V.L. Bovalino’s debut adult fantasy, The Second Death of Locke, arrives like a whispered secret in a crowded room—demanding attention through sheer magnetic force rather than bombast. This is not your typical sword-and-sorcery epic, nor is it content to be merely another romantasy. Instead, Bovalino has crafted something far more dangerous: a gothic love story wrapped in the brutal realities of war, where power comes at the cost of identity, and love might be the most devastating magic of all.
A Magic System Built on Sacrifice
The world of Idistra operates on a magic system that feels both familiar and utterly fresh. Here, mages cannot access power alone—they must tether to wells, individuals who serve as conduits for magical energy. It’s a relationship built on dependency, hierarchy, and in the case of our protagonists Grey Flynn and Kier Seward, something far more complex and forbidden.
Grey Flynn presents herself as an ordinary Hand Captain, bound in service to mage Kier Seward, but Bovalino masterfully peels back layers of deception to reveal a truth that threatens to unravel not just their carefully constructed lives, but the very fabric of magic itself. The magic system here serves as both plot device and metaphor, exploring themes of consent, agency, and the price of power in relationships both magical and romantic.
The mechanics feel grounded and logical—there are rules, limitations, and consequences that make every magical action feel weighty. When Grey channels power to Kier, we feel the physical and emotional toll. When tethers snap or strain, the aftermath resonates with brutal clarity. This isn’t magic as wish fulfillment; it’s magic as a living, breathing system that demands sacrifice from everyone who touches it.
Characters That Live and Breathe
Grey Flynn: The Heart of a Dying Power
Grey Flynn is a protagonist who refuses to be categorized. Presented initially as a competent but unremarkable Hand Captain, she evolves into something far more complex—a woman carrying the weight of an entire magical system on her shoulders while desperately trying to maintain her humanity. Bovalino writes Grey with a delicate balance of strength and vulnerability that never feels contradictory.
What makes Grey compelling is her internal conflict between duty and desire, between the person she was born to be and the person she has chosen to become. Her relationship with her own power feels authentically complicated—she neither fully embraces nor entirely rejects her role, instead existing in a constant state of negotiation with forces beyond her control.
Kier Seward: Love as Both Salvation and Destruction
Kier Seward could have easily fallen into the trap of the brooding love interest, but Bovalino gives him depth that transcends genre expectations. He’s a mage bound not just by magic but by love, duty, and guilt in equal measure. His devotion to Grey never feels possessive or diminishing—instead, it reads as the kind of all-consuming love that both elevates and terrifies.
The dynamic between Grey and Kier forms the emotional core of the novel, and Bovalino handles their relationship with remarkable nuance. Their love story unfolds through stolen moments and shared glances, through the intimate act of sharing magical power, through conversations that say everything and nothing at all.
A World Steeped in Loss
The world-building in The Second Death of Locke deserves particular praise for its restraint. Rather than overwhelming readers with exposition dumps, Bovalino reveals her world through character interactions, environmental details, and the weight of history that hangs over every scene. The island of Idistra feels lived-in and war-torn, a place where beauty and brutality coexist in the ruins of lost civilizations.
The titular Isle of Locke looms over the narrative like a ghost—a place of power that was destroyed, taking with it not just a kingdom but an entire way of life. Bovalino uses this lost homeland to explore themes of identity, belonging, and the ways in which trauma echoes across generations. The mystery of Locke’s destruction and its connection to Grey’s true identity creates a tension that drives the plot while never overwhelming the character development.
Gothic Sensibilities in Fantasy Clothing
Perhaps the most striking aspect of The Second Death of Locke is how successfully it merges gothic literary traditions with epic fantasy. The novel is steeped in atmosphere—mist-shrouded landscapes, crumbling ruins, the constant presence of death and loss. There’s a melancholy that permeates every scene, a sense that beauty and destruction are inextricably linked.
