The Prison Healer
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- Create Date：2021-04-16 12:50:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lynette Noni
- ISBN：0358434556
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Summary
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。
From bestselling author Lynette Noni comes a dark， thrilling YA fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J。 Maas， and Sabaa Tahir。
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。
From bestselling author Lynette Noni comes a dark， thrilling YA fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J。 Maas， and Sabaa Tahir。
Reviews
GavRix
，
Excellent book。 。。。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Amanda Gregory
，
Wow absolutely loved this book。 Can’t wait for October to see what book 2 brings。
Tiani
，
*debating between 3。5 and 4 Thoroughly enjoyed。 Kiva is a great character to follow and her interactions with Naari， Jaren and Tipps were enjoyable。 The trials aspect was handled really well and， though you basically know she's going to survive， it still had that tension。 Spoilers: I dunno though， that final page came out of nowhere。 I saw the healer magic reveal coming。。。 But not the fact that Kiva really is a rebel and wants to take the crown。 That just doesn't seem to fit with everything she' *debating between 3。5 and 4 Thoroughly enjoyed。 Kiva is a great character to follow and her interactions with Naari， Jaren and Tipps were enjoyable。 The trials aspect was handled really well and， though you basically know she's going to survive， it still had that tension。 Spoilers: I dunno though， that final page came out of nowhere。 I saw the healer magic reveal coming。。。 But not the fact that Kiva really is a rebel and wants to take the crown。 That just doesn't seem to fit with everything she's said and done。 And if Tilda is her mum， I just， I never even got that kind of vibe。 There's maybe one or two sentences that make sense now but otherwise。。。 I kind of feel lied to？ I think I need a reread。 Perhaps when book 2 comes out I will read this again first。 If you enjoyed this you may also like:。。 - the hunger games （Suzanne Collins） - Red queen （Victoria Aveyard） -shadow and bone （Leigh Bardugo） - 。。。more
Nicola Bennett
，
Usually prison is the beginning or the end of a story， but setting this story behind walls does not erect any barriers to a wide-ranging plot。 The heroine， Kiva， is someone who is surviving as best she can， using the talents for healing inherited from her family， and learnt in her early years。 She meets each new arrival and most of them will just disappear into the anonymity of the imprisoned masses， but two make a particular impression on her。 The first is a young man， Jaren， who makes a connec Usually prison is the beginning or the end of a story， but setting this story behind walls does not erect any barriers to a wide-ranging plot。 The heroine， Kiva， is someone who is surviving as best she can， using the talents for healing inherited from her family， and learnt in her early years。 She meets each new arrival and most of them will just disappear into the anonymity of the imprisoned masses， but two make a particular impression on her。 The first is a young man， Jaren， who makes a connection with her， even as she realises he is unlikely to survive long in the quarries where he is sent。 And the other is the Rebel Queen， sentenced to endure four Trials by Ordeal although she is critically ill and barely conscious。 Kiva has a certain kindness， but she guards it fiercely under an irascible exterior towards those she cares for， and an impassive mask for the rest of the inhabitants。 And she feels a strong responsibility towards her patients， which along with other factors， drives her to volunteer for the Trials as the Rebel Queen′s Champion。 I don′t think it′s a spoiler to say that she she is able to survive most of the Trials or this would be a very short book。 How she gets through is unexpected for each Trial; she does receive outside help， but at each step it is her own courage and knowledge that takes her over the edge to survival。 Within the prison are supporters of the rebels， and defenders of the status quo – including the guards， as well as those who just want to get through the next day by whichever means are possible。 It makes for a dangerous blend。I found this a really engrossing book to read， there were enough strands of story to counterbalance the restricted location。 Kiva is the main character， and I certainly rooted for her and wanted her to win free， but other characters had their arcs as well， so I was invested in whether they would survive。 The book ends on an interesting revelation， which may be a bit of a cliff-hanger， however I felt that the story of Kiva in the prison had come to a satisfying resolution。I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley 。。。more
Alana
，
A REALLY fun read， and one that I've been waiting for a long time。 As soon as April 13th hit， you can bet I started reading。 And it was perfect。 Kiva's a really great character with layers to her story and personality， and as wonderful as the romance is， it isn't what the story focuses on， which leaves so much room for Kiva and her healing， and her prowess not only with what she does but with survival and staying alive in the prison。 It's a real beauty watching her change， and I'm thrilled that A REALLY fun read， and one that I've been waiting for a long time。 As soon as April 13th hit， you can bet I started reading。 And it was perfect。 Kiva's a really great character with layers to her story and personality， and as wonderful as the romance is， it isn't what the story focuses on， which leaves so much room for Kiva and her healing， and her prowess not only with what she does but with survival and staying alive in the prison。 It's a real beauty watching her change， and I'm thrilled that this was all I expected and more from Noni。 。。。more
Lily Martin
，
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。75For all the hype SJM gets， why did nobody tell me that waiting in the wings was Lynette Noni？？？ An Australian YA author writing stories with believable love stories， great plot twists and characters that I sobbed over？？？ Amazing。 I just couldn’t get enough of this book。 I don’t want to say too much without spoiling all the beautiful and insane twists that this story takes， but suffice to say I just loved this book。 I think my favourite part was that Kiva wasn’t actually some badass sw ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。75For all the hype SJM gets， why did nobody tell me that waiting in the wings was Lynette Noni？？？ An Australian YA author writing stories with believable love stories， great plot twists and characters that I sobbed over？？？ Amazing。 I just couldn’t get enough of this book。 I don’t want to say too much without spoiling all the beautiful and insane twists that this story takes， but suffice to say I just loved this book。 I think my favourite part was that Kiva wasn’t actually some badass sword wielding worrier woman。 Shes a healer and shows her strength in other ways （and leaves the sword fighting to Narri）。 She was also flawed and made mistakes， but had so much love and compassion for those around her。 I love a good well written character and Kiva gave me that。 The side characters were also phenomenal。 They were fleshed out and complex The plot was nothing new。 I’ve read books where the main character is in jail （second Nevernight？） as well as stories where characters have to complete a series of tasks （Throne of Glass）， but Noni execution was brilliant and heartfelt。 I was set on giving this book a 4。25 rating for most of it， but then that ending just。 。 。 oh my god。 I sort of guessed some of it but I was still in shock when I finished。 I cannot wait until October！ 。。。more
Sasha Johnson
，
This book had me hooked。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
roxi Net
，
#ThePrisonHealer #NetGalleyI've found a new favorite author to follow。I'm so grateful to have read this book by Lynette Noni。 Having had some trouble reading in the last few months， this is the first book in quite some time that I've finished and immediately needed to review to tell all how wonderful I thought it was。 It gripped me from the beginning throughout the end。 Kiva， taken prisoner at seven years of age， along with her father， is a survivor。 Seeing all prisoners as the same， she does he #ThePrisonHealer #NetGalleyI've found a new favorite author to follow。I'm so grateful to have read this book by Lynette Noni。 Having had some trouble reading in the last few months， this is the first book in quite some time that I've finished and immediately needed to review to tell all how wonderful I thought it was。 It gripped me from the beginning throughout the end。 Kiva， taken prisoner at seven years of age， along with her father， is a survivor。 Seeing all prisoners as the same， she does her best to heal them despite the death sentence the prison carries for all prisoners。 To survive， she becomes an informant， despised by all prisoners， abused by the guards， yet she is able to continue her father's tradition by healing all who come her way。 Even the Rebel Queen。 I don't want to give the plot away， so all I can say is that Prison Healer was so well-written and Kiva's character is a person I would like to have as a friend。 Reminded me much of Sarah Maas， but in a distinct and separate way。 I can't wait to read more of Lynette Noni， especially if there are more books in this series。 。。。more
♠ TABI⁷ ♠
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Bob Morley aka Bellamy Blake recommends this one so what other reason do I need？？ oh， yeah， the blurb sounds EPIC
Vanessa B。 ♡
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How refreshing it is when you read a truly good twist。 This was very good and the ending one of the best I have ever read！！Full review to come！
Caitlan McLean
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Review in ten-ish words: Interesting concept， killer ending and a promising set up for book two。 ++ CNSynopsis:"Don't let her die， we are coming。" Kiva has been a prisoner of Zalindov for ten years。 Now at seventeen， she is both loathed and valued as the prison's healer。 The only contact with her family comes in the form of coded messages。 When the rebel queen arrives Kiva must do everything she can to ensure she survives， including participation in the Trial of Ordeals （which no one is yet to s Review in ten-ish words: Interesting concept， killer ending and a promising set up for book two。 ++ CNSynopsis:"Don't let her die， we are coming。" Kiva has been a prisoner of Zalindov for ten years。 Now at seventeen， she is both loathed and valued as the prison's healer。 The only contact with her family comes in the form of coded messages。 When the rebel queen arrives Kiva must do everything she can to ensure she survives， including participation in the Trial of Ordeals （which no one is yet to survive， by the way）。 On top of a deathly trial， Kiva must also deal with a roguish new prisoner， villainous guards， and a plague sweeping through the prison。 My thoughts: The book was inventive and I appreciated that it was set inside of a prison （though some critique has been seen relating to the high level of violence and potential holocaust overtones）。 I find that most fantasy stories have the MC as having had a prison sentence in their past， and it is often referred to。 I LOVE that we got to join Kiva inside Zalindov。 Now I will agree this book is YA- BUT with a huge caveat。 There are some SUPER heavy themes people should definitely be aware of before reading。 （CN for self harm， violence， torture， drug use， claustrophobia， references to sexual assault， mass cremation）。 In addition I did pick on some ableist undertones that didn't sit too comfortably （e。g。 a prosthetic that works better than a person's hand， brief reference to stigma around STI's）。 I did feel a little bit of a lull in the middle where the plot slowed down and it felt repetitive but I still enjoyed the interactions between the characters。 Whether some of the plot points were realistic or not was another concern （even with this being a fantasy novel）- whether actions by some of the characters were believable was another。 As demonstrated from the numerous content notes/warnings character hurt is a very large facet of the story and sometimes I didn't think this was relevant to the story and the character development could have been achieved through other means。 The ending changed the book for me entirely。 The pacing for the last quarter was perfect and I am DYING to read the next one with what has been established with some of the characters。 I will say if you dislike an unreliable narrator this book may annoy you。In general I am chuffed I found an Australian fantasy author。 Apparently， Lynette's Medoran Chronicles is a great series and I am keen to read this one as well。 Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Allison
