معالجة السجن

The Prison Healer #1

by Lynette Noni, باسنت العلوي (ترجمة)

"رواية خيالية آسرة ، تجمع بين الغموض، الخيال، والحب في سجن لا يفرّ منه أحد!"
- نيوريوك تايمز
في عالم لا يرحم... الحب قد يكون أخطر من الموت...
في سجن زاليندوف، الشخص الوحيد الذي يمكنك الوثوق به... هو نفسك.
كيفا ميريدان، فتاة في السابعة عشرة من عمرها، نجت من الموت لعشر سنوات، تعمل مُعالِجة في أكثر السجون رعبًا. رسائل الأمل من عائلتها هي ما يبقيها على قيد الحياة، وهدفها الوحيد: أن تظل حيّة.
لكن حين تصل ملكة المتمردين إلى السجن وهي على شفير الموت، تتلقى كيفا رسالة غامضة: "لا تدعيها تموت. نحن قادمون".
يُحكم على الملكة بخوض محاكمة المحن — سلسلة من التحديات القاتلة عبر العناصر الأربعة: الهواء، النار، الماء، والأرض — لا يخوضها إلا أخطر المجرمين. وبعلمها أن الملكة لن تنجو، تتطوع كيفا لتحل محلها. إذا نجحت، تنال هي والملكة حريتهما.
لكن لا أحد نجا من قبل... ومع تفشي وباء قاتل في زاليندوف، وسجين غامض يهدد قلبها، وتمرد يلوح في الأفق، تدرك كيفا أن محنتها الحقيقية لم تبدأ بعد.

من تأليف الكاتبة الأسترالية الأكثر مبيعًا، لينيت نوني، تأتينا هذه الرواية المشوّقة المليئة بالإثارة والمغامرة، حيث تتقاطع النجاة مع التضحية، ويصبح الأمل سلاحًا في وجه المستحيل.
"سيدة في فنها، شخصياتها نابضة بالحياة، وعوالمها تنبض بالواقعية والإثارة".
- جيمس داشنر، مؤلف عدّاء المتاهة

"بداية رائعة لسلسلة خيالية واعدة، مليئة بالتعقيدات والولاءات المتضاربة، مع لمسة رومانسية آسرة".
- كالتشرفلاي

"حين تفتح لينيت نوني بابًا لعالم جديد، لا تتردد... اقفز واستمتع".
- ترودي كانافان

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Romantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, Magic, Fiction

552 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2021

About the author

Australian author Lynette Noni studied journalism, academic writing, and human behaviour at university before venturing into the world of fiction. She is the #1 bestselling and award-winning author of THE PRISON HEALER series, THE MEDORAN CHRONICLES, and the WHISPER duology. To date, her books have sold more than one million copies in over 20 countries across the globe.

Reviews

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is definitely worth all the hype its getting.

and it reminded me that the setting doesnt need to be intricate. an entire story can take place in a single location (eg. a prison) and still be entertaining if the characters (tipp deserves to be protected at all costs), plot (political scheming), and writing (perfect pacing) are great. which they are in this.

my only complaint would be the ‘twists.’ even though they arent necessarily predictable, they didnt surprise or shock me, either. if anything, the reveals feel… really dang convenient. i dont know how else to explain it. they just feel underwhelming.

but overall, this really is an enthralling and enticing start to a series. so excited that the sequel comes out later this year!

↠ 4.5 stars

[Destiny Sidwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

when i think about this book, i think about how really not much happened. it was very repetitive, and i would say probably more character focused, but ultimately i did not LOVE this book by any means. however, i think back to how i felt while reading the book and i was never actively hating what i was reading so it isn’t that bad! also everyone hypes up the end / plot twists…. i guessed them all! but i think it’s just because i over thought every detail because people talk so much about them! overall, i will continue the series but this book is no where near my fav !

[Ali Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE ENDING WAS SOOOO GOOD!!!! 4.25 stars!

I loveeee the setup and concept of this book. I was so engrossed at the beginning getting to learn about the jobs, politics, and characters in the prison. Such a unique setting! And the found family aspect that formed was greatttt.

The middle however did move slowww. BUT it was worth sticking through because of the ending. Twist after twist after twist 🤯🤯🤯

Sooo excited to start book 2

[Sara Carrolli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ending goes absolutely crazy

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ * · Rating 4 out of 5]

BRO THE ENDING TO THIS BOOK WENT CRAZY!! the author did SO amazing with the pacing and getting you attached to the characters. when i first went into this book i thought it was going to be a three star but i was so invested in the story. the ending was predictable but i STILL was shook.

[zuza_zaksiazkowane · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ALE SZALONA PRZYGODA
halo ten plot twist na końcu to jakieś szaleństwo. Wspaniała książka 🥹🥹🥹

[shei · Rating 4 out of 5]

—— 4✰ stars.

‘never apologize for loving someone. Even if it hurts. Especially if it hurts’

・❥・ Mood of the book:
: ̗̀➛ No Time To Die by Billie Eilish
: ̗̀➛ Lovely versioned by Lauren Babic & Seraphim
: ̗̀➛ Scars by Boy Epic
: ̗̀➛ Game of Survival by Ruelle

Initially, I was going to give it a score of 3.5✰ stars. because, although the beginning and the end are very fast and interesting, the 200 pages in the middle are very slow and sometimes a bit repetitive.

BUT!!! Let me tell u the ending was C-R-A-Z-Y. I fell on my ass, lost my wig and my fake nails in the process and spent 5 hours with my mouth open like an idiot. BUT OK OK, let’s get into the review besties!! This is going to be a little short since I was in a slump and it has been a hot minute since I read this.

I loved the worldbuilding and I can't wait for the next ones to know everything that Lynette Noni has created, and to continue exploring the magic, because yes, there is also magic in this book.

════ ⋆𝒶𝒷ℴ𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝓅𝓁ℴ𝓉⋆ ════

Kiva Meridan has been a healer in Zalindov for ten years, a deadly prison where survival is a challenge.

'Zalindov showed no mercy, not even to the innocent'

A deadly plague is infecting the prisoners and a rebellion is brewing. But one day, The Rebel Queen arrives, along with a note addressed to Kiva that says: 'Don't let her die, we are coming.' But, of course, things are not that easy, The Queen must face some deadly trials that will decide her fate, but she is sick, so Kiva, in an attempt to keep her alive, takes her place in the said trials. We also cannot forget that a new prisoner Jaren arrives (wink, wink, WINK)

════ ⋆𝒶𝒷ℴ𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝓅𝒶𝒸𝒾𝓃𝑔⋆ ════

As I already said, it has a very irregular pace, the first hundred pages keep you glued to the pages because you want to know everything about the world that Lynette Noni has written. During the middle, about two hundred pages, the pace slows down a lot, and it becomes a bit repetitive, since Kiva investigates the disease and thinks about the trials over and over again (it doesn't help that i was in a huge slump and with Covid hehehe) . The last pages are full of twists and the pacing is great again.

════ ⋆𝒶𝒷ℴ𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉ℯ𝓇𝓈⋆ ════

𝒦𝒾𝓋𝒶 ℳℯ𝓇𝒾𝒹𝒶𝓃:
If there is one word to define Kiva, it is brave. She takes her position as a healer very seriously and does whatever it takes to survive, even if it means being hated by others. She drives everyone away from her because getting attached to someone in Zalindov is dangerous. But she feels everything in a very deep way.

