I was apprehensive to read this conclusion to the Prison Healer trilogy after the twist in book 1 and, well, every enraging thing that happened in The Gilded Cage (!!) but I also did want to see how the author Lynette Noni resolved the absolute carnage the previous book ended on.

The Blood Traitor is definitely an improvement and a large number of the issues are resolved, wrapping up the story nicely and resolving a lot of the drama created. My main concern was that Kiva, as the main character to this series, would not be held accountable for her involvement in a lot of the pain and drama caused and that is not the case

The redemption/forgiveness arc, while necessary following the actions of the previous book, isn’t handled quite as I’d liked. Kiva mopes for the majority of this book, often just wanting to be forgiven not because it will mean that the people she has hurt have healed and are OK, but because she wants what she had before she betrayed them, it’s still about her and what she wants. Caldon is still a fun character but doesn’t feel very complex at all, he’s too nice that it doesn’t feel real. Jaren, meanwhile, is just confusing and while I fully felt he was entitled to his anger, it felt very unhealthy, toxic and confusing how it was handled. Tipp also, it was anticlimactic. It just didn’t feel enough or real by anyone.

Cresta is a brilliant addition (I say addition but she has featured previously), she actually holds Kiva accountable and doesn’t let her get away with moping and being self serving, challenges her and has her back. Cresta was fun, bada$$ and has real potential, this series definitely needed more of Cresta like this and I really enjoyed her scenes and dialogue. Ashlyn too had real potential, I just wish we had more of her.
Talking of characters, Navok feels an absolutely pointless part of the book, when he is first introduced he comes across pretty menacing but it just doesn’t pay off. Zuleeka too was really built up as a formidable character in The Gilded Cage but the content is just lacking here, we don’t understand her better or really spend any time with her beyond an underwhelming final confrontation.

My main issue really is just that there is real potential here, to challenge ‘good’ characters who do bad things, to tackle facing your mistakes and the people you have hurt, forgiveness, loving ‘bad’ people etc, and yet it’s just not handled deep enough for me. Like I said, Kiva is the only character we really get to ‘know’ and yet I really wanted to know how Jaren felt after being betrayed, mourning family, losing power etc, the issue between Caldon and Ashlyn, Tipp and Kiva, Cresta’s backstory, the LGBT representation, the conflict of Zuleeka and Torell being on different sides, Naari’s disability … things have so much potential but just don’t feel committed to enough for me to really be explored or challenged.

This isn’t a bad book, or a bad series, and Cresta really was amazing. But it’s just not life changing or particularly different to anything else out there. It’s definitely a big improvement and I did enjoy it, I just wanted more.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review

The Blood Traitor picks up exactly where the previous book had left us, with Kiva right back in the place she had so desperately tried to escape. I hadn't re-read the previous books in preparation for this one, but it was fairly easy to pick up the thread again, and there were plenty of reminders here and there of previous events and characters.

Kiva's character has been a constant high point in this series for me, and she continues to shine in this book as well. We find her hitting rock bottom at the beginning of the book and follow her journey to (self-)forgiveness throughout. I really liked how she was portrayed even in her most vulnerable moments, and the fierceness, compassion and loyalty she keeps displaying, and her character arc was very satisfying.

I also loved reconnecting with old favourites (looking at you, Caldon and Tipp!) as well as meeting some new characters and getting to know others better. As in the previous books, the group dynamic works really well and I love the found family trope here: there is always a real sense of connection and true affection between the various characters, and it is just delightful to see it play out even in very challenging circumstances. The antagonists are, by contrast, quite bland and end up being stereotypical villains that could almost switch between themselves without anyone noticing, which is really a shame as they had so much potential for nuance.

One major issue I had with this book was the way Jaren's character changed from previous books. While I completely understand he is also still reeling, processing the traumatic events from the previous book, and coming to terms with the consequences, I found his behaviour towards Kiva to be absolutely horrible and definitely not in line with the Jaren we've come to know in the rest of the series. He is borderline abusive and full on gaslights her, and I found it very hard to accept how this was just glossed over and completely accepted by Kiva in the name of love, using his suffering and trauma to justify his whole behaviour as if she weren't suffering and traumatised herself. I am also not a fan of the miscommunication trope and found it to feature much too heavily here for me to truly enjoy their attempts at reconciliation.

