The Prison Healer

“Dreams were for fools. And Kiva was the biggest fool of them all.”

Once again, this quote shows Kiva’s deep, trauma-based bitterness, which colors her entire outlook at the beginning of the novel. By condemning any form of hope as “dreams” fit only for “fools,” she indicates the overwhelming oppression of her environment. However, her admission that she is “the biggest fool of them all” also indicates her determination to continue Overcoming Oppression with Hope and Resolve. Even within this mindset, she remains a realist who has a complicated relationship with dreams. On one hand, she knows that her hope for the future helps her to survive, but she also knows how many odds are stacked against her dream of freedom.

“She wasn’t jumpy; she was in the middle of a death prison. That was more than enough of an excuse to be on edge.”

The stark, bald label of Zalindov as a “death prison” illustrates the price that Kiva has paid for her long, arduous time in this place. While others who are newer to Zalindov see Kiva as paranoid, she knows that she is only responding to the reality of the threats that surround her. Even in the midst of kindling her hopes of escape, Kiva never forgets that she is in a prison whose every policy is designed to kill her. Keeping that fact in mind has kept her alive.

“She considered her words carefully before answering, ‘It helps if you have something to live for. To fight for. It grounds you, gives you a reason to get up every morning. It gives you a reason to want to survive. And sometimes, it’s the wanting that makes all the difference. Because once you give up in here’—she pointed to her heart— ‘then you’re already as good as dead.’”

This quote reinforces the theme of Overcoming Oppression with Hope and Resolve. Kiva’s rationale also illustrates the iron strength of her continuing will to survive even amidst the hopelessness that surrounds her. By giving such advice to Jaren, she also proves that she still values the concept of Community Support as a Tool for Survival. Rather than cynically assuming that Jaren will never survive, she gives him the means to do so.

“For ten years, Kiva had followed her coded orders. But for the first time ever, she had no idea how to do what she was told. Because even if she could save Tilda from her illness, there was no way to keep her from her fate.”

This quote explores the complex symbol of the coded notes and introduces a key irony in Kiva’s circumstances. Although her very best hope for escape lies in her family on the outside, the coded notes highlight the grim reality that even they currently serve an oppressive purpose in her life, as surely as the prison does. By saddling Kiva with the burden of tasks that are nearly impossible to follow, the notes leach her of the very hope that they are supposed to provide.

“And yet Kiva had made her own choice. And she would live—or die—with the consequences.”

The harsh tone of determination in this passage reflects Kiva’s desire to express her own agency despite her intensely powerless circumstances. Her emphasis upon making “her own choice” stems from this philosophy and is yet another example of her subtler ways of cultivating psychological resistance. This quote illustrates Kiva’s character, because she refuses to be a victim and maintains an attitude geared toward survival. While she has been put in an untenable position, she still takes ownership and control of her life.

“Throughout all this, Kiva tried to ignore the firmness of his body, the reassurance of his strength supporting her. She wouldn’t let herself be comforted by his touch, no matter how safe, how protected, she felt in his arms.”

This quote introduces Kiva’s turmoil over her burgeoning feelings toward Jaren. She has been isolated since her father’s death, and while she craves connection, the adamant statement “She wouldn’t let herself be comforted” highlights the fact that her mindset of resistance has become so overarching that she also resists sources of kindness, love, and understanding. In this way, although she remains a survivor, she has nonetheless succumbed somewhat to the dehumanizing policies of the prison. In her mind, her resistance of human connection is also a defense mechanism, for if she does not deeply care about another prisoner, she will not be deeply affected when he dies.

“‘You see a woman, Rebel Queen or otherwise. But I look at her and see someone who is deathly ill and needs my help.’ Kiva returned her gaze to the bed, continuing to provide the only justification Tipp would accept, with him having known her long enough to see it as truth. ‘She represents everyone I’ve tried to save over the years. It’s not just one life to me—it’s all of them, and they all matter.’”

When taken in retrospect, this quote shows a more complex side of Kiva. Although what she says is objectively true, she is also engaging in a strategic form of subterfuge by classifying the Rebel Queen (her mother) as a generic patient “who is deathly ill and needs [her] help.” The medical interpretation of this statement is sound, but it is also true that the Rebel Queen needs Kiva’s help in a broader political sense, both within and beyond Zalindov. Kiva is saving Tilda because the coded note requested that she do so. The scene also illustrates the fact that Kiva hides parts of herself even from those closest to her.

