this was stunning. i loved the characters and the word choice. the magic and world were easy to follow, and this felt like reading a book by candlelight cuddled under blankets in a small cozy chamber room.

This is a totally unique premise and the world is perfectly detailed. I really felt pulled into the story. This is my one quibble: would have loved to seen a romantic subplot. But that’s me. I prefer kissing in all of the books I read!

Such a good book!

I have to start out by saying.. this is not my typical read. I don't normally read fantastical books or YA books, however this caught my interest. And I must say. I am SO happy it did. The writing was exceptional and the story magnificently unique. Young Kiva, the protagonist captured my heart. I really was invested in finding out what was to become of her.

To anyone who may not be sure if this is the 'right' book for you... I implore you.. just read it! I'm so glad I did.

I was hesitant to enjoy this book because I thought it would be similar to the hunger games series- I did not want to read about another reluctant female champion groomed to be the martyr of her people. I enjoyed this world I finished the first book needing to know more. While we are limited in our knowledge and understanding of the outside politics/struggles because of the prison setting and by the age at which the main character (Kiva) has remained within the prison walls, the story's progression and what the reader learns felt appropriate. Kiva is also extremely likable/supportable/championed?- she's a strong, independent, elusive character with amazing secrets, solid convictions, and yet throughout the entire series maintain a certain anonymity that seemed incapable of a main character. The somewhat sneaky plot reveal at the end will have me thinking about this book until the next one is out.

This book sucks you right into the characters and makes you feel things for them easily. Their secrets are juicy twists that you don't see coming. The cliffhanger about killed me. :D

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 rand 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, <b>that</b> 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.

Holy smokes! That ending!!! I need book two ASAP. This book had magic, royalty, and challenges. I loved it. The characters were well written and again, the ending!!!

I read this in a day, and it was a fine way to spend the first day of 2021. I wouldn’t say it was particularly groundbreaking YA fantasy, but it was well-written, and I liked the characters. There were a couple of decent twists too, although I’m having a hard time feeling 100% convinced of the last one. I’m curious to see what happens in the sequel.
A good match for fans of Thrones of Glass.

If you love Sarah J Maas or Maria V Snyder’s books you will fall in absolute love with Lynette Noni’s The Prison Healer. This book utterly entranced me and yet I wanted to savour it and enjoy every agonising, horrible, tortuous moment. This book is set in a horrible prison, features illness and death, and the character face lots of abuse, torture and trials designed to kill - and I loved every single moment!!! Crazy! But so, so good.

Kiva has survived ten long years in Zalindov prison. When her father was accused of meeting with a traitor and sentenced to life in prison, Kiva was also taken. After the death of her father, Kiva assumed the role of prison healer. It’s a role that provides her some sense of purpose within the treacherous walls, but it costs her dearly in other ways. In the depths of winter, the prison accepts two unexpected arrivals - a wounded man who, after she saves his life, seems to want to get close to Kiva and the Rebel Queen. The Rebel Queen is sentenced to face the Trials of Earth, Wind, Air and Water, but Kiva knows she is not well enough to survive. In a bold move and prompted by a secret message from her family waiting for her outside of the prison walls, Kiva takes the Rebel Queen’s place in the trials and seals her fate to the woman.

Lynette Noni is a favourite author and much loved by my young library regulars. This is a very different book and far darker than her previous titles. I can definitely see Maas’s influence and those who enjoyed Poison Study will love this book. The Prison Healer is dark, tense and moves along at a fast pace. There is action, politics, rebellion, secrets, alliances, bargaining, and under everything a desperate need to survive. But, alongside all that darkness is also light. Tipp, the young boy who also resides in the prison and is Kiva’s helper, is so sweet and charming. There is also Jaren, the new inmate who persistently tries to get to know Kiva, who keeps showing up. And Naari, the guard who is regularly assigned to Kiva’s work area and who is decent, unlike all the other guards. Kiva herself, for all her hardship, never complains, which makes her such a wonderful character to support. She is introspective and keeps her secrets close.

The ending isn’t a cliffhanger but it does throw some pretty massive twists into the plot and the sequel is going to be epic. I was wondering throughout the story if some of the things that end up happening could happen but then thought, no, that would be too much to ask for, too cool, and then they all happened!! So awesome. Fortunately for us readers, book two is being released just a few months after the release of The Prison Healer, so we won’t have to wait too long for the continuation of this amazing story.

The romance. Gosh golly, the romance. So good. Can I just leave it at that? It is literally just so good.