，
WHAT。。。THE ENDINGI CAN'T EVENTHERE ARE NO WORDSthat was an amazing book。 I loved it。 so much。 AHHHH her writing is amazing and the storyline。。。 😍definitely a YA book， it was a little more mature and graphic （not descriptive or anything bad） than her previous series， but I loved it！！ seriously， so goodBUT THAT ENDINGHOW CAN SHE DO THIS TO ME（honestly tho， she did an excellent job setting up that cliffhanger。 looking back at it， everything makes sense and just fits together。 but it was also well h WHAT。。。THE ENDINGI CAN'T EVENTHERE ARE NO WORDSthat was an amazing book。 I loved it。 so much。 AHHHH her writing is amazing and the storyline。。。 😍definitely a YA book， it was a little more mature and graphic （not descriptive or anything bad） than her previous series， but I loved it！！ seriously， so goodBUT THAT ENDINGHOW CAN SHE DO THIS TO ME（honestly tho， she did an excellent job setting up that cliffhanger。 looking back at it， everything makes sense and just fits together。 but it was also well hidden so it wasn't super obvious。 like， once you know， you know and it makes complete sense， but before that， you have no clue）I WANT THE NEXT BOOKARGH！I literally sat down and read this in probably 3-4 hours。 it was that good。 amazing job once againTHE ENDING THOUGH 。。。more
Kera （featherboundbooks）
，
I read this in a day because I just couldn’t stop！ I have had an arc of this book for so long and I don’t what on earth had me waiting so long to pick it up！ This book was absolutely amazing！Kiva has been a prisoner at Zalindov for the past 10 years， spending many of those years as the prison healer。 It is her duty to heal whoever ails， just as her beloved father did and taught her to do before his demise in the very same death prison。She spends her days caring for sick and injured inmates and g I read this in a day because I just couldn’t stop！ I have had an arc of this book for so long and I don’t what on earth had me waiting so long to pick it up！ This book was absolutely amazing！Kiva has been a prisoner at Zalindov for the past 10 years， spending many of those years as the prison healer。 It is her duty to heal whoever ails， just as her beloved father did and taught her to do before his demise in the very same death prison。She spends her days caring for sick and injured inmates and guards alike， always doing her very best not to grow attachments to anyone she meets。 The only exception to that rule has been a young boy， Tipp， who assists her and the new inmate Jaren， who no matter how hard she tries to keep him at arm’s length， gets under her skin。When the Rebel Queen is captured， with the secret note from Kiva’s family telling her to keep her alive because they are coming to save her， Kiva will stop at nothing to do just that。 But， there is no way the extremely ill Rebel Queen can withstand the “Trial by Ordeal” which is a series of elemental challenges only people with magical abilities could survive。。。 In a moment of part courage， part backed-into-a-corner， Kiva announces that she will take the ailing woman’s place in the trials。。。But Kiva doesn’t know how she will survive without the magic of the royal bloodlines。 On top of that， the prison is breaking out with an illness that is killing in droves。 Kiva must figure out how to pass the trials and determine not only a cure for this mysterious illness， but figure out what is causing it。The stakes are in incredibly high in this wonderful ya fantasy。 There is so much rich history and fantastic world building。 This world that Kiva lives in is a terrifying place。 She is constantly fighting or her life。 There are so many people she must protect herself from。 And I loved every single minute of it！ The ending of this book made my freaking head spin！！！ I cannot wait to see what is in store for The Gilded Cage！ 。。。more
Mina
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Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review。We follow Kiva， a girl that has spent last 10 years of her life in Zalindov， worst prison there is。 At first I was surprised by how dark it is。 Not very common for YA book。 Incredible settings， infringed， lowest layers of society all looking just to survive。 Dark and atmospheric， depicting all sides of human behavior。 You will find the worst of the worst in Zalindov。 Kiva is Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review。We follow Kiva， a girl that has spent last 10 years of her life in Zalindov， worst prison there is。 At first I was surprised by how dark it is。 Not very common for YA book。 Incredible settings， infringed， lowest layers of society all looking just to survive。 Dark and atmospheric， depicting all sides of human behavior。 You will find the worst of the worst in Zalindov。 Kiva is navigating this world for years， do what need to be done， trust no one， don’t bond or make connections， and all in order to survive。 She is a testament to human resilience and silent bravery， all while being utterly humane and just。 I was worried i would enjoy this book， and it did take me a little to get into it I’ll admit。 But when it starts， it starts， Story is rich and layered。 Characters complex and compelling。 All i can say i cannot wait for book 2， so happy its also coming in 2021！ 。。。more
Stephanie
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3。5 stars。 Review to come。
Isabel
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I really really enjoyed this omg
The Fantasy Library
