The Prison Healer
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“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.
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.