I enjoyed this story even more than Anatomy, which I did not think would be possible. While I was sad that Hazel left Edinburgh, it made sense that she would need to go to a metropolitan area to grow and learn. I enjoyed the new characters, immensely- although I wish Simon had a better ending. This was such a good, interesting book about anatomy, immortality versus mortality, love, power, and learning. I truly enjoyed it. I loved the excerpts from poems, newspapers, treatises, etc as well!

On another note, I appreciate that Schwartz recognizes that while this is historical fiction, this is not the same universe as ours. I was very confused when Princess Charlotte was a character in 1818 when I googled her and found that she died in 1817. This does not detract from the story whatsoever but it did give me a little pause before I saw that Schwartz wanted to use a universe like ours but maybe not ours… which makes sense with the tincture and all.

As another aside, the cover art for both Anatomy and Immortality are absolutely gorgeous and I could stare at the covers for hours.

This picks up where Anatomy left off, and it's a good thing it hits the ground running. There are lots of new things to love about the sequel, including a princess, an intriguing love interest, and the existence of a secret organization/society wraps it all together.

If you enjoyed the first book, the second definitely does not disappoint. Kind of sad that the duology is over. :(

Immortality is the sequel to Anatomy and pretty much picks up where Anatomy left off. It follows Hazel who gets arrested for practicing medicine. She is doomed to rot in jail for the rest of her life. However, she gets summoned by the royal family to take care of King Geroge IV's daughter. Soon Hazel starts learning more about the British court and gets involved with a social club called the Champions of Death. Hazel just wants to be a surgeon. Things keep trying to threaten her chances of becoming a surgeon. She will do whatever she can to set things right and become what she really wants. 

Last year I read Anatomy and it became one of my favorite YA books I have ever read. So I was super excited to read this one. I ended up loving it just as much as Anatomy. You do need to read Anatomy before reading this one though. This book pretty much picks up right where the last book left off. I really enjoyed this book. There are some gruesome parts to it but those did not deter me from reading. I highly suggest both of these books. They are such good historical fiction, fantasy, romance, and gothic books. I am usually not a fan of these kinds of books. But in this case I am. Loved, loved, loved these books. 

Thank you so much Dana Schwartz, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I was provided both a digital and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley. Thank you to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Young Listeners for the opportunity to read this early. As always, all opinions are my own. This book will be publised on February 28, 2023.

The audiobook was well narrated by Mhairi Morrison. She did a good job with the various characters in the story as this is not told from multiple points of view. The second narrator Tim Campbell has a small part and narrates the news articles that are found at the end of chapters. This is a nice touch to let the listener know that you've exited the story proper and are reading a different form of media related to Hazel's story.

This is the second installment of Schwartz's gothic romance following Hazel Sinnett and her pursuit to be a doctor. I would highly recommend reading Anatomy: A Love Story first as it will give you much of the backstory that leads up to the events that take place in this book. This takes place several months after Anatomy ends, Hazel has a steady stream of patients and she is still holding out hope that Jack is alive, though logic tells her he must be dead. After treating a particularly tricky case, Hazel finds herself in jail, but the Crown interjects and hopes that a lady doctor might be just what the sickly princess needs to get well and perform her royal duties. This is how Hazel finds herself as the personal physician of Princess Charlotte and entangled with a secret society that know about Dr. Beecham and his sinister work.

I loved the mix of historical fiction, horror, gothic romance, and a little bit of sci-fi. Much like the first book Hazel finds herself mixed up in things that call into question her own morals and values. At the end of the day she has to follow her heart and do what she feels is right. I really appreciated that she always valued her patients over fame and fortune, and stuck to her moral compass. The book progresses at a slow to medium pace then it picks up toward the middle of the book as new characters are introduced and things start to happen. Hazel finds herself torn between doing what is right and doing what is convenient and right for others. While some of the plot points (I don't want to spoil any of them) wrap up perhaps conveniently or predictably, I don't think I would have wanted them to go any other way. While Anatomy could have stood as a standalone, this answers many of the questions we had at the end of the first book. I know I was completely satisfied with the ending and couldn't stop smiling at the conclusion.

I really loved this book and the duology as a whole! I loved seeing Hazel as a confident and competent young woman in a society that did not allow women to be doctors and scientists. She is a great example for young women who want to pursue careers in STEM. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future!

When I found out there was a second book, I ran to NetGalley to find out if I could request it. To my absolute delight, they accepted my request and I was able to receive the first book in exchange for my thoughts!

When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamor and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.

