I don't give 5 stars easily so believe when I say Second in Command gave me so many emotions that now has a special place in my heart 💕

This book talks about what happens when one of the parents on a household leaves with the army, how the rest of the family deals with it and tries to carry on a normal life even though they know there is a vital member of the family missing.

The gem of Second in Command is my precious main character, Leo. This boy had the most pure intentions I've read, his only desires were to protect his siblings and help his community to be more tolerant and safe for everybody. On top of that he had to go through so many awful things and make difficult decisions which made him more real and complex.

Then we have Leo's brother, Jack. This kid felt even more real than Leo but he didn't have the same mindset as his brother and that's were they difference. I actually loved him too, I think it was mainly because I understood where his decisions came from and it also helped that we got to know him through Leo's eyes and they just have so much love between them that it was hard not to feel the same way.

The only thing I didn't like were the parents and their decisions, I don't want to get too into it because it's a very personal thing but if I had been these kids' parents, I would have made sure to be present for them and actually take care of their needs no matter how I was feeling or what I wanted because children always come first once you have them. But again, it's personal and I also think if these parents had done things my way, this book wouldn't exist and that would be tragic.

All in all, I would 100% recommend this book to everyone. It's short so it can be read very quickly but the story would still be impactful. I truly loved this poetry book and will hold these two brothers close to my heart forever.