Title: The Blood Traitor
Author: Lynette Noni
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (UK) , Penguin Random House (AU), Clarion Books (US&CA)
Pages: 464
Release Date: 14 June 2022
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Hello fellow booklovers, I hope you’ve all had a fantastic (and book filled) week!
Today I’m sharing my review of The Blood Traitor, the final instalment in Lynette Noni’s spectacularly plot twisty and utterly addictive, The Prison Healer series.
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
The third (and final) instalment of Lynette Noni’s magnificently addictive and plot-twisty The Prison Healer series is by far her best book yet! Honestly, Noni’s exquisite world building, endearing characters and shocking twists have consistently had me on the edge of my seat (an in an emotional chokehold) for the entirety of Kiva’s journey.
I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve experienced every possible emotion in between and can honestly say that I absolutely loved every second of it!
Picking up directly after the magnificently plot twisty events of The Gilded Cage and once again, Lynette Noni’s world building is utter perfection! As were the detailed, nuanced and well developed characters—both old faves and new—that I found so incredibly endearing. Kiva really cannot catch a break and goes through ALOT in the first half of the book, but her growth as a character was phenomenal (I know I’ve said this about every book in the series, but it’s true) and I did find myself crying on more than once whilst reading her scenes so, if you’re an emotional reader (like me) do keep some tissues handy, you’re gonna need them.
I really enjoyed seeing Cresta again (the Zalindov rebel from The Prison Healer) and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked her. I didn’t particularly like her in the first book and hearing about her own life and how she ended up in Zalindov really brought to light a side of her I didn’t know existed. She also plays a rather big role too which I absolutely loved.
We are also introduced to Caldon’s Sister Ashlyn (General of Evalon’s army), who gets a brief mention in The Gilded Cage, and the strained relationship dynamic between her and the usually chipper Caldon was really interesting to watch unfold.
But it’s the relationship between Kiva and Jaren that experiences the most upheaval as Jaren still feels hurt by Kiva’s betrayal (and lies) but it’s made quite clear—to everyone but Kiva—that he’s still in love with her. They do eventually work through it, in dramatic fashion I might add but I enjoyed every second of it.
Honestly after two incredibly plot twisty books that led me on an emotional rollercoaster, I didn’t think anything could surprise me this time around, but the shocking twists just keep coming and I absolutely loved it!
It’s Noni’s best book by far and I’m still in awe of her skill in crafting soo many plot twists I didn’t see coming, at this point it must be her superpower!
I urge everyone who’s read The Prison Healer and The Gilded Cage to go give this a read—and if you haven’t done so what are you waiting for? If you love YA fantasy, strong female protagonists or Sarah J. Maas worthy plot twists then you’re going to absolutely love this series.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the e-arc.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
About The Author
