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hannahlois's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, and Child death
teri_b's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was quite the roller coaster of a YA fantasy romance novel in a rather gory setting.
Loved the beginning and the introduction into the world, then I felt, the story got a little bit of a lull until it picked up pace towards the end again.
Loved the main character and her storyline through the book.
Some twists I did see coming, others not at all.
Star rating during reading was anything between 3 and 5, in the end I settle for a 3.
Loved the beginning and the introduction into the world, then I felt, the story got a little bit of a lull until it picked up pace towards the end again.
Loved the main character and her storyline through the book.
Some twists I did see coming, others not at all.
Star rating during reading was anything between 3 and 5, in the end I settle for a 3.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Murder, Racism, and Toxic relationship
anushar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The book was predictable and yet somehow I completely devoured it. It’s plot line is basic and there was maybe one plot twist (a minor one) in this entire book that I was mildly shocked by. That being said, this book was addicting and I read it in a weekend. I found the characters to be lovable, although the writing did drag a bit. I thought the initial plot was very reminiscent of throne of glass, which was probably why I was able to predict so much. However the ending left me wondering what road our main character would go down, because it almost insinuated an evil-ish character arc that has me very intrigued. Anyway I will definitely be reading the next book, even though this was more of a 3.75/5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Self harm
ameliarosesommer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm, Torture, Slavery, Sexual assault, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Confinement
sarahmreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I've had the Fairyloot edition of this book for a while now and was pushed by friends to start it. To say I was pleasantly surprised was an understatement.
Kiva has been the country's lead prison healer ever since the passing of her father. She's only really known the world inside Zalindov but yearns to be reunited with her family. Everything changes when the leader of the Rebellion is brought into the prison walls and forced to face Trials to determine her innocence. With the Rebel Queen in deteriorating condition, Kiva volunteers to take her place. Will Kiva make it out to reunite with her family, or will the Trials overcome her?
The world-building was pretty well done! As readers, we only really know the scope of the prison as our characters are confined within it. That being said, we get just enough detailing of the different aspects of the prison, both the physicality as well as the culture and the prisoners within, that it isn't ever over-explained. We also get some minor world-building of the world outside of Zalindov, which leads us to hope and yearn as much as Kiva to explore this outside world. The magic system was slightly under utilized, but I hope it gets expanded on more, especially because of the twists we get at the end of the book.
I loved every single character that we are meant to love. I was completely gay for Naari. Tipp has a heart of gold and cried for him twice in this story. Jaren is a lovable character with a bite of sarcasm and humor but also has his dark past which is golden and explored in a complex manner. And Kiva... I think she might be my favorite protagonist that I've read about in a long time. She has such a unique moral compass, which I could kind of relate to, and had more realistic emotions than a lot of other characters I've read about. She has her heart broken, she can feel love for all kinds of people, she cares! But also has her flaws.
Speaking of flaws, there were some pretty heavy themes in this novel. One of them being self-harm. It isn't conducted in this story, more like the explanation of the harm done afterwards. I cannot speak on the representation on the self-harm side as it has never happened to me. But I can speak on the side of hearing such news and how to properly respond, and I thought that it was done in a good manner. There was no shame, no guilt, no degrading on behalf of the character receiving this news. Only "Thank you for trusting me with this." There wasn't really anything on the ends of "It'll get better" since the character who did self-harm has moved past it and discusses her relapse with it. But it was handled in a manner that it should be handled with in real life; with care and compassion. I was glad to see this kind of representation of self-harm since this is the first time I think I've ever seen this used in a story, specifically fantasy.
For those who are hesitant to pick up this book because of its light association with Sarah J Maas, please cast all of that hesitation to the side. This book is absolutely nothing like her books. It's so fresh and unique and light-hearted while also tackling some really heavy content at the same time. It's a perfect balance.
I will say I did kind of predict the big plot twist from when some lore dropped about 30% through, but The Prison Healer might be one of my new favorite series and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
Kiva has been the country's lead prison healer ever since the passing of her father. She's only really known the world inside Zalindov but yearns to be reunited with her family. Everything changes when the leader of the Rebellion is brought into the prison walls and forced to face Trials to determine her innocence. With the Rebel Queen in deteriorating condition, Kiva volunteers to take her place. Will Kiva make it out to reunite with her family, or will the Trials overcome her?
The world-building was pretty well done! As readers, we only really know the scope of the prison as our characters are confined within it. That being said, we get just enough detailing of the different aspects of the prison, both the physicality as well as the culture and the prisoners within, that it isn't ever over-explained. We also get some minor world-building of the world outside of Zalindov, which leads us to hope and yearn as much as Kiva to explore this outside world. The magic system was slightly under utilized, but I hope it gets expanded on more, especially because of the twists we get at the end of the book.
I loved every single character that we are meant to love. I was completely gay for Naari. Tipp has a heart of gold and cried for him twice in this story. Jaren is a lovable character with a bite of sarcasm and humor but also has his dark past which is golden and explored in a complex manner. And Kiva... I think she might be my favorite protagonist that I've read about in a long time. She has such a unique moral compass, which I could kind of relate to, and had more realistic emotions than a lot of other characters I've read about. She has her heart broken, she can feel love for all kinds of people, she cares! But also has her flaws.
Speaking of flaws, there were some pretty heavy themes in this novel. One of them being self-harm. It isn't conducted in this story, more like the explanation of the harm done afterwards. I cannot speak on the representation on the self-harm side as it has never happened to me. But I can speak on the side of hearing such news and how to properly respond, and I thought that it was done in a good manner. There was no shame, no guilt, no degrading on behalf of the character receiving this news. Only "Thank you for trusting me with this." There wasn't really anything on the ends of "It'll get better" since the character who did self-harm has moved past it and discusses her relapse with it. But it was handled in a manner that it should be handled with in real life; with care and compassion. I was glad to see this kind of representation of self-harm since this is the first time I think I've ever seen this used in a story, specifically fantasy.
For those who are hesitant to pick up this book because of its light association with Sarah J Maas, please cast all of that hesitation to the side. This book is absolutely nothing like her books. It's so fresh and unique and light-hearted while also tackling some really heavy content at the same time. It's a perfect balance.
I will say I did kind of predict the big plot twist from when some lore dropped about 30% through, but The Prison Healer might be one of my new favorite series and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Medical content, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Rape and Fire/Fire injury
madamepincers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Torture
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury
Takes place in a death prison, with an in-depth passage of someone living being trapped in a crematorium-- could be triggering for Holocaust associations.motherofheleus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I felt betrayed by the ending--in the best possible way. However, I still felt as though Kiva betrayed me and I'm apprehensive, excited, and, more than a little, frightened to see what happens next!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt
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