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Be warned I will be ranting here。 Before the rant I should describe the book a bit。 I'll try to keep it spoiler free。 But no promises。 Sorry。 Kiva Meridan was imprisoned in the most cruel prison， Zalindov， with her father when she was just seven years old。 Ten years later she is still surviving Zalindov。 Now she is The Prison Healer。 For ten years she's been waiting for her family to come and free her from the prison。 Talking to her family through coded messages。 The Rebel Queen is captured and Be warned I will be ranting here。 Before the rant I should describe the book a bit。 I'll try to keep it spoiler free。 But no promises。 Sorry。 Kiva Meridan was imprisoned in the most cruel prison， Zalindov， with her father when she was just seven years old。 Ten years later she is still surviving Zalindov。 Now she is The Prison Healer。 For ten years she's been waiting for her family to come and free her from the prison。 Talking to her family through coded messages。 The Rebel Queen is captured and brought to her。 Kiva sees that she is extremely sick and might be dying。 She gets a coded message to not let her die and that they were coming to free them。 With hope renewed Kiva tries everything she can to keep her alive。 When the Rebel Queen is sentenced to the Trial by Ordeal she volunteers to be her champion and face the Trials on behalf of her。Furthermore， a deadly stomach virus was going around， rapidly killing prisoners。 Kiva starts to investigate the source of the virus to help stop the virus and save the prisoners。 Kiva is such a strong character。 She survived Zalindov for ten years， where most prisoners survived it for a few months。 The only thing that kept her going was her hope to be with her family again。 Throughout the book her character is shown to be simple。 She is the prison healer， who sometimes is targeted by the other inmates because of her connections with the warden。 But near to the end of the book we see a completely different side of her which was unexpected。 Tipp is the youngest prisoner in Zalindov， he's eleven years old。 His character brings a bit of sunshine in the gloomy， deathly prison。 His character has innocence with the strength to survive a prison like Zalindov。 Kiva and Tipps' relationship is so beautiful。 Tipp reminds Kiva of her younger brother and she loves and cares for him like one。 Then there is Jaren。 The sudden new prisoner。 He is handsome。 He has blue eyes with gold rimming his pupils and I was already swooning。 I have a thing for blue eyes with something gold in them flecks or rims。 His character is also simple and not so simple as well。 There is definitely more to his character， which is revealed near the end of the book， just like Kivas'。 He is kind， caring， he is book crush material。 That's all I'm going to say because if I write more， then I'll spoil the book。 I'm really restraining myself right now。 Naari is the new prison guard。 She is different from the other prison guards。 She is stern and skilled but unlike the other guards she is good hearted。 It took Kiva some time to trust her because of the way the other guards behaved which was very cruel。 They killed inmates for unnecessary reasons。 She did end up liking her。 Like Kiva and Jaren， Naari's character also has something extra。 Now I will rant。 This book was so smooth。 Everything slowly builds up towards the explosive ending。 This book has from friends to liking each other to being enemies and not telling the other person that they are enemies trope。 Then there also is from being king and queen to taking over the kingdom for oneself and the other fleeing and influencing the make of a rebel group trope。 The book was so well written。 The description of the prison and their way of life there was vivid。 The plot twist after plot twist after plot twist placed so nicely throughout the book， that it had me reeling。 I wanted to binge read this book but I slowed myself down because I knew I needed to brace myself for the ending。 Let me tell you something。 I finished this book last night at exactly 4:22am， there was a bird chirping outside my window and my mouth was hanging open as if it were unhinged from my jaw。 I remember all of this because I was， no I am so shocked by the book that I still can't stop thinking what's going to happen next？ The book is over， The Gilded Cage isn't out for another 6 months！ I'm dying here because of the cliffhanger！！ Oh My God！ That was so amazing！ I immensely thank Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC。 。。。more
Saphire
，
Simply mindblowing。 One of the better stories I have read in a long time。 Highly recommended for SJM fans。
Tarzan
，
Needs a trigger warning for rape， sexual assault， heavy violence and self-harm Also so many things don't make sense， like soooo many。 Needs a trigger warning for rape， sexual assault， heavy violence and self-harm Also so many things don't make sense， like soooo many。 。。。more
Leona Wyatt （Lennie Reads）
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4。5 rounded up to 5I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book but I was hooked immediately。 I loved our morally ambiguous MC Kiva & her journey as she does what she can to survive in a brutal prison whilst also trying to treat patients with no judgement。 And after Jaren arrives， with the help of Naari & Tipp， they all start to break down Kiva's carefully constructed walls。 When the Rebel Queen is captured & taken to the prison - it is decided that she will have to complete 4 trials， each 4。5 rounded up to 5I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book but I was hooked immediately。 I loved our morally ambiguous MC Kiva & her journey as she does what she can to survive in a brutal prison whilst also trying to treat patients with no judgement。 And after Jaren arrives， with the help of Naari & Tipp， they all start to break down Kiva's carefully constructed walls。 When the Rebel Queen is captured & taken to the prison - it is decided that she will have to complete 4 trials， each featuring a different element， & if she survives， she will be free。 However， the Rebel Queen is on death's door when she arrives & in no state to complete anything， so Kiva volunteers to take her place under the understanding that if she completes the trials， both her & the Queen will be freed。 The trials get increasingly harder & Kiva's reliance on others becomes heavier， making her realise she isn't as much of an island as she would like to believe。 I loved the dark gritty surroundings of the prison & I feel that Noni paints a very vivid & realistic image of Zalindov prison， as well as the types of people who would be in there， innocent & guilty alike。 Noni also portrays the brutality of the prisons guards & the cold calculating Warden especially well。 I loved the history of the royals， the magic systems & how that fed into the story。 I was also fascinated by the descriptions of medicines & how Kiva has taught herself healing through trial & error following her father's death in the prison。 Some of the twists I saw coming but some of them left me absolutely gobsmacked。 I need the sequel ASAP。 And I love Kiva， Jaren， Naari & Tipp so much！ CW: mentions of sexual assault， drug use， self harm， death 。。。more
