The Anatomy Duology by Dana Schwartz

Edinburgh, 1817. Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants nothing more than to be a surgeon in a time when women are set to be wives and mothers. Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.

Hazel dresses in her dead brother’s clothes, assumes a new name, and goes off to the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society to begin her education as man. Though top of her class, Hazel is eventually discovered to be a woman and kicked out of school but with the opportunity to still sit the exams. If Hazel will have a chance to pass the medical examination without a formal education she will need more than just her books – she’ll need bodies to study, corpses to dissect. It’s a good thing she knows of a boy named Jack Currer who knows just how to get them.

But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets. Hazel and Jack work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.

★★★☆☆

A gothic historical tale full of mystery and romance about a willful female surgeon, a resurrection man who sells bodies for a living, and the buried secrets they must uncover together, with a touch of magical realism. This YA duology has a bit of something for everyone.

I quite enjoyed the first book in this series. It was a fun YA novel with many aspects I enjoyed. I almost think I would have enjoyed it more without the fantastical element, which is shocking as I’m predominantly a fantasy reader. It just felt out of place in this setting. The slow building of Jack and Hazel’s relationship was very sweet and made me realize I’d like to pick up YA books more frequently again.

The second book in this duology felt too different for much of the novel. While we mostly pick up where the first left off, there is a significant piece missing. I spent the majority of the book wondering how it was going to come together. Not the direction I was hoping it would go. It’s hard to discuss the second book in a duology without any spoilers.

The audiobooks are fantastic. I loved listening to the different accents.

I thought both books were good, but nothing overly memorable. Have you read this duology?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57917042-anatomy?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_7