‘Attachments were dangerous at Zalindov. Caring only led to pain'

𝒥𝒶𝓇ℯ𝓃:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! Daddy. I mean!!!! Daddy. SORRY!!???? Daddy. Ok he is not Daddy but he is, ok??? And this makes complete sense. Jaren is the new prisoner, full of scars and blood, and who begins to get closer to Kiva (yes you guessed it bitch, he is the love interest). I don't want to say anything more about him because the author makes him mysterious on purpose, and who am I to break the mystery?

‘Take off your shirt and lie down’ ‘I’m flattered, but we barely know each other’

𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝓇ℴ𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸ℯ:

'Sweetheart, I know'

It's very slow, not much really happens between them throughout the book, I don't mind it as I don't need romance to keep me interested, but I know there are people who do, so keep this in mind. BUT I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE INCREDIBLE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT HOW THE BOOK ENDS AAAAA.

'You have the prettiest eyes I have ever seen. Like the sunlight on the sea'

'I don't see you as some kind of damsel who needs rescuing. I've never met anyone stronger than you. So you are right, you don't need me fighting your battles, but if you'll let me I'd like to be standing beside you as you fight them'

𝒯𝒾𝓅𝓅 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒩𝒶𝒶𝓇𝒾:
They are good secondary characters, especially Tipp, who is a boy who has been in Zalindov all his life and Kiva takes care of him as if he were his little brother. And Naari is a guard.

'but it was his sunny personality that pulled her out of the shadows'

════ ⋆𝓆𝓊ℴ𝓉ℯ𝓈 𝐼 ℯ𝓃𝒿ℴ𝓎ℯ𝒹⋆ ════

'Because once you give up in here'—she pointed to her heart—'then you are already as good as dead'

'She liked that he was concerned, that he cared enough to be angry. It was always she who was looking after others, not the other way around'

'Their story didn't end as it should have. But I know for a fact that they'd lived it all over again, even the ending, as long as it meant they could keep their beginning'

'Please. Don't look at me like that. Don't look at me like I'm broken'

Hope you enjoyed this mess of a review and that I might have convinced you to read it, since thats the whole purpose of it! Thank you so much if you read until the end. I love you 𓆩♡𓆪.

￫ old updates:
dec 24: SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!! WTF 💀💀💀💀💀 THAT ENDING ????????????? review to fucking come I guess ???

dec 04: THE PRISON IS WHERE I WOULD BE IF I COULD DO WHAT I WANT BUT ANYWAYS. 💅🏻 thank you so much who voted for this or for any other book and of course thank you Sara for choosing this book to be on the poll 💖 I love you.

[Millie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Things I liked:
- Mirryn. That's it.

Things I didn't like:
- Mirryn was only in it for like two pages
- it was slow and boring. The blurb made the Trials sound like the main conflict of the story, which they technically are, but most of the book is just Kiva going around between the Trials trying to figure things out and chatting with the other characters. The actual Trials were always over within a few pages, and the lull between them was a real slug to get through. It did not need to be 400 pages long.
- there is no subtlety in the writing. The author writes exactly what she means, and will often explain what she meant directly after when there was really no need. I get it. I can read.
- this style of writing made it very easy to predict what would happen. Nothing really came as a surprise.
- very basic elemental style magic system, nothing new or different to make it interesting.
- inconsistencies in the characters. Kiva makes a point early on that she heals anyone despite who they are or what they've done; murderers, rapists, rebels, whatever. There's then a point when she's investigating the illnesses with Naari that she admits she purposely made a guard's STI worse instead of healing him. Which I don't disagree with, make the rapist's rash worse by all means bestie, but it doesn't track with your characterisation.
- the romance between Jaren and Kiva was boring and flavourless. Jaren was fine, I found him respectful and pleasant, but like a lot of the main cast in this book, he was somewhat flat and boring, which bled into the romance.
- Kiva's fixation on believing that Naari and Jaren were together was annoying and juvenile and felt like I was reading a book set in high school, not a high security fantasy prison
- apparantly Kiva used to give her father, an adult man who was a healer by trade, tips on healing that he hadn't considered before. She was seven.
- the Trials were lame. If the whole thing is meant to be some grand gesture to symbolise the royal family's power then they could've been more epic. I was expecting an arena with elemental monsters or something. Instead Kiva had to jump off a building and sit in an oven for ten minutes.
- Kiva didn't pass any of the Trials without direct and essential help. She literally wouldn't have survived any of them if someone didn't save her every time. I get they're meant to he impossible or whatever, but it would've been nice if the main character figured at least one of the Trials out on her own. 
- what was the point of Tipp getting sick?
- the healer-who-refuses-to-follow-her-own-advice-and-take-care-of-herself character quirk isn't endearing, it's annoying.
- how did Kiva not find out about the poison earlier? It was literally stored in her cupboard. This, like many of the other plot points, was flimsy.
- Kiva was being dramatic and hypocritical at the end. I also didn't care enough about the whole thing to be anything other than annoyed.
- Jaren is the Avatar.
- Kiva used her Deus Ex Machina healing powers on her adopted rodent child but not her own mother
- if I have to read the words Stay alive. Don't let her die. We are coming. one more time i will scream.

[benedicta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ I wasn't bored, but I wanted more 😩

I didn't have any big issues with this book. Tbh, I just didn't care about the characters. It felt like they all acted on emotions and had little personality and nothing set them apart for me. It would also have been pretty cool to meet the cliques and other prisoners- maybe in the next two books? The plot and world building was fine.

Kiva is a prison healer while waiting for her family who are a part of a rebel group to come rescue her. There is no need for you to try remembering this information because it was mentioned 252 times 😭.

Kiva is selfless with a matyr complex because, obviously she's a modern day, fmc of a fantasy novel and what is her personality if she doesn't have a savior complex and isn't healing killing with kindness.

She meets prison heartthrob, Jaren and tries not crush on while exchanging heart eyes with him over patients.

Enters Tilda, the rebel queen who is barely hanging on to life and in Kiva's infirmary and has to go through four elemental trials which long story short, is meant to kill her. Kiva volunteers to take her place.

It was interesting enough to keep reading especially with those two big twists in the last 100 pages but not engaging enough to have me caring whether Kiva survived certain death the trials posed or not.

***

all I want to say is, I have high expectations for this one 😌✋🏽

[jasmine •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ (semi-hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⤷4.5! I really loved the unique prison setting in this!!! I also enjoyed Kiva's character, being a healer (different than most other fmcs) but also so fierce and lovable. I adored Jaren (best golden retriever boy) and Kiva's cute romance - he cared for her sm 🙂‍↕️ The way they protect each other and work through really hard times got me 🥹 The middle was slower but I'm just a sucker for plots where the characters just do smaller things building up to the big event - it was kind of like we're exploring Zalindov too 🤭 All of the side characters are literally my loves <33 Both the plot of trials and mysterious illness were both interesting, and that plot twist at the end was so worth it!!! (aka my jaw was on the floor)

[It was only when she'd cried her last that sleep finally found her, and she drifted off wrapped in Jaren's embrace, feeling safe and protected for the first time in years.]

[Marianna Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Guys please don’t come for me I was just so painfully bored the entire time. Everyone told me the ending will make up for the book being so slow…. I fear I did unfortunately find it very predictable so I felt absolutely nothing. Don’t hate me.

