Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni

17 reviews

n0elle's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

thetalesofabookishmom's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Ok, so when I started reading this book I immediately liked it. I was only 10% in and worried it would be over hyped but I was enjoying it regardless. Now having finished it I can say it was not overhyped. Did I guess all the major plot twists from the very beginning? Yes. Did I still really enjoy it despite having guessed all the major plot twists? Also, yes. Which is a talent because usually I hate books that seem predictable. But this one kept you waiting to find out if you were right until the very end. 

This book has a plot but it is definitely character driven. I loved these characters. I love the main four so much! I am excited to see what happens next! Hopefully I’ll love it and will be more surprised by the plot. at least give me more Tipp! 

Onto book two.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Blood, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Self harm, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Terminal illness

kassidyreads's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Addiction and Drug use

proseandpurls's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Murder

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Sexual harassment

chamaeleontis's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This book was great. It had so many amazing, and natural plot twists. I only guessed 1 of them, and part of 2 others. Nothing was set up that wasn't followed through on. The characters are all 3D, and morally realistic, which I personally really enjoyed. That's not even to mention the writing. Lynette Noni's style is spectacular. It flows so naturally, and is very enjoyable.

The one nit-picky thing was a plot point I personally didn't like, which is why it's 4.75, rather than 5.

It bothered me that we never got to know Tilda despite her being right there. I would have had a problem with it regardless of her being Kiva's mom, but that made it more frustrating. In the same vein, I get why it was done, but I feel that there could have at least been one full sentence exchanged

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves fantasy but is sick of repetitive plots. There's a few common tropes, but they are well done, with unique takes. I'm really looking forward to the next book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

astralbooks's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Vomit

There is a brief scene where (CW drug abuse, sexual assualt, & accidental necrophilia)

a guard molests the body of a woman who recently died from a drug overdose, not realising yet that she has died but fully aware that she was in no position to consent even if she was still alive

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racheleanne06's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

When I saw this book on Netgalley I didn’t expect to be accepted for the ARC, so when the email come through accepting my request, I was beyond excited. To add to that, it turned up just at the right time, so I could use this book for the Galleyathon’s ‘Newest ARC’ prompt.

Going into this I had a good idea that I would like this book, it’s set in a prison, it’s gritty, dark and there’s a series of trials our main character needs to face based on the elements. And when I realised that this book was dedicated to Sarah J Maas, one of my favourite authors, and I knew that this book would be something that I was going to like. I wasn’t wrong. But there was so much more to this book too.

It’s thrilling, a roller-coaster of a journey that had me whooping with joy and sobbing into my pillow. It’s got a focus on friendship, which is something I really loved. There’s a little bit of romance, but the romance takes a back seat compared to the friendship that the characters share before they realise that it might be something more. And then there’s the friendships that our lead character, Kiva, shares with some of the more prominent side characters too. Every side character in this book is well rounded, and they all have their own backstories too. I thought all of the characters in this book were so well written and wonderful, and some of them I absolutely fell in love with. Especially Tipp, an 11-year-old boy who works with Kiva in the prison’s infirmary.

Kiva herself was a fantastic lead, she was a strong, independent character with a dedication to healing. She has a vow to treat everyone, despite their background, and it’s part of that which makes her so intently likeable. 

The healing scenes in the book are really interesting, and well written. They are detailed, but not graphic, so the book fits well in the YA age bracket without slipping into New Adult. The same could be said for the actions within the prison, this book is dark, but it doesn’t stray outside of YA territory, alluding to some things without giving us graphic details.

One of my favourite things about The Prison Healer is how well written it is. There’s are so many secrets to be unravelled. I figured out one of the twists, but the rest of them caught me by surprise, and had me shook! This book is a really emotional read too. I felt everything alongside the characters, and by the end of the book I felt like my heart had been ripped out my chest and stuffed back in so many times. The world building is also done so well. It’s drizzled through the pages instead of given to us on in a big spoonful of info-dumping. And all of this combined has left me so eager for the next book so I can learn more. 

I have already pre-ordered the next book The Gilded Cage and can’t wait for October (2021!) to come around so I can find out what happens next (especially as this book ends on a pretty big cliff-hanger…)

I also want to mention that this book contains a secret code, of which we get to see pages of throughout the story. I am not sure if we are meant to crack the code’s ourselves (I am not smart enough for that haha) or if we will get a codebreaker in the later books to help us. But either way I can’t wait to find out what those pages said. 

The Prison Healer is one of those books that would be so much fun to re-read later down the road, when you know more about the secrets hidden in this book and can look back to read the book in a completely different context. There are some scenes I really want to read over again now, and I’ve only just put it down this morning!

SUMMARY

The Prison Healer is a thrilling page-turner and full of so many surprises. It’s one of the best books I have read this year! If this book isn’t already on your wishlist, then you might want to add it as I can see this becoming a huge hit when it’s released in March/April (depending on the country). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty