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A review by thebooknerdscorner
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
5.0
A slow-burn romantasy set within the confines of prison with political turmoil boiling inside and out.
Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years of her life inside the dangerous prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer. Her life is mundane, but she finds purpose in keeping her young friend, Tipp, safe from harm. She awaits the day that her family will return for her, but in the meantime, she is doing everything it takes just to survive. That is, until the Rebel Queen is captured and is about to be put to death by the Trial of Ordeals. Unwilling to bear the death of the woman who fights hardest for the common people, Kiva volunteers to take her place. Now, Kiva must figure out how to survive all four trials while also avoiding the everyday hazards of the world's most dangerous prison.
How does one rate a book like this? On one hand, I almost fell asleep multiple times reading the middle section, but this book had me feeling so many emotions over the course of it. The ending was super intense, filled with crazy twists, and also made me tear up. I think this book still deserve five stars, despite the slow pacing. This book takes its sweet time and isn't overflowing with action, but I really enjoyed my time learning about Kiva and her life working as the prison healer. And I never disliked my experience while reading this book, so I think the high rating is still warranted.
One of my favorite parts of this book is just the everyday interactions between the characters. Kiva, Tipp, Jaren, Naari, and Mot make up quite a disheveled found family, but I found them to have such a sweet vibe. It's also inspiring to see that even in a horrible prison, pieces of light always seem to shine through somehow.
Kiva is a complex girl. It is clear that she has many secrets (though I definitely didn't see most of them coming), but she mostly keeps to herself and just wants to live to see the next day. Tipp is so precious and makes me want to protect him at all costs. The young and innocent characters always seem to die in dark fantasies and dystopian worlds, so I will be watching this kid like a hawk! Jaren is slightly aggravating, but also quite charming; things that I love to see in a love interest. He certainly has his fair of secrets (though his are a bit easier to disclose than Kiva's), but he puts everything on the line for Kiva, which is so darn cute. I can't wait to see how these two's relationship develops in the future installments of this series!
Oddly enough, this book often felt like I was reading an account from the Holocaust. From the way that the prisoners are treated by the guards to the way that the prison functions, it reminded me of the prison camps that existed during World War II. Obviously, they are very different, but it was interesting to read a fantasy book that was this dark yet still allowed the light to stream in from time to time.
I know that everyone says this, but the ending of this book truly does go crazy! I found that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and that my heart was practically pounding out of my chest for the last few chapters of this book. There was a few close calls (I was definitely crying), but Noni was nice enough not to leave us in too horrible of a situation by the end of the book. I surprisingly didn't see the bomb of a secret that was shared on the last page, but I am stoked to read the rest of this series as soon as possible. Between watching how Kiva and Jaren's relationship will develop despite their secrets, how the revolution plays out, and learning more about the world's magic system, I am so excited to dive into the rest of this series!
Overall, I was pleasantly shocked by how tightly "The Prison Healer" had me grasped in its talons. When I first started this book, I gave kudos to how strong Noni's writing is and the interesting world that she has crafted. It did see a bit too "Hunger Games"-esque for me at the start, but it quickly morphs into its own story that I came to love dearly. I adore the characters, often didn't see the twists coming, and am so intrigued by the magic system. The fact that this book takes place in a prison is also unique, and I can't wait to see more of this world outside of Zalindov. I am desperate to see how the rest of this series will pan out after the crazy ending that this book has; I am truly looking forward to a thousand more pages with this cast of characters!
Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years of her life inside the dangerous prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer. Her life is mundane, but she finds purpose in keeping her young friend, Tipp, safe from harm. She awaits the day that her family will return for her, but in the meantime, she is doing everything it takes just to survive. That is, until the Rebel Queen is captured and is about to be put to death by the Trial of Ordeals. Unwilling to bear the death of the woman who fights hardest for the common people, Kiva volunteers to take her place. Now, Kiva must figure out how to survive all four trials while also avoiding the everyday hazards of the world's most dangerous prison.
How does one rate a book like this? On one hand, I almost fell asleep multiple times reading the middle section, but this book had me feeling so many emotions over the course of it. The ending was super intense, filled with crazy twists, and also made me tear up. I think this book still deserve five stars, despite the slow pacing. This book takes its sweet time and isn't overflowing with action, but I really enjoyed my time learning about Kiva and her life working as the prison healer. And I never disliked my experience while reading this book, so I think the high rating is still warranted.
One of my favorite parts of this book is just the everyday interactions between the characters. Kiva, Tipp, Jaren, Naari, and Mot make up quite a disheveled found family, but I found them to have such a sweet vibe. It's also inspiring to see that even in a horrible prison, pieces of light always seem to shine through somehow.
Kiva is a complex girl. It is clear that she has many secrets (though I definitely didn't see most of them coming), but she mostly keeps to herself and just wants to live to see the next day. Tipp is so precious and makes me want to protect him at all costs. The young and innocent characters always seem to die in dark fantasies and dystopian worlds, so I will be watching this kid like a hawk! Jaren is slightly aggravating, but also quite charming; things that I love to see in a love interest. He certainly has his fair of secrets (though his are a bit easier to disclose than Kiva's), but he puts everything on the line for Kiva, which is so darn cute. I can't wait to see how these two's relationship develops in the future installments of this series!
Oddly enough, this book often felt like I was reading an account from the Holocaust. From the way that the prisoners are treated by the guards to the way that the prison functions, it reminded me of the prison camps that existed during World War II. Obviously, they are very different, but it was interesting to read a fantasy book that was this dark yet still allowed the light to stream in from time to time.
I know that everyone says this, but the ending of this book truly does go crazy! I found that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and that my heart was practically pounding out of my chest for the last few chapters of this book. There was a few close calls (I was definitely crying), but Noni was nice enough not to leave us in too horrible of a situation by the end of the book. I surprisingly didn't see the bomb of a secret that was shared on the last page, but I am stoked to read the rest of this series as soon as possible. Between watching how Kiva and Jaren's relationship will develop despite their secrets, how the revolution plays out, and learning more about the world's magic system, I am so excited to dive into the rest of this series!
Overall, I was pleasantly shocked by how tightly "The Prison Healer" had me grasped in its talons. When I first started this book, I gave kudos to how strong Noni's writing is and the interesting world that she has crafted. It did see a bit too "Hunger Games"-esque for me at the start, but it quickly morphs into its own story that I came to love dearly. I adore the characters, often didn't see the twists coming, and am so intrigued by the magic system. The fact that this book takes place in a prison is also unique, and I can't wait to see more of this world outside of Zalindov. I am desperate to see how the rest of this series will pan out after the crazy ending that this book has; I am truly looking forward to a thousand more pages with this cast of characters!