Honestly as someone who usually has a LOT to say… I feel like there’s really not much to elaborate on other than the fact that like literally nothing happened for 95% of this book. We spent so much time in the FMCs head with her constantly asking the same questions over and over again, so many times I asked myself “haven’t I already read this scene”. Kiva also just gave me nothing. I didn’t like or dislike her, she was just there. She was also dumb so there’s that.

There was potential for a fun little romance to brew but like the romance also gave me nothing??? Idk I felt zero chemistry between Kiva and Jaren.

Jaren was also…. There.

I also feel robbed because I essentially read this for the insane plot twist everyone raves about but I did predict it happening from the beginning so it didn’t make up for the book being so slow and uneventful. But I literally wouldn’t mind this being predictable at all if the story as a whole was interesting to me….. it wasn’t.

No I won’t be reading book 2.

[cherie ^_-★ (busy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ⭐️
⤷ spoilers ahead!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

“Never apologize for loving someone. Even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts.”

i was going to rate this book 3.25 stars initially. the plot was intriguing, but the pacing felt very slow. however, the unexpected twists at the end took me by surprise.

ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ kiva
kiva is selfless and brave. she has done whatever it takes to survive 10 years in prison, and avoids attachments to protect herself but still cares deeply about others. as the prison healer, she takes her job very seriously and does everything she can for the prisoners, even when some of them despise her and are unappreciative. anyway, her trials were absolutely TRAUMATIZING and she didn’t deserve any of that shit 😭😭😭 also, my jaw dropped when it was revealed that she is the rebel princess at the end of the book. i didn’t see it coming AT ALL, and it made her interactions with tilda even sadder 😭

ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ jaren
if you have seen my updates, you would know how much i LOVE jaren. i had a feeling he was more important than just a regular prisoner from the moment he arrived in the prison, but i didn’t suspect he was the PRINCE. i kept thinking, “if kiva ends up with the prince instead of jaren, i’m going to scream”… i feel so silly now 😭 sometimes i think i read without using my brain because i’m so slow/bad at predicting things in books LOL.

ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ kiva and jaren
jaren was always there for kiva from the moment he arrived in the prison, and my guy saved her not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES 😭😭😭

“I’m not going anywhere, Kiva. You’re not in this alone. Any of it.”

“. . . Why, Jaren? Why save me?”
“Because you’re good, Kiva. I’ve watched you with the other prisoners—even people like Cresta, who go out of their way to make your life miserable—and you treat all of them the same. Hell, you even treat the Rebel Queen like the rest of them. Better, even. And I know you’ve already told me why, just as I know I’ll never fully understand. But I don’t have to, because I can see your heart. You didn’t deserve to die, and it was within my power to keep you alive. So I did.”

“If you weren’t getting information and you were never a real prisoner, then why didn’t you just leave?”
“Because I found a reason to stay.”

ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ other characters
i adore tipp so much, and teared up when he was dying 🥲 i really like naari and mot too, and i’m a bit sad that mot sacrificed himself so the others could escape :(

overall, i enjoyed this book, and the rest of the series looks promising. i hope i’ll like the gilded cage even more 🤞🏻


pre-read:

tysm to everyone who voted/commented on my first ever poll <3 this book won by a lot of votes and a few of you were raving about it in the comments, so i’m looking forward to seeing what’s so good about this series!!

[molly lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

. 𖡼𖤣𖥧 4.25 stars ㅤ𖡼.𖤣𖥧

‧˚₊•┈ ❛❛ 𝘚𝘰 𝑦𝘰𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝘵, 𝑦𝘰𝑢 𝑑𝘰𝑛'𝘵 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝘵𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝘰𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑎𝘵𝘵𝑙𝑒𝑠. 𝛣𝑢𝘵 ... 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝘰𝑢'𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝘵 𝑚𝑒, 𝐼'𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝘵𝘰 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝘵𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑦𝘰𝑢 𝑎𝑠 𝑦𝘰𝑢 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝘵 𝘵ℎ𝑒𝑚. ❜❜ ┈•₊˚⊹

I AM UNWELL. The ending had me like 👄

⤿ ⛓️┆tropes
✎ deadly trials
✎ found family
✎ oppressive prison setting
✎ political intrigue & rebellion
✎ slow burn
✎ who did this to you?

❕note: this review doesn’t contain major spoilers but if you don’t want to know anything about this book AT ALL before going into it (because I’m very much like this), then I’d maybe suggest skipping the ‘the ending’ portion!❕

⤿ 🏯┆story…

The Prison Healer centres around Kiva Meridan - a healer who has grown up in, or more accurately described as survived in Zalindov, a prison notorious for its isolation and brutality. For ten years, Kiva has lived a purposely solitary life, making herself as small and invisible as possible in order to survive the ruthlessness that is Zalindov.

That all comes to pass when the Rebel Queen falls at her doorstep, or should I say operating table, too ill to participate in a never-survived-before trial bestowed upon her. Of course, Kiva volunteers in her stead. How could it get worse? you wonder. Well, a plague has started to sweep across the prison, and Kiva is the one who has to shoulder the burden of curing it. And because life’s curveballs always come in threes, let’s throw in some growing feelings towards a mysterious new inmate that need navigating too.

A prison setting mixed with deadly trials is such a unique and intriguing concept to me. Each trial had enough build up and suspense to the point it felt like I was the one participating, or at the very least someone I loved was.

Now I’ll be honest, I didn’t fall head over heels in love with this novel straight away due to its longer, slightly repetitive passages. But I actually came to really savour these slower moments later on. Kiva has quite literally been trapped in a hellish prison for ten. whole. years. a monotonous existence that would - I think - very understandably reflect in how the story can be told.

⤿ 🌸┆characters…

The prison setting is what enticed me, but the characters are what KEPT me. I got so incredibly absorbed into them, they are MINE (sorry Dawn, you’ll have to pry them from my cold dead hands). They were all just so freaking pure - Kiva, Jaren, TIPP🥺, Naari, even Mot (he’s a lil’ bit obsessed with death but that’s okay, we all have our quirks☝🏻).

The found family was tugging tugging tugging at my heartstrings in this one. The protectiveness they felt towards each other? GAH.

𖡼𖤣𖥧 Kiva 𖡼𖤣𖥧
Definition of hard shell, softest heart. Kiva was only a baby when she had her world swept from under her 🥺; how she has remained good after all she’s endured is beyond me. Of course, she is flawed and has done what she can to survive (LAYERS PEOPLE, LAYERS).

“𝛨𝘰𝑝𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑢𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝛫𝑖𝜈𝑎, 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑖𝑐𝘵.”

But after being trapped in a brutal prison for an entire decade, she somehow still has hope. After her fellow cellmates call her “healer whore” time and time and time again, she somehow still extends her compassion towards everyone. Even when she tries her best not to care too deeply, she still risks her life for others.

If anyone deserves more than the shit the world has dealt them, it’s her. If anyone wishes her harm, here’s a little forehead kiss for ya ╾━╤デ╦︻(•_-).

𖡼𖤣𖥧 Tipp 𖡼𖤣𖥧
Someone else who deserves better is my baby Tipp 🥹. MY POOR SWEET SUMMER CHILD. He is just so painfully innocent, I wish I could adopt him. Scratch that, I WILL ADOPT HIM (let’s just pretend he’s real okay? 👉🏻👈🏻). Like I found myself seriously considering it and I genuinely would. In a heartbeat. No questions asked.

