"Lynette Noni is a masterful storyteller. A must-read for any fantasy lover!" -- SARAH J. MAAS, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author 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 ...
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"Lynette Noni is a masterful storyteller. A must-read for any fantasy lover!" -- SARAH J. MAAS, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author 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. From bestselling author Lynette Noni comes a dark, thrilling YA fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, and Sabaa Tahir.
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I feel like I've been a bit out of step with the fantasy genre lately, even though it is one of my favourite genres to read. It was therefore really nice to feel like I'm ahead of the curve by reading the ARC of The Prison Healer and knowing that it will be an outstanding hit when it is released in April.
The Prison Healer has it all; there's a feisty and strong female lead, a harsh prison setting, a series of trials to overcome and many secrets to be unveiled. I enjoyed every minute of reading it and finished it in a day - that's how engaging the writing is. Noni is an assured and confident writer, drip feeding enough backstory and world building throughout the entire story in a way that kept us informed but still holding things back, although not enough to be frustrating. I enjoyed the cast of characters, especially our main character Prison Healer Kiva who will always try to treat someone no matter what they have done in their previous life. There is also a great supporting cast including the sweet Tipp - a young boy with a stutter, prison guard Naari and the noble new prisoner Jaren. I felt they were all well rounded and liked getting to know them further throughout the book.
I also really enjoyed the setting - the prison of Zalindov felt realistic and gritty, with a hint of internal politics at play as well as a dirtier underside. There are some twists and turns as the trials progress and a few reveals that I did not see coming close to the end. This is the start of a series so there is a cliff-hanger ending and I cannot wait to read the next one (I believe it is out in October so there isn't too long to wait!)
I only have a few very small criticisms; one is that I didn't understand the need to show the coded messages that Kiva receives from her family. It also seemed to take up one page of my kindle whether it was a one-word message or a few sentences which didn't make much sense. Looking back on this I do wonder if it's a code meant for readers to crack (a bit like in the Artemis Fowl books) - if this is the case, it's a nice easter egg! I also felt that at times the writing was a little repetitive, with author Noni holding the readers hand to walk us through the plot at various points and remind us of what had just happened which could have been edited down.
Overall, The Prison Healer is one of my standout fantasy books for 2021 and I cannot wait to read the next instalment. Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