But despite the action, romance, tension, clever twists and way you are drawn into the story and come to care for the characters, despite all this good stuff, it was Kiva herself that was my favourite part of the book. She is so incredibly compassionate, yet self preserving too - she has to be to survive in such a harsh and dangerous environment. Strong is an understatement. What she might lack in physical strength she more than makes up for in her wisdom, knowledge about healing, resilience and ability to just keep going when others would have given up years ago. She protects her heart and her secrets with a fierceness that makes Jaren and Tipp and Naari breaking through those walls she has set up around her heart all the more precious.

This book is highly recommended and while it will better suit a more mature audience (there are lots of massive trigger warnings, see my content guide below) than Noni’s previous books, her older fans and new readers alike will be entranced by this amazing, atmospheric novel.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Exciting and fun, this would be a wonderful book to introduce middle school readers interested in fantasy (but not "way out there" fantasy). As a reader, I was really drawn into the story, and enjoyed the creeping suspicion that there was more going on than what was being shown. Completely did not see the huge twist at the end, though, and am excited for the sequel to see where this goes next!

OKAY - I CAN'T EVEN WITH WORDS THIS ONE IS AMAZING.

I seriously could not put this one down. The Prison Healer features elemental magic, prison rebels, friendships, what I would consider found family, and a lovely romance. My one red flag is there is an off screen rape that can be triggering.

but man this one was a lot of fun and I cannot wait to get a physical copy and reread this (and force my best friend to read this).

To add: The Prison Healer is perfect for fans of the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

This book is being marketed to fans of Sabaa Tahir and Sarah J. Maas, so it was an obvious pick for me. And I have to say, for the first book in a series, this was a real slam dunk for me. Right from the beginning it had an engaging storyline and characters. The setting seems to be rather heavily inspired by Russian gulags, which combined with magic, creates a rather appealing combination of history and fantasy.

The only time I found this story lacking was when it came to the trials. I was hoping for something a little more realistic. It is clear that these trials are not survivable without magic, and I would have liked if she could survived at least one using her wits alone.

The ending though made up for any minor disappointments. I thought I knew how it would end, and though I wasn’t entirely wrong, it played out very differently than I expected. It’s rare to completely catch me off guard with a plot twist, and I have to admit I was a little surprised that the author so masterfully pulled a sneaky on me with her unreliable narrator gambit. With that cliffhanger of an ending, I am really looking forward to a sequel.

At the age of seven, Kiva and her father were sent to Zalindov, a death prison. Although her father did not survive, Kiva found a place working as the prison healer. When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is sent a message - "Don't let her die." With the Rebel Queen slated to undergo the Trial by Ordeal, Kiva must make the decision to step into her place and undergo challenges of air, fire, water and earth.

This book was engaging and dynamic. It was extremely well written. The characters felt very realistic. I will definitely be reading the next book in this series. Overall, 5 out of 5 stars.

I crave world building in fantasy novels, and I think that The Prison Healer fell a little short for me on that front. I wish that the world had been explored more in depth because what we did get was interesting. The writing and characters were solid for the YA fantasy genre. I think this is a great read for people who are less interested in complex worlds and are more interested in action and characters.

A great new fantasy series by Lynette Noni. A prison healer with trying to win her freedom and save the rebel queen. Threads of Hunger Games run through this. Definitely for fans of Sarah J Mass. Thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next book.

I really enjoyed this book, from the blurb it sounded right up my alley but when I got into it I flew through it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the prison setting and I like that dynamic the setting creates between the characters. That and lack of trust but also being dependent on each other (even through the hated especially as the main character is the prison healer. I feel like quite a few young adult fantasies have scenes in prison or a prison is mention in them, but I’m struggling to think of any that are completely set within one!

I also loved the trials this made me think of the Throne of Glass and Hunger Games. Our main character is very different from the lead roles in these two series she reminds me more of the main character in a lesser known fantasy Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan, with mental strength rather than physical strength.

I also adore the side characters particularly Tipp, Naari and Mot! I love the range of relationships in this book and how complex they are, they are not necessarily romantic as romance isn’t a big part of this book at this point it’s more about survival. However, you can definitely see where a potential romances could come about but I think that is for future books ... maybe. Most of all I love the twists in this book! What an explosive ending and I cannot wait for the next book, and I’m excited to see the wider kingdom politics come more into play.

Death arrived at twilight.

And it would continue arriving. This was an entertaining read and a gritty, dark YA fantasy story. It is after all set inside a corrupt prison in a fictional world of political unrest.