Taking co-parenting applications effective immediately… ✍🏻

He’s what I imagine Kiva being like when she was younger. Perhaps that’s why Kiva feels maternal towards him - she couldn’t protect her past self so she tries to protect Tipp instead 🙁. (Why in the fuck do I do this to myself?)

𖡼𖤣𖥧 Jaren 𖡼𖤣𖥧
Jaren. Jaren Jaren Jaren Jaren.

One of the worst things in the world is reading a book and then realising the man in said book and therefore his actions and words are fictional.

“𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝘰𝑢 𝜈𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝘵ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼 𝑠𝑎𝑦, 𝑠𝘵𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝘰𝑚 ℎ𝑒𝑟.” “𝐼 𝜈𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑒𝜈𝑒𝑟𝑦𝘵ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝘰𝑢 𝑠𝑎𝑦, 𝛫𝑖𝜈𝑎.”

He’s quite mysterious yet we love him anyway due to the simple fact of him being down bad for our Kiva. Unyielding faith in her?

“𝘑𝑢𝑠𝘵… 𝑙𝘰𝘰𝑘 𝑎𝑓𝘵𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑚, 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒?” “𝐼’𝑙𝑙 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑦𝑒 𝘰𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝘵ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙, 𝑏𝑢𝘵 𝑎𝑓𝘵𝑒𝑟 𝘵ℎ𝑎𝘵, 𝑦𝘰𝑢’𝑙𝑙 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑙𝘰𝘰𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑓𝘵𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑦𝘰𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.”

Check. Always giving her steady and solid support?

“𝛮𝑒𝜈𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑝𝘰𝑙𝘰𝑔𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝘰𝑟 𝑙𝘰𝜈𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝘰𝑚𝑒𝘰𝑛𝑒. 𝛦𝜈𝑒𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝘵 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝘵𝑠. 𝛦𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝘵 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝘵𝑠.”

Check. Being attuned to her so acutely?

"𝐼'𝑚 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒." 𝛨𝑖𝑠 𝘵ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑏 𝑠𝘵𝑟𝘰𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝘵ℎ𝑒𝑟-𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝘵 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝘵 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑛. "𝐼𝘵'𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝘵 𝑛𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝑏𝑒." 𝛫𝑖𝜈𝑎 𝑠𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑙𝘰𝑤𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑙𝘰𝑤𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛. 𝛣𝑢𝘵 𝘵ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝘵ℎ𝑟𝘰𝑎𝘵 𝑤𝘰𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝘵 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑠𝘰𝑙𝜈𝑒. 𝛢𝑛𝑑 𝘵ℎ𝑒 𝘵𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝘰𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝘵 𝑠𝘵𝘰𝑝 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔.

CHECK.

Of course, because all my favourite characters simply must go through something traumatic in this book, Jaren is no different😖.

“𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒, 𝑑𝘰𝑛’𝘵 𝑙𝘰𝘰𝑘 𝑎𝘵 𝑚𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝘵ℎ𝑎𝘵. 𝐷𝘰𝑛’𝘵 𝑙𝘰𝘰𝑘 𝑎𝘵 𝑚𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝐼’𝑚 𝑏𝑟𝘰𝑘𝑒𝑛.”

It’s settled. I’m adopting them all (•̀ᴗ•́ )و.

𖡼𖤣𖥧 Naari 𖡼𖤣𖥧
A quiet supporter. Naari won me over from the offset when she acted like an actual decent human being rather than those other scummy prison guards (I pray upon their death 🫶🏻). I don’t think she actually knows how to stop being a complete and utter queen, I long to be as cool as her.

𖡼𖤣𖥧 Mot 𖡼𖤣𖥧
Well, Mot’s just a bloody legend.

⤿ 🦠┆the ending…

My mouth was AGAPE.

A.G.A.P.E.

Lynette Noni you sly sly woman for making me and Dawn think we were clever 🫵🏻, for making my ego go through the roof and then plummet back down into nothing. Nothing.

Such a head slap moment. I was mimicking a fish.

⤿ 🦋┆overall

Kiva and her surrogate family completely stole my heart away and maybe they’ll steal yours too ᰔ. Just bear in mind if a slower plot progression isn’t your thing then this may not be the one for you. <3

. 𖡼𖤣𖥧 love letter to Dawn ㅤ𖡼.𖤣𖥧
Thank you sooo much for being my yapping partner whilst reading this bestie, and for putting up with my absolute mess upon mess of thoughts. I am your biggest fan, love you always 💌 (if you apologise one more time for your reading schedule, I will kill you) ᰔ

🍄‍🟫‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹🍄‍🟫

꒰ the prison healer 🌷
⌗﹒ 01 the prison healer ~ 4.25✮
⌗﹒ 02 the gilded cage ~ ?✮
⌗﹒ 03 the blood traitor ~ ?✮

[aeryn rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

SHAMBLESSS!! I AM IN SHAMBLES. When I first picked this up, I was NOT expecting this to turn out to be a contender for one of my favorite fantasy books. But here we are, and I LOVE IT!

I was so blown away by how much I loved the characters in this book. Not just Kiva, the FMC, but all of the side characters and the love interest Jaren. When I tell you that it's impossible not to love these characters, I wholeheartedly mean it. The minor characters just pulled the story together and by the end of the book you're just astonished with the journey you just had with them. Kiva was such an amazing lead character. Her love for her family and friends was till death do us part and she truly meant that. She was badass and carried herself like no other. Tipp was probably my favorite side character. I MEAN IF YOU'VE READ THIS YOU KNOW WHY! Naari was a close second and Jaren? GOLDEN RETRIEVER ENERGY at its finest.

The plot of this book PLOTTED! Not only do we get the characters journey, but the politics and magic in this system was wild. I'm a sucker for a good fantasy with politics and after reading so many of them, this is up there. I was engaged the entire time; I was not bored for a single second. This was such a fast read and you get sucked in immediately. While this was Young Adult, it didn't really feel that way because of the writing and complexity of the plot. 10/10 yes. Just yes.

I actually ordered the rest of the series the other day and they're supposed to arrive shortly so best believe I'm starting the second book as soon as it comes in. I am just so IMMERSED! It caught my attention and now I just need to read the whole series. I had a prediction at the beginning of this book that I'd love it, but I was surprised at just how much.

Side note: BE PREPARED FOR A CLIFF-HANGER AT THE END!! If you know, you know. The second book immediately is a MUST. I am so so excited. My jaw was on the floor at the shock factor. Literally so insane. I will not be forgetting this for a longgg while!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really need a young adult fantasy and this has been on my shelf for a while so I'm ready to dive in 🙂‍↔️

[༻gemma༺{back!} ఌ· ° . · Rating 4 out of 5]

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 4 s𝗍ᥲrs ꒱ ˎˊ˗
╰⪼𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙢𝙖'𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡₊˚⊹ᰔ (creds to mins for this detail!)

bigggg thanks to my bestie edie for reading this with meeee!
⤷ ゛ her stunning review ˎˊ˗

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ♫♬♪: “champagne problems” - taylor swift
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺ 1:34

