Ladybug Books | The Second Death of Locke
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The Second Death of Locke
V. L. Bovalino
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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 wield. They are bound together by blood and magic, but there is one truth Grey dare not reveal . . . not even to Kier.
When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into a dangerous mission, Grey will need to decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to protect her secret. For Grey is no ordinary magical well, and if she dies, all magic dies with her.
The Second Death of Locke is a devastatingly romantic epic fantasy about the undying bond between a knight and their mage, perfect for fans of Rachel Gillig and Alix E. Harrow.
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Posts about this title from Ladybug Books
Ladybug Books\ \ Samantha\ \ • Nov 2 2025
A month with lots of four stars and lots of… octopuses?? #monthlywrapup #readingwrapup #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #booksireadthismonth
7 books
Ladybug Books\ \ Samantha\ \ • Oct 12 2025
[Hello friends, and welcome to my first Bindery newsletter! I am hoping to post these once a week to provide a little recap of my reading week, along with some book recommendations and books on my priority TBR. If there is anything else you would like to see in these newsletters, let me know!\ \
- *\ \ Reading Updates: Audiobook | Finished: Remarkably Bright Creatures \ \ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐\ \ Thoughts: My mom has been trying to get me to read "the octopus book" for over a year at this point, and I finally got to it. It absolutely does not surprise me that my mom gave an amazing book recommendation. Remarkably Bright Creatures is a charming, heartfelt book about family, grief, community, and growing old. Marcellus' chapters were so unique and endearing. Though I love how everything came together, I found myself wishing for something to add an element of surprise to the story. The plot plays out exactly how you would expect. Though it is a very sweet story, it can feel a bit one note. Cameron's character was also quite grating at the beginning. Though I appreciate his growth.\ \ Audiobook + Ebook | Finished: The Second Death of Locke \ \ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐\ \ Thoughts: I don't think you understand how high my hopes were for The Second Death of Locke. It was one of my most anticipated releases of the year—I really thought it would be a guaranteed five star read. It took me a month to read this because I just didn't care about the characters, the plot, certainly not the romance. It's not that I actively disliked this, but I just felt so indifferent towards the story to the point that I had to use the audiobook to force myself to finish. With the lady knight aesthetic, the cover, themes of devotion and betrayal, and comp to Gideon the Ninth, I was expecthing this story to pack so much more of a punch. It feels like this book played it too safe with almost everything, resulting in an underwhelming story that lacks tension. The characters are just nice. They're nice, kind, and in love to the point that they feel borderline one-dimensional. The romance lacked any tension because they were both clearly in love from the start. I was particularly disappointed in Grey as this "lady knight" character. I have a lot more thoughts in my full review on TikTok if you're interested. Long story short, I think this is my most disappointing read of the year so far.\ \ Audiobook | Currently Reading: My Friends \ \ Progress: 16%\ \ Thoughts: The first ladybugs.mom audiobook recommendation I actually picked up was My Friends by Fredrik Backman. This story is incredible. I am absolutely loving the audiobook but I know that this is one that I want to read with my eyes so that I can tab all of the amazing lines about art, life, and friendship. I'm planning on starting over with the physical copy once I finish my current physical read.\ \ Paperback (ARC) | Currently Reading: Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter \ \ Progress: 60%\ \ Thoughts: The Howl's Moving Castle vibes are strong with this current read. Too strong? Undecided. Heather Fawcett delivers another delightful cozy fantasy read, this time with lots of cats. This is a very heartwarming read so far and I love the choatic whimsy of the magic and the cat shelter. I do find myself wishing for a little bit more of a plot. I think I prefer the combination of cozy, romance, and magical action featured in the Emily Wilde series. Regardless, I am really enjoying it and hope to finish soon!\ \
- *\ \ On my radar (possible next reads): \ \ I recently found out that Cinder House is actually a novella! A queer, Gothic Cinderella retelling, this will be the perfect read for a moody fall evening.\ \ \ \ The people are loving this and I could not be more excited to read it. The only other thing I have read from Marie Lu is the Skyhunter duology but that remains one of my favorite YA fantasy series. Urban fantasy with alchemy, I cannot wait to get started!\ \
