I loved being back in the world of Anatomy! I was a big fan of the first book, so I was naturally excited to see the progression of the story. Immortality was a quick and easy read that was entertaining, especially for readers who were big fans of Hazel. I loved the addition of her second love interest, Simon (who I will gladly take since Hazel didn't) and her new friends Eliza and Charlotte. The Secret Society of real historical figures was really fun, especially since I studied some of them in a history of women in science and technology class in college! Immortality combined the scientific atmosphere of Anatomy and the court/monarchy politics of London, which was a huge win for me.

However, there is very little that connects Immortality to the original plot, setting, and characters of Anatomy. None of the side characters from Anatomy, such as Iona or Beecham, were in this for more than 10% of the story; most of the side characters in Immortality were introduced in this book. I missed the Gothic setting of Hazel's castle in Scotland even though I did enjoy royal London. If you did not enjoy Anatomy or are satisfied with how it ended, this installment will most likely be unnecessary for you; in all honesty, you could probably skip it unless you want to spend more time with Hazel. While I enjoyed this sequel, I don't know if it was wholly necessary to answer the questions from the end of Anatomy. Most of this book did seem like filler (Jack didn't even appear until 60% of the way through), but because I liked Hazel and her story so much, I still had a good time. The ending also felt rushed, and while my questions were answered, I would have liked to have a little more substance and closure when leaving these beloved characters.

With all that being said, I still loved this book. Schwartz's writing is beautiful but also easy to digest, which is an unbeatable combination in my opinion. I would continue to read books set in this world!

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

4 stars

I loved _Anatomy_, so I could not wait to jump right into this conclusion to the duology, and the only disappointment I have is that it's all over. We need more!!!!!

Hazel, the m.c., is in a transitional state (word to the wise: read the first novel in the duology. It's excellent, but it's also important for really appreciating this m.c. more than just reading this book as a standalone will allow). She goes from one extreme location to another near the start of the novel, and frankly, she's so interesting that I almost don't care where she is. Her assuredness, sense of rebelliousness, and especially her love for what she does (and CAN do) all make her a compelling character whose adventures could really go far beyond even these two great reads.

In addition to an intriguing historical setting and fun-to-read characters, there's some nice work with a variety of social issues. This never feels didactic: just relevant to the characters' and audiences' experiences. It's not surprising (though it remains depressing) that so many of the issues present in this text are still ubiquitous today. I think the target audience will continue to find the connections meaningful and surprisingly familiar to their own experiences.

I have so enjoyed this duology and really look forward to more YA, specifically, from Schwartz!

While i did't really like the first book that much, i was hoping the sequel would be better and promising since the ending of book one left me gasping. But sadly that wasn't the case either.
There are too many plots going on in this book, sometimes making it difficult to keep track of and/or making it difficult to discern which ones are the important ones and which ones are fleeting and just a way to keep the story going.
The idea of immortality and the whole gothic aesthetic behind it is absolutely interesting but the book doesn't make it seem that way. That was the problem with the first book as well.
As for the romance, it failed to spark any interest in me. I didn't care for Hazel and Jack's romance in the first book either and i would have much preferred if the story ended there instead of continuing into a sequel (even though it left loose threads in the end). Maybe if it followed another set of characters it would have been better.
Overall, there were moments that i truly enjoyed in the book, but i wouldn't say it's something that i would want to reread again.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc copy of Immortality: a love story in exchange for an honest review!

Good god I just love Hazel Sinnet...

Anatomy: A Love Story itched a part of my brain that made me wish I could give a book six stars. The conclusion of Immortality: A Love Story was, to me, predictable. BUT, it was in the best way. The ending to this book is exactly what I wanted for the characters. The FMC feels like a completely real person that I would like to sit down and have lunch with. Plus we get an added bonus of a beautifully written LGBTQ+ story between two side characters that have more passion for each other than I have seen displayed out of main characters from other books.

I took my time reading this simply because I did not want it to end.

Dana Schwartz, please, never stop writing. You are spectacular at it.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4869673489

Let me start by saying how much I love the cover art for this series. From the first time I saw it as a tiny image on my phone, I was impressed with how an anatomical heart was used on the cover. Imagine my surprise when I noticed that that it was a dress forming the heart. Of course after finishing Anatomy, I was a bit disappointed that the ending left of a vague ending for Hazel and Jack. So imagine my surprise when I saw the unique anatomical brain on the cover of the book on NetGalley. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me an early copy of this book.

