Reviews with content warning for War - The Prison Healer

I think I’m going to upset people with my opinions on this one, but honestly I just thought it was kind of boring 🤷🏻‍♀️

It felt very YA, which honestly might just be a me problem. I’m aware it’s not an adult fantasy so I’m not marking it down for that. But I am marking it down for being kind of basic and a bit predictable. The ending to me was so obvious 😬

I loved the found family aspect of this. I thought it was beautiful, and the way that Kiva came out of her shell was great. The bonds she formed were lovely and I liked Tipp, Naari and Jaren a lot. But something just felt lacking for me, and I’m yet to put my finger on what. I will continue the series but not in a huge rush. For me I have read other fantasies I prefer and want to prioritise.

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tabea1409's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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chiruruchi's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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bookrecsplease's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A

4.0

This is written definitely in a younger YA style than I typically enjoy. The narrative frequently gets redundant from over-explaining, and basically anytime something is shown, it’s then immediately told as well. Although a lot of the subject matter is definitely mature, the audience is definitely more of a mid-teenage group, and is really successfully written for that target audience.

Still, I came to really fall in love with the characters and Noni did a really good job of introducing lots of different mysteries/questions as the narrative went on, even if most of the answers were obvious to me as an adult reader.

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l1brarygirl's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

I was into it...but then I got bored in the middle 🫣 I almost DNF this at 47% - thank you to my sister for telling me to push through because the last 25% 😮🙌🏻

oh and that last line...

"The Rebel Princess was finally ready to rise." YAAAAASS 👌🏻 I also guessed Tilda was her mom early on and kinda suspected she had healing abilities but her never using them or alluding to them the entire time had me second guessing myself. I also thought Jaren was like a royal cousin or something, so him being the prince was a cool twist. I would have been soooo PO if Tipp died though, I was ready to throw hands!!

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that_awkwardbook's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I haven't read anything similar before. And I'm in awe. Everything came through beautifully in the end. I can wait to read the next book.

This book is about a young girl, that has been in prison for the last 10 years. She is the prison healer, but keeps mostly to herself and stays out of trouble.

A must read. In my opinion.

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ameydireads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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

This might be my favourite read so far this year! The twists, especially those at the end of the book, are amazing. Serious vibes of Hunger Games and Avatar: the last airbender. It is a dark fantasy and whilst some parts were challenging to read and weighed heavily on my mind, there were also other parts that brought a sense of hope.
But please be sure to review the trigger warnings before diving into this book. This might not be suitable for everyone.

TW: mentions of rape, torture, drug abuse, overdosing on drugs, self harm, child abuse, child death, violence.

Okay, now let’s get to the plot. The story is set in Zalindov, a prison where nobody ever leaves once they’ve entered. The grimm conditions of this prison and the injustice is mind boggling. As if being condemned to die in this prison isn't horrible enough, there are also guards who don’t shy away from violence and use and misuse the prisoners to their liking.

Our main character, Kiva, is the prison healer and has been in Zalindov for 10 years. Her prison job forces her to brand the new prisoners which goes directly against being a healer. But hey, sometimes you’ve got to do things to survive, can't really judge here. Kiva wants to fight for herself, let loose the rebellious fire in her, but she is also smart enough to know how to survive in this prison. She is secretly in communication with her family on the outside and hopes that they will make true of their promise to come for her.

But with the Rebel Queen’s arrival to Zalindov, sick and in no condition to carry out her sentence, Kiva volunteers to take the Rebel Queen’s place and claim the sentence as her own. What in the Hunger Games…!
"My name is Kiva Meridan, and I claim her sentence as my own."

If Kiva manages to survive the Trials of the four elements (air, fire, water, and earth), see and the Rebel Queen are both free to leave the prison! Freedom is waiting.

I really liked to read more about Kiva’s scientific side and the dynamic between her and the other prisoners. She warms up to Naari and Jaren, both of them being new to the prison. She cares a lot about Tipp, I mean it’s impossible to not love this character!!
“The world needs people like him out there in it, shining light into the dark places.”

THE TWISTS IN THIS BOOK ARE BETTER THAN I EXPECTED.
!! Spoilers incoming !!

Here I am, thinking that Kiva and Jaren have a chance to be together after finding out Jaren is actually the crown prince. However, this becomes more complicated with the revelation that Kiva is in fact the rebel princess and she’s getting ready to take back the kingdom?!

Jaren is such a sweet person and he has proven on multiple occasions that his heart is in the right place. He’s always there for Kiva, a loyal companion. Yet, I am worried that he will have his heart broken in the next book. I dread to see another version of Cal Calore and Mare Barrow (Red Queen). At least in their case they both knew they were both on opposite sides!
I actually think (and hope) that Kiva wants to be the rebel princess but having to betray Jaren will contradict her feelings for him. While I don’t believe she’s deliberately using Jaren, I guess she will be torn between her destiny and her affection for him. AAAARGH… the politics in this book, secretly brewing in the background and ready to wreak havoc, adds an interesting layer to this story.
Either way, she better not hurt him!

I had a lot of questions and doubts whilst reading this book and for sure I won’t be the only one! Just trust me when I say that the story will make sense in the end.

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