There was also a quest in this book, which I generally enjoy immensely, and it provided a great opportunity to develop the world further, taking us beyond Zalindov and Evalon. I loved the vivid descriptions of the other realms and how uniquely they were characterised. If anything though, the journey felt extremely rushed as, to be honest, did most of the book. We were constantly jumping from one place to the next, to the point that I didn't feel I could really take in all that was happening and the different realms just sort of meshed together. The book was quite literally packed with action, which might be perfect for other readers but didn't quite work for me.

If you read my reviews of The Prison Healer and The Gilded Cage you'll already know I have a difficult relationship with the plot twists in this series, of which there are many. And this book was no exception. Some of the reveals I had guessed thanks to good foreshadowing, while others seemed to come out of nowhere, but even more so that in previous books they mostly seemed like a convenient way out of sticky situations.

Overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy and an enjoyable read despite its issues.

I loved the first two books in this series so was so excited when I started reading this book. The first two books managed to leave me shocked at the end so this book I was determined to guess the ending but yet again I was shocked!!

This book pulled at my heartstrings and there were several times I wanted to throw my kindle across the room.

Overall this was an amazing ending to an amazing series and I’m kind of sad that it’s over!

A 5 star series for me!

An absolutely sensational finale to the tribology- this was a highly anticipated read for me and I have to be honest, I was worried about it potentially letting me down. I shouldn't have worried, however, as it was everything I wanted it to be and more. It's hard to give completely spoiler free reviews without spoiling the first two books but we find ourselves either unexpected allies here and desperately trying to make amends for what happens in book two! The story starts right at the end of book 2 so I would suggest a reread. 100% recommend.

The final book in the Prison Healer trilogy and it was a great book, everything I wanted and the ending was great!

An absolute devastating ending to a trilogy that I have adored.
This author has quickly become one of my favourites due to the world and characters she has created here.
You do need to read books 1 and 2 before this one otherwise it wouldn't make sense. The characters and world building remain strong in this finale and I cried a little on the last page because it's over.
Loved it.

Kiva thought she knew what she wanted-revenge. But feelings change, people change . . . everything has changed.

After what happened at the palace, Kiva is desperate to know if her friends and family are safe, and whether those she wronged can ever forgive her. But with the kingdoms closer to the brink of war than they've ever been, and Kiva far away from the conflict, more is at stake than her own broken heart.

And just like that, a fantastic trilogy ends… and I would happily have gone back over and over to this world.
The trilogy has all the traits of a traditional fantasy trilogy and that’s part of its beauty and how it hooks you. It’s got it’s ups and downs and, as the books and the writing advances, it just becomes stronger and more addictive.
While I though Jaren and Kiva’s story was going in circles a bit in this book, it is still a great love story, a great story of found family, of hope, of self discovery… and it’s got Caldon in it which just can’t be topped!
I will sorely miss this world and these characters and can’t wait to see what Lynette Noni comes up with next!

The final instalment in The Prison Healer trilogy which I have absolutely adored, I’ve been flying through the books because of the fast pace and the writing just flows. I loved The Blood Traitor, it felt realistic, the characters had all been through a lot and were feeling emotionally different from the previous books, which was to be expected.

Kiva has been through SO much, I really felt for her and the distance created between Jaren and Tipp. I enjoyed reading about all the other secondary characters too from Cresta to Navok.

I liked the classic fight between good and evil, the adventure and quests, the betrayals. I could easily guess certain plot twists but I didn’t mind this too much.

I thought this was a great ending to the trilogy, although of course I want more! I’ll take a novella, anything!

5/5 stars.

So disappointed to say that this is completely unreadable on both my kindle and phone.

I have given both of the previous books 5 stars and I shout from the heavens about Lynette, but the formatting in this copy is so bad that I can’t read it.

I’m glad I have this book on pre-order from Fairyloot - I guess I’ll just have to wait longer to be able to read it.

Lynette Noni provides a well-wrapped - yet not wholly satisfying - end to this fantastic trilogy.
I enjoyed the storyline and all the tension and angst. Generally, I'm not a great fan of the miscommunication trope, but Lynette dealt with it masterfully here, making me crave a reconciliation between Kiva and Jaren.

