The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Mostly off page sex scene, Strong language


Two hearts. Twice as vulnerable.

Manhattan, 1850. Born out of wedlock to a wealthy socialite and a nameless immigrant, Cora Lee can mingle with the rich just as easily as she can slip unnoticed into the slums and graveyards of the city. As the only female resurrectionist in New York, she’s carved out a niche procuring bodies afflicted with the strangest of anomalies. Anatomists will pay exorbitant sums for such specimens—dissecting and displaying them for the eager public.

Cora’s specialty is not only profitable, it’s a means to keep a finger on the pulse of those searching for her. She’s the girl born with two hearts—a legend among grave robbers and anatomists—sought after as an endangered prize.

Now, as a series of murders unfolds closer and closer to Cora, she can no longer trust those she holds dear, including the young medical student she’s fallen for. Because someone has no intention of waiting for Cora to die a natural death.


This sounded very interesting to me, and it was for a while. I found the parts about the resurrectionists the most interesting, and I think the author nailed the feel of New York City in the time period this book is set in. I also am always impressed with the medical aspects of Kang's books. The author being a physician, I'm sure helps, when it comes to including these details in her books. But I didn't care for the way some of the characters felt too modern for the time period.

The weakest part of the book, though, was the mystery itself. I enjoyed it for a good while, but there was a point were it took an unbelievable turn. It didn't feel believable to me that this person was behind things, or the reason for it. It was all just a bit wacky, if you ask me.

I wanted to like Cora as the main character, but I struggled with her. She was pretty sharp when it came to the resurrectionist trade, but when it came to a few of the people in her life, she was blind as a bat. I also think she took some stupid risks, especially when it came to her sexual activities, and was lucky that things ended up so well for her in the end, because for most women in her situation back then, it would not have worked out so nicely. She only had to look as far as her own mother and 'aunt' to see that.

Overall I struggled with my rating for this book, but finally decided on 2.5 stars, because the parts I liked just didn't make up enough for the parts I didn't like. I was disappointed that this wasn't on par with A beautiful poison, which I liked a lot more. That being said, I'm not giving up on this author yet. I'm still planning to read her next mystery when it's available.