￫ s𝗍ᥲr𝗍ᥱძ ȷᥲᥒᥙᥲrᥡ 2ᥒძ ⭑ 𝖿іᥒіsһᥱძ ȷᥲᥒᥙᥲrᥡ 16
￫ 𝗍rіggᥱr ᥕᥲrᥒіᥒgs ⭑ ძᥱᥲ𝗍һ, ძrᥙgs, sᥱᥣ𝖿 һᥲrm, 𝗍᥆r𝗍ᥙrᥱ, ᥎і᥆ᥣᥱᥒᥴᥱ, ᥱ𝗍ᥴ.
￫ s⍴іᥴᥱ ⭑ 0/5
￫ ᥴᥙrsіᥒg ⭑ ᥎ᥱrᥡ mіᥒіmᥲᥣ

› "Our scars define us. They tell a story of courage and survival. They tell of who we are at our deepest being, of the challenges we've faced and overcome."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

ᝰ.ᐟ「sᥙmmᥲrᥡ」

The Prison Healer follows Kiva Meridan, a teenage healer surviving ten years in the brutal Zalindov death prison, who must keep the captured Rebel Queen alive for a deadly Trial by Ordeal. To save the Queen and herself, Kiva volunteers to take the Queen's place in the elemental trials, risking her life with a coded message from her family promising rescue, as she navigates prison politics, a spreading plague, and a growing romance with a mysterious inmate, uncovering secrets and fighting for freedom in a world of harsh survival and shocking twists.

ᝰ.ᐟ「mᥡ 𝗍һ᥆ᥙgһ𝗍s」

The pacing was kinda slow for me at the beginning but once it started picking up I didn't want to put the book down. The plot, the characters, and Kiva herself made me want to keep reading. I thought the setting would get boring since they're in one place the whole time, but surprisingly I wasn't bored. The Trials by Ordeal added a lot to the plot though and really kept me interested.

ᝰ.ᐟ「ᥴһᥲrᥲᥴ𝗍ᥱrs」

⟢kі᥎ᥲ
I love herrrrrrr. ugh every single time she tried convincing herself she didnt like jaren I was giggling but also wanted to slap her bc u KNOW ur obsessed with him. anyway, the way she cared for tipp, and everyone she heals made me so happy. we loveee a strong fmc.

⟢ȷᥲrᥱᥒ
I love jaren. I love jaren. I. love. jaren. every time his name came up I was praying this would be the moment him and Kiva would kiss, or SOMETHING. regardless though, he was so so sweet. I was crying in my room at like midnight when I read the scene where kiva opened up to him and he just kissed her on the forehead like ughhhhhh.

⟢ᥒᥲᥲrі
the way me and edie were thinking she was lesbian lmao. there's still two more books so you never know...on another note I kinda figured naari would be important from the start just based on how she was talked about.

⟢𝗍і⍴⍴
tipp's back must hurt from carrying this book (not that it was bad without him, but he made it better). he was so so sweet and may be my favorite character from this book. I don't know how this kid has so much energy in a prison.

ᝰ.ᐟ「𝗊ᥙ᥆𝗍ᥱs ᥲkᥲ mᥡ 𝖿ᥲ᥎᥆rі𝗍ᥱ ⍴ᥲr𝗍」

𖤐 "Kiva croaked out, 'then why didn't you just leave?'
'his blue gold gaze locked on hers. "Because I found a reason to stay.'"
𖤐 "'So you're right, you don't need me fighting your battles. But if you'll let me, I'd like to be standing beside you as you fight them.'"
𖤐"'I value everything you say.'"

›"Dreams were for fools. And Kiva was the biggest fool of them all."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

⋆˚࿔ ⍴rᥱ rᥱᥲძ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

soooo excited to pick this book up with the one and only edie mayyyy! I've seen mixed reviews on this but at least if we hate it we can hate it together <3

(and my first buddy read of 2026!! yayyyyy!)

[edie-may ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ──「 ‎ 4.00 stars .ᐟ ‎ 」✮⋆˙ ‎ ❛ Dreams were for fools. And Kiva was the biggest fool of them all. ❜ ‎


‎ ‎ ‎ ⤿ read: january 2 • january 16 • 2026
‎ ‎ ‎ ⤿ age rating: 14+
‎ ‎ ‎ ⤿ spice level: 0/5
‎ ‎ ‎ ⤿ content warnings: mentions of self harm, SA, violence & death


‎ ‎ ᯓ buddy read with my lovely gem.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ⤷ find her review here !!


‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ═══ ˗ˏˋ ꒰ 𖥸 ꒱ ˎˊ˗ ═══


⟡₊⋆ ⋮ ⌗ ⛓️ ‎꒰ review: ꒱

‎ ‎ i’m shell-shocked. i pride myself on being good at predicting twists, but i’m not as good with guessing the amount of them. this book…as soon as i started thinking i was safe, bam, there was another revelation that had me taking off my glasses and fixing my posture. the pacing was slow but steady and ugh i was so invested in these characters. i understand why people love this series.


⟡₊⋆ ⋮ ⌗ 🩹 ‎꒰ characters: ꒱

‎ ‎ ‎ ⇝ kiva & jaren .ᐟ
‎ ‎ holy slow burn. there is so much insta-love and so little build up in books these days that i was starting to miss the feeling of geeking out when two people happened to brush arms 300 pages in. this restored that in me. both of them are perfectly suited to each other.

‎ ‎ ‎ ⇝ naari & tipp .ᐟ
‎ ‎ oh, found family trope, how i love you. let it be known that i am completely besotted with naari. i spent the entire book praying that one of the plot twists would be her coming out as lesbian. in sharp contrast to this, all i felt for tipp was an overwhelming maternal instinct. i want to hug that kid so bad.


‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ═══ ˗ˏˋ ꒰ 𖥸 ꒱ ˎˊ˗ ═══


⟡₊⋆ ⋮ ⌗ ‎꒰ series reviews: ꒱

‎ ‎ ‎ ⤿ #1. the prison healer ; 4.00 ★
‎ ‎ ‎ ⤿ #2. the gilded cage ; ? ★
‎ ‎ ‎ ⤿ #3. the blood traitor ; ? ★


⟡₊⋆ ⋮ ⌗ ‎꒰ pre-read: ꒱

‎ ‎ first book and buddy read of 2026. this has been on my tbr for eons, i’m so ready. reading with my lovely gem <3 — ( prediction ; 4.00 ☆ )


જ⁀➴ ₊˚⊹ ✦

[Dawn Solaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

★彡 4.25 stars彡★

“But, Papa, the endings are the best part.”

“Sometimes, sweetheart. But other times, the beginnings are.”

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ Feel free to throw me in jail, for how dare that I kept stalling on this one as long as I did? How. Dare. I. Not. Pick. It. Up. Sooner? On second thought, jail is much too lenient, so don’t be shy to drop better alternatives down below ⤵︎

To be honest, one good thing that came out of this felony is that I got to read this pretty piece with my pretty person - LOML Molly. Safe to say both of us are open to donations since I doubt we can afford our therapy bills after The Ending™ (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Lo and behold… an actually refreshing take on YA fantasy ~

⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

⋮ ⌗ ┆ ᏖᏒᎧᎮᏋᏕ ᏗᏖ ᏇᎧᏒᏦ ⋮ ⌗ ┆

➳❥ Healer Heroine

➳❥ Prison Setting

➳❥ Secret Identities

➳❥ Found Family

➳❥ Golden Retriever MMC

➳❥ Who Did This To You?

⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

⋮ ⌗ ┆ ᎷᎩ ᏖᏂᎧᏬᎶᏂᏖᏕ ⋮ ⌗ ┆

: ̗̀➛ 🅣🅗🅔 🅢🅣🅞🅡🅨 & 🅣🅗🅔 🅕🅔🅔🅛🅢: Kiva Meridan spent nearly a decade of her life in the hellhole that is Zalindov prison. And she survived when others fell. Simply because she knew to shrivel in on herself and make herself as small of a threat as possible. Silently waiting on a rescue that never came her way, things suddenly start falling in place as a number of unexpected variables spring up: a plague, a rebel queen and of course a charming inmate ᗜ⩊ᗜ

Truth be told, the gritty prison setting wasn’t what I expected to feel comfortable with, especially when almost the entirety of the book takes place in there. And yes, I was initially struggling to get into the story because of said gritty setting paired with what was an excruciatingly slow pacing.

However, as I kept on reading, I began to understand that there was meaning and purpose behind the tough-to-crack introduction. That we were meant to feel the monotony of days Kiva spent in Zalindov. And that we were meant to feel exasperated at how sorrowfully the days bled into months. So here I am, appreciating how beautifully that was done.

: ̗̀➛ 🅚🅘🅥🅐 🅜🅔🅡🅘🅓🅐🅝: Words cannot explain the feelings I feel for Kiva.

Here’s the thing, when you first get to know her, you’re bound to think along the lines of “oh there she goes being the regular YA fantasy girlie we’ve seen one too many times!” But nope, Kiva Meridan is nothing short of an enigma. If you think you’ve got her figured out?

Rethink it.

Trust me when I say she will blow you away. The more of her layers you peel off, the more mysterious she gets, and the more questions you have about her. She starts of as a meek, little mouse of a person. She says she goes with the flow and likes to make herself small.

Peel Off A Layer:

She’s quiet and perceptive.

Peel Off Another Layer:

She’s dangerously strategic and unpredictable.

Peel Off Another Damn Layer:

You never know what schemes she’s scheming. Ahem. Anyways, that’s a good way to describe Kiva. The more pages you flip through, the less you really know her.

And then there’s the matter of all the shit she’s been through. WHY IS IT THAT THE SWEET SOULS ALWAYS SUFFER? Kiva, my precious, only keeps hoping and hoping that things will get better.

“Hope was a drug and Kiva, an addict.”

My smol cinnamon-roll, I’ll give you all the joys ಥ﹏ಥ

If she doesn’t live happily ever after then I’ll be at your throats, I swear. Yeah, it sounds like I’m kidding, but I’m not.

: ̗̀➛ 🅙🅐🅡🅔🅝: Jaren is the kind of character who has you wrapped around his finger from the moment he enters the scene. It’s lowkey impossible to not like a guy so visibly down-bad for our girl. Easy to call him foolish-in-love, and easier still to love him for that.

He was that constant source of sunshine in the otherwise-gloomy atmosphere set by the book. Call it witty remarks, or just loveable longing… this man has it all.

I’m an addict too, Kiva. But Jaren’s my drug and boy am I high …

I’m not eloquent enough to talk of the extent to which Jaren is a blessing to humanity.

I’ll stumble, I’ll stutter, I’ll lose dignity. So I’ll let the quotes do the work:

“She’d never held much of an interest in art, but looking at him now, her fingers itched for some paint, for some charcoal, for anything that could capture his near-perfect angles.”

Lucky for me, I’m very interested in art. Be my muse, Jaren 〜⁠(⁠꒪⁠꒳⁠꒪⁠)⁠〜

“Please, don’t look at me like that. Don’t look at me like I’m broken.”

I Can Fix Him No Really I Can (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞

“Sorry.”

He shook his head. “Never apologize for loving someone. Even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts.”

I’m not even kidding when I say he had me WHIPPED. They don’t make men this fine anymore, they sadly don’t (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

And then there’s the matter of how attuned he is to Kiva’s needs. They share this cute quirk that’s better explained with another excerpt:

“Are you ready?”

“Of course I am.”

Jaren’s eyes remained locked on hers, waiting for the truth, and Kiva sighed.

“Fine. I’m a nervous wreck. Happy?”

He keeps badgering her until she gets exhausted and says how she truly feels. I’m sorry, but this micro-trope needs to exist more widely or I’ll riot –

In a world of blockhead boys, he’s a green-flag gentleman (੭˃ᴗ˂)੭

: ̗̀➛ 🅣🅗🅔 🅢🅘🅓🅔 🅒🅗🅐🅡🅐🅒🅣🅔🅡🅢: For bookish kiddos there’s two ends to the spectrum. On one end, we have bitchy brats like *censored for REASONS* and then on the other end there’s perfectly responsible and adorable children that you would pay good money to raise.

That’s exactly where my baby hamster Tipp comes in (for those who aren’t fluent in nonsense-speak, he’s a human, not a hamster). The way he cares for Kiva and the way Kiva cares for him? That’s the kind of found family I signed up for and you best believe I’m getting his adoption papers ready.

I. WILL. NOT. REST. IN. PEACE. UNTIL. I. ADOPT. HIM.

Then comes our soldier queen Nari. Again, it’s lowkey shameless of me to admit that I’ll let her step on me I’m saying that for a lot of characters these days. What an icon of a character. Her quiet resilience and how much she cares for Kiva undid me. Female friendships give me solace and that’s exactly what happened here.

As for Mot… I swear to god… IF HE IS NOT ALIVE AND WELL THEN I WILL MAKE SURE NO ONE IS!

»»——★ fιnαℓ тнσυgнтѕ ★——««

➳ Let’s all discuss the elephant in the room: The Ending™…

So, I take pride in guessing plot twists and gloating about it afterwards in public places yes, I’m that kinda gal. And what happened was that I guessed the simplest plot twist (that wasn’t even a plot twist) and my ego sky-rocketed up-up-up until I read the ending… I was aghast, because I couldn’t have seen it coming ever. Like ever.

That ending was criminal shit. Pray tell, in what world is such an ending legal? How haven’t I sued the author yet ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ? All brilliant questions to be considered.

Lynette Noni might as well have slapped a “what dumb bitch!” sticker on my conscience.

I’ll quietly die with a bruised ego.

Bye.

𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆ To Bestie Molly ⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ 𝙾𝚞𝚛 𝚞𝚗𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚊𝚙 𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚔𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎. 𝚂𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊 𝚏𝚞𝚗 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚜𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚎! 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝚜𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝’𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟸 ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

ﾒ𝟶ﾒ𝟶

｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡

[yuvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT WAS THAT ENDING!??????!?!!?
oml
i have no words.
one thing ik fs- this is definitely worth all the hype🙂‍↕️
it actually reminded me a lot of 'defy the night' by brigid kemmerer, and i really loved that series. so, my expectations for the next 2 books are sky high rn🫡

Br w lovely salma
(ps. girl, i'm so sorry for finishing it b4 you. i couldn't control myself😭😭)

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure - Lynette is my friend. She's an Australian author and we met when I was a guest at SupaNova about 6 years ago - back in the good old days when I could travel and attend cons. One of the nicest/sweetest person I've ever met and we stayed friends. The Prison Healer is going to be released in April in Australia, UK, and US and many of the books will be signed (she signed literally thousands of what's known as "tip-ins" - it's the cover page that they'll bind with the rest of the book - truthfully, I'm totally jealous ;)

Just like the title says, the main character is the only healer in this horrible prison. A prison that she's been locked in for the last 10 years (having been sent there with her father at the age of 7 - so you know the people who run the place are truly awful - also warning the guards are brutal to the prisoners and there's mention of violence and female prisoners being raped is implied, but that's not detailed on the page - although the threat of it is).

