The Prison Healer proves that a single setting can provide a terrific level of world building. It's definitely more focused on the characters and the trials (pun intended) they are facing being locked away in a prison. I found the writing style approachable, the characters multifaceted and the setting as depressing and dreary as you'd expect, but I also found it a bit draggy? There were moments that struck me as repetitive, some details overly mentioned or over explained, but otherwise the pacing held up well on it's own.

That being said, up until the last 50-60 pages the book took its time going anywhere. There were multiple predictable things sprinkled in, but the ending??? Y'all, the ending shook me more than I feel comfortable admitting, because it's definitely something in hindsight you can see coming. But I did not see it coming, so cudos to the author for sneaking in a great selling point to pick up the sequel asap.

Overall a solid ya fantasy, albeit stretched to its limits in length.

The prisoner healer was a good book that I enjoyed, but there was something missing. I cant even say what it was
Did I see the two plot twists coming a mile away? yes. The fact that the prince was in the prison was obvious or at least that Nari was someone related to the royals as she didn't seem to want to be a prison guard at all.
Interesting discussion about her prosthetic hand though as we don't establish that magic can do these things but her hand needs to function like a normal hand the entire time.

I felt like the omg he almost died thing happening twice to Tip was overdone - like almost kill someone else and share the love. It doesn't feel that original but I do like that the entire book was inside the prison. I don't like that everything at the prison was left as is. I'm not sure I will like the second book...Ie read so many similar books and the fact that the rebel queen was her mother was I guess something I didn't seem coming but mainly as I don't feel there were any breadcrumbs left that made it more obvious to the reader other than very slight asides. Also made me sick that the main character has to be special and have powers too.

I'm still giving it four stars, I'm not even sure why. I enjoyed the vibes and the fact that it was pure luck she survived the trials.

This is the book I keep wanting to call it the poison healer (just insert a facepalm right here) But man was this book amazing. I will say that this one was a little slower than what I was used to but overall it worked for the story. I could not put it down and I can not wait to read the next one.

Omg that ending left me speechless!! This book was amazing, cannot wait to read the next one! My favourite book I've read this year so far

What in the actual heck??? OMG, that ending!!I was clueless throughout the hook and did not see that coming. I loved how the author did not focused on the romance, although we can see some of it. Loved all the interaction between Jared and Kiva. And Tipp??? Pleeaaasee protect him at all costs. Loved this book!!

Its unusual for me nowadays to find a YA fantasy book that I enjoy but the premise of this book intrigued me and I did not end up disappointed, set in a prison with magic, royalty and rebels and of course what every good fantasy book needs and little bit of romance. This is one book you won't be able to put down.

The Prison Healer was a great read. What hooked me immediately was the setting. I was fascinated by having a story set inside a prison which gave a refreshing direction for a YA novel. Immediately I connected with our main character Kiva, and was gripped by her role within the prison, as a healer instead of an actual prisoner, which offered a really interesting perspective. Only as the story went on did I just begin to feel bored, and I was more excited by the trials than what was going on in the background, so it felt flatter as I got towards the end. But overall, the story was well paced and I enjoyed the development of the romance between the two main characters. A good read for young adults!

This was my first experience with Lynette Noni’s writing and I was not disappointed. The Prison Healer is a dark, new young adult fantasy book filled with some hard scenes and lots and lots of hope. The story follows young healer Kiva who was raised within the confines of the vicious Zalindov prison. When new inmate Jaren arrives and stirs up new emotions and intriguing new happenings within the grounds where most are sentenced to die, Kiva finds herself changing.
I enjoyed the story immensely, it was completely different from anything I’d read before. The language was simple yet immersive and the world-building was interesting. It’s difficult to create an immersive world when your characters are stuck within a single building complex, which in this case was Zalindov Prison. And yet Lynette has done a wonderful job of making the Prison come to life in a kingdom that seems brutal and fraught with conflict. The cliffhanger at the end has me craving the final book in the duology with a vengeance that seems almost indescribable.
Filled with blossoming romance, rebel queens and magic that courses through every page, The Prison Healer releases on April 13th 2021! A special thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC.

