Healer's Bane By Hope Ann

Kynet never planned to be at the forefront of the rebellion. That was her brother’s hobby: rallying the people. Plotting against the leaders. Running into dangers she’d have to negotiate him out of.

That was before the Poisoner tried to kill her.

Left with strange powers in the aftermath of his attack, Kynet is even more convinced the rebellion isn’t worth it. For every life her healing saves, ten more are wasted.

But her quest to stop the carnage before war breaks out will bring her face to face with the man who tried to murder her... and with her own helplessness against a grim reality she may not be able to change.

Hope Ann uses chocolate to bribe a wide ring of spies, from the realm leapers of Aslaria to the double agents of Elkbend, for their stories. Based in Indiana, she is the self-published author of the Legends of Light series, personal writing coach, and the Communications Coordinator for Story Embers. You can find out more about her at authorhopeann.com.
 
I received my copy on Monday and read the entire book three times since. (I’ve read the last chapter close to five times, I believe.)
 
But here is my official review (if you believe in that sort of thing). You can also check the review out on Amazon.
 
Healer’s Bane Sneaks in and Touches Your Heart While You’re Busy Turning Pages

5 stars
 
If you could take the pain of the entire world, would you do it? That’s the question facing Kynet. Of course, she also has to deal with a brother who won’t give up his rebellion OR listen to her, and a poisoner who won’t quit stalking her.
 
Oh. My. Goodness.
 
I was hooked from page one. I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. I saw it all like a movie. Hope has a way of painting such detailed pictures with her words. The ending will smack you out of nowhere—it takes epic and beautiful to a whole new level! I never saw it coming and immediately went back to discover what clues I had missed. Despite the fact that the majority of the book deals with pain and death, she never freaked me out with graphic descriptions. Also, there is no language or inappropriate boy/girl relationships.
 
Hope’s worldbuilding is EXCELLENT! I saw and understood Lacrecia right away, and found it very interesting. (And I don’t read a lot of fantasy!)
 
I jumped immediately into Kynet’s head—I saw what she saw, heard what she heard, felt what she felt. I could see each of the characters in my mind—Nayn, Lael, and yes, even the Poisoner. I adore little Ean—he is such a sweetheart!
 
One of the things I love about Hope’s books is that with each one you can tell she put so much thought and work into how the world would work, and how the plot would surprise us, and how the characters would tug at us, and most importantly, what she would say through all of that. This book delves into the tough questions of pain, suffering, and their purpose. It’ll make you think. It also is an amazing starting point to sharing the Gospel—while the healers in this book may have been imperfect, there is a Healer Who is perfect.
 
Please, please, please read this book. Healer’s Bane sneaks in and touches your heart while you’re busy turning pages.