The Prison Healer
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4.4 • 290 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
From bestselling Australian author Lynette Noni comes a dark, thrilling YA fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Sabaa Tahir.
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.
EXCLUSIVE BONUS CHAPTER INCLUDED IN THIS EDITION!
'Lynette Noni is a masterful storyteller. A must-read for any fantasy lover!' SARAH J. MAAS, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
'Lynette Noni's talent and heart shine in The Prison Healer' TERRY BROOKS, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shannara Chronicles
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The biggest compliment we can pay this dazzling YA fantasy is that it left us salivating for its sequel (The Gilded Cage, released October 2021). Here, Lynette Noni—the bestselling author of The Medoran Chronicles —whisks us off to the Zalindov death prison where 17-year-old Kiva Meridan maintains her survival by working as the book’s titular healer. Her trying existence within the prison is complicated with the arrival of a notorious Rebel Queen—a beacon of hope who Kiva is instructed to help keep alive. This, however, is quite the brief as the ailing Queen is sentenced to the Trial by Ordeal—a hellish undertaking no-one has survived. Noni lets the resultant drama (romance! rebellion! retribution!) flow at breakneck pace, all led by some masterful world-building.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kiva Meridan, 17, has been locked inside Zalindov prison since she and her father, Faran, were apprehended a decade earlier for suspected treason against the crown. Faran served as the prison's healer until he died, leaving Kiva to inherit the role. Over the years, her relatives have smuggled in notes pledging rescue, but she's losing hope when the recently captured Rebel Queen, Tilda Corentine, arrives in Zalindov's infirmary. Though Tilda is ill and unconscious, the warden gives Kiva just one week to prepare her for Trial by Ordeal—four nigh-impossible elemental challenges that the woman must survive to prove her innocence. Shortly thereafter, Kiva's family sends a message: "Don't let her die. We are coming." Despite Kiva's best efforts, Tilda fails to improve, so to buy their saviors time, Kiva volunteers as her champion. Subplots involving an incurable prison-wide plague and the arrival of a handsome new inmate, Jaren, add mystery and romance to this high-stakes trilogy opener from Noni (the Whisper series). The pacing is leisurely and not every reveal bears scrutiny, but emotionally rich characters invest readers in their fates and drive the tale to a mind-boggling close. Ages 12–up.
Customer Reviews
Fresh and well written
This book surprised me with how well it was written. I’ve had some truly rogue book tok recs lately but this one is actually a fresh take on the romantasy genre, mostly because the characters are less exaggerated and actually seem more like people. All the tropes are here but it feels well written and like each scene progresses the plot OR gives us more character insight. The twists are easily spotted but it’s a good read none the less, and we’re set up for some serious drama in book 2!
Stellar work
Fantastic book - didn’t see the twists coming. Great Aussie author 🥰
Easy read
Thought I’d take a chance on a cheap read with high reviews. I’m officially sucked in, did not see the plot twist coming.