“‘Your father would be so disappointed in you.’ And then he was gone, leaving Kiva with eight words that repeated through her mind, over and over, until the poppymilk began to pull her back under once more. As her eyes drifted shut, she couldn’t help thinking that the Warden was wrong. Her father would have been the first person to encourage her to save a life. Her mother, on the other hand…her mother would have had strong words about Kiva’s actions today.”

With Warden Rooke’s brutal statement, the author illustrates the extreme psychological abuse that Kiva must endure in addition to the physical tortures of surviving within the walls of the prison. This quote reveals the true depravity of Warden Rooke’s character, for he is attempting to manipulate Kiva using her father’s memory. This move is especially problematic given that Warden Rooke is directly responsible for Kiva’s father’s death. This moment also illustrates The Corruptive Influence of Unchecked Power.

“I have a lot of dreams. A lot of nightmares, too. Only time will tell which path my life will take.”

This quote obliquely foreshadows the ambiguous ending of The Prison Healer, for although Kiva is currently portrayed as just another prisoner, she is secretly the Rebel Princess, and her heritage and family connections have burdened her with much grander political designs. By the end of the novel, Kiva has two paths. She can either go to the capital with Jaren and pursue their relationship, or she can betray him and attempt to overthrow his family and take the crown.

“They should have already come. Before now—before Tilda. But they hadn’t. Hurt rose in Kiva’s chest, blinding in its intensity, but she pushed it away, shoving it deep within her, just as she had for years.”

This quote reveals Kiva’s trauma at having endured years of abandonment by her family. Despite the periodic coded notes that arrive, no rescue attempt has ever been made for her, and she now feels pain due to the injustice of witnessing a prompt rescue attempt for the woman who is secretly her mother. If read with the knowledge of Kiva’s true heritage, this scene raises considerable doubts about the motivations of the family on which Kiva depends.

“Kiva had run out of words. She was surprised by just how much she had revealed to Jaren, how she’d bared her wounds to him, quite literally.”

This passage emphasizes the novel’s symbolic treatment of scars, which often function as a complex metaphor for lingering trauma and evidence of vulnerability. Thus, by “bar[ing] her wounds” and showing her scars to Jaren, Kiva violates her own rule not to show weakness and chooses to form a more meaningful connection with Jaren, thereby making progress in overcoming her own survival-based guardedness.

“She’d grown closer to the guard than was wise. But she also had no idea how to reverse that, how to put a stopper in the friendship that had somehow formed between them. Worse, she didn’t know if she wanted to. And therein lay the real danger.”

Even as Kiva berates herself from forming a stronger connection with Naari “than was wise,” this quote emphasizes the importance of this unusual rapport. Naari essentially serves as an antidote to Kiva’s cynical approach to the world around her, proving that she of all the guards is immune to The Corruptive Influence of Unchecked Power. Although Naari occupies a position of power over Kiva, she retains her compassion and humanity, showing Kiva that just because someone has power, they do not necessarily have to use it to crush others. Naari is an example of positive power, because she uses her relative privilege to help the prisoners.

“Kiva felt the truth of his words, not just in the haunted way he was looking at her, but in the throbbing of her chest, her lungs, her heart. He’d brought her back to life. But that wasn’t the part she didn’t understand.

[…]

Jaren didn’t need an amulet.

Because Jaren had elemental magic.”

The short, abrupt sentences in this passage emphasize Kiva’s shock upon coming to a world-changing realization about Jaren’s true nature. Although she does not yet realize that he is actually the Crown Prince, her understanding of his elemental magic brings her one step closer to this fact. In this moment, Jaren saves Kiva in the third trial, even though it means revealing his secret and trusting her fully. This new, deepened connection between the two will ultimately complicate their relationship even further when Kiva regains her freedom, for as the series progresses, she will be forced to choose between her long-held loyalty to her family and her new loyalty to Jaren, a friend who is risking everything to save her.

“No, not just poisoned. Executed. It was deliberate. And it came from the top. From Warden Rooke himself.”

The brutal tone of this quote illustrates the widespread effects of The Corruptive Influence of Unchecked Power. In this moment, Kiva suffers a devastating sense of disillusionment as she realizes that she has completely misjudged Warden Rooke. She now understands that he is much more corrupt and cold-hearted than she realized. Despite the fact that Kiva’s father, Faran, saved Rooke’s life when he first arrived, Rooke poisoned him to prevent Faran determining the source of the so-called “stomach sickness.”

“Warden Rooke had killed her father. Kiva felt as if she’d been kicked in the gut and then trampled to keep from getting up again.”

