5/5⭐️

Okay, but seriously why didn’t someone make me read this sooner. I literally let this trilogy sit on my shelf for over a year before I picked it up and I think it may have been the dumbest thing I have ever done. I’m a bitch for a book where the characters has to go through trials. I will literally eat it up every time. Then the ending? Yeah, I had to take several minutes to process that before I realized my jaw was still on the floor. So it’s safe to say this took over my life until I finished it.

That ending!!!!

very entertaining, reminds me of old school YA in a good way! I really thought I knew all the twists, and I did guess one of them, but the last page caught me off guard! 10/10

it's like you thought you know the plot twist only for the last page to prove you wrong

WHAT JUST HAPPENED

I did not expect that end note of hers to her family lol but was pleasantly surprised also this reminds me a lot of tog now

nothing at all happened and then the last 30 pages it picked up... i tried very hard to drag myself through this

When i was trying to find a book to read, this book had the most votes. People kept saying how they heard good things and how great the book is, and about 25% into it i was wondering if they were lying. I will be honest, the whole ordeal challenges and how she figures out a way to get past them got on my nerves, because that wasn’t her at all. Not to mention, i felt like the romance was a bit too quick, and not enemies to lovers like i thought it would be. But don’t get me wrong, i didn’t get bored of it and actually felt myself getting really emotional at times, especially towards the end. Now the end. That’s what saved the book. There were betrayals and mysteries, but they were so predictable

spoilers at the very beginning i predicted she had healing powers, and Jaren was the prince and Naari was his guard. those all felt so obvious no spoilers

but the end had me in shock, and i am oh so excited for the next book.

spoilers at times i did have a theory that she was actually the rebel queen, which was close enough. I also did have a thought, hey what if that’s her mother, but i dismissed it no spoilers

so i wouldn’t say it’s 5 stars, being that i was disappointed in the MC’s strength and the predictability of some plot twists, however the end definitely made up for it.

Really wanted to love this but unfortunately only the last 50 pages were exciting.

Oooooph that was quite the twisty ride at the end. Loved this book. So much so, i’m diving right into the 2nd!! Highly recommend.

This probably shouldn't be five stars but this book brought up emotions in me I didn't know I had. Coming back to continue writing a bit more about this books over a month later because I can't stop thinking about it. This entire book was Kiva getting saved and saved again and again because she couldn't do anything for herself. I thought it was going to be the opposite in a fantasy series where the main character is supposed to be strong and have powers of their own. This entire book was Kiva being a "damsel in distress." Still 5 Stars tho.

is something wrong with me? the twist is not twisting

This book surprised me. Loved the premise, loved the dynamic btwn the FMC and MMC, and loved the TWIST. Highly recommend.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The twist and turns that it took kept me hooked and not wanting to put it down. I did not see the ending coming at all!

4.5 ⭐️

I don’t love series where it takes a whole book to build up to the actual story but here we are. Because of that, it was a solid 3 stars for me and I had almost no interest in reading any of the others in the series…until the end??? The ending added a whole star and now I HAVE to read the next one. The author is tricky like that I guess

BOOK REVIEW

The Prison Healer / Lynette Noni

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

an incredible way to start a YA series, I actually kept forgetting it was YA while I was reading cos it was written very well.

admittedly when I started it took me a few days to get to the 50% mark which I thought was the book, but really it was just me being too exhausted each day to read and making zero progress because I finished the second half of the book in one day and it was amazing!

I loved the characters and the friendships made throughout the book. I connected with the characters very early on, and can’t wait to see what happens in the rest of the series. I really enjoyed the magical elements in the book, I wasn’t expecting there to be magic when I started so it was a pleasant surprise. Lynette really got me with the twists she added in the second half, just when I thought I had figured everything out, Lynette pulled the rug out from under me.

the trials in this one were also really fun and kept the timeline moving. I’ve come to realise that a trial element, or some sort of challenge is one of my favourite things in fantasy novels, I love how different authors incorporate trials/challenges in their books and Lynette slayed it in The Prison Healer, adding an elemental focus, which each trial being based on a different element.

if you have enjoyed ACOTAR, Serpent and the Wings of Night, or Trial of the Sun Queen (all fantasy books with trial elements), then you will enjoy this one too!!

Absolutely incredible. A must read - my favourite of the year

"You don’t need me fighting your battles. But if you’ll let me, I’d like to be standing beside you as you fight them."

4 ⭐'s

This was a very solid read and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I am excited to pick up the second book in the series - especially after that dynamite last chapter where the twists and turns just kept coming! I really enjoyed the overall premise of this book although I did find some point quite predictable and some of the monotony of prison life and Kiva's responsibilities as the prison healer a bit dull at times. I also struggled to form deeper attachments to the characters and I can't pinpoint why that is, maybe I was too distracted in things going on in my life or maybe it was the writing but I really didn't feel much for the characters and that really saddened me. I was definitely cheering for Kiva throughout her trials and hoping everyone survived but I think it felt a bit one dimensional to me. I also think because I predicted who Jaren was right from the beginning, I couldn't get behind him completely because of this.

I liked Jaren and Kiva's friendship overall, but I did find it slightly superficial. Jaren seemed strangely obsessed with her and despite her asking him why he was always bothering her a number of times, he seemed intent on inserting himself in her life against her wishes. I really enjoyed the parts where he provided her with judgement free emotional support though, this really made me warm up to their relationship more and I am glad Kiva's feelings for him developed slowly, the pacing definitely built up a lot of tension really well. The chapters that handled topics such as self-harm, abuse and addiction were really well done and beautifully worded too. I think maybe some of the issue I had with connecting to the character is that Kiva herself was very cold, and I completely understood why she felt this way knowing how often people came and went in that environment - but even with Tipp, I didn't feel completely connected to him unfortunately. The twists at the end were delivered with really good impact though, some of it made me question Kiva's true intentions and really made her seem like an unreliable narrator, but it definitely made for an exciting end to this book.

Maybe I went into this book with too high expectations, and maybe I will develop more love for the characters in the next books - I think maybe this book falls into the same category as Throne of Glass, especially as this had so many similarities, even the dedication was to SJM, where the first book in the series doesn't quite hit the mark for me and then get steadily better. Overall, I enjoyed this and I am excited to read the series, I think I just wished for... more? I'm not sure but I definitely recommend this book to those who love a good YA fantasy, magical read with trials and forbidden romances!

This book surprised me. The plot was interesting and there was never a time when I felt the storyline grew dull and boring. My only problem with the book is how similar it is to the Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas…. To some people that wouldn’t be a problem but I thought they were too close in similarity for my liking. Also, I really wasn’t a fan of the final plot twist, but it does fit the young adult genre type so I should’ve seen it coming. I’ll definitely be reading the second book.

This book surely know how to end with a bang, doesn't it?

The plot twist.