I was so happy to catch up with Hazel again, as I was left wondering if she would ever sit her exam or if she would continue helping others without ever seeing Jack again and seeing an ending to their story. This time we get to follow Hazel on a new adventure to London where her fame has spread as a female surgeon.

One thing I had issues with in the first book was how quickly the romance progressed between Hazel and Jack and the same thing could be said of Simon, the other love interest in this book. I felt like both romances went from 0 to 60 quickly, missing a lot of the lead up to actually falling in love.

But in the end, the conclusion to Hazel’s story was wonderful. It does leave some things up to interpretation and does leave the story open for more books in the future

Thanks to #netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this read! I think Hazel’s character growth was great and I loved her friendship with Eliza and Princess Charlotte. Overall a really enjoyable historical fiction and a good ending to the duology.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this Arc! I love this series so much and this was a great second book. This book was more of a slow burn, but it did pick up about 60%. I adore Hazel and I was glad to see Jack come back.

I would definitely read more from this author!

Immortality: A Love Story was the perfect follow up to Anatomy: A Love Story. It brings us right back to Edinburgh, where we see Hazel practicing medicine for people who might not otherwise be able to afford the services of a surgeon. She dives headfirst into her work so she doesn’t have to think about Jack and wonder if he made it out of the hangman’s noose. However, her compassionate spirit soon lands her in prison awaiting her own execution when she helps the wrong woman survive after an overdose of plants meant to terminate her pregnancy.
The date of her execution arrives and she is whisked away from her cell—but not to face her death. Rather, she is brought to the palace to serve as Princess Charlotte’s personal physician. Princess Charlotte has been suffering an unknown malady that many have tried to treat but have made no headway with. Hazel might be the one who can figure out what is going on with the Princess.
Thus begins the second journey of Hazel Sinnett, one in which she experiences palace life and court intrigue, as well as an invitation to join a secret society that has had great influence over European politics for quite some time, and whose members are famously known throughout England and into the continent. But is there mission really one that Hazel can adhere to? And is she really the right person to help the Princess? And will she ever have the chance to see her Jack again, or will the handsome royal doctor make her forget her immortal love?
Anatomy: A Love Story was fantastic, but I really and truly loved Immortality. The palace intrigue, the strange secret society, and the moral dilemmas that Hazel faces are much higher stakes than just posing as a boy attending classes in surgery and medicine in Edinburgh. Although I’m not sure I would have chosen the same way that Hazel did, I understand why she made the decisions she did and it made the story no less potent and relevant.
If you love historical fiction set in the early 1800s and smart women saving kings, put this on your TBR STAT. The romances are sweet, the intrigue is delicious, and the stakes are sky high.

I loved Anatomy: A Love Story and was beyond thrilled that Dana Schwartz wrote a conclusion to the story of Hazel and Jack (especially because the ending to Anatomy bummed me OUT). And this cover is a dream.

Schwartz is an excellent researcher and writer - anyone who hasn't listened to her podcast, Noble Blood, is really missing out - and I loved how she rewrote the story of Princess Charlotte and Mad King George IV to include Hazel.

Definitely read Anatomy before picking this one up, but absolutely read them both immediately - you can't beat fantasy, romance, historical fiction, and adventure all in one brilliant story with one of my favorite young women protagonists ever -- I'm almost jealous of people who get to read the duology back-to-back!

I can't wait to read whatever Schwartz comes up with next!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I saw that the sequel to Anatomy: A Love Story was coming out, I knew I needed to add it to my TBR list right away! Immortality: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz revolves around Hazel, who is now working as an unofficial doctor in Hawthornden Castle in Edinburgh. One day, she's arrested, but she receives a way out: an invitation from the King to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte. But the royal court is full of secrets. And if she can't cure Charlotte, she'll be sent back to the jail that she came from!