This statement shows how blindsided Kiva feels when she realizes the extent of Warden Rooke’s betrayal and his years of manipulation. Although Kiva’s time in prison has made her worldly and cynical, she still held a shred of trust in Rooke, believing him to be above the depravity that pervades the guards. However, she failed to appreciate the fact that the very corruption of the prison system indicates an equal level of corruption in the person who administers it.

“You have a right to be angry, but don’t let that stop you from forgiving him. He did what he did for the right reasons.”

This quote takes place in the Abyss, when Naari reveals Jaren’s true identity. Although Naari does not justify Jaren’s lies to Kiva, she does encourage Kiva to listen to Jaren’s explanation with an open mind. In this moment, Naari shows her true identity as well, indicating that she is far more than a mere prison guard. In this context, her many previous kindnesses are thrown into sharp relief, and it is clear that all the events of the novel have been deeply imbued with the secret machinations of politics. Even so, Naari’s kindness and even-tempered, loyal demeanor shows her to be a true friend to Kiva.

“The Warden didn’t delay in sharing, and with six words, he revealed their fate. ‘Congratulations, you’re about to die together.’”

This quote shows Warden Rooke’s sadistic streak, but ironically, his cruel act of condemning both Jaren and Kiva to the final trial is the very detail that guarantees Kiva’s survival. Because Jaren secretly has access to the full range of elemental magic, the trial ahead of him is really no trial at all. Thus, Warden Rooke, in his vindictive mindset, has provided Kiva with the very tools she needs to survive and escape.

“I don’t expect anything from you, Kiva. I just want you to live. I want you to be free. And for that, you need to survive.”

The purity and honesty of Jaren’s character is revealed here and stands in stark contrast to the other relationships that Kiva has experienced throughout her life. Even her own family uses her to further their own gains, and Warden Rooke has always treated her like a puppet. However, Jaren does not want to take anything from Kiva; he just wants to clear the way so she can be free and safe. His innate sense of morality places him in a much nobler position than those to whom Kiva currently owes her loyalty, and this scene therefore raises doubts about what political path Kiva will ultimately choose as the series unfolds.

“Kiva didn’t think he was broken. After everything she’d learned about him, she thought he just might be one of the strongest people she knew.”

This quote shows the depth of Kiva’s feelings for Jaren despite her ongoing guardedness. Notably, even though she clearly holds him in high regard, she does not share her feelings aloud because the inclination to avoid showing vulnerability remains a key part of her own psychological makeup. However, her musing tone indicates that recent events are compelling her to slowly change her outlook on the world.

“I think it’s incredible you can separate the drug from the user and still care about your mother enough to want to protect her.”

In this scene, Jaren bravely reveals the source of his own vulnerability for Kiva to clearly see, explaining the origin of the old scars that he bears and indicating that his own upbringing—despite his royal lineage—has held considerable trauma. As Kiva expresses her sense of wonder at his ability to forgive the woman who so deeply wronged him, the scene once again touches upon the symbolic significance of scars, which can be used to create deeper connections when the stories behind their origins are shared.

“He could also control earth and water.

All four elements.

No one had claimed such power since Queen Sarana herself.”

The succession of brief, emphatic phrases indicates the deep significance of this statement to Kiva’s outlook and the trajectory of the novel as a whole. When the true extent of Jaren’s powers is finally revealed, the narrative delivers a key piece of information about the broader politics of the narrative world. While it is common for the royal line to have command of one or two elements, Jaren has all four. This makes him uniquely powerful and explains why he became the Crown Prince and gained a more powerful position than his older sister, who would otherwise have become the ruler-to-be.

“He was willing to let the Rebel Queen walk free just so that she could, too? That was… that was…

It was outrageous.

It was unbelievable.

And it filled Kiva with warmth from head to toe.”

This quote shows the depths of Jaren’s feelings for Kiva. When she realizes that he cares more for her than he does for the need to please his family, she is forced to reckon with an entirely new situation. Because of the extensive trauma of her past, Kiva has never known someone to put their own needs behind hers, and it is a revelation for her to experience that level of commitment and love.

“But she didn’t look back.

Not even for the man who had killed her father.

Zalindov was behind her now.

She was free.”

By placing each of these statements in its own line, the author creates intense emphasis on each one, illustrating the true extent of this life-changing moment as Kiva sheds the last vestiges of her long, unjust imprisonment and heads toward a newer, freer life. This quote reveals Kiva’s attempt to immediately move on from Zalindov, but implicit in the very completeness of this passage is the lingering suspicion that these years of trauma will not be quite so easy to walk away from. While Kiva is free in body, only the next installment in the series will show whether she is also free in mind.