Cover Image: Immortality: A Love Story

Immortality: A Love Story

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Member Reviews

While Anatomy: A Love Story had gothic undertones, this sequel leaned more heavily into dark academia and alchemy, which, though different, felt fitting considering where readers last left Hazel Sinnett.

The story starts right where book one ends, with Jack gone, no inkling at all as to whether he's dead or alive, and with Hazel back to treating patients as Hawthornden Castle. She's still intent on her work, which includes writing a treatise on diseases and becoming a surgeon, but all that is thrown into jeopardy when she's arrested after saving the life of a female patient. Intervention comes in the form of a summons: from the monarchy.

As it happens, not only has Hazel been requested to tend to the sickly Princess Charlotte, daughter of King George IV, as her personal physician in England, but she finds herself questioning the efficacy of Beecham's immortality vial and bumping elbows with an attractive Swedish doctor as well as with members of a secret society. It's all hands on deck as she wades through the British court, new romantic entanglements, and tricky medical diagnoses.

Overall, an enjoyable read. I liked striving alongside Hazel as she continued her pursuit of medicine and scientific knowledge, especially since she was breaking the mold for the time period. That was my favorite part. The Companions of the Death subplot was intriguing if a bit contrived. Simon was a great addition though, and I found myself championing him and Hazel more than Hazel and Jack. The latter was brought back into the narrative too late, in my opinion, and his influence/impact felt lacking in many ways, which simply could be a matter of personal taste, I don't know. Their love wasn't convincing or nuanced enough for me.

Other than that, I appreciated how Hazel's love and dedication to medicine, to helping people, was immortalized in this. She's a doctor, through and through, and that's something I love to see.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!

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ARC review for Immortality A Love Story by Dana Schwartz
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5!
OMG I LOVED THIS JUST AS MUCH AS THE FIRST BOOK! I was counting the days to get the read the next book I love Dana’s writing! Every time I’ve read this book and the 1st one in the series Anatomy A Love Story I pictured the whole story like a black and white movie and I’m obsessed with it!
I love Hazel and reading what she has to go through makes me grateful for what women are allowed to do these days!
This is a gothic romance and I’m loving the vibes it gives!
This book had me hooked from the 1st sentence!
Book synopsis:
Hazel Sinnett doesn’t know if Jack is dead or alive all she can do is continue to treat her patients. One day a women shows up at Hazels door and a twist of events happen that lead to Hazels arrest! She’s left to starve and suffer in a prison until she’s summoned to help Princess Charlotte, the sick granddaughter of King George III. Hazel has a job to do but it’s hard not to get distracted by the glamorous lifestyle of the royal family. Something however is going royally wrong and it’s up to Hazel to set it right!
❤️👩🏼‍⚕️👩🏼‍⚕️❤️

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I loved Anatomy a love story and was a bit nervous about reading the sequel. No sequel slump here! The author does a wonderful job of carrying Hazel's story forward, including all the history and science that so charmed me in the first novel. This one seems a tiny bit wackier than the first, but I was willing to go wherever the author was leading and became totally invested in this story of the Royal Family and romance. Once again, a lovely job with pacing and dialogue. It's a bit grisly, but readers won't want to leave Hazel behind when they get to the final page. . A wonderful read.

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Haunting, a little gory, and spooky with heavy dark academic vibes - Dana Schwartz is back with "Immortatlity: A Love Story". Just perfect!

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I was so excited to listen to this and it did not disappoint!
Immortality starts off where we left off in Anatomy. I just love Hazel! She is such a strong and brave character and it was so nice to see her character continue to develop and grow.
I don’t want to say too much about the story- don’t want to spoil anything- but I highly recommend this one, especially on Audiobook. Mhairi Morrison is perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

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After the ambiguity of Anatomy: A Love Story's ending, I eagerly devoured Immortality. I'd already fallen in love with Hazel and Jack, and I sought answers (hopefully a happy ending) for the pair. This novel took the Gothic elements of the first book and just abandoned them in a whirlwind of science fiction, which I found devastating. I loved the grisly insights and excursions of the two throughout the first novel and this one seemed to focus solely on a neater, yet still unnerving, look into the world at this time. After being introduced to the Companions to the Death, I honestly lost all interest in the story. I could get behind the Tonic and its gift of immortality, but I felt Schwartz took too many liberties with the historical elements and tried adding too many plot points. I'd rather have stayed with the ambiguity of Anatomy.

