Healer

Truth Seer #2

by Kay L. Moody

Cairo 2121. The city is failing.

To save it, all they need is a list.

A list that has the names needed to take down the slave cartel that targets orphans. A list that’s impossible to find.

In an unfamiliar city, Imara attempts to secure the list, but her efforts are thwarted again and again by a man who grips Cairo with terror and control.

She joins a security team, hoping to save Cairo and her new boyfriend’s business all at the same time. With the team’s numbers dwindling more each day, they prepare for an upcoming event to attract new recruits to help them hunt down the list and stop the terror for good.

But then, their efforts get hijacked by an old threat and their problems multiply. Now, Imara faces a man who enslaves orphans and a woman who craves revenge. As the fight progresses, she’s forced to make an impossible choice:

Fix the mistakes of her past… or save the city?

Healer is the 2nd book in the Truth Seer Trilogy.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 7, 2019

About the author

Kay L. Moody is the YA fantasy author of COURT OF BITTER THORN and THE ELEMENTS OF THE CROWN. Her books feature rich world building, slow burn romance, mythical creatures, and twisty plots.

As a lover of strong female characters, books, and the color pink, she enjoys diving into magical worlds where characters can overcome even their darkest struggles. She lives in the western United States with her husband and four sons. Connect with Kay directly when you follow her on social media @kaylmoody

Visit her website to learn more.
www.KayLMoody.com

Reviews

[Anastasia ｼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review on my blog!

After reading and loving book one I had to read this one! I am so glad that I read this, the action flows non stop and these characters bring new meaning to bravery. This one was even better, which is saying something, since sequels are not always as good! Healer did not disappoint. 

Healer picks up right where the first book ended, and we are submerged into the action from page one, and it continues seamlessly throughout. What a rollercoaster ride! The characters continue to evolve; they have so much depth and continue to amaze me. The plot is very clear and and well-built out. The world building is rich, beautiful and well-rounded.

Overall, I really like the book and I am definitely looking forward for the next one!

*a copy was provided by Marten Press*

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Truth Seer by Kay L. Moody | Review
Healer by Kay L. Moody | Review
Truth Changer | Review

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[Ania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I was sent a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own

Ten hours after escapin certain death, Imara Kalu jumped back in harms way

And with this powerful statement, Kay L Moody opens the second book in the Truth Seer trilogy and jumps right into the action.

The first novel in this series had a problem, in my opinion: pacing. It went too slow at first, and then resolved everything too fast. This is not something that happens with Healer. We are submerged into the action from page one, and we are unable to catch our breath until the very end of the book -and that's only because the last page punches you in the stomach and takes it away.

Imara is back and she's more forgiving than ever. Maybe too forgiving (looking at you, Abe). Ever since she accepted she needed to stop judging people by the first impression she got through her hila, she's struggled to find the good in people, and later on the balance between their virtues and their flaws. She's also been struggling to find the time to fix the relationship with her sister and the rest of her family, but the demanding position she took when she started working for Abe has her completely devoid of personal time. Unless it is to spend it with her boyfriend, Mr. Commitment Issues.

Speaking of - I really liked Abe in the first book, but now I just got to side with Naki and tell Imara to please, dump him. The moment she stops being able to call him out on his lies, he starts lying to her. Thankfully, he seems to come to his senses and starts to treat her better by the end of the book. I hope this time it's for good. I won't forgive him if he still has this attitude in the next novel.

Unfortunately, while the characters are all really fresh, and I still love the fact that this story is set in Africa, with a Kenyan protagonist and such a diverse cast of characters to make it even better, I have a small complaint. I know, I know, I'm nitpicking, I'm sorry. But it's something I've noticed and it won't stop nagging me: there isn't enough description in this series. Things happen, and the characters react to them, and we are told how they react via physical cues, but it feels mechanical, it lacks a certain fluity. It needs more description, more adjectives. Imara is tortured, and she screams in pain, but we don't feel it with her. She looks into Abe's eyes and sees the unspoken questions in them, but we don't know if it makes her heart flutter, if there's butterflies in her stomach, if the conflict between them makes her chest ache. We don't know how it feels like when she's being torn apart by having to choose between her boyfriend and her job, and her fractured relationship with her family.

What I am trying to say, and I can't believe these words are coming from me, is that this prose needs a little bit of purple.

Other than that, I'm loving this series. Moody has crafted an incredibly interesting and original world that leaves me wanting for more. This great combination between sci-fi and fantasy makes me think of a Star Wars story taking place on Earth, a story where we can all be jedis (and trust me, that's one of the strongest compliments I can think of).

[Andie · Rating 3 out of 5]

[also up on my blog, check it out if you want! http://www.andreasnirvana.com/2019/02...]

Hi friends!

I’m coming back to you today with a review of the sequel to a book you might’ve seen me mention before on this blog, as I’ve reviewed it back in July. I was contacted for a review once again and, with the many thanks included here (as well as the regular disclaimer), let’s get started!