I really liked the world building (there are maps!! Not one but two and they're lovely!) and the details about how Kiva heals those who are sick are interesting. The side characters are very likable and Tipp quickly became a favorite. The action gets going when the queen of the rebels is arrested and sent to the prison. The woman is sentenced to endure four trials, but she's too sick to complete them. Kiva is determined to keep her alive so takes her place (reminded me a bit of the Hunger Games with Katniss stepping in for her sister). If Kiva survives the trails, she and the rebel queen will be free - if she dies, then so will the queen.

This is the first book of a series and you won't have to wait long for book 2 as it's due out in October 2021.

[Maria Ignacia Urzua (te.conlibros) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si tienes este libro hace años como yo, has escuchado comentarios...hazme un favor. Hazme un favor y DALE UNA OPORTUNIDAD.

Este libro me dio enganche, me dio entretenemiento, me dio un mundo de fantasía interesante, acción, misterio, UN SUSPENSOOO QUE OMG...

No les quiero hacer ningún comentario de más, pero si motivar a que lean la historia asi que les cuento: esta es una novela de fantasía, la primera de una trilogía que ya está terminada y que narra la historia de Kiva. Kiva es una joven de solo diecisiete años que lleva diez años encerrada en la terrible cárcel de Zalindov donde además trabaja como sanadora. Cuida a los enfermos, cura a los reos heridos, y un día, mientras cumple con su trabajo va a llegar una persona y un mensaje desde las afueras que lo van a cambiar absolutamente todo...

Desde el inicio este libro me tuvo atrapadisima. Tiene un muy buen ritmo (cada vez más suspenso), con personajes interesantes, subtramas que motivan a seguir leyendo, y en mi opinión se va poniendo cada vez mejor.

Es que la parte final, las últimas 100 páginas concentran una cantidad de emoción, acción, revelaciones que no vi venir y que me obligaban (les prometo) me obligaban a seguir leyendo.

Nunca me había pasado que las últimas lineas me dejaran así de mal como me dejó las de este libro.

Si tiene clichés como dicen algunos y partes más lentas me dio sinceramente lo mismo porque siento que el final logró compensarlo.

Me encantó. Voy a seguir la trilogía. Soy fan.

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus}]

I'm going to put this book on-hold just for some teeny tiny days.

I think I'll be more in the mood for this book next month.

I've been hearing only good things about this book from the minute it came out, and I have been curious about giving 'The Prison Healer' a try ever since. And now that this book was recommended to me a few months back, I simply ought to read it as soon as possible.

[Emmy Rosam · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ because that ending was insane !!!!!!!!!!!

[mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen.
Like sunlight on the sea."

the prologue was chefs kiss, so captivating, first couple of chapters- perfection.

one of the main reasons i didn't love this was because it dragged on way longer than it should have. i mean there was absolutely no need for 80% of the book to be about her finding the reason everyone was getting sick & dropping like flies. I DON'T CARE, i genuinely could not care less, cus she went into extreme detail during the whole process and i mean literally 80% of the damn book was about her wondering why and how it was happening. like girly i don't wanna know anymore let them die. give me some romance.

had so much potential for such good romance, like hello? she's the prison healer, he had just arrived to the prison because he got into some shit and she's fixing him up

[Salma [HIATUS] · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is what you guys have been hyping? 😭 That was very predictable, and I'm not even smart at predicting plot twists. Not only that, but it was also repetitive. Kiva was a very dumb FMC and needed her ass to be saved at every trial. Tipp was the best side character in this book, he was so adorable, and I loved him so much. I was actually worried sick he was going to die. Thankfully, he doesn’t. He needs to be protected at all costs.
__________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
⋆｡‧˚ʚ Pre-read: ɞ˚‧｡⋆
Buddy read with the gorgeous Yuvi . This book is getting so much hype. I'm actually nervous. Please be good, all my recent reads have been terrible. I’m dying here. 😭 I have no idea what this book is about, so going in blind.

[nat ୨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Never apologize for loving someone. Even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts.”

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 5 star baby

The way I devoured this book is crazy. 3 months ago from now I had sworned I could never read romantasy after reading ouabh and rooting for the wrong guy (again 😔). BUT HOLY SHIT this book is everything you guys. I wanna thank barnes & noble for having this 50% off otherwise I would've never read this 😘😘.

₊˚⊹♡ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:

𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒ 𝘒𝘪𝘷𝘢

“I have a lot of dreams. A lot of nightmares, too. Only time will tell which path my life will take.”

my girl fr. She deserves the biggest hug ever. I saur exited abt her in the next books (cause u bet im gonna spedrun them now)


𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒ 𝘑𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯

"Kiva turned to him, the moonlight shining down and accentuating his strong features. She'd never held much of an interest in art, but looking at him now, her fingers itched for some paint, for some charcoal, for anything that could capture his near-perfect angles."


THE LOML. New bookboyfriend unlocked. I love him so much. He's perfect and he's better than jacks (argue with the wall) ALSO he's a prince?? 🤭 *Debby Ryan hair tuck*


𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒ 𝘛𝘪𝘱𝘱

I love him sm. Y'all when I thought he was gonna die I was prepared to start a riot

That's it. I'm omw to download the rest ilegally cause I'm back in my third world country and there's no more b&n 😔

[Karyn⁠ ۶۟ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

I definitely enjoyed the ending.
Even though I predicted everything pretty accurately,
I still loved how everything unraveled.

I loved Kiva as the FMC so much. She’s a healer, and she’s soft yet resilient. All the characters felt very lovable, which made it even more enjoyable.

──── ୨୧ ────

💋ྀིྀི ┆ Read this if you love …
➢ 🫂 Found family
➢ 👩🏻 A soft female heroine
➢ 👱🏼 Golden retriever MMC
➢ ✍️ Not-too-complex setting/world-building (yet)
➢ 💝 He calls her “sweetheart” 🥺
➢ 📖 A solid, engaging plot

💭 ┆ Thoughts
I’d really recommend this series
for people who want to start or try fantasy
or for an easy read.

Disclaimer: Romance is only a subplot in this book.

I had a great time reading this and will definitely continue the trilogy.

──── ୨୧ ────

The middle did feel a bit slow, and I can see how that might not work for everyone, especially if you’re in a reading slump. I personally didn’t mind it because I loved following the FMC.

I also wouldn’t say I’m deeply attached to this series the way I usually am with other fantasy worlds, but I still genuinely enjoyed it.

The ending was a really strong opening for what’s coming next, and it made me curious enough to keep going.

