It’s time to get locked up with The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni. If your recent YA lineup has been rinsing and repeating the same story, I highly recommend you read this refreshing tale and follow a young girl’s ability to use compassion to combat the harshest of environments.
The Zalindov death prison is home to many. Violent criminals and innocent civilians who were in the wrong place, wrong time have all come to call this hellhole home. No matter their crime, all will pass through the prison walls and enter the infirmary, where a skilled young healer named Kiva will evaluate their health and carve a “Z” into their hand. Seventeen-year-old Kiva has been a prisoner for 10 years and has survived this long by keeping her head down, avoiding connecting with her fellow prisoners, and slipping under the cruel gazes of prison guards. But when the sickly rebel queen is captured and brought to Zalindov, Kiva must find a way to heal the queen and serve as her champion in the Trial by Ordeal in order to protect the ones she loves and possibly, earn her freedom.
The entirety of this story is set in the Zalindov prison, and I’m happy to share its greatness was not limited by the compound’s secure walls. Kiva’s world is small, but Noni makes it complicated and interesting. I never once wished to be outside of the prison walls. I’m impressed by the complexity of prison life that Noni was able to showcase without it detracting from Kiva’s main storyline. As we follow Kiva, we learn how the prison operates like an enclosed city fueled by forced labor. She keeps herself separate from the majority, but even so, we’re able to pick up on the disturbing realities of Zalindov. Sadistic guards find ways to entertain themselves whether it be through violence or pleasure, enabling prisoners to both suffer and reap benefits from the guards’ attention. Support for the rebellion against the royal family simmers among the prisoners. And the warden pulls his strings, forcing his prison healer into impossible situations.
This is the first story I’ve read where the main perspective is from a character in a healer role. Healers have popped up in the past of course, but my experience has mostly seen them in supporting roles. The entirety of this story, as the title would suggest, is told from the prison healer’s perspective. It was fascinating to be in the mind of someone so compassionate in the midst of a cruel and violent setting. Kiva’s POV stands out among the plethora of YA content of fiercely portrayed young women pushing against roles and expectations. She’s not fighting to be seen or heard, trying to harness a new-found power, train for an impossible task, or save the world. Kiva is quietly surviving and caring for every individual who enters her small infirmary, mending wounds and treating illnesses with a quiet duty. Her compassion extends to everyone, even though when healthy, these people disrespect and treat her with disdain, calling her the “healer whore” thanks to her forced, conspiratorial partnership with the warden. Because she is a healer, Kiva’s motivations are fueled by serving the greater good. She doesn’t immerse herself in prison politics or even have relationships, yet she has a determined agency that pulls the reader along her surprisingly unique journey.
Outside of a brewing rebellion, a mysterious plague, and the rebel queen being captured, there is also a strange, but ultimately rewarding element of this story. This seemingly outlying element is the Trial by Ordeal, which is where this story really rears its YA head. Dangerous criminals, like the rebel queen, can be sentenced to the trial where they must complete elemental challenges to win their freedom or die trying. Since only the royal family has elemental abilities, the trials are essentially a death sentence. I found the trial storyline to be both odd AND an important part of the plot. It felt odd because Kiva’s motivations to protect the rebel queen felt shaky, and she never allowed herself to think or prepare for these impossible trials. She stays focused on her patients and finding the cause of the plague. Kiva is literally being sentenced to death, and she won’t spare a thought to how she can ensure that she lives another day. However strange it was to endure this storyline in the moment, I will tell you that, OH BOY, do these trials serve a purpose that becomes very clear at the end. Knowing what I know now, I like the strangeness and ambiguity around the Trial by Ordeal and will tell you that it’s worth experiencing for yourself.
You don’t have to fake an illness to enter Kiva’s infirmary. You can pick up The Prison Healer right now to alleviate any woes you’ve received from tired, repetitive YA stories. The ending is so sweet and unexpected, it’s like earning a lollipop at the end of a doctor’s appointment. I will absolutely continue with this series and cannot wait to see what Noni did in book two.
Rating: The Prison Healer – 9.0/10
-Brandee
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