REVIEW: “The Blood Traitor” by Lynette Noni

“Life is worth living, even the parts that make us feel like we want to die.”
Cresta Voss

𝕃𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙: 439

ℙ𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕖: June 2022

ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔸𝕘𝕖: 12+

𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕣𝕖: YA Fantasy

READ THIS IF:

– You believe “How to Slice Open a Femoral Artery” is an essential life lesson to impart on adolescents.

– You loved The Prison Healer, and crave redemption for its lackluster sequel.

MY THOUGHTS:

My heart smiled when I closed this book.

The Gilded Cage lacked so much for me.
This conclusion wanted for nothing.
It was everything I hoped for and then some.

The greatest love story in this book isn’t Kiva and Jaren.
It’s Kiva + Caldon.
It’s Kiva + Cresta.

These two friendship arcs are so perfectly and compassionately written. How does Noni DO THAT? Caldon and Cresta brought levity, hope, and warmth to my own soul during a hard time – and that’s the power of literature. Jaren, I love you but you’ve been benched.

Lastly, I need to praise Noni again. She has a gift for creating characters on paper that you’d genuinely wish you could breathe life into. She also has this cruel and intoxicating storytelling ability to juxtapose a soul-crushing cliffhanger with a subsequent hope-evoking prologue.

The Prison Healer Trilogy was such a beautiful and underrated surprise.

I can’t recommend it highly enough.

A word of caution:
If you’ve ever loved and lifted up someone from the pits of addiction, depression, or despair (or, rather, been that someone yourself), this story may be triggering. It can also be healing, if you’re ready for it.

All Booked Up