⛓️⚔️The Second Death of Locke ⚔️⛓️

– V.L. Bovalino @toribovalino

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Where to START? I adored this book.

Love. Loyalty. Sacrifice. 

Grey is a well, and Kier is a mage. Every drop of the magic he wields is channeled from her. Without the other, both are useless. Together, they are a mythical power. 

There’s a plot twist around 15% in that had me lurching up in bed and frantically texting my friend who had already read this. If possible, I recommend going into this as blind as you can – don’t even read the blurb – because it makes the experience all the sweeter. So instead of my usual synopsis, I’ll just give you a few out of context hints about what you can expect. Ragtag crews. Adventures and quests. Knights and epic battles. Political and court intrigue. Hidden indentities. Yearning to end all yearning.

A touch on the romance, which I didn’t overly connect to. I definitely think this is a me issue, given that all the other reviews I’ve seen rave about the romance, and say it was their favourite aspect of the book, so please do not be deterred by this. However, I loved the loyalty Kier and Grey had to each other, and I honestly don’t care that I never really connected to the main romance plot, because everything else was SO GOOD. And I have to admit, the yearning was top tier. 

The magic system is unique and incredibly well thought out. The idea of magic being reliant on another person, your well, is so intriguing; the ethics surrounding it, the inherent intimacy in sharing power, the dangers it could present. The prose was beautiful, and perfectly fitted the vast, epic landscape of the novel. I cannot WAIT for the second instalment, and I will officially read anything that V.L. Bovalino writes. 

Thank you so much to @littlebrownbookgroup_uk and @netgalley for the ARC!

The Second Death of Locke is out now! ⚔️