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I don’t want to share a lot of negativity but I think this reading mostly suffered from my high hopes I had.
There is like three plots, four? Going on and I really missed the singularity of the first book, there was so much nothing going on, or better maybe it just felt a little too busy.

??The society??

??Jack??

??Hazel??

??new characters??

??Endless plots??

I did not enjoy the continuation of a certain relationship. I felt it like it was a very puffy end.

I don’t know
I felt like we lost a lot of what I loved about Hazel.

If you read this when it comes out or if you read it early like I was able to please tell me your thoughts??

..That ending..

The gross factor also was not here in this book
It was very neat and tidy with the medical side of stuff.

Also what happened our pregnant dear

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3.5⭐️

I absolutely adored Anatomy and was so excited to learn there would be a sequel! While I didn’t mind the ambiguous ending of book 1, I looked forward to getting more closure.

Perhaps I had too high of expectations, but sadly, this was a bit of a disappointing read for me compared to book 1. I am glad I read it though and I appreciate the arc SO much! The closure was worth it.

Things I loved about Immortality:

-The writing is SO lush, easy to read, and so well researched. Even though it deviated from actually history (it’s fiction, that’s fine), it was so well rooted in historical fact that it felt solid.

-I loved the ending. No spoilers, but so glad that was the ending!

-I loved just getting more of Hazel. She’s smart, strong, and brave.

Things I didn’t love:

-There seemed to be an overall lack of plot/stakes. Things happened certainly, but I kept waiting for the overall story to happen. This felt more like “adventures with Hazel” than a cohesive story arc. That’s not bad per say, but it made the book drag for me.

-There were several “Mary Sue, everything just magically works out” moments that I felt added to feeling the story arc was too flat. I wanted the heart pounding, defiant fun of book 1.

-Hazel needed a goal of some kind, other than just be a surgeon still. We heard a lot of her missing Jack and going through different adventures but I couldn’t feel her as deeply as book 1.

Overall, if you read book 1, definitely read book 2! The ending is satisfying and answers those leftover questions.

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Hazel is back and more curious than ever.

Between jail, royals, a new doctor, a sailor(!), disease, travels, forbidden love and so much more, you will not want to put this book down! Go on this journey with Hazel. From start to finish this book does not disappoint! Love this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book

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I absolutely loved the first book in this series! Being in the medical field plus my love for romance stories - this first book hit him - so I was SUPER excited to be able to read/listen to the next book! (plus can we give mad props to the cover art on both?). For Immortality, we return to Edinburgh, where Hazel Sinnett, a rare woman surgeon, is working on real people instead of dead bodies this time around. At least until she's arrested and soon after sent to attend as doctor to the ill Princess Charlotte. She discovers many secrets while at court, including a magnetic society filled with interesting people who are a little different than than others. She also meets handsome doctors and pompous royalty, all while her mind continues to stray to one person. After all, this is...: a Love Story. This book was an incredible sequel to Anatomy: A Love Story which I also gave 5 stars to. I adore Hazel as a character. Like many woman of her time period, she's constrained by society's rules for what is believed to be a woman's purpose, but she doesn't let it stop her (also not much has changed for women in medicine in 2023 so it hits home). She utilizes her intelligence to help people, even when it's dangerous. I enjoyed seeing her grow more in this book, where shes not as afraid of societal obstacles and she fights harder for what she believes in and cares for. All of the new characters we were introduced to were super intriguing as well. Each interpretation of real people was incredible and I feel like I could honestly imagine some of them in the situations we get to see them in.

