A huge huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc!

A great conclusion to this trilogy, I adored this so much, but am so sad it’ll be over! Fingers crossed for novellas/spin off series???

The Blood Traitor is the final instalment of The Prison Healer trilogy and it has everything that you need to end a fantastic series.

Kiva's last journey is full of pain and heartbreak but also full of healing & love. Her journey to not only find her true self but also to overcome the odds of winning a fight that seemed hopeless to win.
Be prepared for a emotional rollercoaster & have some tissues beside you ( you definitely gonna need them) & go on a last adventure with Kiva & the rest of the gang.

Trigger Warnings: mention & graphic description of drug use & recovery
Spoilers!!
Kiva's journey to recover from her drug addiction is quite graphic and could potentially trigger some people. Later in the book she's also confronted with the same drug that put her in a very distressing situation so be careful while reading.

What a marvelous book The Blood Traitor was!

After the events of The Gilded Cage, Kiva is back in Zalindov and is quite literally at the lowest point in her life. She is bruised, beaten and broken, still reeling from the pain and betrayal she caused. But of course, our courageous protagonist will choose to stand up and fight!

What follows is a nail-biting chain of events that will keep you at the edge of your seats, filled with plot twists, danger, intrigue and of course, our favorite characters.

Having started this when my self-confidence and mental health was at its worst, the book pulled me out of my own negativity spiral. It was seriously inspiring. The Blood Traitor has a hopeful and positive message and watching Kiva rise above her mistakes and fight her dark place was extremely strengthening to me as a reader.

The plot twists were the best part. Lynette Noni killed it at the element of surprise because I don't think there was a moment where I wasn't gaping at the book in shock, horror, amazement or surprise. The pacing was perfect, and all the events occurred at the right timings. The time it took for Jaren to forgive Kiva, Kiva's own self-discovery arc and the final conclusion fit like a puzzle in the book.

Even with the heavy tension and high stakes in the story, it is far from gloomy. I loved the sarcasm and dry humor that almost everyone seemed to be fluent in. Shoutout to Cresta and Caldon for lightening the mood whenever things got too uncomfortable.

To conclude, The Blood Traitor was flawless. It was impactful, funny and unforgettable. Kudos to Lynette Noni for writing this excellent series that has quickly turned into one of my immediate comfort reads.

I would like to thank @Hodderbooks for providing me with an e-arc of The Blood Traitor in exchange of an honest book review.

The Blood Traitor is a stunning and beautiful ending to an amazing trilogy.

The Blood Traitor continues right where The Gilded Cage ended. Kiva is on her way back to Zalindov after her whole world collapsed around her. She now has to find a way to not only escape Zalindov once again, but make amends to her friends, and stop her sister from conquering all of Wenderall.

The Blood Traitor is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, but at the same time takes enough breaks from all the drama and action so you can catch your breath. All loose ends and hints at more from the previous books return and get resolved, which gives an extremely satisfying feeling when reading it all.

Old characters return, new characters are introduced, and they’re all amazing. Most of them you love to love, some of them you love to hate. The writing is great and the story and plottwists keep you on the edge of your seat.

I absolutely loved The Blood Traitor, and the whole of The Prison Healer, and I would highly recommend them.

5 stars without a doubt!!

I can’t believe it’s over! I immediately fell in love with this series and the last book certainly did not disappoint. I loved every page of The Blood Traitor and it’s so heart-warming. This book is so well written and has an incredible world setting. It is also fast-paced and action-packed. I love these characters so much and the special connection between them.

I really recommend The Prison Healer trilogy to anyone who has not read it yet, it’s simply just perfect!

Huge thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the eArc!

One of the best trilogies I ever read.
Lynette Noni creates a world that I'd love to explore and characters that I want to befriend. I fell in love with this series and The Blood Traitor is an amazing finale.

It’s publication day for the third and (unfortunately!) last book of one of my favorite series. I loved The Prison Healer trilogy from the very beginning. The first book made me fall in love with the characters, The Gilded Cage ended with a cliff-hanger that took me completely by surprise and made me count down the days until the publication of this third book, The Blood Traitor, which was the perfect brilliant ending to this fantastic trilogy.