With this book, I really have no idea whether to start with the good things or the bad things, so I’ll just start with the one thing I need to make clear: from the perspective of a casual reader that reads for fun, this is an amazing book. Will keep you entertained for the entire book, the plot’s pretty clear and well-built out, and the book is short enough so it doesn’t drag.

Before getting to praise the book too much, though, as I made my way through the novel with the eye of an aspiring critical reader, I noticed some things. In terms of the actual writing, I have only one complaint: my overly analytical eye spotted one singular grammar mistake in the beginning of the book (nothing too big, a wonky tense on a verb). Other than that, the writing flowed nicely, was easy to follow and it was neither too flowery nor too sparse.

Another thing that really struck me was the romance part of the book. While I have to give it to the author and say she blended in the romance nicely, I have to say the romance itself felt extremely awkward – if that was the point, then it came across nicely, but at a certain point, it became difficult to read Abe’s character. He came off as incredibly childish, a trait that Imara unwittingly fed into… Their love story became frustrating after a while, and that wasn’t the best since it’s a huge part of the story, but I have to admit that it got fixed in the end.

Now, I’m done with the bad stuff! I’ve good stuff to come: the characters were really nice. I loved that we got to see more of the old main characters while meeting a couple of new ones or even delving deeper into the minds of characters only briefly mentioned, and it was nice to see that the series was most likely planned ahead of time (or at least, parts of it were). Keiko was an incredibly interesting character, and all I can do is hope we get to see more of her in the future. The character arcs were well developed and I feel like sufficient character development happened, and they all got similar screen-time.

Overall, I would recommend both the first book (Truth Seer) and this one, its sequel. Things are starting to pick up, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

This is all from me for today! Let me know if you read the book or if you’re planning to, or just leave any overall thoughts in the comments below, and let’s get chatting!

Andie, out xx

[Beba Andric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imara is fighting against her instinct, she's desperately trying to see the good in people but heck, with a talent like hers, it's a very difficult task. It can't be fun seeing and feeling the lies that come out of people's mouths, see when they're manipulating, she sees the entire spectrum of emotions, yep, that's her special talent, it's no surprise she avoids people. Image the headache and heartache such a talent brings! But Imara has grown significantly since the first book, she's slowly allowing herself to trust, only a few and only very tentatively, but she's trying, especially with what happened to her, nope, read the books to find out, I'm not gonna tell...

It was great to see Imara and Naki mending their relationship, the love has always been there but when your hila (power) is so strong and vivid, Imara had a hard time just BEING. Everyone lies right? But some lies are to protect, some lies are to deceive, some lies are for self preservation. And now that Imara has, sort of, understood the nuances, she and Naki are closer. Now that she's... different...she starts working with Abe to save kids being kidnapped and forced into slavery. I mentioned her growth, but gracious me is she upping the ante! No more withdrawn and reclusive, she's now in the real world, fighting real foes, even cobras! But the betrayals, oh boy do they sting! Just goes to show, maybe Imara wasn't so wrong in her distrusting....

I enjoyed the varied characters, they all added a special something to the story, Husani for instance, is the biggest flirt, any and every woman grab his attention, he almost can't help himself. And the discovery of who Keiko is, well wasn't that earth shattering! It's a remarkably fast paced and action filled book, not letting up for a second, propelling me onwards, reading like one starved for words. I got my fix handed to me by the author as she took me on a rollercoaster ride of note! The intricacies of the plot are guaranteed to keep one's attention, between the gangsters kidnapping children on the one side and the Taggers, especially Takara on the other, the very small crew are doing whatever they can to prevent total mayhem. I loved the Kenyan and Egyptian back and forth, I also loved the setting, the world Kay crafts and the my goodness are these characters complexly brilliant! A splendid, different read, I loved it!

[Sara Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pet peeve I have with a lot of YA fiction is that the characters seem to get kidnapped a lot, so when one of the main characters started planning her own kidnapping, I had to chuckle.

Healer takes place where Truth Seer leaves off. Because of events at the end of Truth Seer, Inara's future looks completely different than she had expected and Abe offers her a job working with his business to rescue orphans who have been captured by gangsters. Sounds straightforward enough until the taggers reemerge and start wreaking havoc again. With Inara's abilities weakened and Abe in denial of his own, they must rely on their friends' hilas (supernatural abilities) and work together to restore justice to Cairo. As if anything is ever that simple...

I loved how Inara has learned from her past mistakes and tries so hard in this book to see the good in people. In book 1, her gift of seeing whether someone was telling the truth led her to judge those who lied, rather than realizing the reasons and the meanings behind the lie. Now, she is trying to find good in people for whom there may be little or no redemption. But it's fun because I can relate to this. It's a struggle when you value truth to not judge those who lie but also to honestly evaluate the person without being biased in any direction. Her relationship with Abe was put to the test as well. Truth matters. But how and why it matters is often more complicated than we think.

