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From the first page, the first sentence, Bovalino had me hooked. I thought to myself, as those first few words shimmered through my mind, ‘this is going to be good’ and I am delighted to say, I was right.

Grey Flynn is a Well, Kier Seward is her mage, together they are a fearsome, high-ranking killing machine, survivors of a war that has torn their continent apart. They fight under the banner of Scaelas, to avenge the death of Locke, the Isle from which all power stemmed, and to find its heir. But Grey and Kier have a secret, they already know where Locke’s missing Princess is, and Grey is determined to keep her identity hidden. So when a young girl claims that she is Maryse of Locke, they know its a lie, they also know that this suicide mission is their best shot at freedom; retirement and a quiet life await, if they survive. Armed with years of battle experience, and a loyal cadre of friends, they set out to so their jobs, and what commences from then is a wild, twisting, emotionally devastating tale of loyalty, betrayal, sacrifice, humour, intrigue, politics, and duty.

Bovalino had crafted a story which fits, in its less than 500 pages, and entire sprawling, well conceived, realised and fleshed-out political world, and still manages to present not just compelling and human characters, but complex relationships, romance, humour, friendship, bad guys, good guys, and a whole lot of trauma. Skilfully written, brilliantly executed, and satisfyingly completed, The Second Death of Locke is the first in a series that, I suspect, will remain a genre-defining title for years to come. In an increasingly Romantasy heavy landscape, Bovalino has dared to write something which includes romance, (stirring, plot-driving, heart-aching romance,) but which has more than enough true fantasy elements to earn itself a place amongst the highest of High Fantasy novels. It is hard line to straddle, but Bovalino manages to do it with grace.

The world of The Second Death of Locke is excellently built, and subtle sense details place us in locations, without the need for heavy exposition. Both writing style and technique are strong, and this is a novel which is linguistically complex, without ever straying into unnecessarily-verbose-for-effect territory. That being said, Bovalino’s strength absolutely lies in her characters. They sing off the page. Real and realised. Much like the locations, we do not get full descriptions of everyone, rather specific details are picked out, helping us to picture individuals whose souls are of far greater importance than their appearances.

I can hardly express how truly exceptional this novel was. 5 stars barely seems to cut it, but it could deserve no less than full marks. Perfection.