The Second Death of Locke makes me feel like I am standing in front of a love picture painted with dark and tragic shades. This book will take readers on a journey to explore the boundary between love and sacrifice, between loyalty and finding oneself.

Review TLDR: This is the first book I’ve reviewed for you that I can say, unequivocally, that I think you need to read. It’s original in its execution of familiar themes, has characters that will feel like family, and has world building/pacing that is just the right side of comfortable while leaving you wanting more. I will be buying a copy of this book as soon as it comes out.

Overall: Why the glowing review? Let us count the ways: the FMC and MMC aren’t idiots who have to make dumb decisions to make a plot viable; the pacing is balanced between action scenes, recovery, and world building; the side characters are both meaningful to the plot (with their own relationships between themselves outside of their connection to Grey and Kier) and genuinely funny; the romance is delightfully free of “insta-lust” and centers on two people who already know each other’s flaws and love them dearly; and it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. Maybe that last one isn’t as important, but I honestly don’t know if I have the strength in these troubled times to wait for this book to be published and wait for a sequel to boot. One note I have to mention: this book is not yet finished with the editing process and the errors can be distracting if you let them. Hopefully the publication team will have this all sorted out by the time it publishes in September. Guess I will find out when I buy a copy, huh?

Spice Level: 4/5 – Open door. Many details. Not for the youngsters ones among us, for sure. I think this may also be the first time I have read a scene written between two characters who are genuinely in love, rather than in lust, and the difference is remarkable. The romance is utterly earned, though I did shake my head at the thickheadedness of the FMC when she kept insisting to herself prior to the big moment that her feelings must be unrequited (seriously, the angst. The absolute angst). The MMC could not have been more obvious how head-over-heels he was the whole time. Problem is this MMC is a sweet, sweet cinnamon roll, not an arrogant shadow daddy, so he is equally delusional in his perception of her behavior towards him. Cracks me up a bit, honestly.

Pacing/Filler: There is some filler, but it is the best kind: the kind that teaches you more about the world you are in and the circumstances that got you there. Where would Avatar be without the Ember Island Players? Where would Dr. Bashir be without Section 31? We need this pacing to give us room to breathe between the bigger moments of the main plot, letting us stop and understand what those big moments mean to the characters and how they influence the choices yet to be made. Is the pacing perfect? No, of course not. But damn if it isn’t close.

Character Development: Usually this is the part where I say something snarky about how the FMC starts one way and ends another (or doesn’t, as the case may be). I think this time I will have to give my opinion in earnest: Grey is a fully matured character, fitting for one of her age, profession, and life choices. Is she without flaws? No, but those flaws are understandable and reasonable. Moreover, her arc shows her learning to let go of her pain and learn to trust others outside of the MMC in a manner that I think many trauma survivors will find cathartic. As for Kier, he does not have as much of a visible arc, but I think that is because the entire story is told from Grey’s POV and we do not hear his thoughts the way we hear Grey’s. I am genuinely impressed by the smoothness of the transitions Grey makes and the way she learns from her mistakes (mistakes that aren’t “the FMC did something stupid so we can have a plot, by the way).

As for the others, I found the side characters to be almost as interesting – and sometimes more entertaining – than the main pair. Ola and Brit are incredibly strong and don’t hold back when taking Grey and Kier to task for their stupidity. Eron’s cooking should come with a warning label. Sela is a sweet, very naïve girl who wants to do her best for her team. Attis the Commander and her Hand were everything I’d expect from veteran soldiers who just want to see another day. I liked that no one worshipped the FMC like she was somehow better than them, but we also don’t have to suffer from immature jealousies that exist only to force some drama. Kier and Grey’s older siblings are a wonderful influencing factor in their decisions, for all that they are not in the story themselves.

World Building: Full disclosure, I had to ask the author if she had ever spent time in the military prior to writing this book – because she nailed it. The sights, the smells, the constant tiredness but being unable to rest…even the way that nudity is handled is on point (for those who don’t know, modesty is a joke in a close-quarters army). The information given about the world isn’t given in massive chunks of exposition, but rather bits and pieces of relevant knowledge being passed between characters who realistically wouldn’t otherwise know the answers. The foreshadowing and layering of plot devices were excellent – the big reveals aren’t the secret heir (obviously) or anything so dramatic, but when they come, they hit you hard and leave you thinking “well, yeah. That makes sense.” I suspect when I go in for a reread one day I will catch even more things I didn’t think to put together.

