A poor man's gossip girl.

I was so excited to see that Alwyn Hamilton had a new book coming out after so long since her trilogy, but this new book left me unimpressed. It was boring. I couldn't connect with any of the MC's. It was trying to hard to say something about wealth but in my opinion failed greatly at it.

I don't think I'll be picking up the next installment but thanks netgalley for an earc in exchange for an honest review!

An heiress whose inheritance has been challenged and a girl thrust into a world she knows nothing about will compete in a magical competition to win the power of a city. But the tension between the rich and poor is reaching a boiling point, and the competition is the perfect setting for dissent to rear its head. Add in a mysterious murder, family politics, and girls trying to figure out who they are, and you have the ingredients for a perfect YA fantasy. Told through alternating perspectives, The Notorious Virtues is an ideal for YA readers looking for books in the same vein as These Violent Delights, A Tempest of Tea and Three Dark Crowns.

Read if you like…
🥂Deadly tournaments that pit cousin against cousin
🌿Champagne parties that spill over into desolate streets
🥂Roaring 20s meets Gilded Age vibes
🌿Industry competing with magic
🥂Dashing journalists
🌿Magical woods lurking at the border of a modern city
🥂Charms running on spells fueled by blood
🌿Gangsters fighting knights of old
🥂Blood oaths that pit orders against desire
🌿Complex female characters
🥂Shifting alliances
🌿Trials that test for virtue
🥂Strong familial relationships
🌿Glamorous dresses and Old Hollywood starlets
🥂Confronting generational secrets (and trauma)
🌿“Let’s build a better world.”
🥂Fairytale meets modern industry

This book combines a gripping succession story with a splash of magic, a murder mystery, fairy tale vibes, and an urban fantasy backdrop. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect since urban fantasy isn’t usually my go-to, but it quickly pulled me in. While the story is told through four different perspectives, each character has a distinct voice, so it wasn’t hard to follow. Bonus: the romance is super light, which was a nice change of pace.

The magic system stood out as one of the highlights. Some characters have innate powers, while others rely on enchanted devices and talismans, which added a fresh layer to the world-building. Nora was a standout—her struggle to balance solving her mother’s murder while competing for her family’s legacy was captivating. August, the journalist, was another favorite, and his dynamic with Nora (despite their contrasting backgrounds) was fun to watch unfold. Lotte took a bit to grow on me, but she ended up being an intriguing part of the story.

There were plenty of twists to keep things exciting, though I’ll admit a few were predictable. Even so, this turned out to be one of the more unique fantasy reads I’ve picked up recently. That said, it took some time to hook me—it wasn’t until about 25-30% in that I felt fully invested, and the third-person POV with multiple narrators made it tricky to connect with the characters at first.

The story reminded me of *The Inheritance Games*, *The Hunger Games*, and classic fairy tale elements—kind of like a mashup of popular fantasy tropes that somehow worked. While the character development was solid, I didn’t feel particularly attached to any of the romances.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read with a gorgeous cover, and I’m excited to see where the next book takes us. If you’re into fantasy with layered mysteries and a unique magical system, it’s worth picking up when it releases in March!

- A wonderful mix of magic, secrets and betrayal -

Before I get into the full review, I’d just like to say, I’ve been waiting for this book to come out ever since it was announced in 2019. I adored Alwyn Hamilton’s previous books, so I had high expectations for this one, and to say I was excited when I received the ARC is probably an understatement.

Now, onto the review:
When her mother dies, Honora - “Nora” - Holtzfall, previous heiress to the Holtzfall family, suddenly finds herself competing against her cousins in the Veritaz, a magical competition to determine the true heir. As secrets about her mother’s death come to light and an illegitimate cousin enters the competition, Nora has to navigate shifting alliances, family betrayals, and the brutal trials of the Veritaz, all while class differences spark political outrage and unrest among the citizens of Walstad.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story, but once I did, I was hooked. Alwyn Hamilton has a gift for building worlds, and her unique integration of magic adds a fascinating layer to the narrative. I particularly liked the exploration of family dynamics, especially Nora’s and Lotte’s relationship ant the contrast of one of them being born into privilege versus the other stepping into it later. I have to say, I actually was way more invested in the cousin’s relationship than I was in the romance, but I don’t feel like that was a bad thing at all. One thing I’ve always adored about Hamilton’s writing is her wit, and this book doesn’t disappoint. The sharp humour and playful banter made me laugh more than once, adding some levity to the high stakes. There were also a few small easter eggs in there, so if you’ve read the Rebel of the Sands trilogy, be sure to look out for those!
I have a few small things that I didn’t quite like as much, but they were really minor. Like I said, I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story and I feel like this might have been, in part, due to the multiple, changing POVs. There might be people who enjoy those immensely, but for me, it usually takes me out of the flow a little, which was also the case for this book. Another thing that I didn’t really like were the names. Both of the characters and also of the places. I understand the reason for the characters first names being what they are - virtues - but it still felt a little odd. As for the rest, a lot of the names were borrowed from German and having places be called Lebkuchen House was a little weird, though this might just be because I am a native German speaker.

That said, these things didn’t majorly detract from my overall enjoyment, and I can’t to see where this story goes!

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is March 25th, 2025.

Oh my gosh this absolutely dis not disappoint! I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

*Full review to be posted closer to publication!*

This was my first book from Alwyn Hamilton and I am officially hooked! This was such a fun and entertaining read that packed so much into it. It has a delightful blend of fairy tale, whimsy, some urban fantasy vibe, mystery and intrigue, and so much more. There's a vibrant cast of characters that we follow in a multiple POV format which I think worked really well for this story. I loved the rich folklore elements and the magic system was unique and interesting to explore as well. Characters struggle with family conflict, ambition, a little bit of romance, all of which provided me as a reader with some great twists and a fresh narrative. I don't read a lot of YA these days, but this one absolutely stands out and I am so glad I had the opportunity to read it!

The Notorious Virtues follows Holtzfall Family as they go through another round of the Veritaz Trials to see who will be the next heir after Verity Holtzfall (the current heir) is murdered. With mysteries surrounding her mother's murder, Honora Holtzfall must form an alliance with a young journalist to uncover who was behind it and what was the motive.

Meanwhile, the Veritaz trials are occurring. This composes of trials to see who is most worthy and deserving to become the next heir. Honora is favored by her grandmother and current head of the family but she must win against her 3 envious cousins....and now a 4th long lost cousin has been brought into the mix. Lotte was kept away at a convent in the country until two mysterious men come to grab her and say she is a Holtzfall and she has the chance to find out who her family is and beat them in a once in a life time opportunity to change her life.

This book has a magic system where the elite have the most magic with each Holtzfall being granted a gift if they're blessed enough to have one, and the ability to use magical charms. Society is divided by circles with the inner upper circles being the elite and magical individuals and the lower circles with hints of magic to none, fighting for a change in the distribution of power.

This book was interesting with side stories occurring within the book but it felt slower paced due to it being the first book in the series and developing a new world for the reader. I liked the action sprinkled throughout but I wasn't hooked onto it until the last chapters of the story. I felt that the book felt like it was dragging but once the end occurred it really picked up and a plot twist occurred that I didn't see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC.

This is a fun book. I know, it’s a throw away line, but I had a great deal of fun reading it even though I found the characters characters somewhat tepid, being more archetypal than detailed (the prideful one, the angry one, the vain one, etc;). The plot, told through newspaper headlines, memories, fairy tales and present day machinations, is the real star of the show as Nora, her cousins, and the mysterious Lotte have to face challenges to prove themselves worthy of being the heir of the powerful Holtzfall family while their aunts, uncles and grandmother watch, and plot, and manuever while the populace of their captive city — held firmly in check by the magic, money, and armed men the Holtzfall matriarch holds over their heads — plots and plans in the background.

It’s all about wealth and class — in a shallow, surface level way. Nora is entitled, spoiled and only somewhat aware of how much power and privilege her family gives her. Lotte, raised in an orphanage where she was abused and tormented, sees the wealth almost as much as she sees the idea of family, and neither of them really look beyond their immediate situation except in a vague manner.

However, I can somewhat forgive this as one, they’re young; two, they’re working on this great competition for a place in the family; and three, the grandmother is really, really good at manipulating people to see what she wants them to see, to say what she wants them to see, and to do what she wants them to do. She’s not above using force on her own family, and I appreciated her as a villain.

The world building is glossy and slick, with excellent vibes (for lack of a better word) but it still feels somewhat shallow. Again, that might be because most of the focus is on Nora and Lotte trying to both win the challenge, and solve a murder mystery, so the hows and whys of the world aren’t the main focus. All in all, this was fun, and I’ll be looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

A stunning opening to this series! I truly cannot wait for the next book—there was SO much that went on in this story and I need resolution!! I really loved the relationship between Nora and Lotte, not to mention that both of the romances in the book were spot on.

I really enjoyed this authors previous work, so I immediately requested this. I think it was a great first book in a planned trilogy. The world building was done really well, and I loved being immersed in this universe. I think it set the tone for the entire novel and was one of the main reasons I couldn't put the book down. The characters were not my favorite part as there are several points of view. It was a bit difficult at first to keep them separate from each other, but for easier as the novel progressed. Overall I was satisfied with this read and am eager to get my hands on the sequel.

Sold me on magical trials! My only complaint is I had wished there were more of the trials. It’s told in third person POV which isn’t a problem for me… It was a breath of fresh air (different yet similar) to recent fantasy books released lately.

This was a great book, from the world-building to the characters to the story line and pacing!

The author did a wonderful job of creating an urban fantasy setting reminiscent of 1920s Central Europe teetering on the brink of social and economic revolution, while still grounding it with a belief system based on Brothers Grimm-like folklore and mythology. I was continually amazed at how well the author blended the two--it never felt jarring or out of place. The most powerful people in society had control of a mythical ax and were descended from woodcutters who allied with a supernatural forest being, yet they also blazed through "present-day" society sloshing champagne all while wearing glittering charmed jewels and ridiculously expensive clothes,

The characters were also compelling. The two main female characters definitely had their flaws and I didn't always like or agree with their actions or decisions, but I found myself rooting for them. The other POVs in the story were also well-done, and everything always felt organic. There was just enough romance to add interest, but it never became the focus of the story, which was refreshing considering all the YA fantasy I have read lately. This book was about relationships between family, young women learning how to trust themselves, and realizing who you are truly meant to be. The aspects of societal inequality, and how various groups wanted to "fix" it, added a great touch.

The plot and pacing were very fast, but I never felt like anything was glossed over. The action happened fast, and quite a lot went on, but even though it almost left me breathless, I never wanted to put the book down and enjoyed every second. It became pretty obvious about half-way through that there was no way everything could be resolved in this one book, but the set-up for book two was great, and the cliff-hanger ending was perfect: just enough tension that I am anxiously awaiting the next installment, but not so much that I am left unsatisfied with how the action ended in the last section of the book. I can't wait to find out what happens next, but I know that when we finally find out what those Holtzfall heiresses have been up to, it will be more than worth the wait.

I would absolutely recommend this book if you enjoy fantasy (urban or fairy tale retellings), "quest" or contest-type stories, or just books filled with lots of exciting action.

The book has so much potential but it first started with a slow start so it was hard to get into it and most of the characters didn’t have any depth and since it was written in the 3rd person, made it hard for me to connect with any of them (but i still got my favourite)

Many times i was questioning myself about DNFed it or not) and i’m kind of happy i didn’t do it because after this really slow start the story is really fun.

