Reviewed by Kylie Buckley
Kiva Meridan is a seventeen-year-old girl who has remained a captive of the death
prison ‘Zalindov’ for 10 years. Most of the prisoners become labourers and are worked
until their demise, if not killed by a cruel guard or a rampant illness first.
No one leaves alive.
Wise beyond her years, Kiva earns herself a place in the infirmary as the ‘prison
healer’ after she saves the life of one of the guards. Her additional role,
much to the abhorrence of other prisoners (and her own self-loathing), is as an
informant to one of the Wardens. Fuelled by coded notes from her family,
smuggled into the prison via a third party, Kiva holds hope that one day her
family will come and rescue her. She just needs to bide her time.
When the ‘Rebel Queen’ (an enemy of the kingdom) arrives at the Zalindov
infirmary close to death, a fresh encrypted message reaches Kiva: ‘Don’t let
her die. We are coming’. As the prison healer, Kiva’s job is to help anybody
in need, however, the stakes are higher now that her family is coming to save
her! Furthermore, the Rebel Queen must be kept alive to endure the gruelling
and torturous test of guilt or innocence: ‘The Trial by Ordeal’ which
includes four elemental tasks… that no one has ever survived.
The Prison Healer is an engaging young adult novel, highly recommended
for those who enjoy reading tales of fantasy and survival. It would be suitable
for a mature audience aged 15 years and older, due to some dark themes. This is
the first book in an upcoming trilogy.
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