- *\ \ Fantasy Standalones Perfect For Fall: \ \ I feel like I am constantly starting new, incomplete series and I can never catch up. Recently on my TikTok I recommended some completed series, but here I wanted to shout out something even rarer—fantasy standalones. I narrowed the list down to a few recommedations that I think would be perfect to read during the fall.\ \ \ \ The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez: This recent fantasy release beautifully weaves Jewish history and folklore together with a fantastical world. In order to save her mother from being accused of a crimes she didn't commit, young healer Malka journeys into the forest to find the monster that is stealing the village's young girls. In the forest, Malka stumbles across a monster, but not the one she expected. She makes a deal with this disgraced golem that gets her involved in politics, rebellion, sinister threats, and ancient magic. I highly recommend the audiobook in particular. The narrator does a fantastic job bringing Maddie's beautiful writing to life!\ \ \ \ Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier: This YA fantasy story absolutely swept me away when I read it last year. In this book we follow Lord Cassia who returns home after being held prisoner in an enemy kingdom for years. A near death experience during his captivity has left him with the unusual ability to see the dead. His emotional return home is interuppted by an assassination attempt that sets the court on the trail of a terrible secret. I absolutely love this story. Cas is such a compelling main character and I loved watching him start his journey of healing. There are great family moments in this as well as a sweet romance subplot.\ \ \ \ Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs : Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a tightly woven story of family, loyalty, and power. This book is a unique love letter to books that reminds me a lot of The Starless Sea(another great standalone). What I enjoyed the most was how everything connected together. None of the reveals were particularly shocking, but it is incredibly satisfying when an author effectively uses every single element of the story.I loved the book based magic system and I really appreciate how the author explored the topics of conservation, power, and control through the library and the books.\ \
- *\ \ Have you read any of these books? I would love to hear your thoughts! See you next week with more reading updates and book recommendations.\ \ Happy reading!\ \ Samantha (ladybug.books)](https://ladybug-books.binderybooks.com/item/rQuiLGKpWddiZmcCjAWa/)
Ladybug.books Newsletter (10/5/25 - 10/11/25)
9 books
3
Posts about this book from across Bindery
Bad Girls' (Book) Club\ \ Mya\ \ • Dec 4 2025
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NOVEMBER READING WRAP UP 📚 I read some great new romantasy releases last month with a little dystopian and contemporary romance thrown in the mix. All in all, my favorite books were the first and last books of the month. (Emotionally, I think I’m still recovering from The Everlasting and wondering if any book will ever compare.) I need to read ten more books to hit my reading goal for the year. Send help. Books Mentioned: The Seconds Death of Locke by VL Bovalino A Love Most Brutal by Kath Richards Halfling by SE Wendel Savage Blooms by ST Gibson To Cage a Wild Bird by Brooke Fast Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck Holly by Adalyn Grace Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel Thank you to @PRH Audio for access to the Daddy Issues audiobook and thank you to @Libro.fm and @William Morrow Books for the audio and physical copies of As Many Souls as Stars respectively! 💕 #romantasybooktok #bookrecs #romancebookrecs #monthlyreadingwrapup #2025books
9 books
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Alyssa’s Library\ \ alyssa\ \ • Nov 6 2025
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i forgot to mention that i also (reread) the tea dragon society. one of my fav graphic novels <3 here are all the books i read in october & my thoughts on them #booktok #octoberreads #octoberwrapup #readingwrapup #monthlyreadingwrapup
12 books
2
Ladybug Books\ \ Samantha\ \ • Nov 2 2025
A month with lots of four stars and lots of… octopuses?? #monthlywrapup #readingwrapup #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #booksireadthismonth
7 books
The Biblio(files)\ \ Brooke \ \ • Oct 21 2025
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\ \ Join for free or login](https://onthebrookeshelves.binderybooks.com/item/pyQf7sDVRJ1QDfpD1Eaj/)
Was I supposed to be on a book buying ban? Yes. But in book math preorders and using store trade in credit don't count.
5 books
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Ladybug Books\ \ Samantha\ \ • Oct 12 2025
Ladybug.books Newsletter (10/5/25 - 10/11/25)
9 books
3
Bad Girls' (Book) Club\ \ Mya\ \ • Sep 20 2025
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LADY KNIGHTS. YEARNING. CHARACTER DRIVEN STORY. DID I MENTION YEARNING?
LADY KNIGHTS. YEARNING. CHARACTER DRIVEN STORY. DID I MENTION YEARNING? A million thanks to @Hachette Book Group and @Read Forever Pub for sending this amazing package my way! I am fulling expecting this to be one of my new favorite fantasy romances. The Second Death of Locke by VL Bovalino comes out on September 23rd! If anyone is looking for a new fantasy romance book rec, this is for youuuu #bookmail #romantasybooks #newbook #knights #fantasybooktok
1 book
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chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Aug 24 2025
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Lady Knight Friends to Lovers Romantic Fantasy???
The fact that this isn’t out for another month is my villain origin story. I must read it. Now. #booktok #ladyknight #fantasybooks #fantasybooktok #theseconddeathoflocke
1 book