Obvious Errors an Author/Editor Should Have Caught: As I mentioned above, this is an ARC and I want to make sure you all know that this book is still being worked on. That said, there are lots of grammar issues: run on sentences glued with commas, no Oxfords commas to be seen, random extra commas in the middle of sentences (I sense a theme here), sentences that should begin new paragraphs but don’t (e.g. when dialogue is complete you begin a new paragraph), etc.

One example of a grammar issue throughout the book: the author’s consistent use of colons when she needs to be using semi-colons. It shows she knows that a comma isn’t enough to convey her idea, but also that a period is too much if she wants the ideas to feel closely connected. To be fair, I get it; semi-colons are the scariest of all English punctuation marks. But still, they are what they are and the author would do well to get comfortable with them as they are absolutely the perfect means of conveying her ideas the way she clearly wants to convey them. I am not a part of the editorial team, but I hope that whoever is has a sturdy set of red pens. The ideas in this book and the language used to express them are amazing – the grammar just isn’t that the same level yet.

Bechdel Test Survivor: Yes indeed. The friendships Grey has with other women are meaningful and add a lot to the story outside of the main plot. I really enjoyed Grey’s dynamic with Leonie. Grey learning to trust Sela and Sela’s mother was also nicely done, given the circumstances they were in. But her learning to work with Ola, a fellow Hand who is as devoted to her mage as Grey is to Kier, was my favorite of the female friendships.

Content Warnings: Extreme violence, medical discussions (including a visceral surgery scene), and some implications of child abuse. No indications of sexual assault or abuse are in this novel.

Is the FMC/MMC Unfaithful: I think Grey and Kier would sooner jump into a bubbling lava pit than even think about it. That said, these are grown adults in a war zone, so they obviously have prior experiences and relationships that they carry with them into the beginning of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Second Death of Locke completely swept me away. From the very first chapter, I was drawn into the unique and intricate magic system, and could not put the book down. V.L. Bovalino has a gift for world-building—every detail felt intentional, vivid, and deeply atmospheric.

What stood out most to me, though, was the unwavering devotion between the two main characters. In a genre where romantic entanglements often come with betrayal or forced conflict, it was refreshing—and honestly heartwarming—to see a relationship built on trust and loyalty. The connection between Grey and Kier felt genuine and grounded, and it added so much emotional depth to the story.

To say this book absolutely wrecked me would be an understatement. It was beautifully written—gut-wrenching yet somehow healing. I found myself rooting for Grey and wishing for a different kind of HEA for Kier… maybe there’s hope in the next book if we are graced with one!

“My love is yours, as that which beats within my heart is yours, and that which powers the fabric of the world is yours through mine own hand. Take from me, that I may be thine.”

Yearners, this one’s for you. If you’re looking for lady knights, magic, devotion, and sacrifice, you’ll find all of that in The Second Death of Locke. I loved so much about this book: the magic system, the characters, the setting, and did I mention the yearning? Grey and Kier are great main characters, and there’s a lovely band of side characters that I also adored. There’s also a horse named Pigeon, which I LOVE. I absolutely vibed with the writing style, and I especially liked the use of epigraphs for each chapter. There was one specific one towards the end that hit so hard it was actually diabolical (as Kier would say, I suffer and I suffer)—but they’re also a fun way to add more dimension to the world building and characters.
The pacing does start out a bit slow, but I think it’s worth it—we’re sorting through Grey’s trauma with her, and I like a slower reveal of things because the character themselves cannot face those things head on. And there were a lot of great reveals in this—I didn’t know where the the story was going to take me, and I found myself swept away as the events unfolded.
Long live year of the lady knight! The Second Death of Locke will definitely have a forever home on my bookshelf, and I look forward to what comes next!

I’m a sucker for “it’s always been you”.


This was beautifully written and such a wonderfully told story. I loved Grey and Kier so much!! Friends to lovers has become one of my favorite tropes recently. The yearning! The need for each other!! I think everyone should go in blind and not read the synopsis. I would’ve loved for it to be more of a secret who grey was. It didn’t seem impactful enough. Other than that, this book was fantastic! I know it will be a huge hit when it releases. I look forward to reading more in this world. I wonder who will be the next couple. I think I have an idea.

Thank you Forever Publishing for sending me an early review copy. All thoughts are my own.

3.75 stars rounded up... I think?

If you like:
- Lady knights.
- Golden Brown by the Stranglers.
- Hopelessly devoted men.
- Yearning!!!
- The medieval revival aesthetic.
- Queer-normative worlds.
- Angst, angst, and more angst
Then The Second Death of Locke will probably be a hit for you.