This book has been sitting in my TBR for far too long and when I tell you I was shocked and disappointed at myself for not having read it sooner I can't stress it enough. As a person who reads a lot of fantasy I have really high standards for what I enjoy. It's just the way of life. If you eat a lot of cake, you will only truly love really good cake, and I can honestly say The Prison Healer was an exquisite slice.

The story is set in the woefully neglected and overpopulated prison Zalindov. You're thrown into a world where for all intents and purposes the plot feels like it doesn't reach beyond those walls because they feel so absolute. You follow the story of Kiva, a woman who has lived in the prison for over a decade and has found work as a healer and is trying to survive until her family on the outside comes for her. They haven't despite promising for years, but she holds out hope.

I loved the pacing, the plot and the intrigue throughout this book. There was rarely a dull moment and I really enjoyed the characters. Potentially the mean characters could have been even meaner, but I think the impact of the antagonists through the book was certainly felt. The whole scene where Kiva is left in sensory deprivation by one of the guards for choices she didn't even make had me fuming! And the consistency with which brutality is doled out simply because human life isn't valued really set the scene for the reader to seek any opportunity for the main characters to escape.

Then there were the tasks! The Ordeals are essentially four impossible tasks designed to kill people who are guilty of the crimes that they have been accused of, but really they're just designed to kill. When Kiva is forced to take these on in order to protect a patient I was obsessed and so excited. I love deadly tasks that put the MC into dramatic and tension fuelled situations, each one was so exciting and I found myself getting more and more frustrated with how impossible any of them would have been without any miraculous outside intervention. All good books make you feel things! Her experiences provided such interesting insight into her morals and thinking as well, as she spent so little time worrying about her life, and so much time worrying about the people around her. With the added bonus of knowing that living through the ordeals meant freedom for Kiva, the little boy she was looking after AND the face of the rebellion? I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Really if there was anything I'd change about the book it would be to add potentially more depth in the character motivations just to fully flesh them out, because even though the plot was action packed, it did feel very much like they were ticking off a to-do list rather than existing organically in awful situations at times.

But that is such a minor gripe as the flow and pacing of this book just made it an absolute pleasure to read. The twists and turns had me beyond shocked and I instantly went to pre-order the sequel. Thank goodness it's not that long to wait, I NEED to know what happens next!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an arc of this book (though I certainly am not on time for this review).

It took me a while to get round to reading this, and I am now kicking myself as to why it took me so long. I love the premise of this book - a prisoner who is the healer for all those in the prison, who is tasked with keeping a rebel queen alive and so volunteers herself in the rebels place in the hopes of seeing her family on the outside again.

Kira is such a good main character in this, and I also adore some of the other characters that we see that she interacts with. It was so interesting to see just how she would get through these elemental challenges that were set for the rebel queens trial and also see just how the prison works too. I admit I also loved the love interest in this book too, but I do love a tiny hint of romance in my books so that's probably why.

The ending had me gasping, and I knew I had to pick up the next book straight away just to see what would happen, Lynette Noni sure knows how to end a book on a shock! I'll definitely be reading the rest of this series.

This book definitely lived up to all the buzz around it!

Most of the story takes place in one location, the death prison Zalindov, you might expect this to restrict the world building but Noni does a fantastic job of building a rich, wider fantasy world which I’m sure will pay off in future sequels. The prison is a great setting in itself as well, the sense of isolation from the rest of the world increases the tension and leaves room for mystery.

The story is told from the point of view of Kiva, a young woman who was sent to the prison at the age of 7 but has somehow survived there for 10 years. During her time there she becomes the prison healer and it is her responsibility to heal the Rebel Queen in time for her Trial of Ordeal, when she is captured and arrives at the prison unwell. Unable to heal the woman in time, Kiva makes the decision to take her place.

Kiva is an interesting character, her 10 years as a prisoner have obviously shaped her and she’s learnt that sometimes she has to do things that compromise her morals in order to survive. That said, her role as a healer is a big part of her character and she has a natural desire to help people. This makes her a complex character, she isn’t perfect but most of her choices are understandable. It’s also obvious that there’s a lot she’s holding back from the reader, with Kiva’s background this makes sense and everything comes together by the end for a brilliant reveal.

