The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni is a YA fantasy series that somehow my bookish algorithm has missed, which is an absolute travesty. My best friend recommended this series to me, and I couldn’t wait to read it. It is a rich fantasy, with a gorgeous world, incredible characters, and a plot that will keep you staying up late turning pages in the dark, desperate to know what happens next.
Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent most of her life in the Zalindov death prison, arrested with her father on suspicion of being a rebel sympathizer. She’s been the prison healer since she was a child, working to keep the prison population, and herself, alive as long as possible. When the terminally ill Rebel Queen is captured, it’s Kiva’s job to keep her alive long enough to face the Trial by Ordeal, a series of four elemental magical trials that no one has ever survived before.
When it becomes clear that the Rebel Queen won’t survive if she’s put through the trials, Kiva volunteers in her place because the Trials offer her the only chance to escape the walls of Zalindov. But it’s not just the Trials that Kiva has to face. There’s also a mysterious plague killing prisoners that she can’t seem to figure out, and a handsome new prisoner slowly working his way into the careful walls around her heart.
From start to finish, this story had me on the absolute edge of my seat. The tension is high, and the stakes are higher, with fascinating new developments happening all the time.
The world-building is incredible, but still easy to follow. The author seamlessly weaves in details, giving the reader a vast picture of the Zalindov prison, and later the world of Wenderall as a whole.
There is barely a whisper of spice, really just the suggestion of romantic tension with the occasional heated look, but the tension is there, and it makes for a beautiful story. The result is a series that is perfect for fantasy lovers of any age old enough to handle the brutality of this prison.
My favorite part of this series is the absolutely lovable characters. Kiva is so complex, so layered, and a perfect fantasy heroine. Her compatriot in the prison infirmary is an eleven-year-old boy named Tipp who brings so much joy and lightness to an otherwise dark story and reminds me very much of my brother who is the same age.
As the series goes on, the author gives readers even more characters to fall in love with, giving the series the found family kind of feel that is so beloved in fantasy novels, with good reason. Even the villains aren’t quite who you expect and everything is more complicated than it seems. These characters are all so complex, so well-written, and treated with such empathy. It’s truly remarkable.
The Prison Healer series is so suspenseful, with much tension to make it a true page-turner. The writing is phenomenal, although, fair warning, it’s hard to read some of Kiva’s choices. You just want to yell at her through the pages. She makes a great deal of wrong turns, especially in the second book, but that’s part of what makes it such a great story to read. You’re invested, especially when it’s all going haywire.
The third book in this series, The Blood Traitor, is the best one. It all truly comes together with something so beautiful, so engaging that all of a sudden it was the middle of the night and I had read the entire first half of the book since dinner time and I didn’t want to stop.
If you’ve been disappointed by J.K. Rowling, and are looking for a better story about the power of love triumphing over tyranny, my beloved best friend has found us one, dear readers.
Spice: 0.5 (I would recommend this to my preteen sister, it is very tame)
Writing: 5
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