Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - La guaritrice di Zalindov

This was super good and I could not put it down. Absolutely loved our main character and her cast of misfits helping her throughout the story. The story as a whole was somewhat predictable but that ending was kind of insannnnneee and I am so excited to read book two because omfg.

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anna_lmh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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? It's complicated

4.5

I did not know too much going into ‚the prison healer‘ but I was captures from the beginning. Kiva the strong female protagonist who survived for ten years against all odds and stayed a loving person. As the book goes on, the pkot thickens and tension arises. While the book is a bit slow in the middle, the oace quickly catches up again. The plot follows that of a classic fantasy story I would say and it is beautifully written. Even though I had a felling about Kiva‘s true personality, the last lines had me shook. I am thrilled for the sequels and look forward to reading Jaren‘s and Kiva‘s story, whether it is that of a classical fantasy novel or not. Highly recommend to any fantasy lover.

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tkatt20's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A warning for anyone looking to read this: this is a very trigger heavy book, if there are sensitive topics that you need to avoid i would probably avoid this one since pertty much everything is brought up at least once. Please check content warnings before reading.

Im kind of lost on what I feel about this book. It was good, but I tend to be a detective when reading, so I was searching for every plot twist and I solved 90% of this book within the first 50 or so pages. That didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book, it just made it seem very slow paced for me when I usually like quicker fantasy novels. The premise and the storyline was very interesting, I lost a little on the world building, but considering the entire book is set in a prison that the MC arrived at when she was 7, it kind of makes sense. The characters were interesting enough to hold my attention, and for being only 17, the MC was very mature and resourceful. I would have loved to see more of the side characters and some of the little details of the Prison more fleshed out but it was alright. Everything was mostly saved by the ending in my opinion.
If you're the type of person who doesn't search for plot twists and just wants a fun and quick read then this would be perfect for you. This checks off all the boxes of a basic YA fantasy and it was definitely worth the time. The ending was amazing and I hope the next one does more in terms of world building.

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sarahjacobs1122's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book was a great read. I saw one of the three big reveals coming, but I was surprised by the other two. I thought the middle was a little slow, which is why I lowered my rating by .5. I liked how the author developed the characters in the book. I thought the idea of the trials was interesting, but a little tedious. I think that this is a book for older YA due to some content. Overall, I am itching to get to the rest of the series to see how the big end reveal develops. I would recommend it to those interested, but check trigger warnings for those who think they may need it.

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alexandragriffin's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

3.0

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chamaeleontis's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This book was great. It had so many amazing, and natural plot twists. I only guessed 1 of them, and part of 2 others. Nothing was set up that wasn't followed through on. The characters are all 3D, and morally realistic, which I personally really enjoyed. That's not even to mention the writing. Lynette Noni's style is spectacular. It flows so naturally, and is very enjoyable.

The one nit-picky thing was a plot point I personally didn't like, which is why it's 4.75, rather than 5.

It bothered me that we never got to know Tilda despite her being right there. I would have had a problem with it regardless of her being Kiva's mom, but that made it more frustrating. In the same vein, I get why it was done, but I feel that there could have at least been one full sentence exchanged

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves fantasy but is sick of repetitive plots. There's a few common tropes, but they are well done, with unique takes. I'm really looking forward to the next book.

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smedette's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This is a great YA fantasy book that isn't heavy on the fantasy, which I appreciated. It is a solid story, but with royal magical bloodlines lurking in the background. I have a feeling said magic will come into focus as the series continues.

Kiva Meridan is 17 years old and has spent the last decade in Zalindov, the notorious prison of Wenderall Kingdoms. She is the prison's healer, taking up the position after her father's death just a year after their arrival in Zalindov as traitors to the crown. Part of her duties is to assess each new prisoner and carve the letter Z into their hand, to mark them for life.

Then the Rebel Queen is captured and is delivered to Zalindov. She is in no condition to face her Trial by Ordeal, a series of "elemental" challenges (air, fire, water, and earth) and Kiva surprises everyone by agreeing to stand in the Rebel Queen's place.

While Kiva prepares for each challenge, she must also care for onslaught of patients as a mysterious illness begins spreading through the prison. She has very few allies as Kiva has learned to be protective of herself and her feelings, but she must learn to trust people if she is to learn the origin of the illness and survive the Ordeals.

There were a few predictable twists, but just because I knew where something was going didn't mean I didn't enjoy the ride. This book is fast paced and well-written. That last twist (literally the last page) was excellent and is setting up the readers for quite the showdown in the next installment.

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sienas_books's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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