thanks to Orbit UK for sending me a copy of this book. ↩︎