The other characters were memorable too. For instance Tipp, a cheerful young boy and the only person Kiva is close to in the prison, is the heart of the story and it’s nice to have such a prominent character with a stutter. There’s also a slow burn romance with new inmate Jaren and an unlikely friendship with prison guard Naari, both of whose motives are not clear at first. Of course, there’s also evil guards, a questionable warden and a host of other inmates with their own allegiances which make the prison such a hostile place.

Throughout the book, there’s a hint of magic but I quite liked how this wasn’t the main focus, only royals and a few anomaly’s wield magic in this world. The Trials of Ordeal are based around the royal family’s affinity for elemental magic with one task for each element, however the trials were quite simple and yet horrific in how easy they are to imagine. You get the sense that magic will feature more in future books and I’m interested in find out more details about the magic system Noni is creating.

Overall, a very solid fantasy read. Ive only given this book 4 stars because I do think it could have been a bit shorter and the plot a bit tighter in order to earn the other star. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes and I’ve already started book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a difficult review to write.

For most of my time reading this book, I didn’t have any strong opinions about it. The prose was clear and I was able to sit down and read for long periods of time without wanting to take a break, so that’s definitely points in this book’s favour. The trials plotline that was happening alongside Kiva’s attempts to identify and cure the mysterious epidemic sweeping the prison’s inmates held my attention and I was interested in seeing how these plotlines would be resolved. None of the characters were all that memorable to me and I wouldn’t say that I loved any of them, but I didn’t dislike any of them. This book was slow paced, which I liked as it gives the reader the opportunity to really get to know the characters and environment. All of this together made for a perfectly reasonable experience. Not every book has to blow me away, and I would’ve been content with this.

And then the final 20% of the book happened and things fell apart. I can’t explain why I dislike the final fifth of this book properly without spoiling things. I’ve done my best, but if you’re someone who prefers to know nothing at all about a book before reading it and you’re interested in this one, then this is probably where you should stop reading this review. I wouldn’t see anything I’ve written here as a spoiler, but different people have different definitions of what spoilers are.

A lot of the fantasy genre at the moment focuses on royalty and court politics, and a certain amount of pretending that monarchies aren’t generally bad is required to be able to enjoy them. That’s the price of entry, it sucks but that’s the situation. However, setting this book in a prison that’s shown to be horrifically cruel to its inmates to the point where someone surviving more than a month there is notable, and that regularly takes in literal children along with their parents for the sole crime of being in the way during the arrest, and then making it explicitly clear that this prison being run in this way is beneficial to the royal family and they don’t care about the wellbeing of the prisoners at all, all makes it a lot harder to continue that line of pretending. It naturally led me to think that this story was going to be about how bad monarchies and prison systems are. And there is a rebellion brewing in the kingdom and prison! But it’s not one with the aim to improve conditions for anyone (remember, this is a world in which petty theft or standing next to someone deemed undesirable can get you thrown into a prison with an average life expectancy of a month, so even the ‘free’ people are presumably also not doing well), but one with the aim of putting a different royal family on the throne. That’s it. And none of our major characters ever consider that maybe there’s a problem here. They’re all about the status quo. If nobody cares about making the world better, then why should I care about which way the rebellion/proto-civil war goes? A single line from someone saying that things need to change (with no specifics given about what they think needs to change or what they’re going to do about it, even though they were someone in a position where they actually could do something) is not enough to convince me that any of this is going to be addressed going forwards, especially as that line felt very much like an afterthought that was added at the last minute. Again, all of this is usually something that has to be ignored in order to enjoy the fantasy genre, but Noni made the decision to set the first book in this series in a prison, and that makes these things impossible to ignore anymore.