As always, there was a twist at the end and I can't wait to see how this saga reaches a conclusion. I've already started reading book 3. I received a free copy of the book from the author and have reviewed it willingly.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you heal an unseen wound?
Cairo 2121. The city is falling, and Imara feels helpless. Though she has her boyfriend and sister by her side this time, the Egyptian cartel has allied with an old threat, and now kidnapping and murder are commonplace. It will take Imara’s true colors—and Abe’s mysterious potential—to set things right and begin to heal the city’s soul.
In this follow-up dystopian thriller, Imara and Abe are joined by a host of colorful new characters and skills. But only Imara can make the impossible choice of fixing the mistakes of her past… or saving a city.

Healer is the 2nd book in the Truth Seer Trilogy.
What an amazing addition to the story this was.
This one picks up right where the last one left off. It picked up very quickly and flowed seamlessly together.
The characters are continuing to evolve and amaze me throughout.
The whole story keeps you gripped from the start and throughout.
I can't wait to read the last one as dying to see how it all turns out.

I received a free ARC from the author and this is my honest voluntary review.

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this series. The books are well written, flow smoothly and are easy to read.

The characters are so lovable. Imara is strong, determined, compassionate and wants to do what is right and be a good person. After losing her Hila to an Eraserfall in book 1, she is ready to go to work with Abe and try to help Cairo from it's tangle of problems.

Naki is Imara's older sister. Imara and Naki have had a troubled relationship for years. Now that Imara has changed her perspective and they have apologized they are ready to fix their relationship.

Abe started a business that has been helping to rescue kidnapped orphans, and does security jobs as well. He is head over heels for Imara, and the feeling is mutual. He is a protector. He thinks nothing of putting his life at risk to save someone else, a trait he and Imara share.

So much happens in this book. It is full of twists and turns, betrayal, hope and inspiration. I can't wait to see what happens in book 3.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imara and her friends, now that she has learned she can see GOOD emotions along with the negative ones and actually has friends, are involved in rescuing children from trafficking in Cairo. She has moved in with her sister, Naki, in Kenya, but thanks to technology advances, air travel is ridiculously easy and quick. (Alaska to Cairo in an hour!). Her work is intense and busy, often lasting late into the night, so she has to decide if her priorities are more with the lifesaving work she is doing, her new and intense relationship, or trying to revive a friendship with her sister, something they both truly want. The characters grow a lot in this book compared to the first. They are all fighting internal battles as well as a major war with a mob and a cult trying to take over the city. One of the main characters, Abe, finally accepts something major about himself that seems like it will change the whole course of his life. I found this book to be more fast paced than the first book.

[Brittany Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok so I want to say that I absolutely loved the first book!! I was so excited to read the second book in the series and I look forward to the third. Admittedly I liked the first book the most-but I think most readers will find that with a series. It’s what first hooked me in and as I said I continue to look forward to the next instalment.

The story picks up right where the first one lets off. It picks up quite quickly and continues seamlessly throughout. The characters continue to evolve and amaze me. The plot is very clear and there are only one or two loose ends and the conclusion (but that is to be expected in a trilogy).

I love that Abe and Imara had struggles in the book as it made it a lot more realistic and made me invest in them as a couple more. I love Husani’s wit and humour and I loved how they all worked as a team and even Siluk got a reappearance!!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I jumped at the chance to get an ARC of this one. I so enjoyed Truth Seer and was anxious to see what happens next in this trilogy. It did not disappoint. What a rollercoaster ride! Imara continues to grow as a character and the world building is rich and well-rounded. I found myself frustrated and talking to the characters out loud. When the last line rolled around I did give a little shriek. Now I await the final book in the trilogy. I do recommend this book to fantasy lovers everywhere. You'll be glad you did.

[Rachel Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't wait to see how the series ends. I totally thought Imara would get her hila back in this book, but she didn't. I still believe she'll get it back though in the next book. I just love reading about how Imara's hila works; since this book didn't really have her hila, I didn't like this book as much as the first.

I also totally knew Professor Santini was still alive. I never accepted her death because she's such a perfect antagonist. I thought she would come back sooner, but it makes me excited for the third book to have her in it.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall rating: 5

After reading book one , reading book two fell into the ‘have to read’ category and this author delivered! The action flows non stop and these characters bring new meaning to bravery. Just love this storyline ! This series is wonderful for both young and mature fantasy lovers! I enjoyed being kept in suspense over Imara and Abe’s abilities. All my reviews are always voluntarily written.

[Shelda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book to review. Book 2 was even better than the first. Picking up right at the end of the first book helped the stories just flow. Imara wants a strong relationship with her sister Naki, but working with Abe keeps her too busy to keep her promises. Will Abe ever accept his hila? Will Imara gets her’s back??? Ready for book 3 now!!!

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

OH. My. Effing. GOSH! This sequel was astounding and incredible! I couldn't put it down, it tore my guts and heart apart and I wanted to scream and cry and that ending! How are more peop,e not talking about this series?

I was asked to read these books for an honest review and I can honestly say, these books are gold!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, I loved the premise and was not disappointed when reading it. The characters were great and I loved the series so far, and look forward to where the series will go.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The city is falling and she needs to try to save it, he will join her in the fight. Can they heal the city? Can the fighting be stopped? How will they go about it? Follow them to see

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily review an Advance Reader Copy of this book. It was an interesting story and looking forward for more of your works.