Book: The Second Death of Locke
Author: V.L. Bovalino
Reviewer’s Instagram: spinesandspreads
Photo Credit: spinesandspreads
Original Book Review
ARC • R E V I E W
“Blood of my blood, soul of my soul, thine hand is over my heart. When you ache, then shall I ache; when you perish, then shall I perish. What is known to me is known to you. Let me not break this troth.”
★★★★★
Get in, losers, we’re binging knightcore now.
The last time I desperately wished I could erase my memory just to experience a book for the first time again was with Throne of Glass. Well, go ahead and add The Second Death of Locke to that very short, very elite list. Because wow. This book didn’t just hit, it rewired my entire brain chemistry. (Why am I always so dramatic when I love a book this much? Honestly, I stand by it.)
Also? Let’s go ahead and pretend I never said I don’t like the friends-to-lovers trope. Because OH MY GOSH this book devoured that trope and left no crumbs.
I went in a little wary, not gonna lie: A) I’m not typically a friends-to-lovers girly. B) I’ve already been burned this year by one female knight storyline. But Locke? Locke really said “trust me,” and I did. And I have no regrets.
Grey Flynn, is our FMC, the well, the healer, the protector to our Kier, our MMC, Mage. Besties since a young age, but my god the tension between these two. This was such a satisfying slow burn. The lead-up to the romance? Perfection. I adored how affectionate and close they were just as friends, and then watching them both quietly pine for each other? Torture. Delicious, emotional torture. ARGH, my heart cannot handle it.
Anyways back to the story. They (Kier and Grey) are given a task to safely get an enemy child back home in a war-torn country, in exchange for an early retirement from fighting. Chaos ensues. It’s hard to get into the bulk of this story without giving too much away. But this book is in my top five of the year and I will screech from every rooftop when it releases.
Many thanks to the publisher for an advanced eARC in exchange for my honest, dramatic review.
what is on your ARC list?
