From Powells.com
Discover the books that made our 2022 list.
Hot new releases and under-the-radar gems for adults and kids.
Staff Pick
The setting: 1800s Edinburgh. The set-up: a lady who dreams of being a surgeon has a chance encounter with a resurrection man just trying to survive. The result? A gothic YA debut that truly has everything: ambition, medicine, murder, romance, science, romance WITH science, and yes, some casual grave digging. Anatomy: A Love Story is clever, thrilling, fun, and gross (in a good way). Recommended By Sarah R., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Dana Schwartz's Anatomy: A Love Story is a gothic tale full of mystery and romance.
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.
Review
“Irreverent, intelligent and smart, Dana Schwartz is one of the brightest of the next generation of young writers.” Neil Gaiman, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Review
“An intimate look at how society decides who is worth healing and who is worth exploiting in the name of science.” The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books
Review
“A fast-paced, utterly engrossing tale of mystery, romance, and cadavers. Dana Schwartz deftly blends the historical with the supernatural, racing from macabre graveyards to Scottish castles with two compelling young heroes I dare you not to root for. I grinned, I gasped, I cried and ended this book breathless and craving more." Alwyn Hamilton, New York Times bestselling author of the Rebel of the Sands series
Review
"Diabolically delightful. A love story, a murder mystery, and a horror novel bound up together in ghoulish stitches.” Maureen Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of the Truly Devious trilogy
Review
“Lionhearted heroine you'll root for from page one? Check. Dark academia vibes? Check. Cheeky romantic banter that will make you blush? Check, check and CHECK. Read this gripping, ridiculously clever tale only if you're fully prepared to be haunted by its revelations about life and death while also swooning at the idea of flirting with someone in an open grave.” Emma Lord, New York Times bestselling author of You Have a Match and Tweet Cute
Video
Watch the Powell’s virtual event with Dana Schwartz and Victoria Aveyard!
About the Author
Dana Schwartz is a television writer and the creator of the number-one charting history podcast Noble Blood. As a journalist and critic, Dana has written for Entertainment Weekly, Marie Claire, Glamour, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair and more. She lives in Los Angeles with her fiancé, and their cats Eddie and Beetlejuice. Her books include Choose Your Own Disaster, The White Man's Guide to White Male Writers of the Western Canon, and Anatomy: A Love Story.