At the end of the day, i would give a “good” or “fine” to this book but it could have been more if it has much more building.

Really enjoyed this book!! The plot was fun and different for a YA Fantasy & it kept me hooked throughout the whole book. Really enjoyed the 4 different POVs too. It didn’t feel hard to keep up with or confusing to keep track of to me. It all just flowed really well! The twists were somewhat predictable, but all in all I really liked this one! Would definitely read more if it becomes a series.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!!!

WOW! This book had me hooked from the very first page and did NOT let go! The world-building, the high-stakes competition, the twisty family drama—everything is absolutely incredible!

The story follows Nora, a privileged but deeply flawed heiress, and Lotte, the illegitimate daughter with everything to prove. Their journeys are so captivating, and the way the author develops their characters is nothing short of brilliant. These aren’t just typical 'good girl, bad girl' characters—they’re complex, multi-dimensional, and so easy to get invested in.

I love how the author shows us both Nora and Lotte's struggles and growth. Nora starts off as the spoiled rich girl, but you quickly realize there’s so much more to her than meets the eye. Lotte is a fierce, resourceful country girl who learns what it truly means to have a family, even when that family wants to tear her apart. The tension between these two is palpable, and the dynamics of the Holtzfall family are absolutely thrilling to follow.

The plot is packed with jaw-dropping twists and turns. The competition itself is full of impossible choices, dangerous tests, and mind-blowing reveals. But what truly stands out is the political intrigue and the mystery surrounding Nora's mother's murder. I honestly couldn’t put the book down because there was always something new around every corner.

The ending with such a cliffhanger left me breathless and desperate for more! I need the next book NOW! I’m so invested in the Holtzfall family and can’t wait to see where this story goes.

If you're into compelling characters, edge-of-your-seat action, and a plot that will keep you guessing, you absolutely must read this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Alwyn Hamilton’s “The Notorious Virtues” is a dazzling, multi-faceted YA fantasy that intertwines magic, political intrigue, and an opulent family drama. Set in the glittering world of Walstad—a magical society brimming with power, corruption, and secrets—it tells the story of Nora Holtzfall and the cutthroat competition for her family’s legacy.

When Nora’s mother, Verity, is found murdered, the position of Holtzfall Heiress—along with the family’s fortune and magical control—is suddenly up for grabs. What follows is the Veritaz Trials, a high-stakes competition that pits Nora against her ambitious cousins and, unexpectedly, Lotte, an illegitimate relative raised in a convent who knows nothing of her new, powerful family. As the trials unfold, Nora must not only outwit her rivals but also solve her mother’s murder and uncover the truth about the forces at play behind the scenes.

Hamilton masterfully blends genres and influences to create a uniquely immersive story. With its 1920s-inspired setting, the book evokes the glamour of “The Great Gatsby” while weaving in fairy-tale magic, monstrous threats, and a simmering revolution. The story’s structure alternates between multiple perspectives—Nora, Lotte, Theo (a knight sworn to protect the family), and August (a journalist seeking to expose the truth). Each POV adds depth to the story, offering different lenses through which to view the complex world of Walstad.

The characters are deeply flawed but compelling, especially Nora. She begins as a spoiled and self-centered heiress, but her arc is a triumph of character development, making her one of the book’s most captivating elements. Lotte brings a fresh, outsider perspective, struggling to navigate her newfound identity in a world of wealth and manipulation. August’s scrappy determination and budding partnership with Nora inject moments of humanity and tension, while Theo’s storyline—though less engaging—provides key insights into the family’s darker secrets.

The magic system is another highlight. From talismans and devices to individual magical talents, the Holtzfall family’s power feels both intricate and integral to the plot, particularly during the thrilling Veritaz Trials. These challenges test not only magical prowess but also wit, strategy, and resolve, which kept me hooked throughout and helped these trials stand out, especially since many other YA books have included trials that were more simple and less unique.