In The Gilded Cage, Kiva’s loyalty was torn between her family and their sworn enemy, Prince Jaren and the royal family, but now she knows the truth and where her loyalties lie, but first she needs to reunite with her found family and regain the trust of the people she loves to save the kingdom of Evalon. And to do that they need to go on a journey to recover magic objects and partner up with unexpected allies.

I really didn’t want this series to end. The author’s writing is addictive, the plot is intriguing, well-developed and well-crafted, and engrossing, and the characters are brilliant and so likable. Kiva and Jaren are adorable, I loved Tipp, Tor, Cresta, Naari, and Ashlyn, and Caldon is, without a doubt, my favorite character. Can we have a spin-off series about Caldon please?

The author also created an incredible world-building full of magic and legends: people with elemental powers, magic rings, challenges to face, quest for power, rebels to defeat, and much more…

The Blood Traitor is everything I hope for and much more. Heart-breaking, jaw-dropping, action-packed, with enough shocking twists to keep you on the edge of your seat and a bit of romance that makes you wish for more. I will miss the characters and the story!!!

After the second installment of The Prison Healer trilogy, I came with expectation for The Blood Traitor, and I am not disappointed. Action-packed, filled with angst, twists, betrayals upon betrayals, and found family tropes, everything is coming into place.

In the beginning, Kiva continued her arduous journey to redeem herself while figuring out how to make things right. The pacing is fast and I couldnt agree more that it suits the storyline and makes me curious and curiouser.

The writing seems to improve a lot, and it was easier to read smoothly in the third book compared to the former two. And the stakes are so high and so many wounds to heal but they aren't easy.

Despite the angst and tragedy, I love how Kiva absorbed the remorse, guilt, even she doesn't truly deserved it all. She made mistakes but she was already in a tough place in choosing with family she wants to support; the blood ties or the found family. She keeps blaming herself for the pain, and my heart wrenched for her. She doesn't deserves the self-blaming.

Each characters serve purposes in this book and I love them all for that. I understand some anger and resentments linger towards Kiva but it doesnt mean Im not in pain reading this book. I was rooting for Kiva to stand up again and try to make things right and she did alright. She is a one tough girl, and I absolutely adored her here.

Not only that, this book also put hope, emotions, and found family elements that I couldnt help warmed at the intention. How I wish I can write more about it but Im afraid I might put spoilers.

If anyone asks you if you should read this series, READ IT. The first two books might be a bit difficult to get through, but trust me that the third one is way better and makes up for it.

I lived every page of this book! What a trilogy this was!

This book, the last of the series, is action packed from the beginning. It’s adventurous and full of magic.

The characters are all little gems and I can really pick a favourite! All characters are so good and well developed that even the ‘bad’ ones are perfect villains for the plot.

I liked that the setting gave us more information for this world as through the quest we saw many kingdoms. It also had more information about the history of magic and how we got to this point.

The connections and the bonds between the characters was just a bliss to read about, with the romance and banter to pay off in every page.

A stunning book with an amazing ending! Well done Lynette Noni!

The Blood Traitor is the concluding book in Lynette Noni's Prison Healer Trilogy and was one of my most anticipated books of the year. Happily it did not disappoint, it was an action packed and emotional page turner and I enjoyed it from first page to last word.
Readers should definitely read the previous two books - The Prison Healer and The Gilded Cage before picking up this one, not only are they extremely entertaining reads in their own right, but readers who are unfamiliar with them will not get the best from this latest book as it relies on the setup, world building and character development in these earlier books.
The Blood Traitor picks up from the moment The Gilded Cage left off, back in Zalindov prison with Kiva and another old familiar face , Cresta. The future looks bleak but in an unexpected turn of events she finds herself outside the prison walls, reunited with some old friends and embarking on a quest to retrieve a series of rings that could help her defeat her arch enemy who just happens to be her sister. To say any more about the plot runs the risk of spoiling it, which would be a real shame given the effort that Noni has gone to to create a story filled with twists and turns that constantly keeps the reader on edge.
One of the things I enjoyed most about the previous books was the author's skill when it comes to creating her characters and allowing them to develop and grow over the course of the series. This continues in The Blood Traitor, where we revisit many of our favourites and also get to spend more time with some less familiar faces. The relationships and dynamics between the characters really had me invested in their stories.
It's rare that I have enjoyed every book in a series as much as I have these, and I cannot imagine a better send off to such a great series and such a wonderful group of characters.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher , all opinions are my own.