As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake for her. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.

I did not want to give too much away of the first or second book so I used part Schwartz’s description. I personally liked this book more than the first. I am more of a light academia person (which is the vibe this book gave off to me) than dark academia (vibe of the first book) so I enjoyed it a lot.

I saw the author’s instagram post of her describing the book without spoilers (thank you Dana Schwartz for the inspiration for one of my pictures). There were parts that the author described in the post that I expected to play more of a part in the book that did not. However I still enjoyed that aspect of the book thoroughly.

The duology is definitely two of my favorites for the month of January, possibly the year depending on how this year goes. I definitely recommend if you enjoy historical fiction with 18th/19th century science vibes.

I was so excited to read Immortality: A Love Story (Anatomy #2) and let me tell you that it did not disappoint! 🥰 Hazel continues to trail blaze her way through medical procedures. There are some incredible plot twists that will have you on the edge of your seat and flipping pages to get to the bottom of it all. Immortality gave me the closure that I needed for Hazel and Jack’s relationship. ❤️ I just love books with strong female protagonists and the medical sciences.
Well done Dana Swartz 👏🏻

Thank you to @wednesdaybooks and @stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. 🙏🏻🥰

#immortalityalovestory #danaschwartz #anatomyalovestory #wednesdaybooks #stmartinspress #smpinfluencers #smpromance #bookadoration #bookstagram #canadianbookstagram #canadianbookstagrammer #mbbookies🦬

What a fun book!
There are so many moments where I know some people might find obscured, silly or gross, but I found them hilarious and weirdly fascinating. I would say if you enjoyed Anatomy, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

There were also some fun new historical figures who showed up and while I’m not sure how it pertained to the overall plot, it was very entertaining.

I appreciated how much more romance we were given in this book. It took a bit of time to show up, but I was never bored waiting for it to happen.

While I did love the romance, I felt like the moments were… short. I think I’ve come to the conclusion that this author doesn’t write long romantic scenes. However, she does write them well and I still enjoyed it. I think I just wanted more of it. Especially considering on the cover it says, “a love story.” While it is satisfying, It's not a sweeping romance. A bit of false advertising if you ask me, but still a fun read.

MAIN CRITICQUE: I will say, this wasn't the Grand finale I was hoping for. It was still satisfying, addictive and it was crazy fun, gory and romantic, but as far as the suspense and unpredictability of the plot, the first one was better. The conflicts in this book were resolved quickly and too easily in my opinion. The rating is only 4 stars because I genuinely enjoyed the story.

Is it worth reading the sequel? YES!! The story is brought to a lovely conclusion, and it is a very bingeable read.

CW: Moderate gore, violence and somewhat open-door romance.
I think this would be perfect for the ages of 14-16.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“There are always women behind the scenes, pulling the strings... We are invisible to history, but we also survive.”

Immortality: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz was a lovely accompaniment to Anatomy. Hazel is as determined as ever to practice medicine and provide the poor of Scotland with medical knowledge that could save lives, even while working through the loss of Jack. I have to admit, I was missing Jack right along with Hazel for half of the book, at times wishing for a dual POV to see glimpses of him and what he was going through at the time. All in all, this historical fantasy duology is one I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone interested in history, science, and a bit of magic 💜✨

Immortality: A Love Story picks up where we left off with Hazel Sinnett, living her life as the only female surgeon in Scotland, working tirelessly on her medical treatise. When she’s uprooted from her work after a false allegation lands her in prison, she finds herself saved by an unexpected job offer- personal physician to Princess Charlotte of Wales. Tasked with identifying her mysterious illness, she takes to London where she finds a secret society, a handsome royal doctor, and many more secrets hidden in this new city. I really loved Schwartz’s first book- Anatomy: A Love Story- and this was a fantastic follow up! I love Hazel so much as a character, so I just love spending time with her. And although I generally hate historical fiction, I love the way Schwartz adds magical elements to history and creates her own world in the confines of that time period. I really enjoyed this one, and I’m officially an auto-buy on whatever Dana Schwartz does next.

The biggest thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this one early!

We join Miss Hazel Sinnett again while she is working as an unlicensed surgeon. The beginning threw me at first, not understanding the role of the Lavosiers in the whole story. Slowly though, everything started to jog my memory and I was right back in the thick of Scotland with Hazel. She is extremely lonely after the loss of Jack, but living quite the "scandalous" life as a surgeon. The upper classes have started utilizing her services too, noting that it was quite convenient to have someone who know how to "behave appropriately and with discretion" when called to their homes. It didn't mean that they accepted what she was doing, however. When she goes to her first social event, the glances and avoidance are clear. But that isn't the worst thing to happen. She is arrested and put in jail, for her aid of a woman who was assaulted and attempting to abort a life. No one comes to her aid, until, by stroke of a miracle, she is summoned to the royal court to attend to the mysterious disease of Princess Charlotte, the beloved royal. Throughout her time at court, she solves the disease plaguing not only the Princess but also the King. She meets the dashing and charming doctor who treats the King and explores a possibility of a life post Jack. She also discovers the secret of the vial that truly does lead the immortality and the darkness it carries in the Lavosiers and their society they form. So many twists and turns ensue and I loved the insertion of modern day themes into the book.

Personally, I was not ecstatic at the ending, possibly because I was much more taken with the prospect of a different life for Hazel (handsome doctor anyone?). However, I did love so much of the book and highly recommend!

I would like to thank St. Martin's press for providing a digital copy of this copy via NetGalley. I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed Anatomy: A love story. I appreciated its exploration of gender roles and medicine in 19th century Scotland. Immortality: A love story continues to explore theme themes, oftentimes in deeper ways. Additionally, it explores our fascination with royalty, that continues to this day. After a series of unfortunate events leave our protagonist at her lowest point, she is given a chance at taking back control of her life when she is tasked with discovering what ails Princess Charlotte, daughter of King George IV. Meanwhile, Hazel is trying to compile a medical guidebook that could be read and followed by anybody. After the events of the first novel, Hazel finds herself pontificating on life and death. A meeting with members of a secret society called the Companions of Death makes her further ponder these ideas. Like with the first novel, the author does a great job of setting up a mystery, providing clues and unraveling secrets slowly. The resolution to these mysteries as well as the ultimate conclusion are both quite satisfying. This was a worthy sequel as it further explored the themes in the first novel as well as examined additional themes that are is still pressing today. It presented this world where women are treated differently than men yet still play absolutely critical roles behind the scenes. It raises some interesting questions. Is a discovery worth presenting to the world even if the creator goes uncredited? Is a life of luxury worth it if one has no autonomy over one’s actions? I appreciated this duology both as a work of historical and science fiction.

This was a very interesting expansion into the life of Hazel Sinnett and how she fights to become a doctor. I will admit that this sequel was very slow but the expansion of the world and science kept me interested throughout.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Immortality: A Love Story releases February 28, 2023

This is the follow up to <i>Anatomy: A Love Story</i> and the conclusion to this YA historical fiction duology.

Set in Edinburgh in 1818, we again see Hazel navigate being the first woman physician/surgeon in the region where she resides.
With most of her family away in London, and as Hazel has recently rejected the marriage to her cousin, she has found herself rather lonely.
To bide her time and strengthen her work, she has been working on her own treatise which she hopes to publish in the future — tailored to all households and written in a way that is approachable for anyone to understand.

Shortly after a woman comes knocking on Hazel’s door in the middle of the night out of desperation and on the brink of death, that same woman then decides to throw Hazel under the bus on false pretenses of being the one to provide the means for an abortion.
This whole debacle leads to a short period of time where Hazel is in jail, only to then be assigned as the physician to London’s Princess Charlotte who is mysteriously ill and refuses to accept care from anyone else. It is their hope that because Hazel is of the same sex and a similar age, that she will be able to figure out what is wrong with the Princess.


If you came to this book directly from <i>Anatomy</i> hoping for immediate gratification pertaining to Jack and Hazel, I think you’re going to be very disappointed like I was.
It’s not until 60% that Jack even makes a reappearance in the story, and even then, the character development was off.
For two characters that pretty much professed their undying love for each other, they mostly acted like polite strangers which really bothered me. The tonal shift between the two (around 84%) was way too sudden, out of left field, and didn’t feel natural compared to the pacing for the rest of the story.

In this sequel, what you will find is a new cast of characters, a secret society group called the Companions to the Death, and a secondary love interest/love triangle situation that leads nowhere but yet had so much potential with the great rivalry banter.
There’s also a sideplot of wlw.

With the way the first book ended, I expected much more. This didn’t quite feel like it was planned out thoroughly in advance to benefit the overarching character development.
In short, I believe that this duology could have and should have been left as an open-ended standalone.
There were also a few major continuity errors that shouldn’t have slipped past editing stages.

cw: mentions of purposely inducing an abortion, gun violence, attempted murder


“Royal court might be a friendlier prison, but it is a prison all the same.”

“But the Tincture to a soul is like milk into tea: you can stir it in, but no matter how vigorously you stir in the other direction, the milk will never separate. The tea is changed, fundamentally.”

Thank you to St Martins Publishing, Wednesday books and NetGallery for the ARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. Once again high marks for Dana Schwartz her writing style is right up my alley. She makes me invested in her character. This love story is swoon worthy. Hazel as a character is smart, strong, bold and just perfection. I couldn’t stop thinking of Anatomy which is book one ( since it was a cliffhanger) and now that I’ve finished Immortality I want more!

A HUGE thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me both an eARC and advance audiobook of my most anticipated release of 2023.

Dana Schwartz reached into my chest, ripped my heart out, forced me to drink a vial of purple liquid, and stuffed my heart back into my chest. And I thanked her..... Or at least that's how reading this book made me feel.

Immortality: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz is a historical fiction sequel to Anatomy: A love story. Which follows the life of Hazel Sinnet as she navigates a society that demands to negate what she can and cannot do, due to her being a woman. Such as her inability to be a surgeon or anything related to the medical field. But Hazel finds a way in dressing in her brother's clothing and enrolling herself in the most pristine medical school in Edinburgh. And it all goes horribly wrong when her identity is discovered, but it slowly goes right as Dr. Beecham sees her talent as a lovely surgeon. Now, Hazel must not loose her head with all the big wig surgeons or her heart to the lovely grave digger, Jack Currer. Who might just be who she needs in the end.

All I have to say, is that I am most grateful said character lived. And though I very much wanted to simultaneously want to punch and kiss them upon their reentry into the story. I will gladly forgive Schwartz for the characterization, upon review of the grave yard kiss.

Immortality: A Love Story was an absolute rollercoaster. Our story opens with Hazel, practicing medicine from her home and recovering from the loss of Jack in her life. After being so invested in Hazel’s story in Anatomy, seeing her do what she loves made me feel like a proud mother.

After a sequence of events leads to Hazel being imprisoned for her “crimes”, Hazel is shocked to find that she has been brought to the royal family to save the beloved princess. This is where our new casts of characters enters and Hazel is thrown into a whole new world.

This story was thought provoking and emotional. I shed so many tears!!! Hazel and her love story just completely have my heart. She is kind, intelligent, and so brave. It has been such a pleasure to read her story.

~Special thanks to NetGalley And Wednesday Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

A perfect sequel! I love historical fiction/fantasy, and this was a great addition to the genre. A little slow at parts, but the writing had such a great flow that it was a pleasure to read from front to back.

Hazel is going through it! After the ending of book one, this sequel begins with hazel getting into a really tough spot. However, she finds herself rescued and set to serve as a physician for Princess Charlotte. Many things happen at Pall Mall, but of utmost importance is (finally) Jack's return.

This was a great read, and I loved how nicely the strings were tied up at the end, leaving me feeling very fulfilled.

Out February 28, 2023!

This was such a fun and satisfying follow up to Anatomy: A Love Story. It was wonderful to be reunited with Hazel and to get closure for the loose ends we were left with in the first book.
Some early reviews have indicated the first half of the book is slow, and that the reviewers didn't enjoy the twisting of history/historical figures, however, I disagree.
The first half was spent reimmersing the reader into Hazel's world and jogging our memory of the first book. Dana Schwartz is excellent at writing descriptions and creating ambience with her words. She could write a whole book about Hazel just chilling in her lab doing nothing and I would read it cover to cover.
The second half of the story moves to London and brings in historical figures and includes the coolest concept for a secret society. I enjoyed the liberties taken in regards to the history- it was genuinely fun to read.
It was so good to have closure to the story and to meet the new characters. The ending was exciting, and sweet, and hopeful. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for an early copy. Now I'm just waiting for release day so I can get my preordered copy!

*an additional note to the publisher- this book would benefit from an additional round of edits for spelling/grammatical errors.

5 stars!

This book was a perfect conclusion to the first one. I absolutely loved this duo and the characters in it! I can’t give it high enough praise. And…I don’t usually like historical books all that much. I’m so picky when it comes to that genre, but this duo was interesting and I couldn’t get enough of them!

As with Anatomy I love 95% of it.....However it completely falls apart in the last few chapters! For example she has this secret society chasing her and her secrets but she doesn't even change her name for medical school? I felt like the concept of upper v. lower class did fit the time period but it was trying to hard to be political.
Also Princess Charlotte died in 1817 but the book is set in 1818.
The secret society stuff was cool but there was a lot of pacing problems