The alternating perspectives occasionally feel jarring, with some transitions between characters or timelines lacking fluidity. The beginning can be slow, especially with Nora’s initial unlikability. But once the story gains momentum, it evolves into a tightly woven tale of ambition, betrayal, and resilience.

The murder mystery adds an additional layer of intrigue, with unexpected twists that keep the tension high until the very end. The conclusion leaves plenty of unanswered questions and sets the stage for the next installment in the series—promising even more magic, danger, and drama.
Overall, “The Notorious Virtues” is a bold and captivating start to a promising new series. I really loved the intricate plot, fascinating world-building, and morally complex characters. With its blend of magic, mystery, and political intrigue, this book will appeal to readers who enjoy ambitious, character-driven fantasies with a dark edge. I definitely can’t wait for the next book.

Kudos to Alwyn Hamilton for creating another fantastic universe! She has captured my attention with this unique, abstract, dystopian society. She has yet again managed to weave a beautiful literary tapestry full of vibrant characters and a rich new world. The story had depth and intrigue as well as unexpected twists and turns. And let us not forget... MAGIC!! She was able to include the magic of this world in a way that was easy to imagine and hard to forget.
The characters in this book were written in such a way as to jump off the page and into your heart. They inspired all of the feelings. Adoration and admiration. Sadness and anger. Pity and jealousy. Honor and respect. Loathing and love. I cannot even say which was my favorite because they all had their part to play.
Hamilton has done an excellent job of building this world - and even mentioned the desert and djinn as was in her previous series, of which I have been a huge fan for years. My only real mark against this book is the slow start. I realize that when building a new world, it does take some time to establish boundaries, rules, and such. I had some difficulty envisioning and putting together the pieces at the start. It just took me a little longer than usual to immerse myself in the beginning. However, once I did, it was hard to put down!
Anxiously awaiting the sequel! A solid 4.5 stars!

This book is a blend of magical world-building, tense competition, and shifting loyalties, with just the right mix of suspense and emotional depth. Hamilton’s storytelling is both lush and gritty, capturing the internal and external battles these characters must face. With unexpected twists, political intrigue, and a dash of romance, The Notorious Virtues is an unforgettable fantasy thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

A big thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this title!

I've read Alwyn Hamilton's Rebel of the Sands series before, and I knew that anything else she released would have to be on my radar. I was lucky enough to be able to read The Notorius Virtues, and I have to say, it was amazing!

The story feels a little bit like a mix of The Inheritance Games, Gossip Girl and the Grimm's Fairy Tales. It follows a family with a long history of magic bestowed by a forest spirit, helping them build and protect a town with this power. But as we all know, the more power there is, the easier it is to abuse it.

The events start with the heir to this family being murdered, and her daughter trying to find out who caused it. The lack of an heir also kicks off a competition between the next generation to find the one that's the most virtuous. Spoiler alert: virtue is not something that they really uphold.

The competition stretches out to offer random trials to test specific virtues and whoever wins gets a wooden ring. This ring will allow them to enter the forest to find the legendary axe that was gifted to their family centuries ago. Whoever finds this first is declared the winner.

However, things might not be what they seem, as a sudden new cousin arrives just as this competition starts. And the previous heir's daughter starts to dig a little deeper into the murder of her mother.

I really loved this book, especially at the beginning and nearer the end. There was a section that I was struggling a little bit, but once the trials properly kicked off, I grabbed each opportunity I had to read more. If you like competition stories, fairy tales, stories of unexpected allies, or even just reading about spoiled socialites (hello there Gossip Girl fans), this is a story you will adore!

I can't wait for the next book in the series! Looking forward to reading about these characters again.

A magical competition will always sell me on a book. That being said I wish we had more of the actual trials themself! It’s like if the first hunger games only focused 20% on the games themselves, leaves you wanting more!!

That being said I enjoyed the book and the go at world building. I’ll sign on for the next one to see where this cliffhanger leads!