The Prison Healer is the first book in a new series by author Lynette Noni. This novel was first published in 2020.
In this article, you will find some frequently asked questions about this book. I have tried to answer them as best and honestly as possible.
I hope you enjoy reading these, and I hope this post answers some of the questions you may have about this book!
Since I will be answering questions about the book and it’s story, this article will contain spoilers.
The Prison Healer recap
Kiva Meridan is a seventeen-year-old girl imprisoned in Zalindov prison. She has been in Zalindov for ten years, working as the prison healer.
Life in Zalindov isn’t easy and Kiva has to fight for her survival every day, not to mention all the horrible things she sees around her.
Then one day a boy arrives in the prison infirmary. Kiva doesn’t know what it is, but he interests her. After he recovered, he keeps coming to her as well and they form a sort of friendship.
When the Rebel Queen arrives in Zalindov, Kiva is forced to make sure she stays alive even though the Rebel Queen is badly injured and unconscious.
The prince and princess then make it to the prison where they demand the Rebel Queen perform four trials. Kiva knows she won’t be able to do this because of her injuries. So she takes her place instead.
What awaits her are true horrors. And Kiva isn’t sure she will actually survive.
The Prison Healer series order
This book is the first book in a trilogy. The order in which to read the books are:
- The Prison Healer
- The Gilded Cage
- The Blood Traitor
The Prison Healer trigger warning
Below you will find a list of some of the content trigger warnings of this book. This is to make you aware of what you can expect when picking this book up. With this in mind, please take note of the next warnings:
- Rape (off-page)
- Self harm
- Terminal illness
- Death of a parent
- Death of a sibling
- Knife violence & stabbing
- Torture
- Whipping
- Fire
- Near-drowning incident
- Imprisonment
Does The Prison Healer have romance?
Soon after meeting, it is clear that Jaren is interested in Kiva. He doesn’t act on it at first except for saving her life during the trials.
Kiva isn’t sure about her feelings toward Jaren. Also, she isn’t interested in love or romance. Zalindov isn’t the place for something like that.
The Prison Healer love interest
It is made clear from early on that there might be a love interest between Kiva and Jaren. But this isn’t the main focus of the story.
The (possible) love interest between the two of them is only a small part of the story. And in this book, it’s not the most important thing. That said, it will become more important as the series progresses.
Is The Prison Healer a standalone or a series?
This is the first book in a trilogy. The second book, The Gilded Cage, was released in 2021. The last book will be released in the second part of 2022.
The Prison Healer enemies to lovers
This book isn’t a real enemies to lovers trope. Even though Kiva and Jaren don’t start as friends, they aren’t real enemies either.
Not until the end of the book do we find out that Kiva is Jaren’s enemy by birth. But that hasn’t been clear until this point in the book.
Also, there is only a small hint of love of interest between Kiva and Jaren. So we can’t speak of lovers either.
The Prison Healer Kiva and Jaren
Kiva and Jaren are the main characters in the Prison Healer. The story is mostly told from Kiva’s perspective. But Jaren plays a very important role in the story.
There is some tension between Kiva and Jaren. You keep wondering if they actually like each other and if something will happen between the both of them. But during this book, there is no romance between them.
Both Kiva and Jaren have many secrets. And although Jaren actually tells Kiva some of his most important secrets, she doesn’t do the same.
Is The Prison Healer LGBTQ?
The Prison Healer itself isn’t an LGBTQ story. There are a few minor characters with hints of LGBTQ relations. But the only important character mentioned is princess Myrrin with an interest in women.
So no, I wouldn’t say the Prison Healer is LGBTQ.
Is The Prison Healer spicy?
No there aren’t any spicy scenes in this book. The romance level is also low and not of big importance to the story (yet). There are no sex scenes at all or even hints towards any scenes of that sort.
The Prison Healer Spoilers
There are a few things that happen in the story that can be real spoilers. So if you don’t want to know any of them, please skip this part. To sum up, here are the most important spoilers.
- Jaren is actually the prince. He is undercover in Zalindov to find out about the threat to his country and family
- Jaren has control over all the magical elements. Only a few of the royals in history were able to do that. It is also know that he can control fire and wind.
- Kiva is the daughter of the rebel Queen. She turns out to be very good at keeping secrets. She has no response to seeing her mother in such a bad shape.
- Kiva possesses healing magic. This is another proof of her heritage and something she tries to hide from everyone.
Who are the main characters in The Prison Healer?
Jaren
Jaren is a ‘new’ prisoner in Zalindov. He arrives in the infirmary because he got injured during the transport. Jaren becomes a friend of Kiva and tries to help her wherever he can.
He is described as handsome and tall and has some magic abilities of his own. Everyone thinks Jaren is just another prisoner. But in reality, he is the prince. And he is undercover in the prison.
Kiva
Kiva is the prison healer. She took over this job after her father, the previous healer, died. There are a lot of mysteries around her that we don’t find out straight away. But the biggest secret is revealed at the ending.
She keeps to herself a lot and tries not to get attached to anyone. She only has a few friends inside the prison and doesn’t know what to do with Jaren’s interest.
Kiva is the main character in this book and most of the story is told from her perspective.
Naari
Naari is a prison guard. She only just arrived and is at the infirmary a lot. She helps Kiva and is nicer than all the other guards.
Kiva feels like she can trust Naari, even though she is a guard.
When we find out who Jaren really is, the true identity of Naari also becomes clear. She is a royal guard, and she is in Zalindov to protect Jaren.
Tipp
Tipp is still a very young boy. He came to Zalindov with his mother. And after his mother died, Kiva took him under her wing. However, he still is inside a prison and has to watch what he does to stay safe.
Tipp is helping in the infirmary and he sees Kiva as a big sister. He actually is the only real friend Kiva has inside Zalindov, and she will do anything to protect him.
The Prison Healer Map
At the start of the book, we find a map of Zalindov prison. We can see the infirmary where Kiva spends most of her days, right next to the Quarantine.
This map gives a good impression of the large prison and the lengths all the prisoners need to go to get from one side of the prison to the other side.
The Prison Healer Ending
The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. With help from Jaren and his bodyguard, Naari, Kiva manages to escape from Zalindov.
Before leaving the prison, she writes a message to her brother and sister in a code language. This message says that her mother is dead, she will find them, and they will try to reclaim the crown.
Only then do we find out who Kiva really is and what her plans are all along.
Conclusion
The Prison Healer is the first part of a new Young Adult fantasy series. Lynette Noni knows how to tell a good story. With all the plot twists, mystery, and fascinating characters, you will want to read the next book! So if you are looking for well-written young adult fantasy, then this series is for you.
I hope I have answered some of the questions you may have had about this book! And if you have more questions that I didn’t answer, feel free to let me know in the comments below!