What a spectacular ride! I am literally staring at my ceiling and continually murmuring Noni’s praises! This was everything I expected and MORE! This book absolutely blew my mind, stole my breath, made my heart stop consecutive times and I even felt a bit nauseous with one of the plot twists. It was insane.

Lynette does not disappoint. I mean The Prison Healer and the Gilded cage was fantastic, and somehow she manages to write a third book that was even better? I mean- THE TALENT!

❌If you haven’t read those two please avert your eyes now for any possible spoilers❌

My emotions were all over the place with this book. You remember the massive cliff hanger in book two? Yeah we start off there with Kiva back in the hell hole which is Zalindov. For how horrifying it was for me that she was back there- something strange happend- she and Cresta became besties! I mean plot twist galore🤣. Cresta by far is now my favorite character, I love her so much. This continual weight on Kiva that she failed everyone holds her down, and Cresta is there to keep her head high. Before long she finds herself out of the prison, and on a quest again to save the Kingdoms of Wenderall. Can she manage to save what was lost between her and Jaren as well?

Like mentioned- emotions all over the place. This was so action-packed, and there was an insane amount of tension for them to not only get the rings and defeat Zuleeka, but also King Navok. Enemies everywhere. But the quest was amazing, the friendships formed heartwarming and the romance knee buckling. There were so many plot twist my emotions were in a knot, and not only one but TWO mayor cliffhangers. It ruined and built me back together again.
This book was the absolute perfect conclusion to this series. You will not be disappointed. Its written is such a way that you will want to go back and reread everything all over again. Absolutely stunning.

“What happens now?”
“Now we dream.”

Lynette Noni is back with the third installment of the Prison Healer trilogy!

Kiva is back at Zalindov after the betrayal of her sister. Jaren has lost his magic and despises her, no one knows where she has been taken. Her spirit is broken.
This is where this book sets in and from page one it is heartbreaking. Kiva fights for her life and the freedom of, well, basically all the countries and it is amazing.

The story actually isn't that brilliant - there are way less plot twists than in the other two books, or I should say, the ones we have are way less shocking. We have a clear goal, everything is out in the open. On one hand, this is nice, finally a straight-forward plot, but after all the twists and turns I expected a little bit more excitement, especially at the ending. The final part of this book was nothing against the mindblowing endings of number one and two. It's still fast paced and exciting, but not quite as much as the others. While I wasn't exactly disappointed, I would've hoped for something a bit greater.

Noni's writing is once again fabulous. It's an easy read, catching, but still with very nice language. I would've enjoyed just a tiny bit more descriptions - we see a little bit more of the world, but yet again there isn't that much world building. But the emotional scenes - she's got them down. Heartbreaking confessions side to side with funny and lighthearted jokes make for an absolute emotional rollercoaster.

The best part of this book are, once again, the relationships. I love the found family trope in this one, how everyone learns to work together and especially work through the difficult history. First and foremost of course, the relationship between Jaren and Kiva. The hatred, the love, the yearning and the fear - I almost cried.
Caldon is still one of my favourites, being the best "older brother character" you could wish for.
I also loved Cresta's part of the story. She's such a badass character, I couldn't help but fall a little bit in love with her.

Really, a great conclusion to this trilogy and I should probably read some other books from Lynette Noni.

Thank you, Netgalley and Hodder&Stoughton for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

An amazing conclusion to one of my favourite series of all time. The prison healer series, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated series. The first two books, along with this one, are so fun, filled with angst and action and with a cast of characters that will never leave your heart.
The Blood Traitor was honestly so good. It was so fast-paced, and heart-wrenching but also filled with heartwarming moments with some of my all-time favourite characters. Lynette Noni has created such an amazing world and cast of characters, and everyone needs to just read this series because it’s that good. I’m so bummed that I’ve finished this amazing story, but so happy with the deserving ending that Noni gave the characters.
A huge thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the eArc!

Eeeeek I can’t believe it’s finally here, the final book in the Prison Healer trilogy! It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye (for now, not forever!) to these wonderful characters. I’m already planning my future annual re-reads of these books because I absolutely loved every second I spent in this world and I cannot wait for everyone to read and finish them too. When I finished reading The Blood Traitor I definitely had a period of pining (mourning) and I fell into a hard reading hangover (slump) but I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat to experience this story again!

I’m going to keep this relatively short and definitely spoiler free but know that my DM’s are permanently open for Kiva and Jaren gushing - always!

Here’s a few things I loved:
Kiva being called ‘sweetheart’
Tipp who should always be protected <3
Family secrets!
Hidden depths in unexpected characters
No strings left undone

Despite loving this book, there were moments that made me uncomfortable and the overwhelming emotions made me cry on multiple occasions which is practically unheard of - must be the hayfever… There are also some trigger warnings to take note of such as drug abuse and emotional instability. Kiva is brutally hard on herself and experiences anxiety and depression, self isolating herself and taking a lot of unnecessary blame which is blown out of proportion through lack of communication and self-worth. The emotions on the page are extremely complex but handled incredibly well and in no way gratuitous, everything does impact the story in order to tell what it needs to and there is a lot to unpack.

My heart ached with all of Kiva’s emotions, I was so fully invested I felt every blow, every twist and every high that she experienced The emotional journey was pivotal and makes up the majority of this book without taking away from the physical one, I felt so on edge while reading it took a while to calm down. I love Jaren but I adore Caldon who was his usual cheeky relief in a lot of tension filled moments. This series has gone from strength to strength for me - it ticked every box and cemented my love for the found family trope - if you’re a fan too then definitely read these books. I am still in awe of Noni’s unflinching ability to tear my heart into pieces, stomp on it, grind it up and heal it by the end of the story. I can’t wait to read more of her books!

I gave The Blood Traitor five stars which makes the trilogy a three for three. I think it’s pretty obvious it is now a favourite for me and it will stay with me for a long time … because I’ll be reading it again and again!

The only reason why this took me seemingly ages to finish was because of my exams. Past the 50% mark I was unable to put this book down, and while it's not my all times favourite trilogies of all time, it's definitely a unique an enjoyable story! We finally saw Kiva take a little initiative, which she lacked in the previous books, though still not as much as I would've liked. The first half of the book made it seem like a lot of things were happening TO her, and someone always kept saving her instead of her standing on her feet. Towards the last half of the book though, she really started changing and turned more badass, which I really enjoyed. I would've LOVED to see more POVs in this book especially Jaren's and Cresta's, maybe even Torrel or Ashlyn's, but either way I enjoyed Kiva as the narrator, really loved the overall storyline, loved that we got to see some more kingdoms and travel around the continent without it feeling dragged out and boring. The romance was to die for, and since I love slow-burn, this was particularly amazing to read! Overall it's a solid four star book, and a really great conclusion to the trilogy!

Author: Lynette Noni
Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: Young Adult
Format: E-Book (ARC)
Published: 14th June 2022
Pages: 439
Rating: 5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis

She'd failed them. All of them. And now she was paying the price.

Kiva thought she knew what she wanted--revenge. But feelings change, people change . . . everything has changed.

After what happened at the palace, Kiva is desperate to know if her friends and family are safe, and whether those she wronged can ever forgive her. But with the kingdoms closer to the brink of war than they've ever been, and Kiva far away from the conflict, more is at stake than her own broken heart.

A fresh start will mean a perilous quest, forcing mortal enemies and uneasy allies together in a race against the clock to save not just Evalon, but all of Wenderall. With her loyalties now set, Kiva can no longer just survive--she must fight for what she believes in. For who she believes in. But with danger coming from every side, and the lives of everyone she loves at risk, does she have what it takes to stand, or will she fall?

Review

Trigger Warnings: Addiction, Overdose, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death, Murder and Loss of a loved one.

This review may contain spoilers.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, however, this in no way influenced my opinion. Thank you to the publisher Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with a copy.