Compared to the first two books, however, in this one, some passages (and the ending) felt too rushed, while others dragged on. Moreover, one too many plot twists seemed a bit too convenient, giving the impression that the author was repeatedly choosing the easy way out.

All in all, I loved this journey and I'm quite sad that it's over. While this book is my least favourite of the three, I have loved the world and its characters too much not to recommend this series.

This was a decent end to the trilogy but not really a strong one. I have loved the first two books and my connection with the characters run so deep by this point that I don't think it would be possible for me to hate this book no matter how much the author seemed to try and make me.

Firstly, the beginning at the prison was so rushed I was incredibly dissapointed after being so excited to see that setting again but I could understand that maybe there was too much content to be included to spend too much time here but upon finishing, I don't think that's the reason.

Personally in my fantasties, I LOVE a journey, they are one of my favourite parts of books and I feel a bit sad that these were skipped over each and eveytime but I can understand that it is the authors writing style to skip those but I was dissapointed.

My biggest criticism is the lack of editing that clearly happened, Cresta was described as 'readhead' a total of 31 times in this book and that is once every 12 pages which is probably every single time she was brought up and that is incredibly annoying and made me dislike a perfectly good character that I could have loved.

Overall a very disappointing end to a great series but I would still recommend everyone picks it up but know there will be a rushed ending that doesn't live up to the suspense of the past novels.

I loved The Blood Traitor! It was the perfect finale to one of the best YA series I’ve ever read and I loved to see the character relationships develop. Also, the addition of some new faces that we all fell in love with of course. With a satisfying ending, lovable characters and complex relationships, this book did not disappoint!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

WHAT A BOOK,

Honestly this series is nothing short of magic. It’s addictive and the writing style is truly wonderful. Every single character gets under your skin by book 3, and in the best ways.

The storyline was great, I loved the tension and angst all the way through, the miscommunication trope really worked for this one. My heart threatened to break several times and it was a rollercoaster from start to end.

I’m going to miss this series and all of the characters! I 100% recommended this trilogy which has been wrapped up beautifully.

Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy, in exchange for an honest review. Truly wonderful book!

I gobbled this up in one sitting. This book was phenomenal and it was the perfect ending to an amazing series. I love this book and am so sad it has ended, but can walk away happy. The growth of the characters throughout the series is amazing and I just love it all.

I have absolutely loved this trilogy and the final book did not disappoint. We return to the prison where it all began but this time Kiva is in real trouble, she is going to work in the mines and has an addiction to angel dust. She finds an unlikely ally in Cressida who keeps her alive.
How will she ever make it right with what she has done to Jaren?
The story unfolds just like the previous two with surprises and plot twists that at times leave you reeling or devastated. I loved this trilogy so much and know they will be books I come back to and re-read.

I finished this book in May but have been struggling to write a review for it because I cannot put how much I loved this into words. Do I blame this book for putting me in a slump and not being able to read any fantasy books cause I think nothing will live up to it? Yes, yes I do.

‘We can look at the darkness and let it consume us, or we can recognise that it’s only temporary, trusting that once it passes, the light will return.’

The Blood Traitor follows on from The Gilded Cage and so much goes down in this book! Kiva is back in Zalindov after the events of the previous book and quickly finds herself in a mentally dark place. She has no motivation and succumbs to addiction very easily. Surprising friendships are made and Kiva begins to lean heavily on Cresta, her once sworn enemy in Zalindov. This friendship quickly became one of my favourites of the trilogy and I loved how the author wrote their story.

‘You’ll never be able to move forward until you conquer the past.’

It’s so difficult to write about the parts I loved in this book, because some of them are major spoilers! In the final instalment, we get to see more of the kingdom and are introduced to a few new characters, some of which I loved and others I hated. It’s not a Lynette Noni book, if there’s not a surprise twist that I did not see coming! The last time Kiva saw Jaren, they were not on good terms, so once they meet again in this book, things are very tense. I won’t lie, I loved it because it created a great build up. However, I do wish we had gotten a bit more romance as it was the final book.

‘I did fall in love with a lie, but that lie was you. I fell in love with you, Kiva.’

Caldon remains to be one of my favourite characters and there were so many moments that I loved with him. I think I loved him in this book, more than the second one (probably because in the sequel, I was stressed about love triangles!). One of my favourite parts of this book was definitely Kiva’s journey with her mental health and addiction. If you plan to read this, definitely check trigger warnings as this book can get pretty heavy at points. Noni wrote Kiva’s story so well.

