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jessieslibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
delandjessica's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I also had a huge problem with Jaren. He starts hitting on Kiva from the moment he sees her, continues to pursue her romantically and touches her constantly despite her repeatedly telling him to stop, and he has no real personality other than being attractive and good. I'm not sure how that's supposed to be interpreted as being romantic. I also struggled with Tipp. His character was sweet, but though I appreciate that the author wanted to introduce more character diversity, Tipp's extreme stutter really slows down the reading experience. The author could have reduced the stutter by at least two thirds per dialogue exchange and it would have conveyed the same idea without making it so difficult to get through. The stutter also didn't add anything to Tipp's character that wasn't already there, so I would have liked to see the author either give a purpose for the stutter or remove it entirely.
However, despite all the overexplanation and insufficient description and Kiva's wishy-washy grasp of who she herself even is (she's always saying that she never or always does things and has for the last ten years, but then turns around and is doing or not doing them anyway), I absolutely loved the whole ending and the twist at the very end. It was unexpected but suddenly made the entire book make so much more sense in hindsight. Twist endings are so difficult to pull off, but this one was handled perfectly and I'm eager to see what happens with Kiva next.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
Romance is present, but doesn't get physical.bluebreex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wasn't sold on continuing this series until the last few chapters
Graphic: Animal death, Drug abuse, Torture, and Medical content
Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Medical content
queen_melliott's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It’s funny how sometimes I cannot warm up to the characters throughout the whole book and don’t care if they live or die. And then other times, as it was with The Prison Healer, I am so invested in the characters from the getgo. Kiva, Jaren, Naari, Tipp, Mot, I just loved them all. Watching their bonds grow stronger over time, watching their banter, growing trust and support of one another made me grow ever fonder of them. It all felt very realistic for the setting. Also, the romance was built up slowly despite the initial spark between Kiva and Jaren, which I was very relieved about. An insta-love-y romance might have ruined it for me.
Another thing that was developed slowly and tastefully was the world building. It was continuously woven throughout the story and felt organic.
The story orders never got repetitive or boring, despite being set in only one place for 500 pages (in German). There was a lot going on with the friendships, romance, trials, the rebel Queen’s mysterious illness, the plague and overall dynamic at the prison. However, all the stories were woven together organically and made sense, so it never felt like there was too much going on all at once.
One aspect I do have to complain about was the extremely foreseeable plot twists. It’s also not too difficult to imagine where the story might go, but I still can’t wait to get my hands on the sequels.
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
thorn_n_thistle_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Overall, it's a solid read, and I'll continue the series at some point. Many members binged the series after book one.
Minor: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment
willsnow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Self harm and Sexual violence
Moderate: Drug abuse
sarah1109's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Jaw on the ground, brain is doing somersaults and I'm skipping around the house in triumph and awe. I picked this book up on a whim because of a review I saw on Bookstagram and the phenomenal rating on StoryGraph. NEVER in my life did I think I would have enjoyed it this much.
This is a dark, thrilling, mysterious tale full of elemental magic, hidden identity and "rightful heir" battles. There are some predictable plot twists but still some that I did not see coming at all.
The pacing was fast, the setting is very small so no large world building (yet?) and fantastic, loveable characters.
I just...I need book two now. I'm so glad I picked this up with the trilogy finished because there's no way I would be able to wait.
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Drug abuse and Blood
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
g_c_geeks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really appreciated how information was revealed to us along w the FMC. The puzzle pieces were revealed in a satisfying way imo. And I loved the characters n can’t wait to see more of them in the next books.
I thought the action was well done, n the introduction to the magic was intriguing, so I am excited to learn more about it :))
Graphic: Torture and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Self harm, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
emzconklin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, and Sexual violence
dontwanthvn's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Vomit, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment