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The Anatomy Duology #1
袗薪邪褌芯屑褨褟: 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 泻芯褏邪薪薪褟
欧宝娱乐 Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2022)袘械褋褌褋械谢械褉 芦NEW YORK TIMES禄, 芦INDIE禄 褌邪 芦USA TODAY禄 A REESE'S YA BOOK CLUB PICK
欧宝娱乐 Choice Award, 薪芯屑褨薪邪褑褨褟 胁 泻邪褌械谐芯褉褨褩 Best Young Adult Fiction (2022) 袚械泄蟹械谢 鈥� 薪邪褉械褔械薪邪 屑邪泄斜褍褌薪褜芯谐芯 胁褨泻芯薪褌邪, 褟泻褨泄 泻芯褉褌懈褌褜 褋褌邪褌懈 褏褨褉褍褉谐芯屑 斜褨谢褜褕械,
薪褨卸 胁写邪谢芯 胁懈泄褌懈 蟹邪屑褨卸. 袛卸械泻 鈥� 胁懈泻褉邪写邪褔 褌褉褍锌褨胁, 褟泻懈泄 锌褉芯褋褌芯 薪邪屑邪谐邪褦褌褜褋褟 胁懈卸懈褌懈 胁 屑褨褋褌褨, 写械 褌邪泻 谢械谐泻芯 锌芯屑械褉褌懈. 袊褏薪褟 胁懈锌邪写泻芯胁邪 蟹褍褋褌褉褨褔 胁褨写泻褉懈胁邪褦 写谢褟 袚械泄蟹械谢 薪芯胁褨 屑芯卸谢懈胁芯褋褌褨: 胁懈胁褔邪褌懈 邪薪邪褌芯屑褨褞 薪械 蟹邪 锌褨写褉褍褔薪懈泻邪屑懈, 邪 薪邪 锌褉邪泻褌懈褑褨 泄 薪邪褉械褕褌褨 锌芯褌褉邪锌懈褌懈 薪邪 泻褍褉褋 写芯 薪邪泄胁懈写邪褌薪褨褕芯谐芯 褏褨褉褍褉谐邪 泻褉邪褩薪懈, 写芯泻褌芯褉邪 袘褨褔械屑邪.
袨写薪邪泻 褍 屑褨褋褌褨 蟹薪芯胁褍 褋锌邪谢邪褏褍褦 械锌褨写械屑褨褟, 褟泻邪 泻褨谢褜泻邪 褉芯泻褨胁 褌芯屑褍 蟹邪斜褉邪谢邪 卸懈褌褌褟 褌懈褋褟褔 谢褞写械泄. 袙谢邪写邪 薪械 蟹胁邪卸邪褦 薪邪 蟹邪谐褉芯蟹褍, 褌芯卸 袚械泄蟹械谢 褌邪 袛卸械泻褍 褋邪屑芯褌褍卸泻懈 写芯胁械写械褌褜褋褟 褉芯蟹泻芯锌褍胁邪褌懈 褌邪褦屑薪懈褑褨, 蟹邪褏芯胁邪薪褨 薪械 褌褨谢褜泻懈 胁 斜械蟹褨屑械薪薪懈褏 屑芯谐懈谢邪褏, 邪谢械 泄 褋械褉械写 卸懈胁懈褏 屑械褕泻邪薪褑褨胁 袝写懈薪斜褍褉谐邪.
欧宝娱乐 Choice Award, 薪芯屑褨薪邪褑褨褟 胁 泻邪褌械谐芯褉褨褩 Best Young Adult Fiction (2022) 袚械泄蟹械谢 鈥� 薪邪褉械褔械薪邪 屑邪泄斜褍褌薪褜芯谐芯 胁褨泻芯薪褌邪, 褟泻褨泄 泻芯褉褌懈褌褜 褋褌邪褌懈 褏褨褉褍褉谐芯屑 斜褨谢褜褕械,
薪褨卸 胁写邪谢芯 胁懈泄褌懈 蟹邪屑褨卸. 袛卸械泻 鈥� 胁懈泻褉邪写邪褔 褌褉褍锌褨胁, 褟泻懈泄 锌褉芯褋褌芯 薪邪屑邪谐邪褦褌褜褋褟 胁懈卸懈褌懈 胁 屑褨褋褌褨, 写械 褌邪泻 谢械谐泻芯 锌芯屑械褉褌懈. 袊褏薪褟 胁懈锌邪写泻芯胁邪 蟹褍褋褌褉褨褔 胁褨写泻褉懈胁邪褦 写谢褟 袚械泄蟹械谢 薪芯胁褨 屑芯卸谢懈胁芯褋褌褨: 胁懈胁褔邪褌懈 邪薪邪褌芯屑褨褞 薪械 蟹邪 锌褨写褉褍褔薪懈泻邪屑懈, 邪 薪邪 锌褉邪泻褌懈褑褨 泄 薪邪褉械褕褌褨 锌芯褌褉邪锌懈褌懈 薪邪 泻褍褉褋 写芯 薪邪泄胁懈写邪褌薪褨褕芯谐芯 褏褨褉褍褉谐邪 泻褉邪褩薪懈, 写芯泻褌芯褉邪 袘褨褔械屑邪.
袨写薪邪泻 褍 屑褨褋褌褨 蟹薪芯胁褍 褋锌邪谢邪褏褍褦 械锌褨写械屑褨褟, 褟泻邪 泻褨谢褜泻邪 褉芯泻褨胁 褌芯屑褍 蟹邪斜褉邪谢邪 卸懈褌褌褟 褌懈褋褟褔 谢褞写械泄. 袙谢邪写邪 薪械 蟹胁邪卸邪褦 薪邪 蟹邪谐褉芯蟹褍, 褌芯卸 袚械泄蟹械谢 褌邪 袛卸械泻褍 褋邪屑芯褌褍卸泻懈 写芯胁械写械褌褜褋褟 褉芯蟹泻芯锌褍胁邪褌懈 褌邪褦屑薪懈褑褨, 蟹邪褏芯胁邪薪褨 薪械 褌褨谢褜泻懈 胁 斜械蟹褨屑械薪薪懈褏 屑芯谐懈谢邪褏, 邪谢械 泄 褋械褉械写 卸懈胁懈褏 屑械褕泻邪薪褑褨胁 袝写懈薪斜褍褉谐邪.
344 pages, Hardcover
First published January 18, 2022
5,879 people are currently reading
201k people want to read
About the author
Dana Schwartz
22听books3,856听followersDana Schwartz was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. She attended Brown University where she studied biology and public policy before realizing that she would only be happy if she tried to be a writer. While in college, she created the viral parody twitter account @GuyInYourMFA. Dana worked as a writer for Mental Floss, The Observer, and Entertainment Weekly, with additional bylines for GQ, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, and NewYorker.com.
Dana is the host and creator of the hit history podcast Noble Blood. She also writes for television. She lives in Los Angeles.
Dana is the host and creator of the hit history podcast Noble Blood. She also writes for television. She lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 14,836 reviews
August 23, 2023
Wow! Just wow! That鈥檚 so much than I expected: Alienist meets Frankenstein with Scottish romance vibes, hot love sessions and forbidden kisses at the graveyard! Yeap! Quirky, disturbing but also surprising, stimulating, intelligent! A great concoction for gothic thriller lovers who adore tough, bold, smart heroines!
Welcome to the 19th century of Scotland: where the plague erupted and womanhood was the biggest obstacle to choose medicine as profession.
Poor Hazel Sinnett lives in a secluded, gothic family mansion, electrifying frogs for testing her peculiar medical methods behind the locked doors as her mother still mourns after her dead brother George and her little brother Percy stays in the middle of this chaos, behaving like most irritating spoiler kid.
Hazel might be only 16 but she鈥檚 so determined to pursue her career in medicine in expanse of being disguised in her dead brother鈥檚 clothes, acting like a man to be accepted to the coursework.
The entire city of Edinburgh is getting through the most demanding and struggling times as the plague threat arises and the resurrection men who are the gravediggers for providing more dead bodies to the anatomists and surgeons to resume their researches against the deadly effects of fever and contagious disease.
Jack Currer is one of the resurrection men, taking risks to dig out more graves as the dangerous men lurk around the graveyards to hunt them.
His path crosses with the ambitious, vivid, reckless Hazel and they reluctantly turn into partner in crimes and the danger of the job, staying alive against terminal disease make them vulnerable. As sparks fly around them, they do everything to concentrate on their jobs. But as you may see: The intimate romance blossoms at most inappropriate places ( yes this book could be defined as graveyard romance! Isn鈥檛 it a fabulous new genre idea? )
Hazel takes the responsibility to be a doctor too hard, dealing with her capricious almost fianc茅e, barely resisting her feelings for Jack!
I went back and forth between giving this mind blowing story four and five stars but that WTH, OMG I鈥檓 screaming at the top of my lungs ending was game changer! I鈥檓 rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 dark, haunted, gory, thrilling, deadly, creepy, unputdownable stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin鈥檚 Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Welcome to the 19th century of Scotland: where the plague erupted and womanhood was the biggest obstacle to choose medicine as profession.
Poor Hazel Sinnett lives in a secluded, gothic family mansion, electrifying frogs for testing her peculiar medical methods behind the locked doors as her mother still mourns after her dead brother George and her little brother Percy stays in the middle of this chaos, behaving like most irritating spoiler kid.
Hazel might be only 16 but she鈥檚 so determined to pursue her career in medicine in expanse of being disguised in her dead brother鈥檚 clothes, acting like a man to be accepted to the coursework.
The entire city of Edinburgh is getting through the most demanding and struggling times as the plague threat arises and the resurrection men who are the gravediggers for providing more dead bodies to the anatomists and surgeons to resume their researches against the deadly effects of fever and contagious disease.
Jack Currer is one of the resurrection men, taking risks to dig out more graves as the dangerous men lurk around the graveyards to hunt them.
His path crosses with the ambitious, vivid, reckless Hazel and they reluctantly turn into partner in crimes and the danger of the job, staying alive against terminal disease make them vulnerable. As sparks fly around them, they do everything to concentrate on their jobs. But as you may see: The intimate romance blossoms at most inappropriate places ( yes this book could be defined as graveyard romance! Isn鈥檛 it a fabulous new genre idea? )
Hazel takes the responsibility to be a doctor too hard, dealing with her capricious almost fianc茅e, barely resisting her feelings for Jack!
I went back and forth between giving this mind blowing story four and five stars but that WTH, OMG I鈥檓 screaming at the top of my lungs ending was game changer! I鈥檓 rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 dark, haunted, gory, thrilling, deadly, creepy, unputdownable stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin鈥檚 Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
April 21, 2021
Look, I wrote this book so I'm a little biased. But personally, I think it's great.
November 27, 2022
A sequel is coming! A sequel is coming!
"Somebody should tell you that you're beautiful every time the sun comes up. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Wednesdays. And at tea time. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve and the evening before Christmas Eve, and on Easter. He should tell you on Guy Fawkes Night and on New Year's, and on the eighth of August, just because."
I believe a good numbers of readers would pick up based on the gorgeous cover art alone, because, contrary to popular belief, we really do grab our first impressions by judging a book by its cover. The marketing of this one might throw some people, as it's proclaiming to be a romantic, historical fantasy, but my finding was it really gears more in the way of historical fiction with a light side of the fantastical and just a dash of secondary romance. This isn't a complaint, just simply an observation to ensure you're in the right frame of expectation before choosing this book as your next read. If a slow burning, gothic style "mystery" is your thing, please proceed with gusto.
Hazel Sinnett is a 17 year old lady of "good breeding" living in Scotland in the early 1800's. She has a passion for becoming a physician/surgeon, and is hounded by the prospect of being required to marry her cousin, the viscount's son of Almont. 馃あ Although this was common back in the day, it's still yuck. After sneaking into a surgical presentation one afternoon, Hazel decides the best course of action is to pose as her deceased brother George and pass her physician exams so that she can find a place in this world to practice medicine. There is a disease going around called the Roman Fever, and she hopes to find a cure for it. Along the way, she meets Jack Currer, who is a "resurrection man", or someone who robs graves to sell the recently buried bodies to those needing to practice surgical techniques. Meanwhile, someone is kidnapping the poor, knocking them unconscious, and practicing on them against their will, sometimes leading to the deaths of these unlucky individuals.
The first half of the book is really meant to set the tone and atmosphere, while introducing a number of characters. It is a slow burn up until about the 60% mark, which was not a problem for me, but I was a little disappointed that all the twists were easily guessed from the earlier portions of the novel. That said, there was something truly readable about this story, and I found myself thinking about it and looking forward to picking it back up when I was doing other things, so that has to count for something. Whether it was the gothic vibe or the tangible Scottish atmosphere, it caused me to rate the story one star higher than anticipated. Fair warning: the ending is a bit abrupt, and while it's not exactly left open-ended, it didn't feel as complete as I'd hoped, but perhaps there will be a sequel? Regardless, this was a quick read that pulled me out of my slump, so bravo!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
"Somebody should tell you that you're beautiful every time the sun comes up. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Wednesdays. And at tea time. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve and the evening before Christmas Eve, and on Easter. He should tell you on Guy Fawkes Night and on New Year's, and on the eighth of August, just because."
I believe a good numbers of readers would pick up based on the gorgeous cover art alone, because, contrary to popular belief, we really do grab our first impressions by judging a book by its cover. The marketing of this one might throw some people, as it's proclaiming to be a romantic, historical fantasy, but my finding was it really gears more in the way of historical fiction with a light side of the fantastical and just a dash of secondary romance. This isn't a complaint, just simply an observation to ensure you're in the right frame of expectation before choosing this book as your next read. If a slow burning, gothic style "mystery" is your thing, please proceed with gusto.
Hazel Sinnett is a 17 year old lady of "good breeding" living in Scotland in the early 1800's. She has a passion for becoming a physician/surgeon, and is hounded by the prospect of being required to marry her cousin, the viscount's son of Almont. 馃あ Although this was common back in the day, it's still yuck. After sneaking into a surgical presentation one afternoon, Hazel decides the best course of action is to pose as her deceased brother George and pass her physician exams so that she can find a place in this world to practice medicine. There is a disease going around called the Roman Fever, and she hopes to find a cure for it. Along the way, she meets Jack Currer, who is a "resurrection man", or someone who robs graves to sell the recently buried bodies to those needing to practice surgical techniques. Meanwhile, someone is kidnapping the poor, knocking them unconscious, and practicing on them against their will, sometimes leading to the deaths of these unlucky individuals.
The first half of the book is really meant to set the tone and atmosphere, while introducing a number of characters. It is a slow burn up until about the 60% mark, which was not a problem for me, but I was a little disappointed that all the twists were easily guessed from the earlier portions of the novel. That said, there was something truly readable about this story, and I found myself thinking about it and looking forward to picking it back up when I was doing other things, so that has to count for something. Whether it was the gothic vibe or the tangible Scottish atmosphere, it caused me to rate the story one star higher than anticipated. Fair warning: the ending is a bit abrupt, and while it's not exactly left open-ended, it didn't feel as complete as I'd hoped, but perhaps there will be a sequel? Regardless, this was a quick read that pulled me out of my slump, so bravo!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
March 13, 2022
aw, man. such a captivating story that has a massive flop of an ending. :/
and i was having so much fun with this, too. its very 鈥榮talking jack the ripper鈥� and 鈥榓 ladys guide to petticoats and piracy,鈥� with the supernatural elements reminding me more of 鈥榓 golden fury.鈥� if you love a strong female character who isnt going to let the world of men get in the way of doing what she wants mixed with a historical setting, then this is a book you will want to pick up.
also, i want to make it clear that the love story referenced in the title is not a romantic love, but hazels love for medicine and passion for her subject. yes, there is a romantic love interest, but it is so minor that i think readers will feel duped if they go into this expecting romance.
but its a short and sweet story that delivers on fast pacing, purposeful plot, and interesting characters. so its such a shame the ending was such a let down for me. thank goodness it didnt ruin my reading experience completely.
鈫� 3.5 stars
and i was having so much fun with this, too. its very 鈥榮talking jack the ripper鈥� and 鈥榓 ladys guide to petticoats and piracy,鈥� with the supernatural elements reminding me more of 鈥榓 golden fury.鈥� if you love a strong female character who isnt going to let the world of men get in the way of doing what she wants mixed with a historical setting, then this is a book you will want to pick up.
also, i want to make it clear that the love story referenced in the title is not a romantic love, but hazels love for medicine and passion for her subject. yes, there is a romantic love interest, but it is so minor that i think readers will feel duped if they go into this expecting romance.
but its a short and sweet story that delivers on fast pacing, purposeful plot, and interesting characters. so its such a shame the ending was such a let down for me. thank goodness it didnt ruin my reading experience completely.
鈫� 3.5 stars
September 20, 2024
In 1817-Edinburgh, Hazel Sinnett's desire to be a surgeon is far from the norm. Seriously, a woman being a surgeon?
It's true. It was the times. Women of a certain standing were meant to look pretty, take on inconsequential hobbies, be quiet and care for a husband and household.
Hazel isn't interested in all that, but unfortunately, she knows the realities of her circumstance. In order to protect her position within society, she will need to be married.
In a way, Hazel is lucky. She's been betrothed to her cousin Bertrand since the two were children. They've known each other forever and get along quite well.
Hazel feels that Bertrand may even learn to understand her passion with anatomy and helping people. At least that is what she hopes.
Jack Currer is a resurrection man, digging up recently deceased bodies and selling them to doctors and anatomists within the city.
It's a dangerous job, but when Jack's main source of income, his position at a local theater, gets taken away due to circumstances outside of his control, he has no other choice. Jack doesn't come from wealth and has no family nest to crawl back into.
When their mutual arts of dealing with the dead bring them into contact with one another, Jack and Hazel are each set on a new course that will change their lives.
Anatomy: A Love Story reminded me a lot of my time spent with last year. Not because of its content, but because of its darkly gothic vibe that pleasantly took me by surprise.
I really enjoyed this. It had just the right 'romance to darker bits' ratio for my taste.
There is mystery, intrigue and a very slow-burn romance. Jack and Hazel are from different worlds, but together they work. They support one another in a way that neither of them have ever experienced before.
It was so comfortable watching their relationship blossom. It seriously filled my heart.
Another strong comparison would be to Stalking Jack the Ripper. Again, not so much for the content, but more so for the overall vibe.
Hazel is compelling, she doesn't back down to convention. I always love that. Jack has a good heart in spite of his chosen profession. Again, we stan a bad boy with a heart of gold. They shouldn't work, but you know you're going to root for them.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I was really impressed with this and look forward to reading more from Dana Schwartz.
It's true. It was the times. Women of a certain standing were meant to look pretty, take on inconsequential hobbies, be quiet and care for a husband and household.
Hazel isn't interested in all that, but unfortunately, she knows the realities of her circumstance. In order to protect her position within society, she will need to be married.
In a way, Hazel is lucky. She's been betrothed to her cousin Bertrand since the two were children. They've known each other forever and get along quite well.
Hazel feels that Bertrand may even learn to understand her passion with anatomy and helping people. At least that is what she hopes.
Jack Currer is a resurrection man, digging up recently deceased bodies and selling them to doctors and anatomists within the city.
It's a dangerous job, but when Jack's main source of income, his position at a local theater, gets taken away due to circumstances outside of his control, he has no other choice. Jack doesn't come from wealth and has no family nest to crawl back into.
When their mutual arts of dealing with the dead bring them into contact with one another, Jack and Hazel are each set on a new course that will change their lives.
Anatomy: A Love Story reminded me a lot of my time spent with last year. Not because of its content, but because of its darkly gothic vibe that pleasantly took me by surprise.
I really enjoyed this. It had just the right 'romance to darker bits' ratio for my taste.
There is mystery, intrigue and a very slow-burn romance. Jack and Hazel are from different worlds, but together they work. They support one another in a way that neither of them have ever experienced before.
It was so comfortable watching their relationship blossom. It seriously filled my heart.
Another strong comparison would be to Stalking Jack the Ripper. Again, not so much for the content, but more so for the overall vibe.
Hazel is compelling, she doesn't back down to convention. I always love that. Jack has a good heart in spite of his chosen profession. Again, we stan a bad boy with a heart of gold. They shouldn't work, but you know you're going to root for them.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I was really impressed with this and look forward to reading more from Dana Schwartz.
February 15, 2025
People say if you look for gothic romance in the urban dictionary, you'll see it as racconfables' favorite leisure genre and so you have no idea how I'm champing at the bit when this book first come out. Ressurection men? Anatomist? With the beautiful cover heart-shaped as similitude? And ROMANCE??? Signed me tf up 鉁�
To be a surgeon in the 1800s when you are bestowed with womanhood is not attainable. Even so, Hazel's interest in science, particularly its applications to medicine, did not deter her from sneaking into a lecture on medicine that women were not permitted to attend. On the other side, Jack makes ends meet while working odd jobs as a resurrection man to sell for medical research. Unbeknownst to them, Hazel and Jack crossed paths when he helps her into a medical presentation discreetly; knowing that if her cover is blown off, it could spell disaster for her, including those around her.
However, Edinburgh is undergoing a sinister calamity as Jack's acquaintances have lost other resurrectionists; and grave digging is becoming an increasingly dangerous profession. Even if their disparity in the social standing would appear to be irreconcilable, Hazel starts accompanying Jack on his work in the cemeteries despite the danger. As they spend more time together, they grow closer and more comfortable, which promises something more.
First of all, the book starts wonderfully because I am immersed, hooked, and I love Schwartz's groundwork on the post as well as the society at the time. This novel is pleasantly warm considering its gothic nature with plenty of gore. The plot is embraced by the history of surgery and the Sweeney Todd vibe is both eerie and enchanting. It was fascinating to watch Hazel delve into the terrifying realm of the unknown and the darker side of humanity through the sublime. Anatomy could be quite a masterpiece. It is unputdownable and I devour it like a starving man.
Now give me the drumroll for the big BUT that is coming in, because is there some figurative meaning that I should pick up after reading this? I get that this serves as a sort of Frankenstein kind of book, but I was in a funk with the last three chapters of the story. While this book has a ton of potential, the initial impressions don't withstand.
Quite frankly, despite the romance alluded to in the title, you shouldn't expect a typical love story from it鈥� boohoo that wasn't the case when I started it as the romance was downplayed. The real love interest seemed to be more apparent between Hazel and anatomy/surgery. I mean, there was a fair amount of romance in this book and there was chemistry between Hazel and Jack; granted the buildup to some kissing (not digging the kiss in the grave though), but it never felt like a full-blown romance. Well, surely no big deal though.
But you know how they said 'one bad thing blinds a thousand good ones?'. Well, that is kind of exactly how it goes for me. Although I initially liked Hazel, the way her frantic studying was unexpectedly replaced with her involvement in a mystery involving missing people was a little strange. It was difficult to fathom Hazel's obstinacy and why she was so bent on being a surgeon. Then, there seem to be a lot of loopholes in the plot and the fantastical elements were unanticipated 鈥� it was presented so close to the end of the narrative that they felt forced and unwarranted, I don't think it works on me.
I may be mean for saying this, but then I am always unequivocal so you cannot convince me that this is not Stalking Jack the Ripper Walmart version - from the autonomist, corpse, the mystery, the whole Frankenstein fiasco. So again, some authors need to know when to insert anti-climatic as a plot device. There was no buildup as to how the culprit was discovered, and it went sour. No actual conclusion and only loose ends.
At length, this does not take away that the beginning of the book was magical, but the one-dimensional aspects to it may not exactly steal readers' hearts as the book cover may appear to. It hinted at a sequel but do I still wanna be part of it? To be continued...
"Dead bodies are never going to bite you. They're never going to do anything to you. It's the living things that hurt you"
To be a surgeon in the 1800s when you are bestowed with womanhood is not attainable. Even so, Hazel's interest in science, particularly its applications to medicine, did not deter her from sneaking into a lecture on medicine that women were not permitted to attend. On the other side, Jack makes ends meet while working odd jobs as a resurrection man to sell for medical research. Unbeknownst to them, Hazel and Jack crossed paths when he helps her into a medical presentation discreetly; knowing that if her cover is blown off, it could spell disaster for her, including those around her.
However, Edinburgh is undergoing a sinister calamity as Jack's acquaintances have lost other resurrectionists; and grave digging is becoming an increasingly dangerous profession. Even if their disparity in the social standing would appear to be irreconcilable, Hazel starts accompanying Jack on his work in the cemeteries despite the danger. As they spend more time together, they grow closer and more comfortable, which promises something more.
First of all, the book starts wonderfully because I am immersed, hooked, and I love Schwartz's groundwork on the post as well as the society at the time. This novel is pleasantly warm considering its gothic nature with plenty of gore. The plot is embraced by the history of surgery and the Sweeney Todd vibe is both eerie and enchanting. It was fascinating to watch Hazel delve into the terrifying realm of the unknown and the darker side of humanity through the sublime. Anatomy could be quite a masterpiece. It is unputdownable and I devour it like a starving man.
Now give me the drumroll for the big BUT that is coming in, because is there some figurative meaning that I should pick up after reading this? I get that this serves as a sort of Frankenstein kind of book, but I was in a funk with the last three chapters of the story. While this book has a ton of potential, the initial impressions don't withstand.
Quite frankly, despite the romance alluded to in the title, you shouldn't expect a typical love story from it鈥� boohoo that wasn't the case when I started it as the romance was downplayed. The real love interest seemed to be more apparent between Hazel and anatomy/surgery. I mean, there was a fair amount of romance in this book and there was chemistry between Hazel and Jack; granted the buildup to some kissing (not digging the kiss in the grave though), but it never felt like a full-blown romance. Well, surely no big deal though.
But you know how they said 'one bad thing blinds a thousand good ones?'. Well, that is kind of exactly how it goes for me. Although I initially liked Hazel, the way her frantic studying was unexpectedly replaced with her involvement in a mystery involving missing people was a little strange. It was difficult to fathom Hazel's obstinacy and why she was so bent on being a surgeon. Then, there seem to be a lot of loopholes in the plot and the fantastical elements were unanticipated 鈥� it was presented so close to the end of the narrative that they felt forced and unwarranted, I don't think it works on me.
I may be mean for saying this, but then I am always unequivocal so you cannot convince me that this is not Stalking Jack the Ripper Walmart version - from the autonomist, corpse, the mystery, the whole Frankenstein fiasco. So again, some authors need to know when to insert anti-climatic as a plot device. There was no buildup as to how the culprit was discovered, and it went sour. No actual conclusion and only loose ends.
At length, this does not take away that the beginning of the book was magical, but the one-dimensional aspects to it may not exactly steal readers' hearts as the book cover may appear to. It hinted at a sequel but do I still wanna be part of it? To be continued...
February 19, 2022
18/02 Update: I've changed my rating from 1 to 2 stars because someone pointed out that there is a difference between love story and romance. I didnt realise a love story can have very light element of love/romance only so I guess that would have managed my expectations a bit. But either way I still think that the relationship development in this was too light for my liking.
Rating 猸� This could probably be a 2.5 or 3 star but because of the ending and my false expectations that have left me disappointed this is a 1 star.
~ Quick Summary ~
Set in Edinburgh 1817, this is a love story between Hazel and her passion of becoming a surgeon, despite society expecting her to get married.
~ Pick this up if you enjoy/don鈥檛 mind the following ~
馃摐Mostly a YA Historical fiction
馃懄 Gender Bender
馃挅Light romance on the side, develops very quickly and in the second half only. If you are looking for a romance - I would not recommend this.
馃悽Slow pace
馃攳Mystery on the side
~ What I Enjoyed ~
The writing was good, setting and world building was on point, but sadly that's not enough to save this book.
~ What I didn鈥檛 enjoy ~
1) I had so many false expectations coming into this. It's not funny.
- Considering that 鈥渓ove story鈥� is in the title I expected a lot more romance. Instead, Jack and Hazel meet briefly in the first 20/30% mark and long after I鈥檝e forgotten that I was expecting a romance, they finally had more scenes past the 50% mark but their relationship developed very quickly.
- In the blurb, it mentions 鈥淎 gothic tale full of mystery鈥︹€�. Again, this gave me false expectations because this was predominantly a historical fiction with mystery on the side that developed more in the second half. In fact, even the romance was on the side. Wow. The more I鈥檓 typing this review the more frustrated I feel.
2) The whole book was all telling and not enough showing, so many things that are mentioned in the blurb were brief and not explored enough. For example:
- Hazel鈥檚 time in the classroom and pretending to be a boy, I could tell you that one line and that's all you need to know. Not much happened as she excelled in her class and disguised herself easily.
- Converting her home into a makeshift hospital seemed easy enough. I did enjoy these parts but she sure did go from zero to hero instantly.
- Her relationship with Jack (I still don鈥檛 know why this is called a love story).
- Jack鈥檚 job of being a resurrection man and helping Hazel. From the blurb it seemed like this would be a pretty significant part of the novel. If anything Hazel鈥檚 experience at her makeshift hospital was more significant in learning than Jack providing Hazel with bodies.
- The disappearances. I was never curious about them. At all.
- There was no major character development, everyone stayed more or less the same (though not always a bad thing).
What was explored in detail was Hazel鈥檚 passion for being a surgeon, her barriers to become one and her reluctance to marry. This isn鈥檛 a bad thing but again I came into this with the wrong expectations which really annoys me.
3) Other random thoughts:
- I listened to this on Audible and I found myself losing focus a lot especially when we are only in Hazel鈥檚 head. It's filled with a lot of descriptions.
- The twist was so left field it reminded me of . Not exactly what I signed up for. Though perhaps it's my fault for not noticing all the genres listed on goodreads
Rating 猸� This could probably be a 2.5 or 3 star but because of the ending and my false expectations that have left me disappointed this is a 1 star.
~ Quick Summary ~
Set in Edinburgh 1817, this is a love story between Hazel and her passion of becoming a surgeon, despite society expecting her to get married.
~ Pick this up if you enjoy/don鈥檛 mind the following ~
馃摐Mostly a YA Historical fiction
馃懄 Gender Bender
馃挅Light romance on the side, develops very quickly and in the second half only. If you are looking for a romance - I would not recommend this.
馃悽Slow pace
馃攳Mystery on the side
~ What I Enjoyed ~
The writing was good, setting and world building was on point, but sadly that's not enough to save this book.
~ What I didn鈥檛 enjoy ~
1) I had so many false expectations coming into this. It's not funny.
- Considering that 鈥渓ove story鈥� is in the title I expected a lot more romance. Instead, Jack and Hazel meet briefly in the first 20/30% mark and long after I鈥檝e forgotten that I was expecting a romance, they finally had more scenes past the 50% mark but their relationship developed very quickly.
- In the blurb, it mentions 鈥淎 gothic tale full of mystery鈥︹€�. Again, this gave me false expectations because this was predominantly a historical fiction with mystery on the side that developed more in the second half. In fact, even the romance was on the side. Wow. The more I鈥檓 typing this review the more frustrated I feel.
2) The whole book was all telling and not enough showing, so many things that are mentioned in the blurb were brief and not explored enough. For example:
- Hazel鈥檚 time in the classroom and pretending to be a boy, I could tell you that one line and that's all you need to know. Not much happened as she excelled in her class and disguised herself easily.
- Converting her home into a makeshift hospital seemed easy enough. I did enjoy these parts but she sure did go from zero to hero instantly.
- Her relationship with Jack (I still don鈥檛 know why this is called a love story).
- Jack鈥檚 job of being a resurrection man and helping Hazel. From the blurb it seemed like this would be a pretty significant part of the novel. If anything Hazel鈥檚 experience at her makeshift hospital was more significant in learning than Jack providing Hazel with bodies.
- The disappearances. I was never curious about them. At all.
- There was no major character development, everyone stayed more or less the same (though not always a bad thing).
What was explored in detail was Hazel鈥檚 passion for being a surgeon, her barriers to become one and her reluctance to marry. This isn鈥檛 a bad thing but again I came into this with the wrong expectations which really annoys me.
3) Other random thoughts:
- I listened to this on Audible and I found myself losing focus a lot especially when we are only in Hazel鈥檚 head. It's filled with a lot of descriptions.
- The twist was so left field it reminded me of . Not exactly what I signed up for. Though perhaps it's my fault for not noticing all the genres listed on goodreads
September 9, 2024
鈫� 藯 路藲 嗉標�4.5 饾摙饾摻饾摢饾摶饾摷 * .喑冟繍鈧� 鈯�
鈥滒潛烉潛叼潛� 饾摢饾摪饾摦 饾摷饾摫饾摳饾摼饾摰饾摥 饾摣饾摦 饾摨饾摦饾摢饾摶饾摦饾摥 饾摶饾摢饾摻饾摫饾摦饾摶 饾摻饾摫饾摢饾摲 饾摥饾摦饾摢饾摻饾摫.鈥�
藲鈧娐� 蜔蜔蜑蜑鉃斥潵 A gothic tale full of mystery and romance about a willful female surgeon, a resurrection man who sells bodies for a living, and the buried secrets they must uncover together.
鈥滒潛滒潛葛潛火潛金潛攫潛拆潛� 饾摽饾摬饾摽饾摳饾摷 饾摥饾摦饾摳饾摤饾摦饾摲饾摻, 饾摻饾摫饾摦 饾摥饾摦饾摢饾摥 饾摻饾摦饾摢饾摤饾摫 饾摻饾摫饾摦 饾摰饾摬饾摽饾摬饾摲饾摪.鈥�
藲鈧娐� 蜔蜔蜑蜑鉃斥潵 鈥р倞藲鉁 饾摖饾摼饾摬饾摤饾摯 饾摙饾摼饾摱饾摱饾摢饾摶饾攤 ]鉁氣倞鈥�
We follow Hazel, our FMC in 19th century Edinburgh with a dream to become a physician one day. Unfortunately, this wasn鈥檛 the greatest time for women and the dream she so dared to dream required a lot more work to achieve.
She鈥檚 betrothed to her cousin and made to conform to the position of young woman in high society. Reading manuals on human physiology, bringing dead frogs back from the dead, and disguising herself as a boy to attend classes at an all-boys physiology school, Hazel was determined to be a physician regardless of her sex.
But there was a lot more happening in this book than just her pursuit in science. Not only is there the story about Hazel wanting to become a doctor, but there鈥檚 also a plague going around, bodies going missing, deaths occurring, and a marriage proposal.
藲鈧娐� 蜔蜔蜑蜑鉃斥潵 鈥р倞藲鉁 饾摐饾攤 饾摚饾摫饾摳饾摼饾摪饾摫饾摻饾摷 ]鉁氣倞鈥�
What a super enjoyable quick read. The prose is to the point, nothing over the top but very satisfying. I couldn't help but get Bronte and Mary Shelley vibes. I loved that this story had so many aspects that wrapped itself together into one bigger story.
I loved the mysterious aspects of the story and brought a little bit of suspense to it. I was wondering who might be the person who was causing all the deaths and the reveal was so satisfying. I won鈥檛 elaborate on that because of spoilers, but omg I LOVE the whole vibe! Especially around autumn, it gives a gloomy/gothic vibe.
Love Hazel, she's a total badass...
鈥淚鈥檓 not a fool, Jack Currer, no matter how you might think of me.鈥�
鈥淥h, I assure, Miss Sinnett, I鈥檝e taken you for a lot of things, but a fool was never one of them.鈥�
The tale between Jack and Hazel warmed my heart. I appreciated the way in which their love grew. There is something to a medically cold story that is set with romantic undertones. Dana Schwartz did a fantastic job of intertwining the two concepts into one historical tale totally worth reading.
鈥淢y heart is yours, Hazel Sinnet. Forever. Beating or still.鈥�
鉅赌
鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌:篓 路.路 篓:
鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 `路 . 陻�
鈥滒潛烉潛叼潛� 饾摢饾摪饾摦 饾摷饾摫饾摳饾摼饾摰饾摥 饾摣饾摦 饾摨饾摦饾摢饾摶饾摦饾摥 饾摶饾摢饾摻饾摫饾摦饾摶 饾摻饾摫饾摢饾摲 饾摥饾摦饾摢饾摻饾摫.鈥�
藲鈧娐� 蜔蜔蜑蜑鉃斥潵 A gothic tale full of mystery and romance about a willful female surgeon, a resurrection man who sells bodies for a living, and the buried secrets they must uncover together.
鈥滒潛滒潛葛潛火潛金潛攫潛拆潛� 饾摽饾摬饾摽饾摳饾摷 饾摥饾摦饾摳饾摤饾摦饾摲饾摻, 饾摻饾摫饾摦 饾摥饾摦饾摢饾摥 饾摻饾摦饾摢饾摤饾摫 饾摻饾摫饾摦 饾摰饾摬饾摽饾摬饾摲饾摪.鈥�
藲鈧娐� 蜔蜔蜑蜑鉃斥潵 鈥р倞藲鉁 饾摖饾摼饾摬饾摤饾摯 饾摙饾摼饾摱饾摱饾摢饾摶饾攤 ]鉁氣倞鈥�
We follow Hazel, our FMC in 19th century Edinburgh with a dream to become a physician one day. Unfortunately, this wasn鈥檛 the greatest time for women and the dream she so dared to dream required a lot more work to achieve.
She鈥檚 betrothed to her cousin and made to conform to the position of young woman in high society. Reading manuals on human physiology, bringing dead frogs back from the dead, and disguising herself as a boy to attend classes at an all-boys physiology school, Hazel was determined to be a physician regardless of her sex.
But there was a lot more happening in this book than just her pursuit in science. Not only is there the story about Hazel wanting to become a doctor, but there鈥檚 also a plague going around, bodies going missing, deaths occurring, and a marriage proposal.
藲鈧娐� 蜔蜔蜑蜑鉃斥潵 鈥р倞藲鉁 饾摐饾攤 饾摚饾摫饾摳饾摼饾摪饾摫饾摻饾摷 ]鉁氣倞鈥�
What a super enjoyable quick read. The prose is to the point, nothing over the top but very satisfying. I couldn't help but get Bronte and Mary Shelley vibes. I loved that this story had so many aspects that wrapped itself together into one bigger story.
I loved the mysterious aspects of the story and brought a little bit of suspense to it. I was wondering who might be the person who was causing all the deaths and the reveal was so satisfying. I won鈥檛 elaborate on that because of spoilers, but omg I LOVE the whole vibe! Especially around autumn, it gives a gloomy/gothic vibe.
Love Hazel, she's a total badass...
鈥淚鈥檓 not a fool, Jack Currer, no matter how you might think of me.鈥�
鈥淥h, I assure, Miss Sinnett, I鈥檝e taken you for a lot of things, but a fool was never one of them.鈥�
The tale between Jack and Hazel warmed my heart. I appreciated the way in which their love grew. There is something to a medically cold story that is set with romantic undertones. Dana Schwartz did a fantastic job of intertwining the two concepts into one historical tale totally worth reading.
鈥淢y heart is yours, Hazel Sinnet. Forever. Beating or still.鈥�
鉅赌
鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌:篓 路.路 篓:
鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 鉅赌鉅赌 `路 . 陻�
December 16, 2021
Gothic mystery with grave-robbing resurrectionists, dark magic, Victorian operating theaters and strong female leads set in Scotland? YES, PLEASE.
My only criticism is that it ended a bit abruptly, but I'm hoping that's because there will be more books to come.
My only criticism is that it ended a bit abruptly, but I'm hoping that's because there will be more books to come.
August 7, 2023
2023
Reread this to refresh myself before starting Immortality, the second and final book.
I enjoy this so much for a YA romance. Like I said last year, the romance is good but the characters themselves and the setting is really what shines. Edinburgh has a rich, deep, and disturbing history that Dana Schwartz nails in a similarly gruesome but also whimsical way.
I didn't love this AS much the second time around simply because it was the shock of enjoying a YA novel that made this so highly rated the first time around. I'm going to keep this at a 4 however because I hope other people pick this duology up. It's very under rated and I hope the YA audience gets their hands on this.
2022
I am not normally someone who enjoys YA to this extent but WOW. This was right up my street.
It is a love story but the main appeal is the plot and the atmosphere. The author's note at the end added so much depth and intrigue to the book. The fact that almost everything she's mentioned in surgical horrors was REAL and is memorialized in Ediburgh's Surgery of Horror's Museum is bonkers. I love the tie in to the true crime but putting a fantasy twist on it.
This is macabre and gothic but also lovely and has so much feminism and respect at it's core. I really really really enjoyed this.
Reread this to refresh myself before starting Immortality, the second and final book.
I enjoy this so much for a YA romance. Like I said last year, the romance is good but the characters themselves and the setting is really what shines. Edinburgh has a rich, deep, and disturbing history that Dana Schwartz nails in a similarly gruesome but also whimsical way.
I didn't love this AS much the second time around simply because it was the shock of enjoying a YA novel that made this so highly rated the first time around. I'm going to keep this at a 4 however because I hope other people pick this duology up. It's very under rated and I hope the YA audience gets their hands on this.
2022
I am not normally someone who enjoys YA to this extent but WOW. This was right up my street.
It is a love story but the main appeal is the plot and the atmosphere. The author's note at the end added so much depth and intrigue to the book. The fact that almost everything she's mentioned in surgical horrors was REAL and is memorialized in Ediburgh's Surgery of Horror's Museum is bonkers. I love the tie in to the true crime but putting a fantasy twist on it.
This is macabre and gothic but also lovely and has so much feminism and respect at it's core. I really really really enjoyed this.
February 2, 2022
"A gothic tale full of mystery and romance," you say?
Well. It certainly has a pretty cover.
Really, I've got to hand it to the marketing folks involved in this: for a book that doesn't even come close to "Gothic," barely contains much of a mystery at all, and has one of the most sudden and consequently lifeless romances I've ever read, they sure did a good job making me think this was something I'd like.
"Historical wallpaper" is how I usually describe books that place characters with modern sensibilities into historic settings. It's when an author wants to use the historic locations, clothing, technology, language, and social constructs to play around in, but isn't really interested in sticking to a more constrained historicity. This works for a lot of very fun books! It does not work here, because this is barely even historical wallpaper. These are thoroughly modern characters dressed in costumes, playing around in front of a canvas theater backdrop of 19th century Edinburgh, with some dead bodies thrown in for funsies. (Also, there is some particularly gruesome stuff involving eyeballs, so be on the lookout for that if you're skeeved out by that like I am.)
It's 1817 and we've got our teenage MC, Hazel, who is apparently gently bred enough to live in a castle but not gently bred enough to know that women weren't particularly being hired as physicians or surgeons in that time period. And no, this isn't a case of Strong Willed Young Woman Wants to Prove That We Girls Can Do Anything, Right Barbie? She is on several occasions absolutely stunned when anyone points out that she's female and isn't going to just be able to waltz into a class and learn human anatomy, let alone practice. There's a whole other bit later where she's absolutely flummoxed by the thought that a husband could have any say over whether a woman practices medicine after her marriage. Because, you know, women in that time and place were absolutely their own people and definitely not their husband's property. This makes Hazel come off as a something of an idiot, completely unaware of the strictures of her society. (She's also mean. She makes fun of a bully for having moles on his face and then does a handful of other things that made me think "what a dick" on several occasions.)
I don't even want to get into Jack, our extremely bland love interest. Dude steals bodies and has a crush on a ballerina and.... that's about it. Fun fact: there's an entire chapter about him in which nothing happens and the story absolutely does not move forward at all! In fact, there may be more than one chapter like that; I genuinely can't remember because he is so dull.
Anyway, Hazel gets left alone in her castle without any chaperone because sure, okay. And then the entirety of the book passes and nothing happens. I looked down at 20%, astounded that I was already that much into the book and that not much had happened. At 55%, I almost gave up because, again, nothing had happened. When things suddenly swung into motion, when the so-called mystery finally reared its head, I was at 75%. The pacing of that final 25% gave me whiplash compared to the first 75%, leaving me wondering just what the heck I'd read.
There are a million little things that annoyed me, like how no one in the upper classes speaks very differently from those in the lower ("sick" meant vomit then, right? Because it's used here in our modern parlance but I felt "ill" or "unwell" or "indisposed" would have helped center the story in the time period.). You've got a (if Hazel wasn't such an egalitarian 21st century girl in Regency clothing). Why is a pregnant woman ? Why does no one care that ? Word must have gotten out, otherwise ? What in the world is romantic about ?
So yeah, the mystery is.... woof. Something else, I tell you. I mean, completely telegraphed but still, it's a doozy, and you don't really even get much time to sit with it because the book that up until this point has been trickling like molasses is suddenly going Mach 5. The romance is so poorly done that I'm still vaguely baffled by it.
This had a great premise and, again, well done to the marketing folks. Too bad the execution failed so disappointingly.
Well. It certainly has a pretty cover.
Really, I've got to hand it to the marketing folks involved in this: for a book that doesn't even come close to "Gothic," barely contains much of a mystery at all, and has one of the most sudden and consequently lifeless romances I've ever read, they sure did a good job making me think this was something I'd like.
"Historical wallpaper" is how I usually describe books that place characters with modern sensibilities into historic settings. It's when an author wants to use the historic locations, clothing, technology, language, and social constructs to play around in, but isn't really interested in sticking to a more constrained historicity. This works for a lot of very fun books! It does not work here, because this is barely even historical wallpaper. These are thoroughly modern characters dressed in costumes, playing around in front of a canvas theater backdrop of 19th century Edinburgh, with some dead bodies thrown in for funsies. (Also, there is some particularly gruesome stuff involving eyeballs, so be on the lookout for that if you're skeeved out by that like I am.)
It's 1817 and we've got our teenage MC, Hazel, who is apparently gently bred enough to live in a castle but not gently bred enough to know that women weren't particularly being hired as physicians or surgeons in that time period. And no, this isn't a case of Strong Willed Young Woman Wants to Prove That We Girls Can Do Anything, Right Barbie? She is on several occasions absolutely stunned when anyone points out that she's female and isn't going to just be able to waltz into a class and learn human anatomy, let alone practice. There's a whole other bit later where she's absolutely flummoxed by the thought that a husband could have any say over whether a woman practices medicine after her marriage. Because, you know, women in that time and place were absolutely their own people and definitely not their husband's property. This makes Hazel come off as a something of an idiot, completely unaware of the strictures of her society. (She's also mean. She makes fun of a bully for having moles on his face and then does a handful of other things that made me think "what a dick" on several occasions.)
I don't even want to get into Jack, our extremely bland love interest. Dude steals bodies and has a crush on a ballerina and.... that's about it. Fun fact: there's an entire chapter about him in which nothing happens and the story absolutely does not move forward at all! In fact, there may be more than one chapter like that; I genuinely can't remember because he is so dull.
Anyway, Hazel gets left alone in her castle without any chaperone because sure, okay. And then the entirety of the book passes and nothing happens. I looked down at 20%, astounded that I was already that much into the book and that not much had happened. At 55%, I almost gave up because, again, nothing had happened. When things suddenly swung into motion, when the so-called mystery finally reared its head, I was at 75%. The pacing of that final 25% gave me whiplash compared to the first 75%, leaving me wondering just what the heck I'd read.
There are a million little things that annoyed me, like how no one in the upper classes speaks very differently from those in the lower ("sick" meant vomit then, right? Because it's used here in our modern parlance but I felt "ill" or "unwell" or "indisposed" would have helped center the story in the time period.). You've got a (if Hazel wasn't such an egalitarian 21st century girl in Regency clothing). Why is a pregnant woman ? Why does no one care that ? Word must have gotten out, otherwise ? What in the world is romantic about ?
So yeah, the mystery is.... woof. Something else, I tell you. I mean, completely telegraphed but still, it's a doozy, and you don't really even get much time to sit with it because the book that up until this point has been trickling like molasses is suddenly going Mach 5. The romance is so poorly done that I'm still vaguely baffled by it.
This had a great premise and, again, well done to the marketing folks. Too bad the execution failed so disappointingly.
December 7, 2022
2.5 stars MAX
This was boring. I had to fight my way through this book because little to nothing happened in the beginning. I was really intrigued by the cover and the overall 鈥渕ystery stalking Jack the Ripper, zombie, Frankenstein鈥� vibes but I feel like so many unnecessary things happened that made it way too long and boring. Honestly I thought this was going to be a stand-alone and I wish it was because the ending was too magical for me.
Don鈥檛 get me wrong I loved the entire idea of a woman being very determined to become a doctor during this time but the side plots were not that fun and the romance dead. Literally.
How did we get to making out so quickly? And why was there so much drama in the theatre???
This was boring. I had to fight my way through this book because little to nothing happened in the beginning. I was really intrigued by the cover and the overall 鈥渕ystery stalking Jack the Ripper, zombie, Frankenstein鈥� vibes but I feel like so many unnecessary things happened that made it way too long and boring. Honestly I thought this was going to be a stand-alone and I wish it was because the ending was too magical for me.
Don鈥檛 get me wrong I loved the entire idea of a woman being very determined to become a doctor during this time but the side plots were not that fun and the romance dead. Literally.
How did we get to making out so quickly? And why was there so much drama in the theatre???
January 19, 2022
Just going to get it out of the way: the concept and execution of this cover design is stunning. I cannot get over how great it is and I keep coming back to stare at it some more. Wednesday never really disappoints in this regard but I always appreciate the thoughtfulness put into their designs.
But back to the book itself鈥擨 haven鈥檛 read anything by Dana Schwartz before, well besides her tweets, but I was really excited to dig into this one.
Hazel has always been fascinated by the human body. It鈥檚 a strange preoccupation for a young woman in 1817 Edinburg, but left to her own devices that鈥檚 all she would be doing. Studying anatomy and, hopefully, using what she鈥檚 learned to help people. Jack on the other hand deals in the dead. He digs up bodies and sells them to local medical schools as practice cadavers, a gruesome but ultimately necessary practice. There鈥檚 no reason for Hazel and Jack to ever cross paths, with her inevitable engagement to her cousin (ew) a future Viscount and his struggle to make ends meet. But when a sickness comes to town, a secret plan goes awry and something even darker lurks nearby, the two form an unlikely team to help protect the living from that which wishes to do them harm.
I think the gothic elements of this book are a little more understated than some other novels I鈥檝e read recently. That鈥檚 not a knock against its credentials in the genre, just those staples and tropes may not be as evident at first. What I think this was more than anything was historical fiction, but a much more approachable version. There鈥檚 a dusting of magic near the end and at the very beginning, though for the most part the story is focused on Hazel鈥檚 life as a future Viscountess and an aspiring surgeon during this era.
Also, despite the subtitle and the shelving of this book on 欧宝娱乐, I didn鈥檛 think Anatomy was much of a romance. All of Hazel鈥檚 feelings fall second to her passion for anatomy, which honestly I think I prefer anyways. And though there鈥檚 eventually the kindling of something starting to happen, it鈥檚 well into the book to where it feels more like an afterthought than the main focus. The romantic storyline does play a crucial role in the final act, so credit where it鈥檚 due for that plot point.
There鈥檚 some interesting reflections on class and patriarchy, how someone鈥檚 gender and the socioeconomic circumstances they鈥檙e born into dictate the majority of how their lives turn out, especially in 19th century Scotland. Reading this in the midst of a pandemic underlines further the gaps between the rich and the poor when it comes to access to essential medical services. Who鈥檚 expendable and who鈥檚 connivence is worth more than someone鈥檚 life? The parallels between this time period and present day are probably too grim for many people to want to consider.
The ending was a little hurried compared with the level of detail present through the rest of the book. We鈥檙e left with a sort of resolution, but not an Ending. in all it鈥檚 finality. But granted that sometimes I feel like Historical Fiction can drag, I didn鈥檛 have any problem fully engaging with Anatomy. It鈥檚 just as readable as it is interesting, and I think it鈥檒l be a popular choice when it comes out in 2022!
*Thanks to Wednesday Books for an advance review copy!
**For more book talk & reviews, !
But back to the book itself鈥擨 haven鈥檛 read anything by Dana Schwartz before, well besides her tweets, but I was really excited to dig into this one.
Hazel has always been fascinated by the human body. It鈥檚 a strange preoccupation for a young woman in 1817 Edinburg, but left to her own devices that鈥檚 all she would be doing. Studying anatomy and, hopefully, using what she鈥檚 learned to help people. Jack on the other hand deals in the dead. He digs up bodies and sells them to local medical schools as practice cadavers, a gruesome but ultimately necessary practice. There鈥檚 no reason for Hazel and Jack to ever cross paths, with her inevitable engagement to her cousin (ew) a future Viscount and his struggle to make ends meet. But when a sickness comes to town, a secret plan goes awry and something even darker lurks nearby, the two form an unlikely team to help protect the living from that which wishes to do them harm.
I think the gothic elements of this book are a little more understated than some other novels I鈥檝e read recently. That鈥檚 not a knock against its credentials in the genre, just those staples and tropes may not be as evident at first. What I think this was more than anything was historical fiction, but a much more approachable version. There鈥檚 a dusting of magic near the end and at the very beginning, though for the most part the story is focused on Hazel鈥檚 life as a future Viscountess and an aspiring surgeon during this era.
Also, despite the subtitle and the shelving of this book on 欧宝娱乐, I didn鈥檛 think Anatomy was much of a romance. All of Hazel鈥檚 feelings fall second to her passion for anatomy, which honestly I think I prefer anyways. And though there鈥檚 eventually the kindling of something starting to happen, it鈥檚 well into the book to where it feels more like an afterthought than the main focus. The romantic storyline does play a crucial role in the final act, so credit where it鈥檚 due for that plot point.
There鈥檚 some interesting reflections on class and patriarchy, how someone鈥檚 gender and the socioeconomic circumstances they鈥檙e born into dictate the majority of how their lives turn out, especially in 19th century Scotland. Reading this in the midst of a pandemic underlines further the gaps between the rich and the poor when it comes to access to essential medical services. Who鈥檚 expendable and who鈥檚 connivence is worth more than someone鈥檚 life? The parallels between this time period and present day are probably too grim for many people to want to consider.
The ending was a little hurried compared with the level of detail present through the rest of the book. We鈥檙e left with a sort of resolution, but not an Ending. in all it鈥檚 finality. But granted that sometimes I feel like Historical Fiction can drag, I didn鈥檛 have any problem fully engaging with Anatomy. It鈥檚 just as readable as it is interesting, and I think it鈥檒l be a popular choice when it comes out in 2022!
*Thanks to Wednesday Books for an advance review copy!
**For more book talk & reviews, !
February 7, 2025
4.45/5 猸�
Frankenstein meets Marie Curie and a little bit of Jack the Ripper in 1800s Scotland and if you love the sound of that then you're about to have the best time with this.
Anatomy has on one side a Jane Austen narrative vibe and on the other side, it feels like Mary Wollstonecraft also wanted to be part of the construction of the narrative and if these two had a baby in the form of YA historical fiction then this would probably be it.
The atmosphere of the book is amazing, it's honestly a Stalking Jack the Ripper but a little bit better executed in my humble opinion. It's grey and cold and rainy and it has some sort of toughness about it, but one that is enjoyable and leaves you wanting more of it.
The characters are sometimes silly, sometimes sweet, some of them are deserving of a serious caning (sorry, I feel violent today) and some others just need protection at all costs.
I am seriously surprised that I've been sleeping on this for so long because even though I don't consider it a masterpiece of the genre, it kept me wanting to read and learn more, I was entertained and I liked the way the whole narrative vibe was making me feel throughout the story. And the fact that, if you go a little bit deeper than the surface, you will most definitely see a note on what does it mean to be a woman aspiring to do something in a field that, up until a certain point, has been male-dominated. Because even though everyone can see how talented and determined Hazel is to become a female surgeon, all the people in her chosen field seem to be against her. Marriage and motherhood are the best careers for a woman, but Hazel chooses not to be the generic woman and become her own being. Which is in fact a very nice idea that I love and respect.
Frankenstein meets Marie Curie and a little bit of Jack the Ripper in 1800s Scotland and if you love the sound of that then you're about to have the best time with this.
Anatomy has on one side a Jane Austen narrative vibe and on the other side, it feels like Mary Wollstonecraft also wanted to be part of the construction of the narrative and if these two had a baby in the form of YA historical fiction then this would probably be it.
The atmosphere of the book is amazing, it's honestly a Stalking Jack the Ripper but a little bit better executed in my humble opinion. It's grey and cold and rainy and it has some sort of toughness about it, but one that is enjoyable and leaves you wanting more of it.
The characters are sometimes silly, sometimes sweet, some of them are deserving of a serious caning (sorry, I feel violent today) and some others just need protection at all costs.
I am seriously surprised that I've been sleeping on this for so long because even though I don't consider it a masterpiece of the genre, it kept me wanting to read and learn more, I was entertained and I liked the way the whole narrative vibe was making me feel throughout the story. And the fact that, if you go a little bit deeper than the surface, you will most definitely see a note on what does it mean to be a woman aspiring to do something in a field that, up until a certain point, has been male-dominated. Because even though everyone can see how talented and determined Hazel is to become a female surgeon, all the people in her chosen field seem to be against her. Marriage and motherhood are the best careers for a woman, but Hazel chooses not to be the generic woman and become her own being. Which is in fact a very nice idea that I love and respect.
February 3, 2023
Edinburgh im Jahr 1817. Hazel m枚chte Chirurgin werden; als Frau f眉r sie unm枚glich. Doch als Junge verkleidet schleicht sie sich in den Lehrsaal und kann so bei ein paar Stunden Medizin dabeisein. Irgendwann wird sie aber doch entdeckt und der Universit盲t verwiesen. Doch es gibt noch eine Chance: Wenn Hazel ohne Unterricht die medizinische Pr眉fung besteht, ist ein Dozent bereit, sie bei ihm studieren zu lassen.
Hazel gelingt es mit der Hilfe von Jack, einem "Auferstehungsmann", an frische Leichen zu kommen, um sie zu sezieren und so zu lernen.
馃枻
Mein Leseeindruck:
Ein wirklich guter erster Band, der mich sehr fesseln konnte! Ich mochte die Atmosph盲re, die dieses Buch durchzieht. Man taucht als Leser ab in eine ganz neue, fremdartige Welt, die doch eigentlich gar nicht so fremd ist.
Ich fand es aber faszinierend, mit Hazel gemeinsam mehr 眉ber die Welt der Medizin zu erfahren. Ein Thema, das mich sowieso sehr interessiert.
Es gibt auch Krimi-Elemente in diesem Buch; auch das hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Die Stimmung war immer ein bisschen d眉ster und beklemmend, aber auf eine gute Art.
Die Liebesgeschichte, die es hier auch gibt, habe ich als eher hintergr眉ndig wahrgenommen. Gerade deshalb hat sie mir so gut gefallen. Alles andere h盲tte f眉r mich nicht so zur Stimmung des Buches gepasst.
Zum Ende des Bandes gibt es dann auch noch einen Hauch Fantasy. Den h盲tte ich nun hier nicht haben m眉ssen, aber trotzdem bin ich gespannt auf den zweiten Band und freue mich darauf!
Hazel gelingt es mit der Hilfe von Jack, einem "Auferstehungsmann", an frische Leichen zu kommen, um sie zu sezieren und so zu lernen.
馃枻
Mein Leseeindruck:
Ein wirklich guter erster Band, der mich sehr fesseln konnte! Ich mochte die Atmosph盲re, die dieses Buch durchzieht. Man taucht als Leser ab in eine ganz neue, fremdartige Welt, die doch eigentlich gar nicht so fremd ist.
Ich fand es aber faszinierend, mit Hazel gemeinsam mehr 眉ber die Welt der Medizin zu erfahren. Ein Thema, das mich sowieso sehr interessiert.
Es gibt auch Krimi-Elemente in diesem Buch; auch das hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Die Stimmung war immer ein bisschen d眉ster und beklemmend, aber auf eine gute Art.
Die Liebesgeschichte, die es hier auch gibt, habe ich als eher hintergr眉ndig wahrgenommen. Gerade deshalb hat sie mir so gut gefallen. Alles andere h盲tte f眉r mich nicht so zur Stimmung des Buches gepasst.
Zum Ende des Bandes gibt es dann auch noch einen Hauch Fantasy. Den h盲tte ich nun hier nicht haben m眉ssen, aber trotzdem bin ich gespannt auf den zweiten Band und freue mich darauf!
August 11, 2021
*Spoiler free*
I really thought I would like this book, a gothic setting in 1800s Edinburgh following a girl trying to become a surgeon and a resurrection man, yes please. Anyone in their right mind would see that description, this book cover, and immediately buy it. The marketing team did an incredible job. Sadly, I did not enjoy the actual book, for a multitude of reasons.
First off, to call this is a love story is far fetched. I鈥檓 not joking when I say that the protagonist meets the love interest for the second time halfway through the book. How can an author expect to develop a full fledged relationship in 160 pages? The answer (as least in my mind) is: you can鈥檛. The couple kisses once or twice, with an actual standout 鈥渞omantic鈥� scene occurring once in this 320 page novel. The romance just wasn鈥檛 believable for me.
One thing I did like about this book was the characters. Our main character actually seems like a teenager in the way she approaches the world. I admired her, and understood the way she saw herself. She was confident after she had proven herself, but that didn鈥檛 mean she didn鈥檛 have doubts along the way. While the characters themselves were fully developed, the decisions that they made were poorly explained. Multiple times in the book characters did things I never could wrap my head around. After all, book characters are supposed to act like real people, and I was unconvinced that any real person would make the decisions these characters made.
In terms of the author鈥檚 writing style, I didn鈥檛 hate it. It could be a bit flowery and over-descriptive at times, but it was bearable. The pacing in this novel is where the real problem was. The beginning of the book felt slow, with multiple scenes being obvious fillers. Then, we get to the last half of the book and the speed starts to steadily increase. By the last quarter of the book, plot points were happening so quickly that I barley had time to actually comprehend them. Not to mention the twist at the end, which had no actual explanation to how the situation happened or worked. For a book called 鈥渁natomy鈥� and filled with themes of science, I was expecting an actual delineation here, or at least some foreshadowing to ease the reader into the idea.
The most disappointing thing about this book is that it could have been really good. With more time to develop the romance, better pacing of the plot, and a bit of foreshadowing I could have loved this book. Sadly I just did not enjoy it. I take careful consideration of the novels I read and review and I promise to give my honest opinion, this is it. I feel like if the author had spent more time with beta-readers this could have evolved into a fantastic book. I鈥檓 silently hoping that there is a sequel released, the author definitely left this book open to a continuation of the story. I might actually consider reading it just to see how the author develops this story.
Overall, this book contained some great ideas鈥� with poor execution.
I would recommend this to: Anyone looking for a book in a gothic setting with a strong female lead.
I really thought I would like this book, a gothic setting in 1800s Edinburgh following a girl trying to become a surgeon and a resurrection man, yes please. Anyone in their right mind would see that description, this book cover, and immediately buy it. The marketing team did an incredible job. Sadly, I did not enjoy the actual book, for a multitude of reasons.
First off, to call this is a love story is far fetched. I鈥檓 not joking when I say that the protagonist meets the love interest for the second time halfway through the book. How can an author expect to develop a full fledged relationship in 160 pages? The answer (as least in my mind) is: you can鈥檛. The couple kisses once or twice, with an actual standout 鈥渞omantic鈥� scene occurring once in this 320 page novel. The romance just wasn鈥檛 believable for me.
One thing I did like about this book was the characters. Our main character actually seems like a teenager in the way she approaches the world. I admired her, and understood the way she saw herself. She was confident after she had proven herself, but that didn鈥檛 mean she didn鈥檛 have doubts along the way. While the characters themselves were fully developed, the decisions that they made were poorly explained. Multiple times in the book characters did things I never could wrap my head around. After all, book characters are supposed to act like real people, and I was unconvinced that any real person would make the decisions these characters made.
In terms of the author鈥檚 writing style, I didn鈥檛 hate it. It could be a bit flowery and over-descriptive at times, but it was bearable. The pacing in this novel is where the real problem was. The beginning of the book felt slow, with multiple scenes being obvious fillers. Then, we get to the last half of the book and the speed starts to steadily increase. By the last quarter of the book, plot points were happening so quickly that I barley had time to actually comprehend them. Not to mention the twist at the end, which had no actual explanation to how the situation happened or worked. For a book called 鈥渁natomy鈥� and filled with themes of science, I was expecting an actual delineation here, or at least some foreshadowing to ease the reader into the idea.
The most disappointing thing about this book is that it could have been really good. With more time to develop the romance, better pacing of the plot, and a bit of foreshadowing I could have loved this book. Sadly I just did not enjoy it. I take careful consideration of the novels I read and review and I promise to give my honest opinion, this is it. I feel like if the author had spent more time with beta-readers this could have evolved into a fantastic book. I鈥檓 silently hoping that there is a sequel released, the author definitely left this book open to a continuation of the story. I might actually consider reading it just to see how the author develops this story.
Overall, this book contained some great ideas鈥� with poor execution.
I would recommend this to: Anyone looking for a book in a gothic setting with a strong female lead.
April 28, 2023
A fun young adult women-in-STEM, lightly-feminist historical romance! So many things to love in this easy-to-read love story of a girl who just wants to be a doctor and a boy from the wrong side of the carriage tracks.
THOUGHTS:
- Anatomy is a super fast-paced read, and I enjoy reading something young adult every now and then as a palette cleanser before heavier, more emotional reads. Schwartz's writing is also incredibly fluid, so you can read this one in a few days!
- Our heroine, Hazel - progresses from an immature young girl with fanciful ideas to a woman with her eyes open to the world is one of those things you know is about to happen but something you're also happy to see for any young gal. She learns the realities of life aren't as easy, and I appreciate that things weren't sugar-coated even though she was wealthy! Her future had been mapped out since birth, but in choosing her own way, she would also have to face harsh realities in life.
- Somewhat disturbing to think about the fact that early medicine and medical studies relied on cadavers that were already rotting. It's a wonder any medical advancements have been made!
Will I Read The Next Book? At some point, I could see myself reading the next book if I want something truly mindless.. however I feel that after reading the book blurb for Immortality (Book #2) - I already know the ending? With such a massive TBR list, sometimes I feel it's important, to be honest with myself about what I want to add to my TBR so I don't get bogged down. However, if I saw a copy of this book sitting at Half Priced Books - I'd probably snag it to have the duology complete in the library.
FAVORITE QUOTES: (Had A LOT of favorite quotes from this book because it's so good and I feel like a great teaching tool in some ways?)
- "never rely on someone with less to lose than you did." - Street smarts in the making for our young readers.
- "Hazel, there's no hell worse than a world in which I would see you grow old and lose you and then be forced to live another day." - Sweet in a Poe sort of maudlin way.
NOTES:
- Truly young adult in how the character's relationships are portrayed for their younger than 18-year-old selves.
- CWs: Parts of this story are somewhat gruesome.. think about what doctors do in med school while they're practicing on cadavers..? Definitely, some parts that I had to skip through because they grossed me out, but nothing else, IMO can be considered a content warning for readers.
- P.S. I thought this was going to be a fantasy novel for some reason - and even though it's not - there is a bit of scientific magic/whimsy that readers can look forward to.
THOUGHTS:
- Anatomy is a super fast-paced read, and I enjoy reading something young adult every now and then as a palette cleanser before heavier, more emotional reads. Schwartz's writing is also incredibly fluid, so you can read this one in a few days!
- Our heroine, Hazel - progresses from an immature young girl with fanciful ideas to a woman with her eyes open to the world is one of those things you know is about to happen but something you're also happy to see for any young gal. She learns the realities of life aren't as easy, and I appreciate that things weren't sugar-coated even though she was wealthy! Her future had been mapped out since birth, but in choosing her own way, she would also have to face harsh realities in life.
- Somewhat disturbing to think about the fact that early medicine and medical studies relied on cadavers that were already rotting. It's a wonder any medical advancements have been made!
Will I Read The Next Book? At some point, I could see myself reading the next book if I want something truly mindless.. however I feel that after reading the book blurb for Immortality (Book #2) - I already know the ending? With such a massive TBR list, sometimes I feel it's important, to be honest with myself about what I want to add to my TBR so I don't get bogged down. However, if I saw a copy of this book sitting at Half Priced Books - I'd probably snag it to have the duology complete in the library.
FAVORITE QUOTES: (Had A LOT of favorite quotes from this book because it's so good and I feel like a great teaching tool in some ways?)
- "never rely on someone with less to lose than you did." - Street smarts in the making for our young readers.
- "Hazel, there's no hell worse than a world in which I would see you grow old and lose you and then be forced to live another day." - Sweet in a Poe sort of maudlin way.
NOTES:
- Truly young adult in how the character's relationships are portrayed for their younger than 18-year-old selves.
- CWs: Parts of this story are somewhat gruesome.. think about what doctors do in med school while they're practicing on cadavers..? Definitely, some parts that I had to skip through because they grossed me out, but nothing else, IMO can be considered a content warning for readers.
- P.S. I thought this was going to be a fantasy novel for some reason - and even though it's not - there is a bit of scientific magic/whimsy that readers can look forward to.
February 17, 2022
While Davey tugged the rope, Munro, still in the grave, helped to guide the body out of the small hole in the coffin and back toward the surface world, a strange reverse birth for a body past death. Munro successfully removed the body鈥檚 shoes off as it left its coffin, but it was up to Davey to strip off the rest of its clothes and throw them back in the grave. Stealing a body was against the law, but if they actually took any property from the grave, that would make it a felony.--------------------------------------
It鈥檚 the lesson young girls everywhere were taught their entire lives鈥攄on鈥檛 be seduced by the men you meet, protect your virtue鈥攗ntil, of course, their entire lives depended on, seduction by the right man. It was an impossible situation, a trick of society as a whole: force women to live at the mercy of whichever man wants them but shame them for anything they might do to get a man to want them. Passivity was the ultimate virtue鈥e patient, be silent, be beautiful and untouched as an orchid, and then and only then will your reward come: a bell jar to keep you safe.Ok, so I screwed up. First off, I thought the pub date was 2/22/22 and scheduled my reading and review accordingly. Uh, sorry. Actual pub date was 1/18/22, so I am coming at this one a bit late. Second, I did not do a very thorough job of reading about the book when it was offered. I somehow managed to overlook the fact that it is a YA novel. I have nothing against YA novels. Some of my favorite books are YA novels, but I usually pass on YA books these days unless there is a compelling reason to take them on. Had I seen that it was a YA, I would probably have skipped this one. Finally, yet another failing on my part. I somehow managed to overlook the romance element in the promotional copy. Again, I have nothing against romance elements in books which are mostly of another sort. Quite enjoy them when they are well done. But did not have my expectations primed for the presence of quite as much as there is here, which is not to say that it is huge. It is not. So, multiple failings, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. The product of impatience. Won鈥檛 happen again. I know the drill, Three Hail Marys and a couple of Our Fathers. Now that I鈥檝e gotten that off my chest ands offered fair warning鈥n to the book itself.
Dana Schwartz - image from her site
Hazel Sinnett is seventeen. She has always lived in a castle an hour outside Edinburgh. It is 1817. She very much wants to study medicine, has read all the books in the family library on the subject, but lacks actual school-based tuition and hands-on experience. When the grandson of a famous doctor is in town to deliver a lecture, she finds a way to attend. Gender attitudes being what they were at the time, people of her sort were not welcome. Still, she finds a way, with some help, and when the doctor announces he will be offering an anatomy class she is desperate to attend.
Medicine is making some advances but the study of the human body requires actual human bodies, preferably lately late. Executions not providing sufficient resources to fill the need, a profession has arisen to satisfy that demand, resurrectionists, who, for a fee, relieve nearby graves of their residents, and deliver same to their clients with the utmost of discretion. Jack Currer, also seventeen, counts that among his several jobs. He happens to be hanging about near the Anatomists鈥� Society when Hazel is locked out. Meet Cute as Jack shows this clearly well-to-do young lady a secret way in. Think these two might just cross paths again? Of course, there are impediments.
Hazel is not in line to inherit anything, regardless of her parents鈥� wealth, bypassed in favor of the male heir. The female thing again. The usual way for a young lady from a god family to secure a future is to secure a husband of means. As it happens, she has a first cousin living not too far away, Bernard. They have known reach other forever, played together since early childhood, and it has been presumed that it was only a matter of time before Bernard would propose. He is not a bad sort, but rather dull and a bit too concerned with his appearance. Hazel recognizes that there are problems with her being allowed to make her own way in the world, so more or less anesthetizes herself to the likelihood that Bernard is her likeliest way out of a life of penury. God knows that is what her mother keeps telling her, and telling her, and telling her.
She manages to attend some of Doctor Beecham鈥檚 lectures, and is the star pupil, but the female thing again. Guys, catch up, C鈥橫on! Beecham at least recognizes her intelligence and they come to an agreement. If she can pass the medical exam at the end of the term, she will be able to get real medical training. Unfortunately, there鈥檚 that hands-on thing. Books alone will simply not do. But wait! It just so happens she has made the acquaintance of someone who might be able to help her out, and a beautiful friendship blossoms.
I really thought I was going to go be a doctor,鈥� Dana Schwartz says about her time as a pre-med student in college. 鈥淭hen I had this panicked moment of realizing I was so fundamentally unhappy. My dream was always to be a writer, but I never thought I could make a living that way.鈥� - from the Forbes interviewBut it is not all raw sexism and Hallmark moments. There are dark doings in Edinburgh. A plague has struck, a return of the so-called 鈥淩oman fever鈥� which had killed over five thousand the last time it hit, two years before. It had even killed Hazel鈥檚 beloved brother, George. She had caught it as well, but managed to survive. Is it really Roman
Fever that is boosting the mortality rate? Jack is aware of far too many acquaintances vanishing, and there are strange doings in the local graveyards as a trio of heavies are haunting such areas, terrorizing the poor resurrection men. Then Hazel begins to see some very strange medical problems when she starts getting to study specimens obtained by Jack, and treating some locals. There is also something decidedly off about Doctor Beecham, who never seems to remove his dark gloves, and demonstrates a mind-numbing drug as a road to pain-free surgery. Then there is Doctor Straine, one eye, nasty skin and a worse attitude, a surgeon working with Doctor Beecham. Seems like a nogoodnik from the build-a-creep shop.
It was the gothic elements that had drawn me to the story. And they are indeed present. But Schwartz has had some fun with them. (For the following I used some of a list from ) Usually gothic novels feature a Desolate, haunted Setting, typically a very creepy castle or equivalent. Here, Hazel lives in a castle, which is a pretty benign home for her. Other sites must serve this purpose. Graveyards work, and certainly provide some chills, and any place where human bodies are being cut up, for purposes educational or malign, will also serve, so, check. Dark and Mysterious Atmosphere? You betcha, plenty of suspect characters and unexplained deaths and disappearances. Something supernatural? Well, I do not want to give anything away, so will say only that there is an element here that qualifies the story as fantasy. Emotional Extremes? Fuh shoo-uh. Although the emotional extremes are as much about Hazel鈥檚 lot in life as they are about the actual life-and-death shenanigans that are going on. Women as Victims - absolutely, but in the wider, sexism-conscious sense as well as in the way of a damsels being put upon by dastardly males. Curses and Portents - not so much, except what we all might wish upon some of the baddies. Visions and Nightmares - Hazel has some of the latter, but nothing mystical about them, just recollections of horrors she had seen in real life. Frightening Tone - most definitely. There is clearly something sinister going on in Edinburgh. Frightening Weather - not really. There is a fun early bit in which we are waiting for an incoming storm to deliver some life-generating lightning, but mostly, weather is not that big a deal here. Religious Concerns - social mores are more the thing in this one. Good versus Evil - there is some serious evil going on here. And Hazel is definitely a force for good. A Touch of Romance - yes. Well, more than a touch. Hey, Laddy, you鈥檇 better keep those hands to yersel ef ya wan ter keep 鈥榚m on the ends uh yer arms.鈥�
There is Romance and then there is Love. The title even highlights it, Anatomy: A Love Story. There is clearly some romance going on here. Hazel and Jack give off sparks which brings their obvious connection to life. But Hazel鈥檚 true love may be more the passion she has for learning, for science, for medicine, for anatomy, for surgery. If she were really faced with a choice between being a doctor or being with Jack, and the two were exclusive, are you confident what choice she would make? Is it possible to have your cake and dissect it too? Not so easy in 1817 Scotland.
The real horrors here are the treatment of women as a subordinate level of human and the joys of the class system in early 19th Century Scotland. Even coming from a family of means, Hazel is refused entry into a profession for which she has passion, and a clear capability, simply because of her gender. She must endure belittling by men, in power and not, who are her intellectual and moral inferiors, as she struggles to find a way forward. Contemplating her life options, Hazel sees her future as a life under a bell jar, whatever that may be referring to. The experience of being poor in the Georgian era is shown not only in the life of Jack, but in the ways the poor and working class are held in their place no less than if they were confined to a castle dungeon, and in the depraved indifference the wealthy show to the lives of those less fortunate than themselves.
鈥淭he main mystery I wanted to pick at and unravel is who gets forgotten in society and for what purpose,鈥� Schwartz says. 鈥淥bviously today, there is a huge wealth gap that continues to grow, but in the 1800s, the aristocracy made that wealth gap explicit. There was a social and cultural line, so I wanted to explore in a way that doesn鈥檛 necessarily label the characters as heroes or villains.鈥� - from the San Diego Tribune interviewThere are some comedic elements, one of which focuses on a man-eater and is hilarious. There a lovely bit of a secondary romantic sub plot, and some fun references. Hazel is all excited to hear about a lecture/demonstration put on by someone named Galvini. This is a clear reference to the actual who was putting on shows in which dead things were animated with electricity from a battery. He provided some of the inspiration for a young writer of that era. The epigraph of the novel is a quote from Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, whose creation has near universal familiarity. A mention of Mary Wollstonecraft, her mom, serves double duty as a reference to a leading light for women鈥檚 rights in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and as a reminder that the novel deals with matters of life and death, and maybe life again. Hazel鈥檚 younger brother is named Percy, which again reminds one of Mary Shelley. A recollection of Walter Scott reciting his Lady of the Lake epic at her Uncle and Aunt鈥檚 house is also reminiscent of the Wollstonecraft/Godwin household, in which Coleridge read his Rime of the Ancient Mariner. So, there are many Frankensteinian parts gathered together to help animate the story.
Some parts did not quite fit, however. It was sooo convenient that her father was away on a prolonged naval mission, and that Mum decides to head out of town for an extended period with her other, much more valuable, male child, Hazel鈥檚 younger brother. So, time for the entire season at Hawthornden Castle. (Although maybe might be a bit closer, given the issues with dead people.) AND, really? none of the staff rats Hazel out to her mother, the one paying their salary, for running a clinic at the family residence? Maybe we should consider this part of the fantasy element. Re my intro, I was not much excited by the squishy romance bits, but I already told you about that. No biggie, ultimately. It is mostly adorable.
Dana Schwartz has written a strong, literary, YA novel that offers some chills, an historical look at a place and time, and a look at the challenges faced by the poor and by those of the female persuasion, when it was still the rule to treat women as servants, eye candy, or brood mares. It shows a powerful approach and makes me eager to see what she comes up with when she writes a full-on adult novel, but that may not be next up on her board.
鈥ight now, I have an idea for a sequel that I really want to tell and I think will be really fun. I thought this was going to be a one-off, but when I reached the ending, and I sat with that for a few months, I thought that there鈥檚 something else here.鈥� - from the San Diego Tribune interview
Review posted 鈥� February 11, 2022
Publication date 鈥� January 18, 2022
I received an ARE of Anatomy: A Love Story from Wednesday Books in return for a fair review and some help dealing with an uncomfortable neck growth. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.
This review has been, or soon will be, cross-posted on my personal site, . Stop by and say Hi!
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author鈥檚 , , , , and pages
Schwartz came to public notice when she was still in the employ of the New York Observer and Tweeted a criticism of Donald Trump for using anti-Semitic imagery in an anti-Hillary ad. She got viciously trolled by his minions, and wanted to write about that experience. Her boss gave her a green light, but did not really proof the piece, an open letter, which called out Jared Kushner, who owned The Observer, for not interceding with his father-in-law to prevent such things. As an undergrad, she established the 鈥淕uyInYourMFA鈥� and 鈥淒ystopian YA鈥� parody Twitter profiles. She had internships with Conan and Colbert, and was later was a staff writer for Disney鈥檚 She-Hulk, then created and hosted the Noble Blood podcast. Anatomy is her fourth book.
Interviews
-----Time Magazine - by Simmone Shah
-----Bustle - - By Samantha Leach
-----Forbes - by Rosa Escandon
-----San Diego Union Tribune - by Seth Combs
-----Barnes & Noble - by BN Editors
Items of Interest from the author
-----
Items of Interest
-----Edith Wharton - - a short story
-----This of Mary Shelley, from The Poetry Foundation, has considerable information about her other works.
-----A nifty web-site on . Can you dig it?
-----Frankie for free, courtesy of
-----NY Times - By Jonathan Mahler
-----My review of The Lady and her Monsters - This is a must-read book for anyone interested in Mary Shelley and the writing of Frankenstein
December 26, 2023
I鈥檓 on now! =)
鈥滺e could see the thin arc of her pale lips, the freckles almost invisible on her cheeks. Her face was burned into his memory, and it remained there: an echo but undiminished. A haunting.鈥�
How is it this book has lines like this one and still isn鈥檛 all too popular among my fellow reviewers?! Of course I can only speak for myself here but 鈥淎natomy: A Love Story鈥� was such a surprise and this in the best way possible! When I first heard of the book I thought it might be a romance that plays in Edinburgh in the year 1817 and it sounded interesting enough to pick it up when I found it at my library. Well, and then I read the blurb and my perception of the book changed and I got even more intrigued.
鈥漌hat were miracles, but science that man didn鈥檛 yet understand? And didn鈥檛 that make it all the more miraculous that the secrets of the universe were out there, codes one might decipher if smart enough, tenacious enough?鈥�
Truth be told, it鈥檚 kind of hard to put this book in a certain genre because it鈥檚 one of those stories that defies to be pegged as just one thing. If I had to describe it with a couple of words I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 a story about a Lady and a resurrection man, with a little dash of romance, mysterious happenings, a dangerous sickness and some Frankenstein-like edge that adds creepy and gory scenes to the mix. It鈥檚 also critical of society and emancipated. And for everyone who thinks this sounds like way too many topics and issues packed into just one small book: Don鈥檛 worry, despite all that it still works more than just well!
鈥滻t鈥檚 the lesson young girls everywhere were taught their entire lives 鈥� don鈥檛 be seduced by the men you meet, protect your virtue 鈥� until, of course, their entire lives depended on seduction by the right man. It was an impossible situation, a trick of society as a whole: force women to live at the mercy of whichever man wants them but shame them for anything they might do to get a man to want them. Passivity was the ultimate virtue.鈥�
I really loved Hazel as a character and it was so refreshing to see her fight all the stereotypes society wanted to push on her. I mean we have that 16 year old Lady that鈥檚 supposed to marry her cousin 鈥� the future Viscount Almont 鈥� and she completely refuses to give up the life she has built to become just another wife at the side of a powerful man. She wants to be powerful herself, she wants to help people and become a surgeon and despite being a young lady she doesn鈥檛 even hesitate to befriend a resurrection man and even accompanies him to dig up a corpse in order to study it. It were things like this, which caused me to root for her so much! Hazel had no qualms to get her hands dirty, no matter if it was with soil or entrails. This girl was amazing and she had her heart at the right place!
鈥漁i,鈥� Thrupp barked at Burgess. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e lucky you have this pretty boy to protect you. You fancy yourself some sort of gentleman with those lined coats, Hazleton?鈥�
鈥淵eah,鈥� Hazel responded with the most masculine swagger she could manage. 鈥淚 do. And the ladies seem to like it just fine.鈥� Burgess laughed at that, a full throaty laugh, and Thrupp retreated with an eye roll.
Also it was extremely awesome she masqueraded as a boy named George Hazelton just to be able to attend anatomy lectures. We dig a girl that鈥檚 got her priorities straight and doesn鈥檛 let anyone hold her back from pursuing a career as a surgeon. And speaking of the anatomy lessons. The author really didn鈥檛 abstain from writing very detailed descriptions so if you鈥檙e one of the faint-hearted you better don鈥檛 pick up this book. Just a fair warning. Plus if we鈥檙e already at it: If you鈥檙e allergic to outdated misogynistic bullshit 鈥� like I am - you might end up hating a certain Dr. Straine and Hazel鈥檚 fianc茅 as well. Dr. Beecham, well he鈥檚 an entirely different story, but at least he had no objections to Hazel becoming a surgeon. The boy you鈥檒l definitely fall in love with is Jack Currer, though!
鈥滻t was easy to die in Edinburgh, but Jack had made it seventeen years because he knew how to survive."
Oh boy, how I loved Jack! He was such a kind and gentle soul and he deserved the world! I absolutely adored this boy and even though he earned his money by being a resurrection man I could totally understand where he was coming from. Times back then were hard and his job at the Le Grand Leon theatre just didn鈥檛 earn him enough money to live from it. Always hungry, no possessions aside of the clothes he wore, no friends and family to watch out for him, Jack had nothing but still managed to survive. Still, despite his own situation, he still cared about others and tried to help them as best as he could and that made him one of the most precious souls ever. Hazel and he might have come from very different backgrounds but they had that in common, they cared about others and this was exactly what made them work so well. =)
鈥滻 don鈥檛 find myself cavorting with high society ladies like yourself all too often, so it doesn鈥檛 strike me as an introduction one needs to make.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檝e already met. Twice,鈥� Hazel reasoned.
鈥淎ye, but is it really meeting if I haven鈥檛 given ye a name?鈥� he said, and this time he winked for real.
Haha! Jack could be quite cheeky sometimes and I really liked that about him. Anyway! Those two meet and kinda start some sort of business together and even though the story is slow at some parts and there doesn鈥檛 happen a lot, the moments when things actually DO happen were written very well and had me glued to the pages. I was such a sucker for all the little moments between Jack and Hazel and I really wanted them to be together and to have a future with each other in their lives. Their chemistry was amazing and I was a huge fan of their gender swapped moments and scenes. It was an interesting dynamic because even though Jack is a boy, he鈥檚 still poor and doesn鈥檛 have all the chances and resources Hazel does.
鈥漈here ain't going to be any more bodies." He looked away and showed a heavy bruise across his left cheek. Before she could think better of it, Hazel strode forward and lifted Jack's face in her hands. Jack鈥檚 hair was particularly lank and dull, and his eyes were flat.
See what I mean!? Every reader knows plenty of scenes like that, but it鈥檚 usually the man that lifts the girl鈥檚 face and not the other way around. No, seriously! I want more moments like this one in my books! Vulnerable and honest men should appear in more books! Period! ;-) As for how the book ended and how everything was resolved: I won鈥檛 spoil anything but I will say that I saw some of the revelations come from miles away! It didn鈥檛 take a lot of brain capacity to figure things out, but I鈥檓 not gonna lie: The overall ending threw me and I鈥檓 still not over it. Urgh! My heart! <3
鈥滿y heart is yours, Hazel Sinnett,鈥� Jack said. 鈥淔orever. Beating or still.鈥�
鈥淏eating or still,鈥� she said.
Conclusion:
鈥淎natomy: A Love Story鈥� turned out to be completely different than I thought it would be. I expected a romance and was positively surprised to find out that this book tackled so many other topics as well. I still have a hard time to describe this story because it鈥檚 so unique and defies being put into just one genre so all I鈥檒l say is: If you like historical fiction books that think outside of the box and feature strong female characters that defy society鈥檚 rules you鈥檒l enjoy this book. And if you like a little mystery, some gory details and two characters that try to save innocent people while inadvertently falling in love 鈥� Well, then you鈥檒l most definitely end up loving this book! ;-)
________________________________
NO, what was that ending?! O_o
Someone please tell me there鈥檚 another book and that I鈥檒l get answers! >_<
Also this was something different and I really enjoyed reading 鈥淎natomy: A Love Story鈥�.
Hazel and Jack have my heart! <333 I really dislike damn Bernard, though. Can we please not have him in the next book (if there is one.)
Full RTC soon! I need to look up if there鈥檚 a second instalment first. XD
_________________________________
I鈥檓 so intrigued by this book because I heard so many people rave about it. At first, I thought this would be a romance but as it seems the plot of 鈥淎natomy: A Love Story鈥� is completely different than I thought it would be.
I mean we have Edinburgh in 1817, a woman who wants to be a surgeon and a resurrection man who makes a living from digging up graves and they both try to solve a mystery together?!
As I said: I am intrigued. XD
I can鈥檛 wait to dive into this! This is going to be good! =)
Find me on:
鈥滺e could see the thin arc of her pale lips, the freckles almost invisible on her cheeks. Her face was burned into his memory, and it remained there: an echo but undiminished. A haunting.鈥�
How is it this book has lines like this one and still isn鈥檛 all too popular among my fellow reviewers?! Of course I can only speak for myself here but 鈥淎natomy: A Love Story鈥� was such a surprise and this in the best way possible! When I first heard of the book I thought it might be a romance that plays in Edinburgh in the year 1817 and it sounded interesting enough to pick it up when I found it at my library. Well, and then I read the blurb and my perception of the book changed and I got even more intrigued.
鈥漌hat were miracles, but science that man didn鈥檛 yet understand? And didn鈥檛 that make it all the more miraculous that the secrets of the universe were out there, codes one might decipher if smart enough, tenacious enough?鈥�
Truth be told, it鈥檚 kind of hard to put this book in a certain genre because it鈥檚 one of those stories that defies to be pegged as just one thing. If I had to describe it with a couple of words I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 a story about a Lady and a resurrection man, with a little dash of romance, mysterious happenings, a dangerous sickness and some Frankenstein-like edge that adds creepy and gory scenes to the mix. It鈥檚 also critical of society and emancipated. And for everyone who thinks this sounds like way too many topics and issues packed into just one small book: Don鈥檛 worry, despite all that it still works more than just well!
鈥滻t鈥檚 the lesson young girls everywhere were taught their entire lives 鈥� don鈥檛 be seduced by the men you meet, protect your virtue 鈥� until, of course, their entire lives depended on seduction by the right man. It was an impossible situation, a trick of society as a whole: force women to live at the mercy of whichever man wants them but shame them for anything they might do to get a man to want them. Passivity was the ultimate virtue.鈥�
I really loved Hazel as a character and it was so refreshing to see her fight all the stereotypes society wanted to push on her. I mean we have that 16 year old Lady that鈥檚 supposed to marry her cousin 鈥� the future Viscount Almont 鈥� and she completely refuses to give up the life she has built to become just another wife at the side of a powerful man. She wants to be powerful herself, she wants to help people and become a surgeon and despite being a young lady she doesn鈥檛 even hesitate to befriend a resurrection man and even accompanies him to dig up a corpse in order to study it. It were things like this, which caused me to root for her so much! Hazel had no qualms to get her hands dirty, no matter if it was with soil or entrails. This girl was amazing and she had her heart at the right place!
鈥漁i,鈥� Thrupp barked at Burgess. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e lucky you have this pretty boy to protect you. You fancy yourself some sort of gentleman with those lined coats, Hazleton?鈥�
鈥淵eah,鈥� Hazel responded with the most masculine swagger she could manage. 鈥淚 do. And the ladies seem to like it just fine.鈥� Burgess laughed at that, a full throaty laugh, and Thrupp retreated with an eye roll.
Also it was extremely awesome she masqueraded as a boy named George Hazelton just to be able to attend anatomy lectures. We dig a girl that鈥檚 got her priorities straight and doesn鈥檛 let anyone hold her back from pursuing a career as a surgeon. And speaking of the anatomy lessons. The author really didn鈥檛 abstain from writing very detailed descriptions so if you鈥檙e one of the faint-hearted you better don鈥檛 pick up this book. Just a fair warning. Plus if we鈥檙e already at it: If you鈥檙e allergic to outdated misogynistic bullshit 鈥� like I am - you might end up hating a certain Dr. Straine and Hazel鈥檚 fianc茅 as well. Dr. Beecham, well he鈥檚 an entirely different story, but at least he had no objections to Hazel becoming a surgeon. The boy you鈥檒l definitely fall in love with is Jack Currer, though!
鈥滻t was easy to die in Edinburgh, but Jack had made it seventeen years because he knew how to survive."
Oh boy, how I loved Jack! He was such a kind and gentle soul and he deserved the world! I absolutely adored this boy and even though he earned his money by being a resurrection man I could totally understand where he was coming from. Times back then were hard and his job at the Le Grand Leon theatre just didn鈥檛 earn him enough money to live from it. Always hungry, no possessions aside of the clothes he wore, no friends and family to watch out for him, Jack had nothing but still managed to survive. Still, despite his own situation, he still cared about others and tried to help them as best as he could and that made him one of the most precious souls ever. Hazel and he might have come from very different backgrounds but they had that in common, they cared about others and this was exactly what made them work so well. =)
鈥滻 don鈥檛 find myself cavorting with high society ladies like yourself all too often, so it doesn鈥檛 strike me as an introduction one needs to make.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檝e already met. Twice,鈥� Hazel reasoned.
鈥淎ye, but is it really meeting if I haven鈥檛 given ye a name?鈥� he said, and this time he winked for real.
Haha! Jack could be quite cheeky sometimes and I really liked that about him. Anyway! Those two meet and kinda start some sort of business together and even though the story is slow at some parts and there doesn鈥檛 happen a lot, the moments when things actually DO happen were written very well and had me glued to the pages. I was such a sucker for all the little moments between Jack and Hazel and I really wanted them to be together and to have a future with each other in their lives. Their chemistry was amazing and I was a huge fan of their gender swapped moments and scenes. It was an interesting dynamic because even though Jack is a boy, he鈥檚 still poor and doesn鈥檛 have all the chances and resources Hazel does.
鈥漈here ain't going to be any more bodies." He looked away and showed a heavy bruise across his left cheek. Before she could think better of it, Hazel strode forward and lifted Jack's face in her hands. Jack鈥檚 hair was particularly lank and dull, and his eyes were flat.
See what I mean!? Every reader knows plenty of scenes like that, but it鈥檚 usually the man that lifts the girl鈥檚 face and not the other way around. No, seriously! I want more moments like this one in my books! Vulnerable and honest men should appear in more books! Period! ;-) As for how the book ended and how everything was resolved: I won鈥檛 spoil anything but I will say that I saw some of the revelations come from miles away! It didn鈥檛 take a lot of brain capacity to figure things out, but I鈥檓 not gonna lie: The overall ending threw me and I鈥檓 still not over it. Urgh! My heart! <3
鈥滿y heart is yours, Hazel Sinnett,鈥� Jack said. 鈥淔orever. Beating or still.鈥�
鈥淏eating or still,鈥� she said.
Conclusion:
鈥淎natomy: A Love Story鈥� turned out to be completely different than I thought it would be. I expected a romance and was positively surprised to find out that this book tackled so many other topics as well. I still have a hard time to describe this story because it鈥檚 so unique and defies being put into just one genre so all I鈥檒l say is: If you like historical fiction books that think outside of the box and feature strong female characters that defy society鈥檚 rules you鈥檒l enjoy this book. And if you like a little mystery, some gory details and two characters that try to save innocent people while inadvertently falling in love 鈥� Well, then you鈥檒l most definitely end up loving this book! ;-)
________________________________
NO, what was that ending?! O_o
Someone please tell me there鈥檚 another book and that I鈥檒l get answers! >_<
Also this was something different and I really enjoyed reading 鈥淎natomy: A Love Story鈥�.
Hazel and Jack have my heart! <333 I really dislike damn Bernard, though. Can we please not have him in the next book (if there is one.)
Full RTC soon! I need to look up if there鈥檚 a second instalment first. XD
_________________________________
I鈥檓 so intrigued by this book because I heard so many people rave about it. At first, I thought this would be a romance but as it seems the plot of 鈥淎natomy: A Love Story鈥� is completely different than I thought it would be.
I mean we have Edinburgh in 1817, a woman who wants to be a surgeon and a resurrection man who makes a living from digging up graves and they both try to solve a mystery together?!
As I said: I am intrigued. XD
I can鈥檛 wait to dive into this! This is going to be good! =)
Find me on:
February 11, 2025
鉃� 4鈽�! 馃崚 spoiler free
猡� live laugh love women in STEM!! 1800's scotland was such a vibe 馃き
馃帶 - birds of a feather
岑撫。饜 i'll love you 'til the day that I die
'til the day that I die
'til the light leaves my eyes
鈧娾€ш挵my thoughts陹� 鈥р倞
猡� this one pleasantly surprised me, and im so happy i gave it the chance to!! hazel wants to be a surgeon (during the 1800s) soo for women, thats not ideal, BUT it was super cool to read about this time period and see how they conducted surgeries in the past! (hazel is so cool) also birds of a feather is their song, just read the lyrics from start to finish! anyways, the writing was decent and easy to digest + the chapters were somewhat quick! i dont really have any complaints, expect to say that i enjoyed it and you should try it too!! if you're intrigued ofc 馃挆
藲鈧娾€ш挵 character study馃 陹� 鈥р倞藲
鉃� hazel & jack awww i loved them so much and i think they go really well together <3 hazel is sweet, but also so brave and admirable. i love her 馃 and as for jack, hes charming and a nice young man !! just how you'd expect for a forbidden romance, she's the daughter of someone important, and hes a resurrection man. perfect match if you ask me 馃き i cant wait to see them again, and the ending was so bittersweet. i 100% need more closure 馃槶 but seriously, props to hazel, shes such an inspiration for us now, being one of the first women to pursue being an official doctor. 馃
馃珋触 overall, i do recommend and im thankful for the experience!! it was the best way to start off my february, and i can only hope for more fun reads in the future 馃き i hope everyone is doing alright!! MWAH MWAH 馃挆
---------------
馃珋触 鈥ш挵醿� preview! 嗷掙挶 鈥�
the way this is the perfect way to start my feburary 馃き i cant wait! tbh ive been a bit hesitant with picking this up, but it looks so intriguing !! and i heard, dark academia, wonderful love story, a murder mystery, and more?? i hope this lives up to the hype!! and happy feburary everyone, i hope ya'll are doing well and i hope we find some spectacular reads, hows is everyone!! mwah ily guys 馃挆馃挆
猡� live laugh love women in STEM!! 1800's scotland was such a vibe 馃き
鈥渉is smiles felt like secrets shared from across the room every time.鈥�
馃帶 - birds of a feather
岑撫。饜 i'll love you 'til the day that I die
'til the day that I die
'til the light leaves my eyes
鈧娾€ш挵my thoughts陹� 鈥р倞
猡� this one pleasantly surprised me, and im so happy i gave it the chance to!! hazel wants to be a surgeon (during the 1800s) soo for women, thats not ideal, BUT it was super cool to read about this time period and see how they conducted surgeries in the past! (hazel is so cool) also birds of a feather is their song, just read the lyrics from start to finish! anyways, the writing was decent and easy to digest + the chapters were somewhat quick! i dont really have any complaints, expect to say that i enjoyed it and you should try it too!! if you're intrigued ofc 馃挆
藲鈧娾€ш挵 character study馃 陹� 鈥р倞藲
鉃� hazel & jack awww i loved them so much and i think they go really well together <3 hazel is sweet, but also so brave and admirable. i love her 馃 and as for jack, hes charming and a nice young man !! just how you'd expect for a forbidden romance, she's the daughter of someone important, and hes a resurrection man. perfect match if you ask me 馃き i cant wait to see them again, and the ending was so bittersweet. i 100% need more closure 馃槶 but seriously, props to hazel, shes such an inspiration for us now, being one of the first women to pursue being an official doctor. 馃
鈥渕y heart is yours, Hazel Sinnett," Jack said. "Forever. Beating or still.鈥�
馃珋触 overall, i do recommend and im thankful for the experience!! it was the best way to start off my february, and i can only hope for more fun reads in the future 馃き i hope everyone is doing alright!! MWAH MWAH 馃挆
---------------
馃珋触 鈥ш挵醿� preview! 嗷掙挶 鈥�
the way this is the perfect way to start my feburary 馃き i cant wait! tbh ive been a bit hesitant with picking this up, but it looks so intriguing !! and i heard, dark academia, wonderful love story, a murder mystery, and more?? i hope this lives up to the hype!! and happy feburary everyone, i hope ya'll are doing well and i hope we find some spectacular reads, hows is everyone!! mwah ily guys 馃挆馃挆
January 28, 2023
I had such a great time reading this!! 馃ぉ馃ぉ It totally gave me the Gothic vibes that I wanted and while I did have some issues, I did really enjoy this overall!! 馃グ馃グ
鈥淚t was an impossible situation, a trick of society as a whole: force women to live at the mercy of whichever man wants them but shame them for anything they might do to get a man to want them.鈥�
Anatomy: A Love Story follows Hazel Sinnett, a girl born into a wealthy family in 1817 Edinburgh. Hazel desperately wants to become a surgeon, but this is completely out of the norm for women at that time and results in Hazel being thrown out of Dr. Beecham's lectures. However, she's offered one chance to persue her ambitions and for her to succeed, she'll need corpses to study. Lucky that she's just met Jack Currer, who digs them up for a living...
鈥淲hat were miracles, but science that man didn鈥檛 yet understand? And didn鈥檛 that make it all the more miraculous that the secrets of the universe were out there, codes one might decipher if smart enough, tenacious enough?鈥�
This book intrigued me from the first time that I saw that gorgeous cover and I was happy to finally get my hands on it!! It seemed very Stalking Jack the Ripper-esque and I loved the concept. Even tho I didn't absolutely love it, I still had a very fun time reading it!! 馃挆
Starting with the characters. Our main characters are Hazel and Jack, with a few side characters (tho not many). I did really like the characters! Hazel was a great protagonist- I loved her determination to become a surgeon despite it not typically being a woman's job, and I was rooting for her the whole time 馃グ馃グ Jack was also a good character- he appears very much like a 'bad boy', but he has a very soft heart and was really sweet 馃槏馃槏 He honestly felt a lot like a cinnamon roll, and I really liked him. A very solid cast of characters! 馃馃
Next, the writing. I was also a big fan of Dana Schwartz's writing style- it had this really cool 'old-timey' feel without being boring or hard to read. The writing was also super atmospheric and I loved the Gothic vibes. It was very fitting for the story 馃挄馃挄
The plot. Hmmm. Here's where I felt a bit iffy. Although I liked the plot enough overall, I did have a few minor problems with it. My main problem was that this book was very much pitched as a 'Gothic ROMANCE', especially with the title including 'A Love Story' and so I was expecting it to be mainly centered around the romance with a side plot of Hazel trying to become a surgeon. However, the romance often actually started around 50% and even then it developed pretty quickly- in fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to call it instalove 馃槵馃槵 My expectations in terms of the amount of romance were definitely not met. Also, wish this book was a little longer bc with a little more development in some things it could've been just that tad bit better! *sigh* 馃槖馃槖
However, it wasn't too bad overall and it did manage to keep me interested. Despite my complaints about the romance being too a bit too underdeveloped, it was still very cute and I was a big fan of Jack and Hazel as a couple! 鉂� Some of the quotes were adorable 馃ズ馃ズ So, yeah, the plot was decent in the end and the romance very cute, if a bit underdeveloped.
鈥淪omeone should tell you you're beautiful every time the sun comes up. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Wednesdays. And at teatime. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve and the evening before Christmas Eve, and on Easter. He should tell you on Guy Fawkes Night and on New Year's, and on the eighth of August, just because.鈥� ~ He's so sweet 馃ズ馃ズ
鈥淢y heart is yours, Hazel Sinnett," Jack said. "Forever. Beating or still.鈥�
Overall, a very entertaining read! 馃グ馃グ Would definitely recommend if you want:
鉁� Gothic vibes
鉁� Feminism!
鉁� Cute romance subplot
鉁� Good characters and writing
I would definitely be interested in picking up the sequel! 鉂�
~ Strong 3.5 stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was a really enjoyable story!! 馃ぉ馃ぉ I had a great time with it 馃グ馃グ
RTC!
鈥淚t was an impossible situation, a trick of society as a whole: force women to live at the mercy of whichever man wants them but shame them for anything they might do to get a man to want them.鈥�
Anatomy: A Love Story follows Hazel Sinnett, a girl born into a wealthy family in 1817 Edinburgh. Hazel desperately wants to become a surgeon, but this is completely out of the norm for women at that time and results in Hazel being thrown out of Dr. Beecham's lectures. However, she's offered one chance to persue her ambitions and for her to succeed, she'll need corpses to study. Lucky that she's just met Jack Currer, who digs them up for a living...
鈥淲hat were miracles, but science that man didn鈥檛 yet understand? And didn鈥檛 that make it all the more miraculous that the secrets of the universe were out there, codes one might decipher if smart enough, tenacious enough?鈥�
This book intrigued me from the first time that I saw that gorgeous cover and I was happy to finally get my hands on it!! It seemed very Stalking Jack the Ripper-esque and I loved the concept. Even tho I didn't absolutely love it, I still had a very fun time reading it!! 馃挆
Starting with the characters. Our main characters are Hazel and Jack, with a few side characters (tho not many). I did really like the characters! Hazel was a great protagonist- I loved her determination to become a surgeon despite it not typically being a woman's job, and I was rooting for her the whole time 馃グ馃グ Jack was also a good character- he appears very much like a 'bad boy', but he has a very soft heart and was really sweet 馃槏馃槏 He honestly felt a lot like a cinnamon roll, and I really liked him. A very solid cast of characters! 馃馃
Next, the writing. I was also a big fan of Dana Schwartz's writing style- it had this really cool 'old-timey' feel without being boring or hard to read. The writing was also super atmospheric and I loved the Gothic vibes. It was very fitting for the story 馃挄馃挄
The plot. Hmmm. Here's where I felt a bit iffy. Although I liked the plot enough overall, I did have a few minor problems with it. My main problem was that this book was very much pitched as a 'Gothic ROMANCE', especially with the title including 'A Love Story' and so I was expecting it to be mainly centered around the romance with a side plot of Hazel trying to become a surgeon. However, the romance often actually started around 50% and even then it developed pretty quickly- in fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to call it instalove 馃槵馃槵 My expectations in terms of the amount of romance were definitely not met. Also, wish this book was a little longer bc with a little more development in some things it could've been just that tad bit better! *sigh* 馃槖馃槖
However, it wasn't too bad overall and it did manage to keep me interested. Despite my complaints about the romance being too a bit too underdeveloped, it was still very cute and I was a big fan of Jack and Hazel as a couple! 鉂� Some of the quotes were adorable 馃ズ馃ズ So, yeah, the plot was decent in the end and the romance very cute, if a bit underdeveloped.
鈥淪omeone should tell you you're beautiful every time the sun comes up. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Wednesdays. And at teatime. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve and the evening before Christmas Eve, and on Easter. He should tell you on Guy Fawkes Night and on New Year's, and on the eighth of August, just because.鈥� ~ He's so sweet 馃ズ馃ズ
鈥淢y heart is yours, Hazel Sinnett," Jack said. "Forever. Beating or still.鈥�
Overall, a very entertaining read! 馃グ馃グ Would definitely recommend if you want:
鉁� Gothic vibes
鉁� Feminism!
鉁� Cute romance subplot
鉁� Good characters and writing
I would definitely be interested in picking up the sequel! 鉂�
~ Strong 3.5 stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was a really enjoyable story!! 馃ぉ馃ぉ I had a great time with it 馃グ馃グ
RTC!
March 6, 2022
Another ya down the drain - BECAUSE I DIDN鈥橳 LIKE IT BUT YOU MIGHT!
Mel 馃枻馃惗馃惡馃惥
Mel 馃枻馃惗馃惡馃惥
July 8, 2023
3.5猸愶笍 'yeah, my boyfriend's pretty cool but he's not as cool as me' energy >>
Read
December 18, 2021Source of book: NetGalley (thank you!)
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
This is intriguingly odd. As we have comprehensively established I鈥檓 not a big YA-reader so I鈥檓 often find myself trying to adjust for genre because, and this could say more about the YA books I happen to read than whatever is happening with the young people, YA is 鈥� like out there. Contrary to nearly every YA I鈥檝e read in recent times, the romantic lead of Anatomy: A Love Story is NOT a mass murderer. He just exhumes the bodies of the recently deceased to sell them.
Although to be fair, that鈥檚 due to economic necessity. And he鈥檚 otherwise a pretty nice guy who spends most of the book being supportive to the heroine. In some ways, I鈥檓 even a little envious. I mean, if you write historical romance aimed at adults the hero literally has to be a duke.
In any case, this is story of Hazel Sinnett, a gently born young lady who wants to be a surgeon. I mean, God knows why because surgery in the early 1800s was bloody (no pun intended) awful. In any case, that鈥檚 her ambition and she鈥檚 determined to achieve it, sneaking into anatomy presentations and disguising herself as a boy to attend classes鈥攁 ruse that ultimately goes wrong and gets her banned. At least until the famous surgeon, Dr Beecham, offers her an opportunity: if she can successfully pass the surgeon鈥檚 exam without formal teaching, he鈥檒l allow her to study and allow other women to study too. Of course, to pass the exam, Hazel will need bodies to, um, practice on? Enter Jack.
And, y鈥檏now what they say, the only thing more romantic than a man who will help you bury bodies is a man who鈥檒l help you dig 鈥榚m up in the first place.
That summary barely scrapes the surface of what鈥檚 going on in this book. Alongside Hazel鈥檚 wager with Dr Beecham, there鈥檚 her romance arc with Jack, there鈥檚 her engagement to a Viscount, and the fact her parents conveniently leave she turns her family home into a makeshift hospital. There鈥檚 also a mysterious fever sweeping the city and mysterious disappearances amongst the lower classes, whereas the upper classes seem to be undergoing ever more outlandishly successful surgeries. It鈥檚 kind of like a Regency Repo!The Genetic Opera. Except less utterly bobbins.
With so much happening, it鈥檚 not surprising certain elements of the story are not as well developed as I might have hoped for. Jack, for instance, is definitely a swell guy but he has no personality except 鈥渋s poor, steals bodies, supportive of Hazel.鈥� And maybe that鈥檚 all he needs to be but it did make their romance feel a little bit flat to me. I liked Hazel but she, too, is mainly defined by her ambition which 鈥� I mean? That鈥檚 fine. She has a few moments of doubt when someone in a position of authority actively yells at her but mostly she鈥檚 unwavering resolute鈥攎aking her admirable, more than I think she鈥檚 necessarily relatable. Again, I鈥檓 not saying this a problem. There shouldn鈥檛 be rules for what a heroine needs to be like and I kind of found her lack of vulnerability, plus her morbid fascination with the interiority of bodies, refreshing. And for those who relish a hefty dose of competence porn you certainly can鈥檛 go wrong with Hazel.
Oh my God. She鈥檚 basically Anya Taylor-Joy from The Queen鈥檚 Gambit. Except, instead of playing chess, she likes cutting up dead people.
Speaking of dead people, there鈥檚 also the oddest moment I think I鈥檝e ever read in a romantic subplot where Hazel and Jack go to steal a body for her, exhume a disgustingly mutilated corpse with, like, maggots in his toes, are then nearly caught so 鈥� they hide in the grave, and once the danger has passed start making out. Like, they make out so long that a priest WAKES THEM UP THE NEXT MORNING.
And they are in a grave. Amongst the worms. With a hideously mutilated body just lying on the grass a few feet away. I know danger boners are a thing in romance but 鈥� ye Gods. Kids today. Or rather kids in the 1800s. Fair play to both of them, I guess?
The hideously mutilated corpse, by the way, is another of the waysided plot elements. In the sense its significance becomes apparent later, but neither Jack nor Hazel seem remotely interested in it when they actually encounter it. Again, I realise my values and priorities are way out of whack with the book in general, given my personal discomfort with in-grave sexytimes, but neither one of them at any point remarks, 鈥渉ey, what was the deal with that hideously mutilated corpse we left just lying in the middle of that graveyard?鈥�
I also felt that, while the plot was twisty and exciting, especially in the final third, that there ends up being a bit of a bait and switch. I don鈥檛 want to pick over too much because of spoilers, but essentially the thing we鈥檙e told to be interested in at the beginning of the book does not remotely get resolved by the end. Something else, arguably more important and dramatic, is resolved instead but I still found myself a bit frustrated that I鈥檇 been asked to care about something that became ultimately irrelevant.
In general, though, there鈥檚 lots to appreciate here: I loved the Edinburgh setting, the enthusiastically gross focus on surgery and anatomy, the faintly gothic undertones, the breakneck plotting, and the on-going examination of intersectional privilege. Recommended to anyone who fancies an unusual historical-set YA where the hero isn鈥檛 an absolute psychopath for once.
PS 鈥� Also, sorry to be this dick because I sincerely try to be open-minded about historical 鈥渁ccuracy鈥� not least because insistence of particular ideas of what historical accuracy entails is often a way for the genre to police stories by marginalised authors. Basically, I鈥檓 cool with a modern-flavour to dialogue or with books set in the past having modern values (we are, after all, modern readers) and I鈥檓 even cool with elements of the setting being adjusted for thematic resonance or plot necessity (I mean, is full of well-bred Regency ladies sneaking away from their chaperones to talk loudly about sex while drinking wine and smokes opiates). But I just have to say: there are multiple references to large, unwieldy crinolines in this book and the book is set in 1817. And in 1817 the silhouette was basically a triangle. Extremely high bosom and consequently high waist, long straight gown, heavily embroidered hem. And maybe I鈥檓 being ungenerous here, but this didn鈥檛 feel like a deliberate adjustment to period norms for a specific narrative reason. It felt 鈥� uh. Unnecessary.
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
This is intriguingly odd. As we have comprehensively established I鈥檓 not a big YA-reader so I鈥檓 often find myself trying to adjust for genre because, and this could say more about the YA books I happen to read than whatever is happening with the young people, YA is 鈥� like out there. Contrary to nearly every YA I鈥檝e read in recent times, the romantic lead of Anatomy: A Love Story is NOT a mass murderer. He just exhumes the bodies of the recently deceased to sell them.
Although to be fair, that鈥檚 due to economic necessity. And he鈥檚 otherwise a pretty nice guy who spends most of the book being supportive to the heroine. In some ways, I鈥檓 even a little envious. I mean, if you write historical romance aimed at adults the hero literally has to be a duke.
In any case, this is story of Hazel Sinnett, a gently born young lady who wants to be a surgeon. I mean, God knows why because surgery in the early 1800s was bloody (no pun intended) awful. In any case, that鈥檚 her ambition and she鈥檚 determined to achieve it, sneaking into anatomy presentations and disguising herself as a boy to attend classes鈥攁 ruse that ultimately goes wrong and gets her banned. At least until the famous surgeon, Dr Beecham, offers her an opportunity: if she can successfully pass the surgeon鈥檚 exam without formal teaching, he鈥檒l allow her to study and allow other women to study too. Of course, to pass the exam, Hazel will need bodies to, um, practice on? Enter Jack.
And, y鈥檏now what they say, the only thing more romantic than a man who will help you bury bodies is a man who鈥檒l help you dig 鈥榚m up in the first place.
That summary barely scrapes the surface of what鈥檚 going on in this book. Alongside Hazel鈥檚 wager with Dr Beecham, there鈥檚 her romance arc with Jack, there鈥檚 her engagement to a Viscount, and the fact her parents conveniently leave she turns her family home into a makeshift hospital. There鈥檚 also a mysterious fever sweeping the city and mysterious disappearances amongst the lower classes, whereas the upper classes seem to be undergoing ever more outlandishly successful surgeries. It鈥檚 kind of like a Regency Repo!The Genetic Opera. Except less utterly bobbins.
With so much happening, it鈥檚 not surprising certain elements of the story are not as well developed as I might have hoped for. Jack, for instance, is definitely a swell guy but he has no personality except 鈥渋s poor, steals bodies, supportive of Hazel.鈥� And maybe that鈥檚 all he needs to be but it did make their romance feel a little bit flat to me. I liked Hazel but she, too, is mainly defined by her ambition which 鈥� I mean? That鈥檚 fine. She has a few moments of doubt when someone in a position of authority actively yells at her but mostly she鈥檚 unwavering resolute鈥攎aking her admirable, more than I think she鈥檚 necessarily relatable. Again, I鈥檓 not saying this a problem. There shouldn鈥檛 be rules for what a heroine needs to be like and I kind of found her lack of vulnerability, plus her morbid fascination with the interiority of bodies, refreshing. And for those who relish a hefty dose of competence porn you certainly can鈥檛 go wrong with Hazel.
Oh my God. She鈥檚 basically Anya Taylor-Joy from The Queen鈥檚 Gambit. Except, instead of playing chess, she likes cutting up dead people.
Speaking of dead people, there鈥檚 also the oddest moment I think I鈥檝e ever read in a romantic subplot where Hazel and Jack go to steal a body for her, exhume a disgustingly mutilated corpse with, like, maggots in his toes, are then nearly caught so 鈥� they hide in the grave, and once the danger has passed start making out. Like, they make out so long that a priest WAKES THEM UP THE NEXT MORNING.
And they are in a grave. Amongst the worms. With a hideously mutilated body just lying on the grass a few feet away. I know danger boners are a thing in romance but 鈥� ye Gods. Kids today. Or rather kids in the 1800s. Fair play to both of them, I guess?
The hideously mutilated corpse, by the way, is another of the waysided plot elements. In the sense its significance becomes apparent later, but neither Jack nor Hazel seem remotely interested in it when they actually encounter it. Again, I realise my values and priorities are way out of whack with the book in general, given my personal discomfort with in-grave sexytimes, but neither one of them at any point remarks, 鈥渉ey, what was the deal with that hideously mutilated corpse we left just lying in the middle of that graveyard?鈥�
I also felt that, while the plot was twisty and exciting, especially in the final third, that there ends up being a bit of a bait and switch. I don鈥檛 want to pick over too much because of spoilers, but essentially the thing we鈥檙e told to be interested in at the beginning of the book does not remotely get resolved by the end. Something else, arguably more important and dramatic, is resolved instead but I still found myself a bit frustrated that I鈥檇 been asked to care about something that became ultimately irrelevant.
In general, though, there鈥檚 lots to appreciate here: I loved the Edinburgh setting, the enthusiastically gross focus on surgery and anatomy, the faintly gothic undertones, the breakneck plotting, and the on-going examination of intersectional privilege. Recommended to anyone who fancies an unusual historical-set YA where the hero isn鈥檛 an absolute psychopath for once.
PS 鈥� Also, sorry to be this dick because I sincerely try to be open-minded about historical 鈥渁ccuracy鈥� not least because insistence of particular ideas of what historical accuracy entails is often a way for the genre to police stories by marginalised authors. Basically, I鈥檓 cool with a modern-flavour to dialogue or with books set in the past having modern values (we are, after all, modern readers) and I鈥檓 even cool with elements of the setting being adjusted for thematic resonance or plot necessity (I mean, is full of well-bred Regency ladies sneaking away from their chaperones to talk loudly about sex while drinking wine and smokes opiates). But I just have to say: there are multiple references to large, unwieldy crinolines in this book and the book is set in 1817. And in 1817 the silhouette was basically a triangle. Extremely high bosom and consequently high waist, long straight gown, heavily embroidered hem. And maybe I鈥檓 being ungenerous here, but this didn鈥檛 feel like a deliberate adjustment to period norms for a specific narrative reason. It felt 鈥� uh. Unnecessary.
March 1, 2022
Honestly, I don鈥檛 think this book was a good match for me, personally. 鈽癸笍 It鈥檚 a bit too gothic and dark and I鈥檓 a baby with blood and cuts and dead bodies. 馃ぎ But I appreciate the writing of time period, scene descriptions, characters etc. So, I think this one will have reviews all over the place. 馃槵
March 23, 2022
My thanks to Dana Schwartz, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley. It's nearly a given with me that if a book is written well, and in this time period, then I'm probably going to love it! What made this one extra special though were the main characters. My love was strong and true for a woman who wants to break out of the mold, and become a Doctor/Surgeon. A man, a body snatcher, who has no other option. I was intrigued by the odd nature of other goings on. Which, by the way were really never explained. But, I could also see how this could be continued into another book. Eh, we'll see? I'll confess that I'd be happy to read more. These characters were compelling.
Want to read
March 30, 2023OMG IT'S FREE ON KU
OBSESSED WITH THAT COVER THO
OBSESSED WITH THAT COVER THO
June 12, 2022
This is a sweet, young adult romance set in Edinburgh in the early 1800s. A young woman wants to become a surgeon, but society and her family are not keen on it. Women physicians are few and far between and she wants to be a surgeon which was considered a very low skill set. She meets a young man, a grave robber, who sells corpses to the anatomy society where she wishes to study. There are sparks. They become unlikely friends who can help each other. Unlikely, because of their different positions in society.
I enjoyed this, although I thought the supernatural aspect was an odd choice for the story, because the rest of the story was rather gritty and grounded in reality. The author sets the scene well for the grave robbing operation. There was one anachronism that was hard to overlook, the young lady rolls her eyes in disgust a couple of times at the young man. Eye rolling was not used in order to show annoyance in this era. It was a sign of lust. It wasn't until modern times (around the 1980s) that eye rolling became synonymous with stupidity.
I enjoyed this, although I thought the supernatural aspect was an odd choice for the story, because the rest of the story was rather gritty and grounded in reality. The author sets the scene well for the grave robbing operation. There was one anachronism that was hard to overlook, the young lady rolls her eyes in disgust a couple of times at the young man. Eye rolling was not used in order to show annoyance in this era. It was a sign of lust. It wasn't until modern times (around the 1980s) that eye rolling became synonymous with stupidity.
October 5, 2022
猸愨瓙猸愨瓙陆
THEMES AND VIBES:
鈥� dark, gruesome, atmospheric, moody
鈥� Edinburgh at the beginning of the 19th century
鈥� a love story, not so much a romance
鈥� a young lady fighting the norms to become a surgeon
鈥� dark academia
鈥� a dash of alchemy
Lots of mixed reviews, but I loved it! It's a new favorite!
You can check out all my thoughts on my book blog NovelOnMyMind.
THEMES AND VIBES:
鈥� dark, gruesome, atmospheric, moody
鈥� Edinburgh at the beginning of the 19th century
鈥� a love story, not so much a romance
鈥� a young lady fighting the norms to become a surgeon
鈥� dark academia
鈥� a dash of alchemy
Lots of mixed reviews, but I loved it! It's a new favorite!
You can check out all my thoughts on my book blog NovelOnMyMind.
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