Hell, it was a hit for me with the caveat that I thought it relied too heavily on the pre-existing dynamic between Camilla Hect and Palamedes Sextus (and honestly every necro-cav duo) from The Locked Tomb to be as compelling and unique as it could have been. More on that later.

But overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and fast-paced, and subverted a lot of the things that currently seem to be super popular in fantasy romance novels as of late. There's no domineering alpha man with shadow powers (thank GOD) or an unconvincing enemies-to-lovers plotline. Instead, The Second Death of Locke relies on friends-to-lovers with a well thought out and convincing relationship that really sells the story and raises the stakes.

Grey and Kier are a lovely duo with a dose of codependency that--you guessed it--leads to quite a bit of angst as the story progresses. I definitely get the impression that they're Bovalino's little meow meows and for good reason! They're easy to root for and even easier to love. I'm not usually an emotional reader, but there were several interactions between these two that hit me like a punch to the gut. I love my romance with a healthy dash of slow burn yearning, and though I would be lying if I said this was a true slow burn, each page is still drenched in longing between our two mains.

All that said, there are some parts of this novel that feel eerily uncanny to The Locked Tomb. The author herself has stated that Camilla and Palamedes's relationship could be comped to this book and that is very, very obvious. Which isn't a huge problem, but I wish it wasn't so... overt? Honestly, the only reason I'm not rating this book higher is because of how much of the central themes appear lifted from the world that Tamsyn Muir put together. Of course, there's no monopoly on devoted, codependent duos, but the marketing mentioning Gideon the Ninth in particular does invite the comparison.

I definitely believe that this one is going to be a huge hit when it hits the shelves in September though, and I am excited to add a copy of it to my shelf. Lady knights, 2025 is your year. <3

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year with the comp titles of 'Gideon the Ninth' and 'The Seven Deaths of the Saint' and this did not live up to either of those books.

Instead of deeply romantic and full of knightly charm, I found this story to be over-written and in need of a stricter copy-edit as so much of the exposition and info-dumping could be cut. Grey and Kier did nothing for me romantically, but I did like their friendship. There was nothing in the summary to suggest that this was going to be so Romance focused - and I'm a Romance reader!, so I was surprised and honestly displeased at Grey's attraction to Kier being mentioned in the first chapter.

I am just so sad. I wanted to love this book, and the concept is great. The comp titles will sell the heck out of this! But instead of an Adult Fantasy with hints of romance, this read like YA Romantasy which is not something I wanted.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the Arc!

5🌟

I was keeping notes while reading this then gave up almost immediately because I was so absorbed with the story to manage it. This was a rollercoaster of emotions and I absolutely adore this book; one of the best romantasies I've ever read. I almost can't get my thoughts together to fully review this book but I will try my best!

This fantasy world feels so real and grounded that I had no trouble following all the lore and political intrigue. The setting was beautifully illustrated and I could feel the inspiration of of the British isles as I read. And in contrast, the war and fighting was so visceral and bleak that it gave a grit to the story that a lot of romantasies are really lacking. It helped create a more fantasy leaning story than just a light hearted or overdone romantasy like dozens of other books tend to be. This book also has so much happening in it! And it didn't feel rushed or burdened at all; I feels like there was no wasted space and everything was truly essential. It was also so well paced that we were able to feel every scene and change without rushing through to next plot point; we were able to sit with every heavy moment and just feel what Grey was feeling.

I was absolutely floored with the level of devotion and love that Grey carried around with her. It felt so heavy and smothering in the best way, if that makes sense at all. I could tell that she was holding such a weight with her that it defined so much of her life and her choices and you could really start to feel that desperation to keep hold of it towards the end of the book. I have such a weakness for devotion boarding on obsession and detrimental that this just hit the exact feeling I was hoping it would.

This book exceeded my expectations by miles and I can't wait to get my own copy soon! Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this ARC!

The Second Death Of Locke was such a fun fanatsy with a great take on magic. I loved the magic aspect the most in this book. The magic and worldbuilding worked in a interesting way. I loved the plot overall and how relevant the magic was to the focus of this story. Also the characters were fantastic with some amazing side characters too.

I absolutely loved this book. The bond between Grey and Kier had me hooked from the start, soft, loyal, and full of quiet yearning! I was especially drawn to the magic system and the way their relationship felt both intimate and epic. The world felt lived-in and layered, and I didn’t want to leave it. If you’re into stories about devotion, slow-burn tension, and queer knights and mages, this one’s will fit into your taste well.