This is one of my most anticipated releases of this year and I was thrilled to receive an ARC and I’m happy to say that this was an incredible ending to this series, and I loved it. I’m always apprehensive going into the final book in a series and seeing how the author decides to wrap everything up but, in my opinion, this was the perfect ending to this series. From the very beginning of this novel, I was completely drawn in and engaged with the plot and throughout I was completely gripped and wanted to know what would happen next. One of my favourite aspects of this novel was the plot twists, the first two books in this series had so many incredible and unpredictable twists and this final book was no different. The reveal about Cresta in particular shocked me and I think it was such a great twist. There was also a twist involving Caldon (I don’t want to give too many spoilers away) that had me so heartbroken and then there was another twist that had me so relieved. I will say the twist about Galdric didn’t really shock me as I never trusted his character. Another aspect I loved about this book and series, in general, is the characters, I love our main character Kiva so much she’s determined and fierce and her journey throughout these books has been so heart-breaking. Caldon is another character that I love so much, I love his sarcasm and I loved the friendship between him and Kiva.

Overall, this was a fantastic final novel in the YA Fantasy series ‘The Prison Healer’ that drew me in from the very beginning and had shocking plot twists.

I have to admit that this series was a bit of a rollercoaster for me.... The first book was excellent, I loved the story, the characters, the setting and I couldn't see any of the twists coming..
Then, I barely managed to finish the second book. It felt like everything was unfamiliar and the pacing was too slow... But The blood traitor was as good as the first one!
I loved the story, I loved the characters once again and if anything, I think the ending could have been a bit more! Not better, but I would love a little more feeling!
Getting to visit more royals, more countries was excellent too!
One more thing that could have worked better was the villain. Despite the fact that he was great, he was barely there. The moment we got to see how evil he is, we moved on and got to see him again in the very end...
All in all, a great end to a a very good series!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book, in exchange for my honest review.

The Blood Traitor was one of the most anticipated reads this year for me. I couldn’t wait for the continuation of the series and it did not disappoint!!!!
The ending for this series was very satisfying but I do wish we got a bit more at the end.
This book was filled with action and it was very easy to get lost in the story, it was slow at first but once the action hit I finished it very quickly.
It was really heartbreaking to follow Kivas and Jarens relationship but I was so happy that they work things out at the end! Tipp was adorable as always (I’m really hoping for some spin off series about grown up Tipp please)
Prison Healer series must be the only book which delivered so much character wise. Lynette did a such a great job with so many lovable characters!! Cresta- iconic, Caldon- another icon!!!
Overall this Series was amazing and The Blood Traitor was really enjoyable read. I cannot wait to see what Lynette Noni creates next!!

The blood traitor by lynette noni

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to netgalley, hodder & stoughton and Lynette Noni for the opportunity to read this book.

I'm going back and forth on what to rate this one so I'll give it 4.5 stars.

It's nice to read a book where I cant think of a single character that I hate, find dull or that irritates me. Every main character feels fleshed out and the relationships between them are brilliantly developed.

But the real magic of this author is in the plot twists. So many of them throughout the series and they all just work.

The reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because of a particular trope which I don't want to spoil for people but it is something which can feel a little overdone in fantasy. I will say though in this story it makes sense in terms of the main characters development mental healthwise.
Overall I've really enjoyed the series and this wraps it up in a way I think fans of the series will be happy with.

The Blood Traitor is the last book in The Prison Healer series, and this fantastic, thrilling, mind-blowing series has ended. With an ache in my heart, I say that this series is now over. I didn't want it to end. I didn't want to leave the world. I wanted to spend more time with the characters and experience them.

The previous book, The Gilded Cage, ended in a torturous cliffhanger, and The Blood Traitor takes off right after that incident, where Kiva is back in that "prison from hell," the Zalindov prison. But she got out by some stroke of luck (I wouldn't call it luck, but still). It was an immense relief, but it was short-lived. The whole time, Kiva thought how much she would be hated by the people she had started to call her family. But she was ready to face them and ask for forgiveness. But making things right might not be the only thing she has to do. The kingdom is on the brink of a terrible war, a war that's bigger than any war they've ever faced, with the entire world at stake. Kiva is an integral part of helping to win the war.