Caitlin
，
✨The Prison Healer✨Thank you to Netgalley， Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Lynette Noni for providing a copy。 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Review:Lynette Noni is a new-to-me author and what a way to be introduced to her work！ I absolutely devoured The Prison Healer and I’m eagerly awaiting book two， The Gilded Cage！ This wonderfully woven， utterly unique and enthralling tale of surviving against all odds， learning to trust and learning to love。 Tipp had my heart from the minute he was introduced， Mot had me ✨The Prison Healer✨Thank you to Netgalley， Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Lynette Noni for providing a copy。 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Review:Lynette Noni is a new-to-me author and what a way to be introduced to her work！ I absolutely devoured The Prison Healer and I’m eagerly awaiting book two， The Gilded Cage！ This wonderfully woven， utterly unique and enthralling tale of surviving against all odds， learning to trust and learning to love。 Tipp had my heart from the minute he was introduced， Mot had me chuckling， Jaren had me swooning， I want a friend like Naari and most of all I want Kiva in my corner。 This ragtag bunch of prisoners （and one guard） made for an imaginative and vivid read。 The characters are likeable and relatable， the plot developed wonderfully， the romance is a nice slow-burn enemies to lovers and the friendships are second to none。 The world building was fantastic and with a few heart stopping， jaw dropping plot twists， this is a story that is not to be missed。 One of the most exciting new stories to come out of 2021 so far！ 。。。more
Whispering Stories
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Book Reviewed on www。whisperingstories。comThe Prison Healer is an alluring fantasy novel that contains engrossing scenes， powerful characters， and a setting like no other。Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has been an inmate at the notorious Zallindov prison for the last ten years。 Her crime， being with her father when he was arrested。 Kiva has managed to survive by keeping her head down， becoming the prison healer， and passing on information about uprisings between the prisoners to the warden。 Mos Book Reviewed on www。whisperingstories。comThe Prison Healer is an alluring fantasy novel that contains engrossing scenes， powerful characters， and a setting like no other。Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has been an inmate at the notorious Zallindov prison for the last ten years。 Her crime， being with her father when he was arrested。 Kiva has managed to survive by keeping her head down， becoming the prison healer， and passing on information about uprisings between the prisoners to the warden。 Most inmates don’t last more than a few weeks。She also has another reason for surviving so long， hope。 As new inmates arrive Kiva’s family on the outside sometimes manage to send her coded messages with them telling her that they are coming for her。On the outside rebels are trying to overthrow the royal family and take back the crown for themselves which they say was taken from the rebel queen， the true heir。 When the queen is captured and badly injured it is up to Kiva to nurse her back to health， though what for as she has been sentenced to ‘Trial by Ordeal’， an elemental trial that has never been completed by any inmate and consists of trial by air， fire， water， and earth。With the queen still gravely ill when the trial begins Kiva offers to take her place。 If she fails they both die。 If she succeeds then they both are set free from the prison。I often find that I have a hit-and-miss relationship with fantasy novels， however， this book blew my mind。 It is truly amazing。 Kiva is a young woman who has had to learn to survive the hard way。 Being innocently incarcerated in one of the toughest and hardest prisons known to man with guards who are sometimes worse than the inmates and they are some of the worst offenders you will meet。She likes being the prison healer， helping people， even if she knows that they probably won’t last very long once she lets them leave the infirmary。 She has help in the form of young lad Kipp who is her only friend， another innocent who could leave if there was a guardian on the outside to take him。 Kiva is closed off emotionally and only trusts herself。We also meet Jaren a new inmate who is trying to get close to Kiva and new female prison guard Naari who is happy to look the other way sometimes and to help Kiva now and again。The book is masterfully written。 The scenes are very descriptive which makes for perfect visuals as you read。 The world-building is superb and I loved that at the beginning we are given a map of the kingdoms of Wenderall where the book is set and a detailed map of the prison。This was a story I didn’t want to end。 I was happy being immersed in Kiva’s life and the prison。 I enjoyed the plot and loved the little surprises that the author threw in now and again。 I now can’t wait for book two – The Gilded Cage， which is released in October。 。。。more
Allana
，
Loved it！ Lynette Noni has done it again and I am here for it。 Excellent writing that never ceases to amaze me， the vocabulary and literary techniques employed by Lynette delight me。 Overall the plot of this novel is well thought out and grips the reader to drag them in。
Elisa （The Overflowing Bookshelf）
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Calling all Sarah J。 Maas lovers！ Award-winning author Lynette Noni is known for captivating readers with her YA series and her newest one is sure to do the same！ Published on April 13th， The Prison Healer is the book all fantasy fans need to read。I loved Kiva and her strength throughout the novel。 The way she continues to do her job and survive in the prison， despite certain feelings and loyalties， was admirable and inspiring。 She is a character I found myself continually rooting for and was tu Calling all Sarah J。 Maas lovers！ Award-winning author Lynette Noni is known for captivating readers with her YA series and her newest one is sure to do the same！ Published on April 13th， The Prison Healer is the book all fantasy fans need to read。I loved Kiva and her strength throughout the novel。 The way she continues to do her job and survive in the prison， despite certain feelings and loyalties， was admirable and inspiring。 She is a character I found myself continually rooting for and was turning page after page just to see what would happen next。 In addition to Kiva， all the rest of the characters were so well written and it helped enhance the plot of the novel even more。 Speaking of， the plot was absolutely fantastic！ Even though this is technically a YA novel， it was so nuanced and refined that even adult fantasy lovers will fall in love with this book。 I don’t want to give too much away so I'll just say this: I laughed， I cried （multiple times。。。）， and the ending had me FLOORED！ Just when I thought I had things figured out， Lynette Noni decided to hit me with some plot twists that had me shocked。 Like I can’t even tell you how long I just sat there at 1am contemplating everything I had just read。。。All I can say about this book is HOLY SH*T ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR IMMEDIATELY！ As for me， I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series to come out to see what the heck is going to happen next！*I received an ARC from HMH Teen via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more
Leanne Mullaney
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I absolutely LOVED this book。 I started it at 10pm and was done by 5am （I was on a nightshift too so had to keep stopping to actually work。。。 so that should show how good it was！ I also only got up to make 1 coffee throughout the night compared to my usual 4！ ） The prison healer was an amazingly addictive YA fantasy and I highly recommend it。**Kiva is the 17 year old prison healer， having been imprisoned at nortorious Zalindov for the past 10 years。 Her only crime - being with her dad when he wa I absolutely LOVED this book。 I started it at 10pm and was done by 5am （I was on a nightshift too so had to keep stopping to actually work。。。 so that should show how good it was！ I also only got up to make 1 coffee throughout the night compared to my usual 4！ ） The prison healer was an amazingly addictive YA fantasy and I highly recommend it。**Kiva is the 17 year old prison healer， having been imprisoned at nortorious Zalindov for the past 10 years。 Her only crime - being with her dad when he was arrested。When the Rebel Queen is captured and brought to the prison Kiva is set with the task to treat her so that she will be fit enough to face the trials of ordeal。 It seems a hopeless task but when a coded message arrives from her family telling her that she must not let the Queen die and that they are on their way， Kiva becomes determined to do everything she can to ensure that the Queen will survive 。。。 even if that means tying her own fate and her life to the Rebel Queen’s。。。。 Honestly if that hasn't hooked you what will！！The setting was spot on - a dark gritty prison where most don't survive had me hooked immediately。A Brilliant cast of characters - Kiva is a great protagonist。 She is determined and strong but also full of compassion and empathy。 The supporting cast were also equally as amazing！ Jaren 。。。 swoon！ Naari 。。。。 I loved her and Tipp 。。。 My favourite of them all！！ he was just the sweetest cutest little cinnamon roll of a boy。 Honestly I just loved him with all my heart。There was romance but it was subtle and sweet and done perfectly。 It didn't overshadow the plot at all。。。。。。。 and O。M。G that ending！！ There were little twists and turns throughout the book but that ending was just 。。。 OMG！！ HONESTLY WHAT！！！！ I need the second book like right now！！ I did not see that coming at all。 Im not sure there was even a hint that was coming which made it that more impactful！！ Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book， I'm now off to request the sequel！！ Please accept it *fingers tightly crossed* 。。。more
Shannon （It Starts At Midnight）
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You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight Yeah， so this was amazing。 And that was before I knew Bob Morley will be interviewing Lynette Noni for the promo 😱！ （Seriously， he is， click the link and tune in tomorrow- April 14-I know I sure will be！）Anyway， I'll try to talk about the book since apparently this is supposed to be a book blog and not a Bob Morley fan site （though tbh， who can tell the difference anymore， it's like， You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight Yeah， so this was amazing。 And that was before I knew Bob Morley will be interviewing Lynette Noni for the promo 😱！ （Seriously， he is， click the link and tune in tomorrow- April 14-I know I sure will be！）Anyway， I'll try to talk about the book since apparently this is supposed to be a book blog and not a Bob Morley fan site （though tbh， who can tell the difference anymore， it's like， half-and-half at best）。 Here's an embarrassing story: for a really long time， I thought the title of this book was The Poison Healer。 Which， whoopsie， it is not。 I was legit a few chapters in before I realized the difference， so that happened。 Oh and by the by， this aforementioned prison is brutal。 "Zalindov showed no mercy， not even to the innocent。 Especially not to the innocent。" So， you see what our titular healer is dealing with。 Kiva is amazing， regardless of （or perhaps because of） her circumstances。 She still， somehow， holds out hope。 Not just for her own life， but for all those she treats。 Sure， she knows people don't last very long in Zalindov， but she'll be damned if people will die on her watch。 It's incredibly endearing， and I think it's why it's so easy to cheer for her from the start。But one day， her bravery/selflessness/impulsivity leads her to take the rebel leader's place in a punishment which is incredibly likely to mean her death。 And not just her death， but the death of those she's allowed herself to love （despite her best efforts to close herself off） inside the prison walls。 So needless to say， the stakes are high。 Speaking of the others inside the prison， wow did I enjoy the side characters！ I worried about their fates nearly as much as Kiva's。 Because the big question remained: even if Kiva can miraculously survive， what about everyone else？The book has a perfect mix of action and character development， and I basically could not put it down。 It was so fascinating （and heartbreaking） to read about how Kiva got to this point in her life， and also really uplifting and inspiring that she was able to keep hope。 There is also a rampant illness felling prisoners left and right that Kiva must try to keep under control， all while keeping both herself and her loved ones alive。So， since I want to give nothing more away， I'll leave you with this: I could not put this book down。 There are so many incredible twists and turns。 I fell completely in love with Kiva， as well as her fellow prisoners。 I cheered for them， I cried for them， and I cannot wait to read the next installment。Bottom Line: When I'm already pre-ordering book 2， you know it's a winner。 。。。more
