Book Review – Anatomy, a love story

Anatomy, a love story by Dana Schwartz, publisher Wednesday Books 1/18/22

Anatomy is a very unusual book. No, it is not a college science textbook. It’s a young adult historical.

I enjoyed reading this book and it kept me turning the pages because it is so unusual.

How often do you read a book about a wealthy young woman who wants to be a surgeon and a young man who steals bodies from graves?

Can’t imagine how the author ever came up with this plot.

Here’s the book blurb:

Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.

Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.

When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, Beecham will allow her to continue her medical career. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books—she’ll need corpses to study.

Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living.

But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets, and the dreaded Roman Fever, which wiped out thousands a few years ago, is back with a vengeance. Nobody important cares—until Hazel.

Now, Hazel and Jack must work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.

I must say right up front that I do not plan to read the sequel.

At first, this book was a YA historical with a gothic feel. It was a bit gory and gruesome but I could handle this. At the end of the book, it takes an unexpected turn into the paranormal.

I’m not a fan of paranormal. Mostly because I’m a baby and it scares me.

I’m still glad I read the first book though. I learned what a resurrection man was.

I’ve always known that surgeons of the past and the present must have human bodies to practice on but I’ve never thought about where these bodies come from.

Of course, things are different now but in the 1800s resurrection men dug up fresh graves and sold the bodies to the medical schools.

The book is set in Scotland and I enjoyed learning about life there.  I was also intrigued by the deadly Roman Fever epidemic.

As a writer, I was very surprised at Ms. Schwartz’s writing style. She is a very good writer but she does not adhere to strict POV rules.  There was some head-hopping in this book but it never disturbed my enjoyment of the scene.

Positive Elements for YA:

There is very little, if any, bad language in this book which is a welcome surprise for newer YA.

There are kissing scenes but nothing graphic. 

Negative Elements for sensitive readers:

There is plenty of gore and bloody bodies. I don’t think this would be a good fit for a young teen or a sensitive teen.

Do I recommend Anatomy, a love story, or not?

Yes and no.

If you are a paranormal fan, I definitely recommend this book. You will probably want to read the sequel too.

If paranormal is not your thing but you just want something very different to read – this book is for you. It’s definitely not a waste of time.

What do you think about the paranormal genre? Comment below and let me know.