The Prison Healer
Author: Lynette Noni
Trope: Slow Burn, Forbidden Love
Point of view: Single, First person
Relationship: MF
Type of series: Trilogy
In a nutshell: Here at Zalindov, the only person you can trust is yourself. Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years fighting for survival in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer. When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals. Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives, containing a single order: Don’t let her die. We are coming. Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom. But no one has ever survived. With an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva's heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can't escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun.
Content warning: Descriptive violence, allusions to sexual assault, abuse
What I thought: Ooh, I loved this. I mean, I really loved it. I loved Kiva, her strength, knowledge and love she has for others (even though she tries not to care) got me so invested in this story. Take the content warning on board but for someone like myself who actively avoids violence and abuse in stories I found I could read this and keep it at ‘book distance’ (and not have it stuck in my head forever). I guessed at the twist, but I was wrong at a minor detail level. Either way, it got me good and I immediately pre-ordered the second book as soon as I finished this!