Krysana Rodway
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I have no words for this book。 I went through reading it thinking it was one story， and then the final two pages CHANGED EVERYTHING。 I need to re read it already to understand how the story actually is。 I have so many thoughts and emotions about this book， I can't wait for the second one to come out。 I NEED to know if Kiva and Jaren will still get together！！ I have no words for this book。 I went through reading it thinking it was one story， and then the final two pages CHANGED EVERYTHING。 I need to re read it already to understand how the story actually is。 I have so many thoughts and emotions about this book， I can't wait for the second one to come out。 I NEED to know if Kiva and Jaren will still get together！！ 。。。more
Jen （shitbookreviews。com）
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Copy via Netgalley but also bought my own。Fuck me sideways – THIS IS A BOOK YOU NEED TO READ。 My emotions， my heart， my MIND all left scrambled whilst I lie in the dark trying to contemplate what just happened。 I am a mess。When you grab this （noticed I said when and not IF）， this is what you’re in for:✨ Hunger Games vibes but in a death prison✨ Rebel Queen messing everyone’s shit up✨ One bad-ass 17-year-old trying not to die in said death prison that has to heal people with no training✨ A set of Copy via Netgalley but also bought my own。Fuck me sideways – THIS IS A BOOK YOU NEED TO READ。 My emotions， my heart， my MIND all left scrambled whilst I lie in the dark trying to contemplate what just happened。 I am a mess。When you grab this （noticed I said when and not IF）， this is what you’re in for:✨ Hunger Games vibes but in a death prison✨ Rebel Queen messing everyone’s shit up✨ One bad-ass 17-year-old trying not to die in said death prison that has to heal people with no training✨ A set of ordeals that would grant her her freedom✨ A disease that is killing off inmates in drovesI mean c’mon。 How could you even resist that in the first place？ First up， you’ve got our main gal， Kiva。 The aforementioned bad-ass is the one standing between life and death of most of the prisoners。 Dragged along to Zalindov prison because of her father’s actions， she’s 10 years deep in a never-ending sentence and doing what she must to survive。 Then you have little Tipp。 Another kid thrown in this hell-hole because of his parents， Tipp is like a little ray of sunshine that bounds from one place to another like he’s in fucking Disney World。 If we could bottle up his essence， we could be millionaires。If that pair isn’t enough， enter Jaren （lad supreme） and Naari （a prison guard who is nice…？ Weird） to really throw a few spanners into the works。 This band of merry misfits join forces to try to figure out what’s behind the sickness that’s plaguing the prison， but when the Rebel Queen， Tilda， is flung into her world everything grinds to a halt。 Tilda is sentenced to Trial by Ordeal， but as she’s， uh， unconscious， she ain’t in any fit state to do them， so Kiva volunteers as tribute。 If she survives， they both walk out of this place。 One problem though – very few people do。And I’m going to stop there。 Because this is a book you should read for yourself。Yes， it’s a story about Kings and Queens。 Yes， there’s a smidge of romance but nothing wild。 Yes， some of this sounds clichéd as fuck but I do not care。 I needed a book like this at the moment and it’s filled a void that I didn’t even know was there。 It’s a deliciously easy read leaving you wanting to devour more and I promise you that might not see that ending coming。 I was sitting there all smug thinking I’d mastered it， but hell no。 Smacked right in the face – left gobsmacked。Gimmie the next one。 Now。（p。s。 thankfully I only need to wait until October） 。。。more
Lou
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The Prison Healer is the first instalment in an eponymous young adult fantasy trilogy by award-winning author Lynette Noni。 Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years of her life sentence fighting for survival in the notorious death prison， Zalindov。 It is the place the rulers of Wenderall’s eight kingdoms send the worst offenders。 Both she and her father， Faran， were incarcerated when Kiva was only a child for suspected treason against the crown。 Having succeeded her late fath The Prison Healer is the first instalment in an eponymous young adult fantasy trilogy by award-winning author Lynette Noni。 Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years of her life sentence fighting for survival in the notorious death prison， Zalindov。 It is the place the rulers of Wenderall’s eight kingdoms send the worst offenders。 Both she and her father， Faran， were incarcerated when Kiva was only a child for suspected treason against the crown。 Having succeeded her late father as the eponymous prison healer， she uses fragrant， healing herbs on her patients and boasts extensive， in-depth medical knowledge particularly of viruses， bacteria and the immune system and has also taken up the role of informer to the merciless Rooke， the warden in charge of oversight at the facility。 Kiva understands that many of those she shares prison life with cannot be trusted and their loyalty could turn on a dime so she befriends few fellow inmates， her closest ally being MacGuffin Tipp， and the guards can be trusted even less than the criminals; they frequently abuse their power by committing acts of violence or sexual assaults that go unpunished。 However， new female guard， Naari， is different as is attractive new prisoner， Jaren， making Kiva interested in getting to know them and helping her perceived iciness to somewhat thaw。 