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1, which is set in Edinburgh in 1818:

"“This is going to hurt. I am sorry about that.” Hazel Sinnett didn’t feel as though there was any use in lying.
The boy bit down harder on the piece of leather she had brought for that very purpose and nodded. They were in the kitchen of his family home—a young girl had come to Hazel’s door the night before and begged her to come, describing the way her older brother’s arm had broken weeks before, while he was working at the shipyard, and the way it had healed wrong: twisted and impossible to move. When Hazel arrived at their dingy flat near Mary King’s Close first thing in the morning, she had found the boy’s arm swollen and hot, the skin bruised yellow and green, and tight as a sausage casing."

Overall, Immortality: A Love Story is an amazing blend of romance, historical fiction, horror, thriller, mystery, and court intrigue. The most original YA genre bender has changed genres again, and now we're in a royal court! One highlight of this book is how the protagonist is a female doctor trying to prove others' assumptions about her wrong. Another highlight of this book is the amazing twists and turns. I should warn sensitive readers though that there is some body horror and to read the trigger warnings. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA books in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in February!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this much anticipated sequel!

I can't speak highly enough about Dana Schwartz's ability to take real history and twist it enough that it's fiction while keeping enough familiarity that you believe it could have happened. Her ability to blend history with the fantastic is nearly unmatched in historical fantasy and it's why this duology will remain one of my favorite reads this year and in this genre.

Hazel Sinnett is everything an intelligent, driven, independent young woman wants to be - she's brilliant but humble, privileged but kind - all while being flawed enough to feel real. The story and character building was good enough that I honestly feel as though I could find and meet Hazel and Jack and the other Companions one day, should I be so lucky. And I can saw without a doubt she is who I would want operating on me if it ever came to that.

I love historical fantasy because it's accessible - names and places you recognize meet magic and other-worldly powers we all want to believe are real. It's a genre that reminds us how fantastical real-life can be, while also showing us that not everything is as it seems, even and especially in history. Dana Schwartz epitomizes what this genre should be and I cannot recommend this duology enough.

I absolutely adored this book which was no surprise because Anatomy was one of my favorite reads of the year. It was such a fun story that kept me enthralled with all the twists and turns. The romance was just perfect, and I’m not even normally a romance reader. Hazel was an amazing character and I loved her adventures!

Immortality: A Love Story

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was soooo excited to get a copy of this book from @netgalley! I loved the first one and this next and finally book in the series comes out this next February!

Hazel picks up where she left off for the most part-taking care of patients who can’t get treatment from a regular physician. I enjoyed the new characters brought into this one as well as the same old ones from Anatomy, the first in the series.

While this didn’t hook me quite as much as the first, I really enjoyed the closing of this series. Hazel remains such a strong main character and I love her uniqueness.

This is the conclusion of a duology, the first of which I read back in Feb. While I do remember the gist of the storyline of the first, I do wish I had been able to read them back-to-back just to have all the smaller details fresh.

Hazel is a young surgeon living in Edinburgh who is determined to break into a man’s world. Following the hanging of Jack, the love of her life, she throws herself back into her work of healing until she is arrested for treating one of her patients. She is finally freed to treat Princess Charlotte in London and goes from despair to the glamour at court. As she meets new friends, she is also drawn into a secret society of immortals (who she is finally able to confirm as real), who invite her to join them as they strive to “guide” their country in the proper direction. And so begins her struggles with literal life/death decisions of following her heart or her mind…choosing what’s hard or what’s easy.

I enjoyed this one but not quite as much as its predecessor. I felt more of a disconnect from the mains, especially during their lives in London. They seemed “off” from how I originally saw them previously. And as the storyline wrapped up, it seemed too convenient and quick, and the epilogue very broad and general…not as satisfying as I would have liked/expected.

But still, well-written and entertaining.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

I almost always dislike book 2 in a series. Its always so slow and has to include the backstory. It's like extra reading. But this was done perfectly. It was well written and the new characters were fun and exciting. I really enjoyed this one maybe even more the first it the series.

I was thrown right into the book and I couldn't put it down, I read it all in one sitting which is great for the book but not so great for me. But the book was so worth being tired the next day.
I really love this author's writing it's wonderful.

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 7 | Atmosphere: 4 | Writing: 5 | Plot: 5 | Intrigue: 4 | Logic: 8 | Enjoyment: 4
Total: 5.29

I had pretty low expectations of this one, and it met that. The first book, realistically, did not need a sequel. I felt the ending, while open-ended, was still beautiful and perfect. Yet, a sequel we received. This story wasn't as nearly as interesting, nor as high stakes. I found that I simply did not care what was going on, and the romance fell flat for me. This was a bit of a bummer, considering how much I enjoyed the first book in comparison.