This book was so damn good!! I know my review has not done it justice, but all I can say is please read this trilogy!

Kiva is back in the prison where the story started, but even worse off than at the beginning. Addicted to a powerful drug and with all her friends either dead or parted from her, she finds an unlikely ally in Cresta, her former enemy.
When soldiers come to release her from the prison on the orders of her sister, she thinks that circumstances may improve for her, but she finds herself imprisoned again. Managing to escape with the help of new allies, she ends up back in Evalon with the people she had betrayed in the last book. But her magic is needed for them to be able to use a magical device which may help them win back the throne. As is often the case in fantasy they have to undertake a journey in order to find the parts of the device which takes them to new realms within Wenderall. Although they don′t stay long in each realm, they are richly described, and I thought the world-building held together very well.
I particularly liked two aspects of the book, one that it showed friendships that were as important as the main romance, and Cresta′s blunt honesty and quips which I found a delight. The climatic battle is well described in its use of magic, and involves some unexpected loss before the resolution.
Although I found the first book the most interesting of the trilogy because of its prison background, this is a good conclusion to the story.

I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley

What a ride Kiva’s journey has been! This series has quickly become one of my favorite YA series and I couldn’t wait for the finale.
One of the things I loved in this third book was the solidarity between the female characters. They not only save themselves, but they save each other time and time again and their friendship is genuinely one of the best things in the book. Cresta’s evolution especially made her my second favorite character.
The author’s note made me fear that Kiva’s struggles would last much longer, but it was indeed tackled with a lot of care. From the first book, I loved the fact that the author never shies away from showing darker sides of YA, which was very refreshing.
All this being said, this book was still my least favorite of the three. I ended being annoyed by the number of chapters in this trilogy ending with Kiva being knocked out, and the fact that every time she finally did something proactive or fought back, it was portrayed as an extremely decisive moment, like she was finally becoming a badass, but then it was all forgotten until the next time.
The other things that annoyed me and sort of spoiled the ending for me, was that it got really sappy with the feelings, especially from 75% on. That’s something that doesn’t work for me, although I understand that it’s a question of personal taste. Even if the angst between Kiva and Jaren was based on the dreaded miscommunication trope, I was all there for it; from the second it was resolved, the dialogues became too cliché and Kiva spent the rest of the book thinking about how much she loved everyone. Which is nice, truly, but we already knew she loved them all, and although I understand that love is her core emotion, the narration turned very repetitive. That last part of the book was the least engaging part of the trilogy for me, for that reason.
My final criticism would be that some of the plot twists, and specifically one of the final identity reveals, felt a bit too convenient and overused in this third book. I would have loved this to be resolved differently and it made the finale fall short of what it could have been.
However, I still had such an amazing time reading the entire trilogy, which I binged in less than a week. The best part of the books was Caldon. He was hands down the funniest character and I loved every minute he was on the page; his relationship with Kiva was also one of my favorite and their interactions never failed to make me laugh.
I’ll definitely recommend this series to all my friends, thank you Lynette Noni.

This is young adult fantasy and is the third book in the Prison Healer series.

This picks up right after book 2, with our main character back in the prison and she needs to find a way out, to then defeat her sister who has taken over the kingdom from the rightful royals. To do this, she needs to go on a quest with a group of reluctant allies to track down 4 magical rings.

As with the previous two books, there are aspects of this that I really liked but also aspects that I found frustrating. Both the book and the series are good, but I think it could have been great.

While generally in a book the plot unfolds as events happen, with this it's very easy to see that events happen just to further the plot. For example, in this book the return to the prison at the start of the book is purely there to pull another character into the group of allies and is very quickly dealt with - by making a slight of mockery of this impossible to escape death prison which has now been breached multiple times!

It just feels like slightly lazy writing in parts - the characters change to fit the needs of the story, rather than feeling like they're going through any kind of growth. Kiva has to be smart and capable to survive book 1, then book 2 requires her to be the complete opposite of smart, and this book has to have her blindly trusting of people she's just met. Cresta meanwhile gets a completely new personality for this book to justify joining the gang.

I am interested in what this author does next, but hope that she gets challenged more not to just make easy writing choices