🌶️yes

This book seriously made me stop and go “and what’s the point of ever reading another book after this? This is it. This is my white whale. Pack it in send the rest of your books to the aether because you found it. You found the book you’ve spent your whole career searching for.”

And it’s all because of the relationship dynamic. Codependent, hyper attached, friends to lovers, forced proximity WITH YEARNING?!

I read this as an earc and I think I genuinely left teeth marks from where I was gnawing on my kindle over the YEARNING. platonic bed sharing/ clothes sharing/ backrubs and forehead kisses?!!!! Slay me. Literally please slay me because that’s everything to me.

This is the dynamic I’ve been bloodhound searching for since I’d read it once in a ff as a young impressionable kid 😭 and to find it WITH LADY KNIGHTS. I’m ruined. RUINED.

- magic bonds
- War
- Found family
- Queer norm world
- Lost heirs
- Healer FMC
- Quests

Look here. I can’t be bias about this I’m not joking when I say these two idiots in love is all I’ve ever wanted to read about BUT that doesn’t mean I didn’t notice a few things but I LITERALLY DONT CARE. NOT ONE OUNCE OF ME CARES because what do you MEAN I just read a spicy lady knight story with two people going “I’m going to sacrifice myself for you” “lol not if I sacrifice myself first” because they haven’t told the other how they feel?! Guaahhhhhhhhhhhh

Anyways I loved it in the Taylor swift 🎶help I’m still in the restaurant 🎶 kinda way. Le sigh. *kicks feet on the ground*

The book it’s self can be read as a standalone imo but there is more to come.

Thank you foreverreads for the earc

I had to take several day to digest this book before I could form words, this book was not what I was expecting it to be.
The Second Death of Locke is a modern day classic literature. V.L. Bovalino created a world that felt solid and rich in its mythos.
The characters were human and the trials Gray went through were reminiscent of a Greek tragedy.
I was hooked start to finish and, quite frankly, blow away by this writing.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to get over the trauma, yearning, romance, and heartbreak of it all. A stunning read. Eager to reunite with these characters again next year in book 2!

I’ve always loved the friends-to-lovers trope and the way it’s built upon deep familiarity, unspoken trust, and all the delicious tension that comes from the denial, fear, and hesitation in crossing those boundaries into something more. It’s a trope that’s surprisingly underused in fantasy romance, in my opinion, so I’m always happy to see it when I do.

The Second Death of Locke not only features this trope, but executes it perfectly.

Through our heroine, Grey Flynn, we learn of the world she resides in. She is a trained warrior with powers that make her the magical well of her best friend, Kiernan Seward, a mage who draws on her for power.
It’s a dynamic that’s common in this world, but it feels especially intimate between them.

From the very beginning, there’s this quiet, aching devotion between Grey and Kiernan that makes it clear theirs isn’t a simple friendship. It’s in their every glance, their every decision. They are a part of every facet of each other’s lives, and the book does a phenomenal job of slowly showcasing the sheer depth of their connection and how it came to be.

It’s bone-deep love and trust — the kind that feels foundational, inevitable — and makes their relationship quite literally the heart of the book.

I don’t think I can explain it other than saying there’s this constant sense of them looking for each other, looking at each other, and looking out for each other. Always, always each other.

Surrounding this beautiful central relationship is the mystery of Grey’s origins — her power, her home, and the secrecy wrapped around it all. The book reveals pieces of this with a quiet finesse: through letters, in-universe book quotes, and childhood memories Grey is grappling with. It’s all layered throughout the narrative, and gorgeously so! The atmosphere is rich and immersive, and it lingers.

Then there’s the worldbuilding, which is just wonderfully dense. You can feel the long, tangled history of this world and the political undercurrents running just below the surface. But even with all that complexity, love and devotion remain the book’s steady central themes — not just between Grey and Kiernan, but among the other characters as well. Family, selflessness, sacrifice, and loyalty echo throughout the story.

And I have to say, I really appreciated how queer-normative this world felt. There’s a wide range of queer characters and identities woven throughout the story, and they’re written with such warmth and care.

What else, what else? I know there’s more I want to say, because this book stayed on my mind so much as I read it, but this is the kind of story that deserves to slowly reveal itself to the readers without being spoiled.

So I’ll stop here and say: long live Year of the Lady Knight 2025. It’s truly been and continues to be such a joy literary-wise.



Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC in Exchange for my honest review.