Immortality A Love Story has left me speechless. I’m trying to collect my words but I can’t say anything besides the fact that I am elated about Hazel and Jack getting their happy ending. Anatomy left a small hole in my heart after Jack’s death, but was easily repaired while reading immortality. I must admit that as soon as I started the book I kept hoping Jack would show up. I would have loved having him show up in the middle of the story and not towards the end, but I think it worked perfectly this way. I enjoyed the concept of the Companions to the Death. Schwartz made an amazing job in making you believe they were a great society, but still keeping a conspicuous air so the plot twist wouldn’t feel inadequate. I loved Simon and just like Hazel I felt like I was betraying Jack during the first few chapters. I’m glad he didn’t resent Hazel for turning down his offer, but it was the best decision she could’ve taken. And I absolutely adored Eliza and Charlotte. When Eliza was first introduced I knew I would love her character, and to see her and princess Charlotte fighting for her love and getting her happy ending was truly delightful. I was a little disappointed with Hazel’s inability to find a cure to the Tincture. I felt like it was extremely important and necessary for Jack to grow old, especially with Hazel. I would’ve loved to read about Hazel finding a cure in the future for them to grow old together. However, I still loved the conclusion to this book. I loved what Hazel represented for women who would become surgeons in the future. She was the spark that ignited that change. Hazel and Jack’s story is one I know I will remember for the rest of my life.

Immortality: A Love Story is the follow up to Anatomy: A Love Story. In this sequel we meet back up with Hazel where she is arrested, but is saved by a mysterious message. Its great to revisit these characters, especially since I feel like I was left hanging at the end of the first installment. Great read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this in advance; I was so excited to see this pop up on my Kindle! I listened to Anatomy, the first book, back in October and LOVED it, so I was thrilled to finally get an addition to the story! I devoured this book in about two hours- I think the plot was excellent and moved at a great pace, the banter between characters was really fun to read, and the ending of the story couldn't have been any better. I absolutely loved the first book but I may have even liked this better than the first one! I highly recommend Dana Schwartz's writing, and if you haven't read Anatomy, definitely do so before starting Immortality. I would love to see another book from her with these same characters, but if this is the end, then I am happy all the same:)

This series is especially perfect for anyone who has an interest in the medical field; its such a cute little story and I love the historical element in regard to medicine. This title is released in February of 2023 and I look forward to purchasing a physical copy for my shelf!

After the ending of Anatomy I was absolutely on dire need of the sequel— especially because until months ago I thought it was a standalone! The story picks up shortly after the events of Anatomy and follows Hazel as she continues on with her medical practice after the death (?) of her love and co-conspirator Jack. As a young woman in Edinburgh in the early nineteenth century— practicing medicine is something she needs to do on the down low, treating patients who either aren’t bothered by her gender or come from family circumstances that require a certain discretion in their medical practitioner. When one of her patients accuses her of a crime she didn’t commit, Hazel is placed on death row. But at the final hour, Hazel finds herself whisked away to London to treat the mysteriously ill Princess Charlotte, saving her life and pointing her future in a new direction.

Although a lot of this book I didn’t find necessary to the plot and character development, Dana Schwartz’ writing is so compulsively readable that I easily could have read another 400 pages of Hazel’s daily life. I’m not sure if it’s the way she writes her characters or the particular mix of humour and history in the setting that just does it for me, but I truly love her writing style. I really enjoyed the elements that harkened back to the previous book’s plot centring doctor Beecham, and while certain elements were definitely far fetched/ a little abrupt, I found the plot as a whole to be both entertaining and strong enough to hold my attention throughout.

I do wish the romantic side of it to be a tad more developed. I don’t want to get into any spoilers, but while I was happier with the ending there definitely was a lot of chemistry and potential with Hazel and a certain handsome swede doctor. Perhaps that was the point, though. Hazel’s choice reflected her own agency and love and I can’t help but root for that.

Overall, this duology is perfect for fans of VE Schwab, Stalking Jack the Ripper and gothic stories with a strong feminist lean. I really enjoyed both novels and thought they were the perfect easy reads for a winter’s night.

4/5 stars