Kiva is the prison healer at Zalindov, where she herself has been a prisoner since age 7 when her father was arrested and they were both dragged away 10 years ago. The guards abuse their power (and the prisoners), the warden tends to go unchecked, and most of the prisoners endure hard labor. The majority of the inmates are imprisoned for questionable sentencing too, especially since many are kids when they're brought in. Those of her family that escaped capture communicate with her through coded messages. When the rebel queen, leader of the rebels causing unrest and attempting to overthrow the crown, is captured and brought to Kiva, she is tasked to keep her alive in order for her endure a punishment given only to the worst criminals; the trial of ordeals. She is also instructed by her family via code to keep her alive and that they are coming. But the rebel queen is barely alive, rarely lucid, and unfit to compete and will most definitely die after one trial so Kiva offers up herself in her place as her champion to give her more time. More time to save the rebel queen, to escape and reunite with her family, and figure out the cause of so many falling ill with an unusual stomach virus.

I particularly enjoyed the medical aspects of Kiva's role as prison healer, especially with the lack of modern medicine and technology we have today. Noni creates a world all it's own, not quite a particular time period, just enough description of the kingdoms and geography outside the prison and the people to want to know more but also keep you slightly uninformed as Kiva would be, or anyone locked away for a decade.

With the help of her prepubescent, kind-hearted Tipp, a new mysterious and attractive prisoner, Jaren, a kind and yet slightly macabre apothecary/mortician and the only guard in the prison that doesn't seem to be the devil incarnate Kiva faces a multitude of challenges. I will say I love that Loni has studied human behavior because it shows in this book, some people showing wholesome goodness, some showing the worst of the worst and others being much more suspicious and complicated than they let on.

I look forward to more world-building and magic introduced in this story and potentially more action to rev up the pace. This book successfully set all of that up but did read slower as we try to follow the plot lines, introduce the world and meet these characters but does a great job. It left me up at night having to know what happens next.

Content warnings: Off-scene rape, sexual abuse, drug use, addiction, self-harm, child abuse and violence. ( I did say it was dark).

I really enjoyed this novel, but I think it’s a tad bit lacking in the world-building department. Still, it’s a quick, enjoyable read, even if it’s not necessarily the deepest of its kind.

Having read every Lynette Noni so far, and reread, reviewed, recommended, sold so many copies that I emptied entire shelves, and waited in line at author events to meet her, I had an idea of what I was in for.
But Lynette, did you absolutely need to rip my heart out like that?
I LOVED it.
Seeing how she is evolving as a writer is an absolute privilege. Her world building was brilliant. Having a protagonist who was a child when she was sent to the evil prison death camp (that I hope burns to the ground) means that her knowledge of the outside world is limited. The way in which Noni weaves information into Kiva’s POV is subtle, and brilliantly executed.
The last few pages had me yelling at my ebook. I should have known, I should have known!

I will admit that I won’t recommend this book to every reader that I sent home with Arkarnae (and then Raelia, Draekora, etc in quick succession). This one is darker, and more mature. I will give a few trigger warnings beforehand, but to my customers aka book friends who love their fantasy with an edge, I will absolutely be recommending the heck out of The Prison Healer.

Kiva is a healer in a prison - and she's only 17. For the last 5 years, she has been doing all the work of the prison healer, including intake of new prisoners, which involves removing new inmates' clothing, shaving their heads in case they have lice, and carving a "Z" for Zalindov prison into the back of one hand. It's a hard job for a teenager, but not as hard as some of the other jobs she might have. Then a truly unusual new inmate arrives: the Rebel Queen, Tilda Corentine, who claims the throne was hers by right of descent, rather than the current rulers. Based on her claim, she has been determined to have the right to a Trial by Ordeal, a test of the accused's ability to overcome air, water, fire, and earth - but Tilda is ill and unconscious. Out of a desire to save any patient she could, Kiva volunteers to be Tilda's champion and take her place in the Trial, at least until Tilda awoke, which tied Kiva's and Tilda's lives together: if Kiva survives the trials, both she and Tilda will be cleared of all charges and set free, but if Kiva dies, Tilda will be killed as well. As an added complication, every Trial is somewhat different, making it hard to plan for how to survive them, and no one has ever survived all 4 Trials. Kiva will need to use all her skills, and those of her few friends, to try to pass the Trials, and then hold the warden to his promise to release both Kiva and Tilda should she succeed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, although it was occasionally hard to read due to the hardships that Kiva endures. Throughout the novel, Kiva holds fast to her convictions to save as many people in the prison as possible, even through an epidemic of illness for which she cannot find a cure, even when she is derided by those she is trying to save for not saving them soon enough. This novel contains some mature themes that I would consider inappropriate for anyone younger than high school, but which add significantly to the quality of the story. Kiva is a strong female protagonist, with some unusual problems due to her situation, and some equally unusual ways of dealing with those problems. I look forward to the next book in the series.