Review: The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
Massive thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Go and read this right now, it’s so hard to put into words the connection I have formed with this book, but just trust me. The prison healer follows Kiva, a prisoner in the ruthless prison Zalindov and the challenges she faces once the notorious Rebel Queen is captured - she must fight to keep the Rebel Queen alive, and do so at whatever cost, including facing the lethal Trial by Ordeal. Can Kiva survive the four elemental tasks, that no other inmate has ever succeeded in doing?
I adored all of the characters in this book, and that isn’t even an exaggeration. Kiva is far from your typical YA female lead, she is so strong and fierce, whilst also being sensitive and caring. Tipp, a young boy with a stutter, was so lovable. It truly makes you reflect on how cruel and unjust a world can be to imprison such a vulnerable child, who is barely capable of hurting a fly. Naari, my baby, is a fantastic character, I hope we get to see a lot more of her personality in the next book. As a whole, all of the characters complimented each other perfectly; where one character lacked, another character excelled. Finally, the love interest is fantastic - I felt myself slowly falling, the more and more interactions we had with him. The slow burn, the angst, the yearning, I adored it all.
“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.”
Also a BIG YES to the setting - a prison?! I’ve never read a book quite like it and it only makes me want to read more. It was atmospherical, well-developed and such a unique setting - it creates an isolation from the outside world, which I think is going to be a nice contrast if/when we get to experience it.
Undoubtedly, the best thing about this book was the ending. I flew through the last 15% of the book as it was so incredibly fast paced - it was simply riddled with plot twist after plot twist. They felt never-ending and I was constantly left doubting whether what I knew was indeed reality, or whether it would be revealed it had been a lie all along. I cannot wait to see how the next book pans out.
TW: Self-harm, sexual assault
I would recommend this to all YA fantasy fans. 4.5 stars from me.
If you've read this, let me know what you think in the comments!
Books and bouquets. x
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