I found this book’s description and cover intriguing enough to beg for a copy on Netgalley, so huge thanks to the publisher and author for sending me one to review! I’ve always enjoyed historical fiction, but this one was just suspenseful enough to be a mix of the thrillers I enjoy so much and the period pieces I used to devour on the regular.

Firstly, the whole idea that med students had to pilfer bodies in order to study anatomy is both fascinating and macabre. Paying criminals to dig up bodies, even if it was for a good cause, is so disturbing! The author is in fact a medical doctor, who I believe wrote the novel after reading a nonfiction book covering this subject, which I’d heard about previously…but still! Great subject matter, but more than a little icky if you think about it too much. The Impossible Girl takes that idea and runs with it in such a fascinating way.

And secondly (I’ll try not to throw in a thirdly, or fourthly), the twists and turns that come about in Cora trying to save herself from an untimely end were terrific. Sometimes you see things coming at you before they happen in thrillers, and a few of the bends in this novel didn’t come as too much of a shock, but others truly took me by surprise.

I’d pull out my thesaurus to find more words for unique, but I’m feeling lazy...so I'll stick with this story being incredibly unique!

The Impossible Girl was a fun, twisty book to spend my time and imagination inside, and well worth a look as we sit curled up inside for the winter.

Loved this book! Had great character development, was written very well, and boy was the plot thickkkk. I'm not one to jump and guess at the ending, and this book easily lead me along through the twists of the story, so that was perfect!

I look forward to reading more of Lydia's work!

One Sentence Synopsis: Girl with two hearts tries to survive 1850’s Manhattan and the people who want her for her unique anatomy.

Why You Should Be Reading: Kang creates a vividly detailed world with so much atmosphere and intricate pieces, that you find yourself feeling like YOU ARE in 1950’s Manhattan. Our heroine is fighting for her life, that’s a constant in this book, but it’s not the only thing that she spends her time worrying over.

There’s a bit of romance, loads of history, and a splash of fantasy that transforms this book into an impossibly great read. Not gonna lie, there are moments that will make you sit back, take pause, and wonder what you just read, but sometimes that leads to some of the more interesting reads.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Paranormal, POC Lead

Other Books by Lydia Kang: A Beautiful Poison, The November Girl, Control

Learn more about the author HERE.

Buy The Impossible Girl HERE.

Add The Impossible Girl to your Goodreads HERE.

Everyone loves a freak show. This book is begging to be read by lovers of The Greatest Showman, American Horror Story, Etc. What would you do with two hearts.

I am currently working on expanding our school library's senior section after years of a dismal and uninspiring selection of books that our older readers never checked out. My job has been to seek out much more diverse, gripping and modern books that will get them into reading by appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible. This really appealed to me because of its fantastic narrative and sense of atmosphere, combined with believable characterisation and its pageturning nature. It's hard to get young people into reading and if the library is not stocking the kind of book that they might grow up to buy as adult readers then we are not really meeting their needs. I can imagine this provoking lots of discussion after finishing it and a long queue of people trying to reserve it as they've heard so much about it. Will definitely be buying a copy and know that it's going to be a very popular choice. An engrossing read that kept me up far too late to finish reading it. It certainly stood out from the other books that I was considering and I will be looking out for more from Lydia in the future!

It was absolutely impossible for me not to love this book. The Impossible Girl is full of eerie mystery, questionable characters & addictive twists, that left me on the edge of my seat until the very last page of the epilogue. The idea behind this book was wonderfully original & the writing was brilliantly intelligent. But most importantly, this fantastic story managed to pull me out of my reading slump quicker than Jacob & his boys could remove a body from its grave. This is one of those ARCs that I feel truly privileged to have received.

⚠️ This book contains death, violence, racism, sexism & scenes of a sexual nature ⚠️

Set in Manhattan in the mid-1800s, there’s rumor of a girl with two hearts. They aren’t the kind of rumors that hurt your feelings or may ruin your social status, but that can literally get you killed and your body cut open and displayed for all to see. And the rumors are true: Cora Lee was born with two hearts. In order to keep anyone from discovering this, and to navigate society, she spends the day as Cora and the night disguised as her “twin brother” Jacob. She’s also robbing graves to sell the bodies to medical schools and those who are seeking body anomalies. She does this for money, and so that she can hear if anyone is looking for the girl with two hearts–her! Her life is complicated enough when suddenly people on her list of anomalies–who she waits to die of natural causes–start suspiciously dying. Will she figure out what is happening before she’s in the grave?… This was one of those novels where I was sucked in from the first page and absolutely adored Cora. Another win for the historical feminist mysteries category!

