Why did I giggle and kick my feet so hard the first time I read this a few years ago...and what changed?

The Prison Healer is one of those books where I'm grateful for my slightly poor memory when it comes to books because the plot twists are actually pretty unpredictable, and, yeah, maybe they've blindsided me despite having read the book before. This was my fourth read-through, apparently (I read this 3 times in 2022? Why?), but the story is pretty much just as enjoyable as it was the first time.
The plot is relatively simple. Kiva is a healer working at a prison when the rebel queen arrives injured, and Kiva is given the orders to keep her alive. The queen is sentenced to undergo four "elemental" trials which basically means anyone with elemental magic (aka literally everyone except the royal family), so Kiva decides to step in and take them for her. The pacing is fast, and there's a good mixture of action, mystery, and romance. The main complaint I've seen - and I agree with - is that the major plot twists are in no way predictable. They're a bit convenient, but they set up nicely for the next two books.
The characters are all pretty cool, but I feel like they're not developed super well. I like Kiva as a narrator, especially with hindsight on my side, but I just think her personality works well for her character type. I loved Jaren the first few times I read this, but now he feels a bit generic to me... Tipp is still my absolute favorite and should be protected at all costs, but Naari and Mot are also super intriguing to me.
The Prison Healer is a YA fantasy novel perfect for fans of rebellion stories, easy banter, and mysterious plagues.

4.25/5