Review: Immortality by Dana Schwartz

Immortality by Dana Schwartz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both a digital and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley. Thank you to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Young Listeners for the opportunity to read this early. As always, all opinions are my own. This book will be publised on February 28, 2023.

The audiobook was well narrated by Mhairi Morrison. She did a good job with the various characters in the story as this is not told from multiple points of view. The second narrator Tim Campbell has a small part and narrates the news articles that are found at the end of chapters. This is a nice touch to let the listener know that you've exited the story proper and are reading a different form of media related to Hazel's story.

This is the second installment of Schwartz's gothic romance following Hazel Sinnett and her pursuit to be a doctor. I would highly recommend reading Anatomy: A Love Story first as it will give you much of the backstory that leads up to the events that take place in this book. This takes place several months after Anatomy ends, Hazel has a steady stream of patients and she is still holding out hope that Jack is alive, though logic tells her he must be dead. After treating a particularly tricky case, Hazel finds herself in jail, but the Crown interjects and hopes that a lady doctor might be just what the sickly princess needs to get well and perform her royal duties. This is how Hazel finds herself as the personal physician of Princess Charlotte and entangled with a secret society that know about Dr. Beecham and his sinister work.

I loved the mix of historical fiction, horror, gothic romance, and a little bit of sci-fi. Much like the first book Hazel finds herself mixed up in things that call into question her own morals and values. At the end of the day she has to follow her heart and do what she feels is right. I really appreciated that she always valued her patients over fame and fortune, and stuck to her moral compass. The book progresses at a slow to medium pace then it picks up toward the middle of the book as new characters are introduced and things start to happen. Hazel finds herself torn between doing what is right and doing what is convenient and right for others. While some of the plot points (I don't want to spoil any of them) wrap up perhaps conveniently or predictably, I don't think I would have wanted them to go any other way. While Anatomy could have stood as a standalone, this answers many of the questions we had at the end of the first book. I know I was completely satisfied with the ending and couldn't stop smiling at the conclusion.

I really loved this book and the duology as a whole! I loved seeing Hazel as a confident and competent young woman in a society that did not allow women to be doctors and scientists. She is a great example for young women who want to pursue careers in STEM. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future!

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Review: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you enjoy gothic horror, I highly recommend this. This book is on the shorter side, but Kingfisher does a great job packing all of the creepy punches into this unique story. This is a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher: An Edgar Allan Poe Short Story, which I listened to right after finishing this, and while this is longer and has it's own unique spin it does keep faithful to the original work.

The Usher house is in complete disrepair much to Alex Easton's surprise when they come to visit childhood friends Madeline and Roderick. Easton received word that Madeline had fallen ill and may not have much time left in this world. Easton is not prepared for what they find on the Usher property from strange wildlife, oddities in the lake, as well as Madeline and Roderick's conditions. Easton is aided by Roderick's friend an American doctor and a woman who studies fungus. I enjoyed all of the characters, which is rare in a horror novel. Easton is a wonderful character who takes center stage trying to figure out what is wrong with Madeline and Roderick and a way to save them both. Ever a soldier, Easton always keeps their wits about them despite the strange happenings in and around the Usher house. I don't want to give too much away because it would spoil the story but this weird little book is great! I loved the dark, ominous feelings I got from the descriptions. The world building is excellent, Kingfisher does a great job describing things.

If you are looking for some other creepy books with a similar feel I also recommend Sorrowland and Mexican Gothic.

I was provided both a print and audio arc of this book via Netgalley, thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read this in advanced. As always, all opinion are my own.

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Review: Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was such a surprise. I didn't know much about it when I bought it, but I ended up loving it. I may end up giving it 5 stars. I ended up listening to the audiobook, which was fantastic. The narrator did an excellent job. I didn't know this was a horror book, so I was appropriately horrified and terrified as the creepy story unfolded. Then there we parts that were just heartbreaking and the writing is just amazing.  I absolutely loved it.  I highly recommend it if you like horror and tales that involve weird stuff.

The story follows 15 year old Oscar, a boarding school student in Barcelona. Oscar comes to befriend Marina and her father German, who live close to Oscar's school. German is an artist, and Marina is a mysterious girl who Oscar immediately becomes smitten with. Marina and Oscar find themselves quickly drawn into a strange investigation involving a madman who tried to cheat death, a strange woman who haunts the local graveyard, and many other weird things. As the pair learn more about the strange things they've found, they find themselves pulled deeper and deeper into a much darker story that they never could have imagined. There are twists and turns that I never could have imagined, and all the while, Oscar finds a family in Marina and German that he never knew he was looking for.  I've never been to Spain, but I felt like I had been transported to Barcelona with the descriptions.  This was set in 1980, but the timeline felt older even if it was more modern.

I don't want to say much else about the book because it would spoil the thriller part of the book.  I did end up bumping my review up from 4 to 5 stars as I was writing my review.  I just really enjoyed this so much.  Thanks to Bree Hill for recommending it on her channel.  I would have never discovered Marina if she hadn't mentioned it in one of her videos.  I'm so glad I picked it up on one of my many trips to Bradley's Book Outlet.