Thank you to St Martin Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC

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Okay I've finally gathered all my thoughts and can comprehensively write this out but HOT DANG this book! I found it kind of like riding a rollercoaster and being on that first big uphill before the drop; the first half of the book sets up a LOT and the second half is you going downhill at breakneck speed. It did feel slightly rushed at the end, but I'm hoping for another book to maybe tease out some of the info we're given! Truly loved the cast of characters in this one and the interplay of historical information here; what a fun aspect of the plot! Hazel as always was *chefskiss* just perfection. Thanks so much to the publisher and author for an advanced ecopy through NetGalley! :)

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I received this eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

This gothic/fantasy infused historical fiction novel is a satisfying follow up to Anatomy.

Upon moving to London, the story does lack some of the adventure found in the first book: the gravedigging with Jack, pretending to be a boy to attend medical school, and solving the mystery surrounding Dr. Beecham. There is a significant sedate component to this story; even Hazel’s practice of medicine becomes comparatively sedate. Adventure does kick in towards the end, revisiting some of the excitement of the first book. Rather than featuring adventure, much of this story is about letting go of the idealized dreams of childhood and exploring the imperfect choices that life offers.

Real historical figures including King George III, Princess Charlotte, and Lord Byron are present. There are also fictional characters that play significant roles in Hazel’s London life. The historical figures and fictional ones play a part in a story that imagines a historical world where women—Hazel—are able to break free of their historical constraints and instead follow their own paths.

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I actually preferred this book to the first. In the first book, it seems to be normal historical fiction until the very end where the sci-fi/supernatural element is introduced out of nowhere. With this story, I was already expecting it, so it made more sense. Even then, the first good chunk of this book was again more standard historical fiction. I do feel like a few sections could have been cut out - some of historical character elements and even some of Jack’s explanation of where he was after his execution. Lastly, there was a continuity error regarding the marigold dress at the end of the book. It says Hazel is packing and looking at her dresses from Mrs. Thire (the navy and the marigold), but there was no mention of her ever getting the marigold dress back after being released from prison. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I like how the duology ended.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

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Having really enjoyed Dana Schwartz’s initial novel, Anatomy: A Love Story, I requested the sequel, Immortality: A Love Story. Much of the book was a fitting follow-up to the first, but in the end, I was disappointed. In comparison to the first, the second book seemed contrived in places and took too many liberties with changing the historical people and places to be believable even as a gothic romance.

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I absolutely loved Anatomy and now Immortality is up there as well! Great characters, quick moving story line and lots of fun. I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc! All opinions are my own.

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Well written and captivating.

I may even go as far as saying I enjoyed this one even more than book 1.

The storyline is so riveting, it’s impossible to not get caught right up in the story. I love that it has so many side characters as well, and ones with actual depth. The era, the references to real people in history and the descriptive writing was top notch in my opinion!! I loved the concept.
The cover is breathtaking just like book one! Hazel is such a strong female lead, I wish this was more of a series than just a duology.

Thank you Netgalley for the E-Arc.

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Thanks to St. Martin's/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this eARC.

If you enjoyed the first book, <i>Anatomy</i>, I think you'll enjoy this conclusion to the story! Though I think it started a little slowly, I liked this. In addition to Hazel and Jack's story, it also presents a little bit of alternate history about the British monarchy that was interesting. Princess Charlotte, the London setting, and Lord Byron being insufferable were all good additions to this book.

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Immortality: A Love Story explained everything left unsaid in anatomy. I honestly enjoyed it more than anatomy.
Hazel is an established physician running a care center through her house. We get introduced to a lot more secondary characters with some really awesome backgrounds. I loved reading all the character interactions and seeing how everything once again connected.
All the questions about Jack and what happened to him are answered which was very satisfying.
I also really loved the ending. I thought it was such a wonderful way to wrap up this duology.

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While not quite as exciting as the first book and not exactly necessary to exist either, this sequel was still enjoyable to read. I appreciated the first half of the book the most, reading about Hazel explore life in London and her place in it. The ending wrapped the story up in a neat bow, and I hope the author does not publish a third book. I look forward to seeing what new book the author comes up with next.

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I thought this was an excellent followup to "Anatomy." Hazel Sinnet is such an engaging and fascinating character, I'd be happy to read many more books about her. It was fun to watch her negotiate new and completely different worlds and to emerge triumphant. I'll definitely be recommending it.

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