The Gilded Cage (The Prison Healer, 2)

Kiva trades one cage for another when she leaves behind a deadly prison for a deceptive palace in this dark and dangerous sequel to The Prison Healer, which Sarah J. Maas called "a must-read."

Kiva Meridan is a survivor.

She survived not only Zalindov prison, but also the deadly Trial by Ordeal. Now Kiva’s purpose goes beyond survival to vengeance. For the past ten years, her only goal was to reunite with her family and destroy the people responsible for ruining their lives. But now that she has escaped Zalindov, her mission has become more complicated than ever.

As Kiva settles into her new life in the capital, she discovers she wasn’t the only one who suffered while she was in Zalindov—her siblings and their beliefs have changed too. Soon it’s not just her enemies she’s keeping secrets from, but her own family as well.

Outside the city walls, tensions are brewing from the rebels, along with whispers of a growing threat from the northern kingdoms. Kiva’s allegiances are more important than ever, but she’s beginning to question where they truly lie. To survive this time, she’ll have to navigate a complicated web of lies before both sides of the battle turn against her and she loses everything.

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Published Oct 18, 2022

464 pages

Average rating: 8.24

71 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Janicks
Feb 02, 2026
10/10 stars
This series is AMAZING!! It’s so so good. Found family, slow burn and a great plot. Really fast paced, and just such great writing. Not loving the miscommunication and am trying to ignore moments of stupidity by Kiva, but other than those, wow!!

The final few pages had me literally holding my breath!! Another super strong ending, as with the first book.


Diving straight into the last book!!
Helen Blackwood
Apr 25, 2025
7/10 stars
Wow. Heart wrencher. Betrayal to the max. Can't wait to see how this series ends.
Hayden Mattick
Nov 18, 2024
10/10 stars
Wow. Such a great continuance of the story and the ending!!!!!!!!!
caileebrommel16
Jun 01, 2023
7/10 stars
i finished this book pretty quick. i liked the setting and vibe of london. i wish it would have been longer but the story was good and i liked all the characters
Knight Reader📚✨
Jan 16, 2023
10/10 stars
One of the rare cases where the second book is just as good as the first!

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