When the Rebel Queen， Tilda Corentine， is captured， Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive in the prison’s infirmary long enough for her to undergo her sentence - Trial by Ordeal: a series of 4 impossible elemental challenges against the torments of air， fire， water， and earth， assigned to only the most dangerous and problematic of criminals。Rooke gives Kiva a mere 7 days to ready political prisoner Tilda for her ”trial”， but she is seriously ill， blind and unconscious。 If she survives she will be deemed innocent and free to go but those who have been subjected to Trial by Ordeal in the past have each suffered the same unfortunate fate; let's just say， none of them are alive to tell the tale。 Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives， containing a single order: “Don’t let her die。 We are coming。” Despite Kiva providing the best medical care she can， The Rebel Queen remains in a coma and shows little sign of improvement， so in order to buy time to give their rescuers time to mount an assault， Kiva volunteers， risking her own life， to take her place as Tilda’s champion。 Will they ever manage to escape these prison walls or are they destined to die in Zalindov？ This is a captivating and compulsive grimdark political fantasy and makes use of quite a few prevalent genre tropes such as the royal kingdom and its tension with rebels and revolutionaries， a magic system that is lightly touched upon and an ensuing romance but admittedly they are well woven into the narrative and propel it along nicely。 The horrors of the prison could be likened to a concentration camp or Russian gulag and the Trial by Ordeal very much reminded me of the Witch Trials which were also inescapable and a death sentence whether you were innocent or guilty as charged。 There are several subplots in this atmospheric， almost claustrophobic， story and it is filled with adventure， action， mystery， romance and emotionally resonant characters who it's impossible not to become invested in。 A dark， brutal and thrilling read with a cornucopia of twists studded throughout。 。。。more
Minna
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Thank you to HMH Books， NetGalley and to Ms。 Noni for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title。 An honest review was requested but not required。 I had some real mixed feelings about this。Let’s start with the GOOD。Lynette Noni is clearly a talented writer。 The story had a smooth flow and to be honest， my interest was caught and held from the beginning。 The setting was unique。 Ms。 Noni’s prison did seem more dark and prison-like than most。 There were no comforts here。 MOST of the prisoners und Thank you to HMH Books， NetGalley and to Ms。 Noni for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title。 An honest review was requested but not required。 I had some real mixed feelings about this。Let’s start with the GOOD。Lynette Noni is clearly a talented writer。 The story had a smooth flow and to be honest， my interest was caught and held from the beginning。 The setting was unique。 Ms。 Noni’s prison did seem more dark and prison-like than most。 There were no comforts here。 MOST of the prisoners underwent terrible， backbreaking work and did in fact die in prison。 （Note: There were some definite Holocaust overtones to the so-called “death prison” which could be triggering for some。 In fact， there were quite a few things that could be triggering in this book。 I was not triggered myself but I’m just putting it out there）I would be interested in reading other books by Ms。 Noni as I’m seeing that she has some very popular series under her belt。And now for the less good。This book definitely hit up most of the YA tropes I can think of。 Protagonist is completely unique from all those OTHER girls？ Check。 （She is literally isolated from the other prisoners， and hated by most of them。 She's clearly set apart。） Parents dead？ Sort-of check; one of them is。 Most of the adults suck？ Well， yes。 The warden is horrible， 99% of the guards are criminals， and most of the prisoners （as I said） hate her。Token diversity？ hmm， n/a。Dystopian world/Government sucks/ rebellion going on？ Check check。Protagonist is oblivious to her looks？ Definitely。 Not sure there is a mirror in prison。 Parents are gone？ Definitely。 She’s in there aloooooooooooone。 One parent is dead （see above） and the other is outside of the prison， somewhere。 （view spoiler）[ seriously， this is a spoiler （view spoiler）[ Or IS SHE？？？？？？ （hide spoiler）] （hide spoiler）]Romance？ Well， if Jaren has his way， then yes。Chosen one？ （view spoiler）[ You betcha。 （hide spoiler）]Love Triangle？ NO， thank the lord。 OK， so we’ve got 8 out of 10。 80%。 Even then I can overlook an overabundance of tropes when there’s good writing （there was） and a compelling plot （there was） and good characters （there were）。 Unfortunately the trials， which I had really looked forward to – how refreshing！ a protagonist with NO MAGIC！ Puzzling things out for herself！ With her BRAIN！ – turned into one magic-fueled miracle save after another。 Even then I was still on board… until the end。So it seems everyone else liked the end。 The end was even the redeeming point of the book for some people。 But the end is where I lost all positive feelings for Kiva。 I really hate hypocritical characters and for her to absolutely rip another character a new one for dishonesty considering her… secrets… was hypocrisy at its height。 Not to mention， the entire novel was from Kiva’s POV， so her attitudes and actions seemed especially weird （if not outright duplicitous） when the big twist was revealed。 I don’t know。 I really feel like I can see where the plot of this duology？ Trilogy？ …will end up， and tbh if Kiva dropped out of the story I’d be up to read it。 But her character was just completely ruined for me in the ending of The Prison Healer and I’m hesitant to read on。 As I said， I seem to be in the minority in thinking this， so please read the book if you’re so inclined and make your mind up for yourself。 It’s a good book with a lot going for it， and frankly， I liked the writing style enough that I’d definitely try more of Ms。 Noni’s work。 I just had some serious misgivings about a character who （unfortunately） is the *main* character。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Prison Healer
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Prison Healer&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Prison Healer&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0