The impossible girl by Lydia Kang was a spooky gothic read perfect for late night reading. I loved how this story involved so many elements including a good old fashioned Victorian mystery. Highly recommended!

When you're worth more dead than alive, who can you trust? Since Cora was born with two hearts, rumors of her have been circulating in the world of anatomists and those curious about physical anomalies. As an adult, she's a skilled grave robber who often poses as a man to access forbidden spaces, allowing her to make money and have her ear to the ground for when people with bad intentions come looking for the girl with two hearts.

I love this wonderful roller coaster of a novel, full of delightfully unsavory characters, daring thefts of bodies, and shocking betrayals. Cora is a fantastic protagonist, and the world Lydia Kang builds around her is grimy, dangerous, and captivating. If you're looking for an escapist book to get lost in, this is the perfect historical mystery for you!

I was not only drawn to this beatiful cover but drawn to the original premise of the story! What a unique idea Kang has executed. The story is not like anything that I have ever read before. The first couple of chapters went by slow for me but once I got into it, I was super interested in what was going on.

Cora's unique medical ailment of having two hearts was perfectly executed for her character as she was living as two people, herself and her brother Jacob, and also living two seperate lives being a resurrectionist and portraying a well-off woman. What I had a hard time believing was her ability to work and dress as a man for so long without her coworkers catching on. I know that passing as a man has been done multiple times in history for various reasons but I would assume that makeup, especially during the 1800's wouldn't be necessarily the most believable especially while working up a sweat digging and moving bodies postmortum. I did admire Cora's medical intelligence for the time period and also admired her hardworking attitude that was not a norm in the 1800's for women.

I was at first so appalled thinking of the resurectionist aspect but as I continued to read, I grew more and more knowledgable about how doctors and other medical professionals really relied on bodies to explore and study in order to advance the medical community. I really had to put myself into the time period to look past my preconceived notions. Being a teacher in Philadelphia and spending more time in the city than I get to spend time in my own home in New Jersey, I liked the aspect that they brought up Philadelphia's Mutter Museum a few times. It intrigued me to do some more research about the museum here in the city.

The story is twisted and I didn't foresee much of anything. I knew our twisted character was twisted but there wasn't much to pick up on and I thought maybe this character was just a red herring.

This is a historical fiction and murder mystery tied all into one. I highly recommend getting into this book. You'll never see what's coming.

Really enjoyed this book. It's dark, atmospheric and a story unlike other stories. There are some great plot twist and overall just a great read.

The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang
Lake Union Publishing, 2018
Fiction (Historical); 364 pgs
Source: NetGalley for TLC Tour

I admit I have been shying away from doing book tours as of late, but when I was offered the chance to read and review this one, I jumped right on it. I love historical fiction and throw in a woman in an unconventional role, and I cannot resist. I knew resurrectionists existed, but did not know much about the field or their role in society. Lydia Kang certainly whet my appetite for wanting to know more. I especially like it when historical fiction novels have strands of truth running through them--and it's clear the author did a lot of research on the time period her novel is set in, Manhattan, 1850.

I was taken by Cora Lee's confidence and double life immediately. By day she is a lady and by night a rough and tumble man. To the outside world, she is Cora and her twin brother Jacob. She's mastered the two roles she plays so well that they each have their own distinct personalities. Having spent a good part of her life having to pretend to be a boy in order to keep her true identity hidden, it is no wonder she is so well able to fool those around her. Diagnosed at birth with having two hearts, Cora has spent her life protecting her secret. Grave robbers like herself and those, particularly anatomists, who buy the bodies she procures would pay a pretty penny for a woman with two hearts after all.

When a young medical student, Theodore Flint, steps in her path, Cora wants nothing to do with him. He takes a shine to the unusual woman though, struck by her beauty, wit and no nonsense attitude. Not to mention he has heard she, her brother and their team are the best resurrectionists around--and he wants to learn the trade.

Cora has long had an agreement with several doctors in the city that upon the deaths of certain individuals with special health conditions, she will be informed first so that she can collect their bodies. Whether for research or spectacle, these bodies are a hot commodity. Just as hers would be if she were to end up dead. When some of these people seem to be turning up murdered, Cora comes to realize she might be next. Does someone know her secret? She no longer trusts those around her, not even those who claim to be on her side.

Lydia Kang sets the stage for the novel quite well, wrapping it in history, not only capturing the time period in terms of the setting, questionable and medical advances, roles and treatment of women, and the profitability of the strange and the odd. I loved every minute of this deliciously dark novel. I was drawn to both the mystery and the romance, as well as Cora's personal history and relationship--or lack there of--with her biological family. I was hopeful I would like this novel, and I came away loving it--every suspenseful twist and bit of drama.

I really liked The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang! I thought the concept was unique and the setting was really fascinating. I don't typically read much that takes place in a historical time period, but I really liked it here. I also didn't guess who the killer was!!

A very interesting story with an awesome character who reminds me a lot of Audrey Rose from Stalking Jack the Ripper. The Impossible Girl is the story of Cora, who makes a living off digging up bodies and selling to universities. But she has a secret: she has two hearts. In the wrong hands, this information might cost her life.

This was so gripping and full of drama, I don't know why I expected a thriller with hints of horror, but it's closer to a drama with some romance and a bit of thriller. I really liked Cora and I liked the story, but it felt like there was lots of unnecessary drama and too many "plot twists" that I saw from a mile a way. But it was an entertaining read!

Lydia King has brought lovers of Historical Fiction a fresh and new story line to a genre that is often overly saturated with plots centering around WWII. New York in the mid 1800's is a place full of the unknown medically speaking and a market place for side and freak shows. How are this two things so different yet connected? Resurrectionist ! Cora and her "twin" Jacob have found not only does their livelihood but also Cora"s life depends on the under ground market of grave robbing. This mystery thriller takes the reader through a fast paced, heart gripping ride that will have you trying to predict an unpredictable ending. Is Cora really the girl with two hearts? Can she run from the people that hire her to find this rumored medical miracle? Who will betray her first? The answers come so surprisingly fast that you wont want to put this book down. Grab your copy now and find out what all the well deserved fandom for this book is.

Cora Lee was born in the 19th century, and floats between the upper crust and the slums and graveyards in New York. She makes her living as a resurrectionist, meaning that she spends her nights in the graveyards (dressed as her “twin” brother) procuring freshly dead bodies with interesting afflictions for anatomists. They pay her incredibly well for doing this job. The job also allows her to stay a step ahead of those that are looking for her. She is hunted for being one of those with an interesting affliction- Cora was born with two hearts. Now there are murders happening closer and closer to her, and she doesn’t know who she can trust, because she is being hunted down by someone who wants her before she dies her natural death.
This new release from Lydia Kang was phenomenal! It was full of everything that I hoped that it would have from the description: action packed, science, medicine, history, some romance (but not enough to overtake the story), a twisty thriller, and a wonderfully strong female lead. The writing was beautiful and flowed well. The characters were very well fleshed out, and showed great growth throughout the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

The Impossible Girl made me think! It sent me to the internet to find out more about medical practices and conditions (and resurrectionists). This book also made me think - about the changes in our concerning race, women, and class structures. I can see The Impossible Girl used in a high school or college level class. It would make an interesting literature tie in to an American History class. I can also picture it as a movie. One thing I looked for, but did not find, were questions for book discussion groups.

Melinda Samaniego's review Oct 05, 2018 · edit
A really fun read! This story is set in the mid 1800's New York, and tells the story of a young woman who is forced to live a double life as Cora and her "brother", Jacob, to protect her identity. Cora was born with two hearts, and if it was known, would be sought out by collectors for their museums or freak shows. A really interesting story and some very well written chatacters that I liked. I enjoyed learning more about Cora's profession and some of the language of the times. Would highly recommend the book and will be reading her other book, The Beautiful Poison.

This is the prefect book to segway into fall. .It is mysterious,., atmospheric and spooky.
I loved the story and highly recommend this for your fall reading.

We are introduced to New York City in 1850 which is a dark cruel place to live. People with abnormalities are being dissected to determine what made them occur. as they die off. or are murdered for a price. Bodies are being sold to the highest bidder. The bodies are then put on display to the public. Cora Lee is the only female resurrectionist and she is smart and savvy enough to stay on top of the macabre goings on. She has to protect herself as she was born with two hearts. If she is found out she will be killed and her body put on display.

This book has grave robbing, abnormalities, many murders, and a outstanding mystery. If you enjoy a little 'darker read and don't mind the descriptions in dept of many murders this is the perfect fall read for you.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinion is my own.

Well, that was interesting...

Truly an interesting and rather unexpected read. A tale of a young woman determined to make a life for herself during a time where women are regarded as the inferior gender by society - filled with murder, mystery and twisted family hierocracy. In some ways, it quite reminds me of These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly which I really enjoyed as well.

And honestly, I did not guess the killer right at all. Which is pretty rare, so kudos to the author for throwing me for a loop.