[emelie &#x1d717;&#x1d71a;⋆₊˚ (exams!!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

જ⁀➴ 𝟒.𝟐𝟓₊˚⊹ 🌿 𝟘𝟟/𝟚𝟘/𝟚𝟝—𝟘𝟟/𝟚𝟙/𝟚𝟝
THE PLOT TWISTS IN THIS BOOK HAD MY JAW ON THE FLOOR!! who let me skip this book on my tbr month after month when it was so good?!

first of all, i loved kiva and the story line about her being the prison healer for 10 years and volunteering for the rebel queen. but most importantly her relationship with tipp was so sweet 🥺. it was like an older sister/younger brother love and every time i saw them on the page i almost cried because they were so adorable!!

jaren was so cute and funny to read about!! i love it when it’s a serious fmc and a flirty mmc and this book delivers 100%! the romance did take a while to really start getting good but i personally didn’t mind that. the scenes when he was taking care of her after she got sick were just—👀!

like i said before the last 100 pages were INCREDIBLE i was zooming by them and you had to PRY that book out of my hands it was so good!! it was plot twist after plot twist after plot twist but it didn’t feel random. except…i didn’t enjoy the VERY last plot twist to the book as i felt like it was just too much. the other plot twists in the book were by far good enough to sustain enough of a cliffhanger so there was no point trying to expand it even more since this plot twist didn’t have any foreshadowing whatsoever.

still though, i’m excited to see how the author handles this new direction of the story and if she can expand more on what happened. definitely will be reading the next book!!

𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝟑.𝟓𝟎 🌿
𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕: 𝟒.𝟐𝟓

╰┈➤ tropes to expect!
𐂺 deadly trials
⚜prison-setting
𐂺 slow burn
⚜healer FMC
𐂺 royals & rebels
⚜young-adult fantasy

₊˚⊹ ᰔ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:
this has been on my bookshelf for FOREVERRR but i’m so scared that i won’t like it 🫣!! i really have no reason for feeling this way but i’ve been putting it off time and time again that now i’m scared!!

i was gifted the whole trilogy for last years christmas by my friend so hopefully i end up liking the first book because if not i’m stuck with this series on my shelf!!

[Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp · Rating 2 out of 5]

|| 1.5 stars ||

This was truly incredibly repetitive and painfully slow-paced. I’m serious, almost every page is the exact same, and I’m sure you could skip chapters upon chapters without any issue. So much so, I’d even argue there wasn’t much of a real plot to speak of here. Sure, the premise was really cool and the potential could have been off the charts, but the lack of anything ever really happening kept this from being anything of the sort.
There’s also little to no interaction outside of one single room and between four one-dimensional characters. It’s supposed to be a story about a prison, yet we never set foot outside of the infirmary where the main character works, thus it never actually felt like a story that took place in an actual prison. It could have been anywhere. Therefore, there’s never any real suspense or even sadness about the horrific conditions of the place since we simply don’t get to see it. It’s vaguely mentioned once or twice, but not really. You definitely don’t get to actually experience or feel it. It’s mostly just a whole lot of inner monologue, which got old and boring sooo quickly.

Also, I don’t know what everyone is on about when it comes to the ending being so rad and shocking, because I found the plottwists to be extremely predictable. It was about as cliche as it could possibly be, not to mention incredibly stupid since it leads to three very important (and unfortunate) things as a result:
1) It negates the entire, never-ending inner monologue we have sat through this entire book, since it’s clear the main character has been lying and withholding truth this entire time, but since we’re reading from inside her head, I guess she’s been constantly hiding the truth from… herself?? Is she mentally insane? Like, nothing even remotely logical could explain her inner monologue when you consider the truth. It makes no sense. Genuinely, no sense.
2) The reveal makes all of the main character’s emotions entirely invalid. We have been led to believe a lot of things to explain her situation and her feelings on matters, but it turns out it was all untrue, so her feelings and emotions during this entire book are now completely null and void.
3) The plottwist also changes her from someone we previously viewed as incredibly compassionate and selfless to someone I’d personally call heartless. We now know she could have done plenty to save many many people, including her father and her mother, but she simply chose not to. It changes our view of her entire character from someone who constantly tries her hardest to save as many people as she can because she cares deeply about everyone around her to someone not even willing to help the people she supposedly loves most with minimal effort. I mean, I’d dare say she is approaching psychopath territory with that: You have to have no compassion at all to just sit by and watch people (your parents included) die when you had the power to save them. Crazy.

So, those three things combined really just lead me to question what on earth I’ve spent all this time even reading? It seems I’ve literally just read the most mind-numbingly slow story, narrated by a girl who is lying to herself for no reason other than to give us, as readers, a gotcha moment. Which means I basically read… nothing. What a waste of time.

That said, I do have to admit that I had a little bit of a soft spot for Tipp. The stuttering, vibrant 11-year old really managed to pull on my heart strings once or twice as the boy was simply too precious. But really, he was my one highlight, and he was far from enough to save this book for me.

[h o l l i s · Rating 2 out of 5]

When you have to take a shower mid-read to wake up because the book is putting you to sleep : my experience with THE PRISON HEALER.

Look, that snarky intro notwithstanding, there were things in this story that felt pretty compelling and or interesting but so much just.. didn't make sense. At first I loved that our setting was limited to this prison, where our protagonist had been locked up for ten years, completely cut off from the world and politics around her, but then I got really.. anxious. The limited scope started to bother me. So did the weird extreme sweeps into d a r k n e s s and d e s p a i r and then, like, light hearted flirting with the new prisoner.

We also had this ACOTAR-esque challenge to undergo but the only people witnessing it were the prisoners? The royalty are banished from watching it and it seems to not actually matter to the world outside the prison? Like.. how is this a thing? Why is it even happening?

And the whole idea of this prison being unchallenged by royalty, not subject to rule by any authority by the Warden (I don't know, I'm now questioning my understanding, so don't quote me on that..), was initially interesting but also how the hell did that fly. Just kind of seemed like an excuse to let some awful shit happen.

And then there was this whole civil war thing.. man, like I said, some really cool elements that just felt a little untethered. Trying to sum up all the plot points is leaving me tired.

As for the characters, well. Suffice it to say we aren't supposed to have many to root for, seeing as we are in a prison full to the brim of nasty characters, but Naari, one of the guards, was the only one I actually liked. I got a lot of whiplash from our lead, the love interest was nice but kind of predictable, there's a younger pseudo-brother character who has an endearing stutter but I got pretty tired of reading about it, and there's.. not much else. Bad guard one, bad guard two, evil guard one, evil guard two, unpleasant prisoners x y z, shifty Warden guy, lots of sick and or dead people.. you get the idea.

What saves this for me was the ending. Because.. okay, sure, yeah, that happened. I am both very excited by it and also now very frustrated by everything up until this point, but, sure, yes. I'm hooked and I will read book two (please say it's only a duology..).

I realize most people would not continue on a series where the initial book only warranted a two but I am not most people.

** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

---

This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

”So you’re right, you don’t need me fighting your battles. But if you’ll let me, I’d like to be standing beside you as you fight them.”

first read (2021) : 4.5 stars
reread (2025) : 4 stars

i pretty much remembered everything about this book but i still enjoyed reading it again. Kiva is a healer who works in Zalindov, a prison— and does what she can to survive. there’s trials, secrets, mystery, rebellion and a bit of romance to keep you invested. i love the side characters Tipp and Naari, along with Kiva and Jaren. the setting is harsh and so are the other prisoners, people drop like flies and it’s not a pleasant place for any of the characters to be. Kiva is strong, resilient and easy to root for and the romance she sort of develops with Jaren is so cute especially since he goes out of his way to help her as best as he can. the main thing that knocked the rating down for me this time was the pacing, the story moved a lot slower than i thought it did and i wasn’t the biggest fan of the narration for the audiobook. I’m jealous of anyone who gets to read this for the first time and experience that ending cause i vividly remember my jaw being on the floor 😭😦 I’m so excited to finally be able to continue the series though!