The Blood Traitor (The Prison Healer, 3) Paperback – July 18, 2023

I loved this from start to finish. Well written, well paced, made me annoyed with certain characters and excited and sad and happy at all the right times. This series was such a pleasant surprise and its finale was the perfect fit to end it. Would absolutely recommend.

Rating: 4.5 starsThis has become one of my favorite YA fantasy series!Phenomenal character development. There is a lot of heart in these characters as they face their past struggles, guilt, and self-loathing. Amazing world-building. In this story, the characters go on a journey across the various kingdoms in a quest to obtain the rings to create the "Hand of the Gods." It was action packed and adventurous. Really enjoyed learning about the different cultures and political ruling in each kingdom. I also love the challenges that came to obtain the rings. Not only because they were interesting and brutal, but it also bonded the characters in a vulnerable way. The only reason I didn't give this book a 5 star is the ending. Although the story is completely wrapped up, I just felt it was too conveniently perfect. However, it didn't deter my enjoyment of the novel. Overall, I still thought it was a great finale.

Once again, I was absolutely enthralled by this story. I purposely drug my feet to finish this book because I simply couldn’t take the idea of it ending. And once again, I’m going to share my full thoughts because I want to remember all the fun things I loved.So this is your spoiler warning!The five things I loved most:•<b>The absolute redemption arc for Cresta.</b> WHAT A CHARACTER. From the very beginning, literally forcing life back into Kiva, she was incredible. My thoughts at the end were nothing short of wishing for a spin-off series following her and Caldon through the ruling of Mirraven. I love how much of a badass Cresta is and how she totally pulled a Kiva on everyone with that secret.•<b>The quest of finding the rings.</b> I loved getting to explore more of Wenderall (and totally think it further solidifies that we deserve more stories here) and getting to see each kingdom’s unique traits.•<b>Kiva.</b> An absolute survivor. In the midst of every single bad thing a single person can possibly ever face, she still chose life and love. This resonated with me more than anything else. I loved that she constantly chose hope, chose joy, and chose to keep pushing even when she couldn’t feel anything. This was one of the best approaches to mental health I’ve read in a fantasy book.•<b>Jaren. Caldon. Cresta. Caldon and Cresta. Ashlynn. Torell. Ashlynn and Torell. Tipp. Naari. Eidran. Ariana. Oriel. Zofia.</b> This all counts as one.•<b>THE JUSTICE FOR WARDEN ROOK.</b> I had a feeling it would come, and it was perfect. This story arc was pretty basic for a fantasy story - the underdogs are on top now and seeking justice for the people who oppressed them - but it was still everything I was waiting for nonetheless.I <i>did</i> have a little bit of an issue with how everything just resolved with Jaren and Kiva. I really don’t even fully know why. I understand that he was angry - I’m not mad about the first half of the book at all, it totally makes sense - but I thought it was a little fast and a little weird that after her drug-induced confessions he was just magically over all of it. Maybe it’s because we only took up residence in Kiva’s mind the whole time, or maybe she was near/death again so soon and had the Tipp moment of “she almost died thinking I hate her,” but it just felt a little anticlimactic after the buildup of angst for so many pages.Alas, this series has reignited my love for reading. It was slow going there for a while, so I’m immensely grateful for picking up this book and being reminded of why I love reading.

I have to say, this series caught me so off guard. And in a good way. I wasn't expecting to love this series near as much as I did. You're always sad when a series comes to an end when you love the characters so much, but I also found myself quite pleased and happy with how things ended.I was a little nervous with how things were going to end because of some things people had said. I had seen complaints that Jaren's character didn't follow the character attributes he had in the previous books (which I disagree with) and that characters that were kind of coupling off didn't make sense (which, some arguments I've seen that x character and y character had more chemistry with x character and z character and I disagree with that as well).We start with Kiva back in Zalindov. She's incredibly high on angeldust to keep her sedated on the trip. We get the surprise of Cresta coming to her rescue and helping her get off angeldust. Kiva wants to die, but Cresta reminds her that her life is worth living because of the people in her life that she loves...even though she's convinced they don't love her anymore.***Spoilers/Discussions of the book below***I was not expecting the way she got out of Zalindov. One of my favorite things about this book that starts in Zalindov is the theme of hope. Yeah, she's feeling pretty down about how things are, but there still hope. She's going to try and make things right.Going to Jaren...When Kiva is reunited with the gang, of course Jaren is upset. You later learn he's not upset because she contributed to the loss of his magic, but that she didn't trust him with her secrets. He lies to her and says that he doesn't want to see her again once everything is taken care of. She finally decides she needs to move on instead of hold on to hope that things will work out.Can I just tell you...the chapter that Kiva is on angeldust and she thinks she's just talking to Cresta...I had to read that a few times because it was so good. Eventually, he does come around because he finally understands how she really feels and they talk things out about trust.Also, when I thought Caldon had really died...ugh. Rip my heart out.Love these characters, loved this story...I just loved everything. I can't wait to reread it.

truly unbelievable series. Once I really got into the first book I was completely hooked., read the whole series in three days. This book, can't use title it violates community guidelines, is an epic conclusion. The feels so strong I balled like a baby at times. Even when you think you know where the conclusion is heading you're still surprised and find a few more twists.

This whole series is amazing. From page one you’re gripped in your seat. The magic. The found family. The dire circumstances. The romance. All of it is amazing. I’m so happy to have gone on this journey.