This sequel picks up where the first book ended and I think I enjoyed it even more! Another stunning cover, this story sees Hazel trying to make a place for herself as a female physician in 18th century Edinburgh. An epic historical fantasy full of magical immortality elixirs, star-crossed lovers, secret societies and a memorable female lead. This is a must read series for YA fantasy fans! I did find it dragged a bit in the middle, but overall a very enjoyable reading experience! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I must say, this book drew me in from the very beginning. Anatomy was a much slower start, but it pays off for the immediate entertainment and intrigue that we find in Immortality. The plot never staled, the characters were all interesting and played their parts excellently. I was kept guessing, and even when I thought I had it all solved, Hazel would surprise me with a new decision. Even so, I never felt Hazel sway from her true self and it was enjoyable to see her grow into her role as surgeon.

I highly recommend this, especially if you enjoyed Anatomy.

Gothic love story? Historical fiction? Feminist fiction? YA? Dystopian? I’m not even sure how I would put this into a box and I’m happy for that because a smash of genres always works so well for me.

Book 2 of the series created by Dana Schwartz was a breeze to sink into. I venture into saying that I may have enjoyed it even more than book 1. Which almost never happens for me in a book series.

The book opens up to the “after” of Jack’s hanging. A distraught Hazel isn’t sure to believe that the vial that promised Jack Immortality really worked as he’s disappeared from this earth. And as a woman of science she knows that immortality isn’t possible…. Or is it?

Hazel finds herself immersed in her world of anatomy: curing, saving and fixing up medical issues for people in surrounding areas despite there being no honour in it. For she’s a woman in a man’s field… and what’s worse… an unmarried woman. *gasp *eyeroll

When she finds herself accused of murder (abortion) , the reader begins the new journey of watching Hazel’s life from a jail cell to the life as a royal doctor. And while that sounds like a rags to riches, we know that she’s still “just” a woman doctor with no accreditation to her name and a broken heart for the boy who stole her heart.

Magical realism, herbal remedies, a peer that ends as an equal and a fun mix of historical characters that bleed lines between historical fact and fantasy fiction. A YA blend of genres that gave me the escapism that I needed. Totally recommend for anyone who enjoys all of the above genres or got swept away with books like “Fable”.

One thing I want to say though, is it wrong that part of me wanted her to end up with the “other”? No spoilers but I’m torn between both of the guys and yet loved the way it wrapped up (esp for Princess Charlotte) 4.5 stars ⭐️

This book was challenging for me to get into. After reading the first book and being left heartbroken at the end, I was beyond excited to see a second book out! I do not think this book was quite as good as the first, but I still enjoyed reading it. I am so happy that the book wrapped up nicely, with no loose strings. When I finished this book, I was fulfilled, which made my heart happy.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher, and Dana Schwarts for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Anatomy was one of my best books of 2022. It got six stars from me and I loved the intelligent, unique ya female character mixed with the dark, gothic, morbid feel of the story. I was so excited for this one to see what happens with Jack and an exploration of his and Hazels relationship. Unfortunately this book was a real disappointment. It started off fine, I was underwhelmed to not see Jack but figured maybe the author was going a different route and he wasn't going to be part of the story at all. When Hazel ends up in prison I thought that was going to be the exciting new plot but it just ended. This story lost all the charm and uniqueness of book one. There's no longer this gothic, morbid, dark academic feel. Instead I got more of a young adult Bridgerton esque, court politics, with a bare thread of the dark academia left over. We went from focusing on Hazel's medical interests and in depth attention to her surgeries to focusing on her dresses and who will be her dance partner. The singular plot of book one disappeared to give me way too many plots that weren't focused on long enough for me to become invested. Hazel goes to prison, she becomes the Dr to princess, new love interest, secret society, Jack is back, throw in some fake death and an LGBT love that I didn't even care about because it didn't seem organic to the story and thrown in for shock value. So disappointing that it took another 65% of this story for Jack to come into the story. At that point between two books we've gotten about 80% plot with no relationship and 20% with and I'm expected to belive this is a romance for the ages.....HOW??? If Hazel and Jack would have been together at the start of this book and their relationship had developed I would have felt more about it but I never got enough to see their chemistry grow. I liked Simon's introduction as a possible love interest, I felt like I knew more about his backstory than I ever did Jack's. He seemed like a great fit for Hazel but no his storyline gets thrown aside like every other ya 2nd choice love interest despite him being the better option because I'm expected to belive Jack is her soul mate....again how, where did that develope??? While I enjoyed the historical influences the author took, it ultimately wasn't enough to give this story any appeal. There was little tension and morbid curiosity here that I loved about the first. I ended up giving immortality a very low 3 star and will just think of Anatomy as a stand alone from this point.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC! In a rare case, I actually enjoyed the second book in a series more than the first. I think the storyline was just much more interesting, with the addition of Dr. Ferris and Princess Charlotte, the Companions of Death, etc.
This book was full of tropes that I don't usually enjoy but that really worked in this book! I also think having real people be in the Companions of Death was really cool. It was kind of funny that they were all described as celebrities/famous people (I know they were, I just can't see them as not historical figures).
I LOVED the storyline with Charlotte and Eliza. I'm so glad they got to run away to Bavaria together, and the little story with them at the end was adorable. I was hoping the two of them would be lovers, but I didn't think it would actually be written. I'm so glad that Hazel ended up taking the potion so that she could be with Jack, and Jack grew on me a ton in this book.
I liked this book a loottttt more than the first, and while I do wish i could read more about the characters, I like the open ending (and the fact that it's a duology) because you can fill in whatever story you want.

4.5 Stars
Oh man I really enjoyed this!! Usually you don’t have much love for sequels, but this was actually one worth reading. You can skip out if you don’t want to know what happened to Jack- WHY DONT YOU WANT TO KNOW?!

Great storyline that built off book 1 instead of rewriting the same story in a different way. This one gave you more backstory on Beecham and the tincture. You meet new characters that you love to hate and ones you hate to love. And Jack… JACK! I’m really happy with how this was done. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was constantly trying to guess how things were going to work out.

Slightly more romance in this one. The love story still isn’t the main aspect of the book. I do think the love was done better in this book than book 1 (that’s not saying book 1 was bad). I really get the impression that Schwartz grew from writing book 1. That’s why this sequel turned out so good.

Definitely would recommend.

Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books for this digital ARC.

I absolutely love these book covers. They’re gorgeous, and they are covers that would display beautifully on a shelf.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, almost more than the first. The pacing was fast, and the story was intriguing. The strong feminism weaved throughout the story and the dark gothic feel made this story a really enjoyable read.

Like the first, I didn’t finish this book feeling obsessed, but I was entertained and would recommend this book to other readers.

This was an entertaining sequel that will probably appeal to most fans of the first one! When this book starts, we quickly see a setting change to a new location, and this helps it feel like a distinct story. I still love Hazel, the main character, and I think she's great. The side characters weren't quite as strong for me, and I wish I had connected with them a little more. I did enjoy the writing! The pacing was my biggest issue with this book--the beginning felt very slow and then later on, something happens that makes the plot start racing. By the end, it was going too fast, the opposite problem! All things considered, if you liked the first one (and especially if the cliffhanger ending made you NEED to know what happened next), it's worth reading this to see the next part of the story!

3.5

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

3.75 stars

After reading Anatomy, I so desperately wished there would be a sequel. When Immortality was announced, I was THRILLED! The ending to the first book was ambiguity at its finest, and I was so excited to see Hazel's story continued.

Hazel is operating as doctor & surgeon to the underserved community in Edinburgh when, in a quite surprising turn of events, gets hired to London as a last resort to diagnose Princess Charlotte. The princess has been sick for some time, and no doctor has been able to figure out what is ailing her. While in London, Hazel comes across the Companions of Death, a secret society that is more connected to her past than she realizes.

I do think this book would have worked better as a #1.5 novella rather than a full sequel. The gothic & mysterious vibe of the first book was absent here, and it was much more filler "day-in-the-life" than having a plot to drive it forward. We don't really get a mystery until 60-ish% into the book, and it's sort of background to the actual story.

That said, I do love the characters in this world and even though it didn't exactly meet my expectations, I still enjoyed this read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

THIS WAS SO FUN! I read it in one sitting. hazel is as fearlessly headstrong and one step ahead of everyone else and committed to doing the right thing as always, old beloved characters make a reappearance, new characters like Simon and Princess Charlotte and Marie-Anne all add some welcome tension and intrigue into the mix, and the end…the end is just fundamentally flawless. (cue the tears and applause!)

dana Schwartz did not disappoint with Immortality: A Love Story. this series is such a breath of fresh air to the YA genre — beginning with an MC who prioritizes the pursuit of intelligence, shattering glass barriers and leading with kindness over all else to elements of a nearly-believable fantasy tale steeped in science and the unknown. a wonderfully inventive duology!

*thanks to netgalley and the published for an ARC.*

Immortality: A Love Story is the second and final book in The Anatomy Duology. Anatomy, the first book, concluded without much resolution. But Schwartz delivers a more well rounded conclusion to Hazel Sinnett’s story. We find Hazel still treating patients at Hawthornden while she continues to wonder whether Jack is even alive. After helping a young woman, she is arrested and left in prison until she is offered a deal to be the personal physician of a chronically ill Princess Charlotte. While at court, she finds herself amongst a social club of brilliant minds called The Companions to Death.

I really enjoyed this young adult duology. I felt Immortality was a better balanced story than Anatomy. It is full of gothic mystery and medical science with Frankenstein undertones. I also enjoyed the storyline at court; the romance and royalty. There is also a love triangle of sorts here as Hazel finds herself drawn to the King’s personal physician. In this surgeon she finds not only a professional equal but a friend. Yet she cannot let the memory of Jack fade.

Dana Schwartz has written a great gothic story with a perfect setting and likable characters. Immortality is an enjoyable send off to our heroine Miss Hazel Sinnett.

Content Warning: surgery, medical scenes, misogyny

I definitely had to read this sequel because the way the first book Anatomy ended was in need of some serious closure! The closure happens in this book. This is what I thought:

+ The book covers for this series are one of my favorites of all time. It’s so cool!

I like being back in Hazel Sinnett’s world as she works as a doctor and helping those that need. This time she is trying to publish a book all about medicine but life hasn’t been easy for her. But I love all the medical stuff, which seems gory but not in a horror way. I found all of it fascinating!

+ What I enjoyed so much about the first book was the gothic vibes and the historical fiction aspects of the book. There is no gothic vibes in this one because it’s set at the royal palace but I did enjoy the historical parts once more especially in reference to the royals and the immortals. I thought the secret society of immortals was kind of cool though one particular character is not very likable.

+ I’m glad Hazel and Jack got some closure – I was waiting for it since book one!

~ While I’m glad there was closure for Hazel and Jack, he only appeared almost 200 pages into the story. And the book is only 289 pages. So…I wish we got to see Jack earlier? Although it was cool to see Hazel living her life, missing him and thinking maybe she could move on. I just wish we got more of him in the book.

~ This is a quick read but I think the new things brought up in this book, the immortals, the villain, and maybe undoing the tincture just didn’t feel solid. It felt like it was thrown in to make the story longer and then it ends. I think some of this could have been added to book one or developed more to make a three book series. Or maybe this could have been a novella? I’m not sure but it didn’t seem to connect to book one as easily.

Why you should read it:
*you want some closure if you read the first book Anatomy
*you like medical fiction, especially historical fiction where a woman doctor is rare

Why you might not want to read it:
*not into the gory medical stuff
*it gives closure but the story feels like multiple separate ones at times

My Thoughts:

I love the covers for this series – they really are amazing! I really enjoyed Anatomy but I think Immortality falls a bit short of my expectations. I got the closure I wanted for Hazel and Jack but definitely not in the way I expected. I did enjoy being back in Hazel’s world of practicing medicine and see her so passionate about it. I like the time period it’s set in and having her be around the English royals. Overall, it’s entertaining an entertaining read if you like medical historical fiction.

I had an interesting experience reading Anatomy: A Love Story. I was actually enjoying the book for the majority of it despite it being a gothic which never work for me. That was until the gothic aspect of the book really kicked in, and I was suddenly not enjoying myself anymore. I had no idea though that it wasn't a standalone and actually had a sequel.

I wanted to read this because it gave me a bit of hope that the series was able to turn around after the way the previous one ended. Unfortunately, I found that this book didn't stand great both as a singular book and as a sequel and final book in a series.

I won't go into extensive detail because most of what didn't work about this book for me was the lack of content. Or to be more specific the lack of content that connects this book to the previous one. We follow Hazel who, after helping someone despite the illegality of it, ends up in jail for the foreseeable future. The promise of a dismal outcome changes though when she is requested to aid Princess Charlotte, the daughter of the current king of England. Things get even more complicated once she gets entangled in the court and a mysterious organization.

Now, did I mind this plotline, no, but I found there was one question looming over my head the entire time, why? Why did the author feel the need to create this plot in order to complete the story? A lot of what happened in this felt very redundant as what was happening was only there to serve one purpose, and it took a lot of time to even get to said purpose. Anything that happened in this that was imperative to round out the story could have easily been achieved had the author extended the first book a bit and made it into a standalone. And those needed plot points, like the last book, also occurred very abruptly which led to some pacing issues as well.

I also can't say I was the biggest fan of Hazel herself, as well as the addition of a new love interest for her. It wasn't necessary nor was it written particularly well considering how fast it burned. Hazel also simply had a lot of lapses of logic in this book which doesn't seem to fit in with her character. The climax of her character arc as well ended up being predictable which didn't help.

Overall, while I wouldn't say this was bad, I didn't find it to be necessary. The story could have been better, at least for me, had it been a separate book or cut down and combined with the first book.

Thank you, St.Martin's Press and Wednesday Books, for giving me the opportunity to review this in advance. My review will be posted to my blog two weeks in advance of the release date.

The covers of book 1 and 2 are just *chef's kiss*; truly some of the prettiest ones I have seen in a while. I have a phys. copy of the first and will be buying this one for my bookshelf as well.
These books are so easily binged due to the flowy, uncluttered writing style.
This book is just as good as the first one in the series, so don't skip out on getting a conclusion for Hazel & Jack! The only way I could be happier is if there were more books in this realm.
Dana is an auto-buy author for me going forward after these two wonderful amd entertaining books.
TYSM for letting me be an ARC reader for this one.

4.75 stars.

One of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and fantastic follow up to Anatomy: A Love Story (thank goodness for that because the ending was a total killer of a cliffhanger), but I am truly saddened to find that this is listed as a duology rather than a trilogy. I'm just plainly in love with Dana Schwartz's world and I could honestly have this just continue on as an infinite series at this point. Once again, a gorgeous cover that is truly brilliantly matched to the subject material. And a great blend of historical fiction with a touch of sci-fi.

The characters in this second of the duology were just as lovely as the first. The plot wasn't quite a seamless and did have some waffling moments, but I enjoyed the journey all the same. The tale is gripping and entertaining with a mixture of so many genres peppered in to the narrative. I very much enjoyed the read and how quickly the story moved. The historical content was lovely and both imaginative and intriguing. Yes...I am that nerd who looks up the characters after the fact to discover the real histories.

Dana Schwartz is a fantastic writer who delivers the goods in her novels. Great story, wonderful characters, and atmospheric writing. Loved this. Dana...please write more. :)

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book! The following is a review by a school librarian. Immortality: A Love Story is a sequel that takes us back to the story readers fell for in Anatomy: A Love Story, offering a brand new tale about heroine physician Hazel Sinnett. Fans of the novel's predecessor will not be disappointed when diving into this new work that offers all of the twists, turns and science laced with romance that they enjoyed before. This novel is a perfect addition to library collections serving the teen/YA population and will be admired by both romance and STEM fans alike for its admirable love story with a dash scientific magical realism.

DNF with the 'why the heck did I request this?' being my main thought. Actually, no, my main thought is 'this is so gross!' I'd forgotten how gross the first one was and this one seemed determined to meet that level of squelching, oozing, solidifying-chunks-of-pus levels of gross from the get-go.

I tried to move past it but the in-your-face grossness of the audio was quickly too much for me. I will say that the narrator did an excellent job with the character voices and voice acting.

I'm sure people will love it, but after trying several times to get into it, re-reading my review for the first book and then reading several reviews for this book, I can tell that it's definitely not for me and my opinion of it won't improve. Other than the grossness, I had several issues with the plot of the first book and I read quite a few reviews (after realizing how very opposite of interested in continuing I was) where those same issues are pointed out here and people seem to think they're more glaring than in the first book.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy of the book and audio for review.

After finishing "Anatomy," I was hoping another book would come along and explain maybe just a bit more. I really did enjoy "Anatomy" but I didn't feel like the whole immortality thing fit with the story. But after reading "Immortality," I have a better understanding of the immortality aspect and it actually does fit the story. And it actually makes me love "Anatomy" a little more.

Some of the things about this new novel I didn't like were the extra little story lines. There's the interaction between Hazel and Simon. With the two of them being doctors, I totally get that interaction. And with the uncertainty of Jack's whereabouts (if he was even still alive), I can also understand the possible new love interest. But that relationship just felt almost forced. They work together, so of course they have to fall for each other? Pass.

There is also the story of Princess Charlotte. She's the reason why Hazel had to travel to London in the first place. From the first time Hazel meets Charlotte, I knew exactly what was wrong with Charlotte. Charlotte got the happy ending she was hoping for, and it made for a cute little story, but for some reason I just didn't enjoy it.

And can we talk about the people Hazel left behind at Hawthorden? When she left, her cook/servant was pregnant and about ready to pop. She was worried about the birth and Hazel had assured her everything would be fine. But what happened to her?

Without Dr. Beecham in the picture, Hazel needed someone else to turn to for the intellectual stimulation she wants. Enter The Companions of Death. Again, when this group of highly intelligent individuals was introduced and what they offered to Hazel, I knew immediately how it would end.

Overall, this was a good book to answer any questions that remained from "Anatomy." I just wish there weren't so many extra story lines. It was almost too distracting.

Wow! Dana Schwartz has blown me away with this sequel! I really enjoyed Anatomy, but I loved Immortality. This was an amazing sequel and perfect ending to the duology. In Immortality, we once again join Hazel Sinnett in the 1800s. Jack is gone, and Hazel is alone in Hawthornden Castle, treating patients and working on an anatomy book for the masses. But trouble is lurking around the corner, and Hazel soon finds herself charged with murder and in a whole lot of trouble. On the day she expects to be hanged, like her lover Jack, she is unexpectedly released and rushed off to London to treat Princess Charlotte. Princess Charlotte is suffering from an undiagnosed disease and it is up to Hazel to diagnose and treat her. If she cannot , she will be sent back to jail and hung.

At the castle, she meets Simon, the castle doctor, and a small romance begins to flourish. She also comes into contact with the Companions of Death, a secret club in London that Hazel is most curious about.

Life gets more and more crazy in London and Hazel realizes things are not as they seem. Can Hazel save herself and Princess Charlotte ?

Beautifully written, lots of action and adventure, a great conclusion. An easy 5 stars from me.