There are no excuses for the point of view character lying to the reader for the sole purpose of there being a big reveal later on! Unless the point of view character actively knows that the reader’s there, for instance if they’re telling the story themselves or are writing out an account of events, then, crucially, they don’t know that the reader is there. So if something happens that they would have Thoughts™ about, then they should have those thoughts. I am convinced that, if Kiva’s knowledge had been shared with the reader when it became relevant instead of all at the very end, this book would’ve been improved for it. Nothing about how the last few pages were written would even need to change or be reworded, but if the reader had been looped in from the start then the tension throughout would’ve been way up and certain other scenes and revelations would’ve hit a lot harder. It could’ve been so interesting! But Noni wanted to have a twist ending instead, and the whole book suffers as a result. It pretty much wrecks any rereadability this book had.

The romance was fine. I’ve come across worse romances in my time. Which isn’t exactly a thrilling endorsement, the bar is underground after all, but I don’t have any complaints about it. I could believe that these two people liked each other, and also I could understand both of their reasons behind not getting their act together about it sooner. I’m not about to rush to ao3 to find/create more content about them, but I’m not wanting this book to feature less of their relationship either.

Like I said earlier, I wasn’t in love with this book, but I did enjoy reading it right up until the point where I wasn’t anymore. I don’t think that this is a book that I’d advise people to avoid, but I have referred to it out loud as ‘that book that the ending pissed me off’ more than once, so do with that information what you will.

For ten years, Kiva Meridan has been a healer at Zalindov prison, a place no one has ever escaped alive. The only scraps of hope Kiva has are the messages she rarely receives from her family on the outside.
When the Rebel Queen - who wants to claim the throne for herself - arrives at the prison, Kiva is told to keep her alive.
The ill Rebel Queen is condemed to undergo the Trial by Ordeal, a set of challenges each related to an element - air, fire, water and earth. Knowing how ill her patient is, Kiva decides to take her place, and if she survives they will both be allowed to leave the prison.
While trying to make it through each trial, Kiva also finds herself attempting to discover the source of the new plague sweeping through Zalindov.
Can Kiva survive the trials?

Having heard lots of positive things about this book I was excited to read it. However, I ended up being a bit disappointed.
Kiva was a good protagonist overall, who I found to be likeable and relatable, but at times she also felt a bit bland.
My favourite characters were Tipp, Kiva's friend, and Naari, one of the prison guards.
The setting of the prison was interesting, but it meant that the world-building was limited.
The plot was mixed for me - I enjoyed the beginning but I did get a little bit bored towards the end of the book. While there were some things that I saw coming, there were also some that I didn't, but these didn't have the intended shock value as I wasn't invested in what was happening.
The writing style was easy to follow.
I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but I think I was expecting it to be something that it wasn't.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

If there's anything Lynette Noni is capable of, it's writing amazing books and never letting me down. A fan of her previous works, when I saw a new series was being released, I practically jumped at the chance to read it and I still have no regrets. I easily fall in love with her writing, characters and the arcs she uses to drive her plots, and this was no exception!

The story is quite predictable, but also suffers from having several highly convenient, but not very convincing plot developments. There is an attempt at making this book like an other series in while there is black pages and but it hit the mark

I loved the setting and atmosphere of this book.
It was so different and interesting to have such a singular setting that you would assume would limit the narrative but it worked so well and really allowed the political intrigue and characters to shine.
I do feel like the book had several moments of lapsing into generic YA books and unfortunately had some characters that I felt were underdeveloped and rather 2D.
Definitely would recommend to people who love SJM and ToG.

Author: Lynette Noni
Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: Young Adult
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Published: 13th April 2021
Pages: 403
Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Here at Zalindov, the only person you can trust is yourself.

Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan is a survivor. For ten years, she has worked as the healer in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, making herself indispensable. Kept afloat by messages of hope from her family, Kiva has one goal and one goal only: stay alive.

Then one day the infamous Rebel Queen arrives at the prison on death's door and Kiva receives a new message: Don't let her die. We are coming.

The queen is sentenced to 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. Aware the sickly queen has little chance of making it through the Trials alive, Kiva volunteers to take her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom.

But no one has ever survived.

And 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 Australian author Lynette Noni comes a masterful and action-packed YA fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Sabaa Tahir.