The Second Death of Locke is a devastatingly beautiful story of a knight and her mage - an exploration of love, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion. I went in mostly blind (all I saw was "lady knight") but I was instantly swept away.
V.L. Bovalino has crafted a rich, queer-normative world full of history, magic, and battles. I loved the lore behind the Isle of Locke, and the magic system was so unique - wells as living sources of power, and mages who draw magic from them.
Kier&Grey completely stole my heart! Their relationship had me in a chokehold from the first chapter - tender, loyal, and deeply rooted in years of shared trust. They're not quite lovers, but what they share goes far beyond friendship: they fight beside each other, protect one another, and love so fiercely it made my chest ache. Kiernan really graduated from the school of yearnalism and I wanted to scream whenever he did something to show his affection for Grey.
The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star read for me is that the ending felt a little underwhelming, but the story's heart - Kier&Grey's bond - makes it unforgettable. I'm so excited to read more books set in this world!
～Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC!

The Second Death of Locke is my gothic fantasy dream! What a fun, immersive, and beautifully written story. The pacing was wonderful, the characters likable, and the epilogue was such a nice ending for our main characters. Excited to read more from Bovalino.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received a free copy from Forever via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Publish date 23 September.

This book hadn't been on my radar before, but I was immediately intrigued by the premise. In The Second Death of Locke, soldier and magical well Grey has survived nearly a decade of grinding war through her fanatical devotion to her mage, Kier. But Grey has a secret, one that could upend the balance of the five kingdoms--she's the last surviving heir of the missing magical island of Locke.

I'm a big fan of lady knights and an unhealthy degree of devotion, and the concept of The Second Death of Locke was like catnip to me. In this world, mages can only use power if they're pulling it from a well, and neither wells nor mages alone can use magic. On the battlefield, wells are expected to physically protect their mages and patch up their gaping wounds with magic if they're injured. Kier and Grey have been friends since childhood, and they're intensely devoted to each other: they're joined at the hip, they frequently share a bedroll, and they're illegally magically bonded even though military wells and mages are supposed to be interchangeable. I will bestow my highest honor on their relationship: I think it would be more interesting if it was entirely platonic. Although Bovalino does an excellent job with the slow-burn pining romance plotline.

The worldbuilding is fairly generic besides from the details of the magic system: an island full of vaguely medieval fantasyland kingdoms, an even more vaguely defined mainland. I did like the detail that many other cultures on the mainland use completely different magic systems. But in The Second Death of Locke, it's the character relationships that support the weight of the plot. As an angst and codependency enjoyer, this worked for me, but you may not like it if you're less fond of the romance or want a bit more crunch in your settings.

Wheeee. WHAT a concept, and Bovalino certainly did it justice. Lady knights! Magical bonds unto death! Angst about suturing your soulmate's wounds! A must-read for fantasy romance fans.

I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing this for a brief 'to read'.

This was one of my anticipated reads for this year and I expected something stronger than what I was reading. The story focused on the friendship between a mage and her knight. Growing up together, the mage learned to be the siphon that her knight takes his power / magic from. That I understood. I also understood that given her backstory, there was a secret that only the two of them knew of and which would cause consequences for the island they inhabit.

I can't tell if it was a combination of the plot or the author's writing, but the story bugged me. It made it 30% into the book before shutting it. It had a YA tone about it. The mage did not really seem to do much, nor did her knight. They were out looking for someone to bring back to their camp, and the precision and pacing of the action was just devoid of any depth or feeling of the characters. I felt like there was nothing to gleam who they were as people, besides the fact that the knight (her friend) forced her to be his mage.

All in all, it seems like I was the only one who felt this way, but I was expecting something with the tone / seriousness of Robin Hobb.

Oh my gosh this book was absolutely fantastic! It pained me any time I had to put it down because I absolutely wanted to devour it in one sitting. I loved pretty much everything about this book, from the characters, to the world building, to the magic system. It reminded me a bit of The Locked Tomb with the wells and mages so I can definitely see the comparisons. Also I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was technically a standalone and there was no grueling cliffhanger ending, and that there would be two other standalones set in the same universe. I was interested to pick this up as I heard it was going to be an Illumicrate pick and now I fear I will be a feral animal waiting for it to be in my hands. Easily 5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this amazing ARC!

In the Second Death of Locke, we follow lost heir Grey as she confronts her legacy to rule the lost nation of Locke. When we start the story, Grey is a magical well for her mage partner, Keir, her childhood best friend and unrequited love; they are currently placed on the frontline for a longstanding war between nations. Keir and Grey are assigned a challenging new mission and the story unravels from there.

I adored the yearning and devotion between Grey and Keir. I rooted for both of them to find happiness together as well as find themselves as individuals.