And there is a deadly quest that may just give them an upper hand in the war. My heart's racing.

The Blood Traitor, like the previous books, is fast-paced and action-packed. The flow was relatively smooth, and the fast pace made it a quick read. It just keeps you wanting more and more. Some plot twists were subtle, but then there were the "ripping your heart out" ones that just make your eyes burn with unshed tears. The book is immensely immersive. It will grab hold of you and won't let you go any time soon. Seriously, the grip this whole series has on me is tight.

Every single character in this book is just perfect.
When I think about Kiva, my first thought is that I would do anything for her. Just think, a villain starts to consider their enemy as their family, all the while falling in love with the golden prince of the enemy kingdom. This is nothing short of a gut-wrenching fairy tale. I was scared for Kiva after the way The Gilded Cage ended. I didn't know what to think. This "not knowing" feeling became an unscratchable itch. Reading about her struggles and pains just made me want to scream into a pillow. Her acceptance, her willpower, her love, her patience, her resilience, and her heartache all contributed to forming who she became in the end. She is someone who is flawed, someone who made mistakes, someone who took a different path when everyone else told her to take the one she was supposed to. Kiva is such a beautiful character, and reading her story has been excellent.

Now comes our golden prince. Jaren. Jaren!!! How can you not love this man?! He is perfect. My heart broke piece by piece because of his anguish. All the pain that he hid behind the wall he built around himself. I wish I had his point of view, but even through Kiva's eyes, there was so much there. With everything that had happened to him, he still kept his head held high and was the prince his kingdom needed. He constantly made me feel so many things throughout the book and the series that I kept falling head over heels. *chef kisses*

Caldon, my love. He has taken over my mind, body, and soul. I love love his personality. He is just the best mixture of sarcastic, adorable, sexy, caring, loving; I could go on and on... The list is endless. I love him so much. He is my favorite character in this entire series. He trumps everyone. Caldon is the guy who would wake up in the middle of the night to help you hide the body of the person you murdered. He will always support you. He has this thing where you can't help but tell him everything about you, even your deep dark secrets, and instead of judging you, he becomes your biggest support.

Tipp is, and always will be, that little ray of sunshine that lights up the darkest of darks. In this book, he continued to shine through all the darkness that was thrown at him. Tipp is so strong and smart. I love the role he plays in this book, and I tell you, what he did near the end of the book was incredible, and I am so in awe of him.

The reappearance of Cresta in this book was unimaginable. Of course, I expected her to be in Zalindov when Kiva was sent back, but I didn't anticipate her helping Kiva and literally holding her together like she did. Kiva and Cresta becoming friends was something I never thought would happen, but here it is, and honestly, I admire her. She may be rough on the outside, but she has a gooey center.

Finally, in this book, we get to meet Ashlyn, Caldon's sister. She is definitely someone I would love to be best friends with. I loved her character. I loved how she is, her strength, and the fire she has within her.

This book… this book!! This book has a special place in my heart and is my favorite in the series. The entire series feels like you're driving a race car, racing with other drivers. You're almost there. Just another couple of laps, and you win. But then a car slams into you. Hard. You go off track, hit the wall, flip over but land right side up. You do hit your head a little bit, but you shake it off and keep on driving cause you are back to being number one, and you cross the finish line, you win. I have a lot of feelings about this book, which somewhat explains what they were. This was a big rollercoaster ride, not the normal ones... This was a big one.

The thrill and the action will take your breath away. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. It will hurt you, and then it will also heal you. Here, the plot is more than the romance, and as someone who loves to read books with romance front and center, I liked that it was in the background. The longing glances, the tension, the slow burn, the final heated confession near the end of the book; I will gobble these up. This is why I love reading fantasy. The story is front and center while the romance slowly builds in the background.

After reading this trilogy, I will forever love Lynette Noni. I loved her writing. I loved that the characters were flawed and not perfect. I was able to connect with them on a deeper level. This book has taken a piece of my heart and stored it between its pages.

I loved, loved, loved this series, and I will keep on recommending it until everyone has read it.