The gothic elements extend beyond mere aesthetics into the very structure of the narrative. This is a story about secrets buried deep, about the sins of the past coming back to haunt the present, about love that transcends death itself. Bovalino writes with the kind of lush, evocative prose that makes you want to slow down and savor each sentence.
Prose That Cuts Deep
Bovalino’s writing style deserves special mention. Her prose has a deceptive simplicity that conceals remarkable depth. She has a gift for the perfectly placed detail, the turn of phrase that illuminates character or atmosphere with surgical precision. Her dialogue feels natural while maintaining the slightly formal tone appropriate to a fantasy setting.
The pacing is deliberately measured, building tension through character development and emotional revelation rather than constant action. This might frustrate readers expecting non-stop adventure, but those willing to surrender to Bovalino’s rhythm will find themselves rewarded with a deeply satisfying emotional journey.
Where the Magic Falters
Despite its many strengths, The Second Death of Locke is not without its weaknesses. The deliberately slow pacing, while generally effective, occasionally threatens to stall completely in the middle sections. Some secondary characters, particularly members of the supporting military unit, feel underdeveloped despite their obvious importance to the plot.
The novel also suffers slightly from being the first book in a series—certain plot threads feel incomplete, and some revelations about Grey’s true nature come so late in the book that they feel rushed despite the careful buildup. The ending, while emotionally satisfying, leaves several practical questions unanswered in ways that feel more like sequel setup than narrative necessity.
A Romance That Redefines Devotion
The romantic elements of The Second Death of Locke deserve recognition for their maturity and complexity. This isn’t instalove or enemies-to-lovers; it’s a deep, complicated relationship between two people who have grown up together, who know each other’s worst qualities and love each other anyway. The romantic tension builds slowly, organically, through years of shared history rather than sudden passion.
Bovalino handles the physical aspects of their relationship with tasteful explicitness that serves the emotional arc rather than existing for titillation. When Grey and Kier finally come together, it feels earned, inevitable, and devastating all at once.
The Verdict: A Remarkable Debut
The Second Death of Locke announces V.L. Bovalino as a significant new voice in adult fantasy. While she previously published young adult novels as Tori Bovalino, this adult debut shows remarkable maturity in both theme and execution. This is a book that trusts its readers, that doesn’t feel the need to explain every emotion or motivation explicitly.
The novel succeeds brilliantly as both epic fantasy and gothic romance, creating something that feels both familiar and entirely fresh. It’s a book about the weight of legacy, the price of power, and the ways in which love can be both salvation and destruction. Most importantly, it’s a book that lingers—long after the final page, you’ll find yourself thinking about Grey and Kier, about the choices they made and the prices they paid.
For Readers Who Loved…
If you found yourself captivated by the gothic atmosphere and complex magic of The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, or the intimate character work and beautiful prose of The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, The Second Death of Locke will speak to you. Fans of Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth will appreciate the book’s ability to blend humor with genuine emotional depth, while readers who loved the slow-burn romance and magical realism of The Once and Future Witches will find much to admire here.
The novel will also appeal to readers of literary fantasy like N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season or Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi—books that use fantastical elements to explore deeper themes of identity, power, and human connection.
Final Thoughts
The Second Death of Locke is that rare fantasy novel that succeeds on multiple levels—as an adventure story, as a romance, as a meditation on power and sacrifice. V.L. Bovalino has created something special here: a book that respects both its genre traditions and its readers’ intelligence. It’s a novel that earns its emotional moments through careful character development and elegant world-building.
This is not a book that will work for every reader—its deliberate pacing and gothic sensibilities won’t appeal to those seeking fast-paced action or light romance. But for readers willing to surrender to Bovalino’s vision, The Second Death of Locke offers the kind of immersive, emotionally resonant experience that makes fantasy literature so powerful.
As the first book in The Hand and the Heart series, it sets up a world and characters worth returning to, while telling a complete and satisfying story in its own right. V.L. Bovalino has established herself as an author to watch, and The Second Death of Locke marks the beginning of what promises to be a remarkable fantasy series.
