Rating: 4.5 Stars Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years fighting for survival in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer. When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water, and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals. Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives, containing a single order: “Don’t let her die. We are coming.” Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom. But no one has ever survived. With an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva’s heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can’t escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun. TW: Physical violence, murder, drug abuse/addiction, mental health/self-harming, rape/attempted rape, abandonment, death of a parent/sibling, imprisonment, slavery.
Well, that took an unexpected turn!! Before I get to my review, if you haven't seen the FairyLoot exclusive version of this book, go check out my April 'Hidden Identities' unboxing because this book is seriously one of the prettiest books I've ever seen. The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni centres around 17-year-old Kiva who lives in a prison after being captured by soldiers when she was a young child. Arrested at the time with her father, the old prison healer, Kiva has now taken his place tending to sick inmates and inducting new arrivals through a torturous ritual. Kiva is a really fantastic character. She's a great narrator, full of compassion, drive and self-preservation. She deals with a lot of pain and trauma both directly and through her patients, but she always seems to maintain hope that things will work out, despite the hardships she continuously faces. “Hope was a drug and Kiva, an addict.” The pacing of this book was really fast and fully swept me away, but the best thing about it was most definitely the plot. This was one of those books that leads you on a bit of false trail, leaving clues that have you pretty certain you've guessed the outcome and then the author drops a huge bombshell and leaves you reeling. It was very reminiscent in places to A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and some of the plot twists definitely had me thinking of books like A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik and The Folk in the Air series by Holly Black. I think this book would be a big hit with fans of any of the above books/series. The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni is full of edge-of-your seat tension, side characters that are integral to the plot, who really capture your whole heart and definitely left me wanting more. The ending is a masterpiece as the author delivers punch after punch of shocking reveals in such a thrilling and effective way that I really don't want to have to wait for the sequel. This was definitely a promising start to an exciting new fantasy series, and I look forward to seeing what Lynette Noni delivers in the next instalment. “My name is Kiva Meridan, and I claim her sentence as my own.” Comments are closed.
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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