CAWPILE

Characters – 7
Atmosphere – 7
Writing Style – 7
Plot – 8
Intrigue – 8
Logic – 7
Enjoyment – 8

Overall: 7.4

Review

Trigger Warning: Torture, Death, Sexual Assault, Mentions of Suicide, Self-Harm, Addiction, Murder, and Blood.

This review contains spoilers.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Hodder, and Stoughton, however, this in no way influenced my opinion. Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a copy.

I’ve been looking forward to this ever since I first heard about it, so when I received an ARC I was thrilled. I thoroughly enjoyed this, although it was a lot darker than I expected. This novel deals with self-harm and sexual assault so please be careful if you plan on picking this up. One aspect of this I really enjoyed was the plot, I was completely drawn into this story from the first page and I was really invested in what was going on. Now, let’s talk about the characters. Honestly, I was just heartbroken for Kiva, she went through so much and I enjoyed getting to follow her character throughout the novel as she began to open up about her past. Naari’s character was very intriguing and I really grew to love her character as the story went on. I was very unsure about Jaren’s character at the beginning and I didn’t know whether or not to trust him but I grew to like him when we learned more about his backstory. I thoroughly enjoyed Noni’s writing style, it was so immersive and descriptive. There was one scene in particular where Kiva is completing the water trial and starts to drown that was so well-written that I had to put the book down as it felt so realistic. I also really enjoyed that when Kiva was thrown into the abyss having the black pages is such a good idea as it really improves the reading experience and helps us to understand what the abyss was like for her. There are so many plot twists in this novel and while I had guessed some of them such as Kiva having healing powers, others took me by complete surprise. I was especially shocked at the ending when we find out who the Rebel Queen really is. This reveal has me really excited to read the sequel especially considering that Kiva is now free from the prison.

Overall this was a great YA Fantasy novel with intriguing characters and incredible plot twists. I’m really looking forward to picking up the sequel, especially after that ending. If you enjoy YA Fantasy then definitely pick this one up!
Links to purchase:

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-prison-healer/lynette-noni/9781529360387

WHSmith: https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/the-prison-healer/lynette-noni/hardback/9781529360387.html

Bookshop.Org: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-prison-healer/9781529360387

Do you like:
✨Unique settings?
✨Badass female characters?
✨Magic?
✨Plot twists?
Then you should pick up a copy of The prison healer because it has all of that and more!

Personally I absolutely loved this book. The whole thing takes place in a prison, and still manages to be super exciting. The world building was just great and the magic and the structure of the world was easy to grasp, and yet complex. All the characters were well fleshed out, even minor ones and I loved Kiva and everyone else so much!
The ending was like soo unexpected and I can’t wait for book two beca I’m so excited to explore more of the world and meting new characters!

I gave this 5 stars and I obviously highly recommend it!

Ps I recived a review copy from netgally but my opinions are my own!

The Prison Healer was a surprise hit for me, and I'm now super excited to read the sequel! I kind of picked this up on a whim, although I had heard a few whisperings of this being a fun YA fantasy book.

It's certainly not the most unique YA fantasy. The setting has been done before, as has the plot and the trials, and the pacing was your usual for such a book. That said, I had so much fun with this one!

I really liked the main character, whose whitty personality and determination really stuck out to me. I liked that this book had the slightest amount of mystery going on in the background that kept you wondering... but also made you forget about it to focus on the action packed plot from time to time.

I flew through this one, and the ending really punched me in the face. I didn't see that coming at all, even though I had seen hints of it. And it made so much sense? I love it when that happens. I feel like this is one of those books that you need to reread to pick up on all the subtleties.

Like I said, I'm excited for the sequel to come out this autumn!

It’s me not you.
There were things I liked about this and things I didn’t. I was completely enjoying it until about a third of the way through when events started to look implausible and a bit illogical too. The whole trial by ordeal is totally isolated from the outside world , even the royals are only allowed to observe the first round. I liked the elemental magic but found Kiva, the playboy prince and the romance annoying. I think really the YA nature of the book ultimately got on my nerves, so basically it’s my fault for picking it up! Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.