Only an elite few have access to magic in this book, but Alwyn Hamilton proves she had magic when writing this book.

Honora "Nora" Holtzfall was heiress apparent to the expansive, magic fortune of the Holtzfalls...until her mother was murdered. Now she's fighting her cousins to prove she was always meant to be her grandmother's heir. For the Holtzfalls, that means competing in the deadly Veritaz Trials. This set of trials comes with an extra surprise: Nora has illegitimate cousin, Lotte, coming from a rural convent to compete. May the best Holtzfall win.

The book is told in four perspectives, with a heavier emphasis on Nora and Lotte. The mystery surrounding Nora's mother's murder combined with the Veritaz Trials themselves makes for a fast paced, thrilling read. I would definitely recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This was interesting, but I’m not sure it will work for everyone. I go into books blind now after too many summaries have spoiled things, then I read it after I finish-so I will say this: it really isn’t that much of a magical competition book. If you’re looking for that aspect, you most likely will be disappointed. Also- what romance between Lotte and Theo?
Focusing on my reading experience, I was pretty hooked from the start, you are thrown into this world without knowing anything. It did have a little pacing issue when you get some of the info dump, but there are enough mysteries that made me want to read on. I think it’s doing a fair job on commentary about the ultra rich, politics, and who is in power. There are a number of unanswered questions that I assume you have to read on to get any insight. While Lotte is a pretty easy character to like, I really appreciated Nora’s character growth, especially after meeting August. There is no way this book is only 300 something pages though GR-it must be more like 500. I definitely want to read on with that ending.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.

So I am a little confused because I believe I have read a similar ARC of this already.. I did see this was pushed from 2020 to 2025. There is a significant difference between both of them but also the author's writing and plot.
The side characters:
The romance was stiff a little? Lottie had great character development, but the romance wasn't romancing for me.
The pacing was awkward for me because I definitely felt there was chapters of information dumps, and I was like where's the plot?
The plot was great for the latter half of the book, and I needed more.
The writing was great for setting and set up for the background and the luxurious fantasy I felt this was.

Perfect if you love:
Old Hollywood with YA GOT vibes
multiple POVs (some people do)
Competition
Slowburn Romance
Elemental Magic
YA fantasy
Fancy Fantasy

Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this arc!

DNF - May revisit later

I think there’s potential here, but it just wasn’t capturing my attention. I was skimming and eagerly waiting for the chapter to end and I only was 10% in.

From what I did read, it felt on the younger side of YA. Which I have no problems with, I love reading middle grades. But wanted to give the heads up.

Also what era was I supposed to imagine this in? Modern? Roaring 20s?

But yeah, I think right now I’m not in the right head space or mode for this style of book. However, there’s so many positive reviews that I want to try again at a later date.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

4.5 Stars

The Notorious Virtues is a young adult fantasy that starts a little slow, but builds into a page-turner.

Told from multiple points of view, the book mostly focuses on Nora and Lotte and their male “love interests” (for lack of a better explanation). Nora and Lotte are better realized but all four are compelling.

Author Alwyn Hamilton is adept at world-building, creating varied settings that feel grounded. The overall feel is that of the 1930s — both the glitter and grit. Hamilton’s writing is strong and assured.

The Notorious Virtues is a fast-moving read that explores a society and all its complexities — power, privilege, poverty and revolt. It’s an exciting read that ends with a humdinger of a cliffhanger.

3 ⭐️

I'm feeling pretty mixed on this one. The premise was so intriguing, and the last 30% made me want to read the next one, but it was losing me in the middle.

It took a little while, but I really warmed to both Nora and Lotte by the end of the book. Are they virtuous? No. But i think that's the point. Even the magic has been fooled by how good this family has gotten at playing their parts. I liked the romance aspects too. It was nice to see it take a smaller role in the story, but the development is going nicely.

The magic system was interesting, I'm hoping we get to see more of it. Noras' ability was one i really liked. It's not something you often see in fantasy books. No spoilers, but the third trial was definitely my favourite, and I think that's the tone I thought the whole book was going to have. A little bit twisted.

I've seen people say in their reviews that they felt the POV of the male MCs wasn't needed, but I disagree. I actually wish we had a little more of August. It's mentioned that most people are actually born with a little magic and either use it up for things like heating or selling it to make ends meet. I would have used his POV to show the anger of the poor even more. We need theos POV to understand that the knights literally can not outright disobey an order. Knowing this completely changed my perspective on what was going on.

I will say the major twists were very obvious. Like from the beginning, obvious. I wish we had spent more time on the trials and really making them the focus because they felt a little shoehorned into the murder mystery plot. I think this is why it started losing me part way through, the pacing was a little off.

In a way, I feel like this was one big prequel to set up the rest of the plot, and with the murder aspect hopefully now taking a backseat to the rebellion it should very intense. I think I will continue with the series. I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This book was a lot, a lot of characters, a lot of POVs, a lot of subplots and lots to get through at the beginning. I think this series has great potential and that cliffhanger at the ending, I will definitely have me reading the next one. Overall the last bit of the book really picked up and left me wanting more.

The Holtzfall’s have run the town of Walstad for many generations - they control the magic *and* the money. The story opens with Verity, the current heiress, being killed, late one night in the streets. Her knight (bodyguard), Alaric, is nowhere to be found. Verity’s daughter, Nora, has been in the process of being groomed to be the next heiress-to-be, but the death of Nora’s mother changes the plan.

All living daughters of Nora’s generation must now go through the “Veritas Trials”. Trials are unsuspecting and there is one trial/each contestant. In this case, four trials. Nora and her cousins “come to the table” if you will, to bet their current magic, which will go in a flood to the winner.

On the day the Trials kicks off, however, there is an unexpected arrival. Verity’s sister, Grace, had an unknown child, Lotte, who has been brought to the trials - in the nick of time - to compete for the fortune.

The story is based on different storylines, primarily Nora’s and Lotte’s as they both work through issues with the mother’s as well as wanting to be the next heirs to the family fortune.

The Notorious Virtues

A.K.A. The book that I will NOT shut up about and will hunt you down and make you read!

I’m more than a teensy bit obsessed with this book and I cannot physically wait for the next installment. The lore gave such Once Upon a Broken Heart feels and I adore each of these characters and their questionable morals. The family drama, the mystery, the trials….all perfection.

Thank you so much to Penguin Young Readers and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. The world builds by is rich and decadent and gorgeous and builds a world of decadence and splendor and society crumbling on top of a rich foundation of classic fairy tale. The characters are well built out and over the top but still feel real. The rules of magic are pretty well defined. The class struggle is timely and poignant. I’m not normally one to read the first book of a series before the rest of the books are written but I’m really glad I got this one and I’m already on the lookout for the next books.

This has a slow start, but it was a fun time. It had a cosy fairytale kind of feel, like a Grimm Brother's fairytale with a little less gore. I personally really enjoy multiple POV books, so this worked well for me, but I can see why some people might find it confusing. Overall i think this is a really unique and interesting story and an excellent set-up for the rest of the series.

Honora "Nora" Hortzfall has it all. She lives in the most distinguished family, the paparazzi follow her every move and she is as beautiful as she is privileged. Her life is great, until her mother is killed during a botched mugging. Now Nora must face reality and find out that things aren't always what they seem. The Veritaz Trial she must face to prove that she is the rightful heir is challenging, especially when a surprise heir surfaces. Then she has to rely on an unexpected source of help to prove that her mother's killer confessed under false pretenses. All while trying to get away from the knight that is sworn to protect her family. Will Nora come out on top or will her reality plot against her?

I loved this book. Just the right mix of fairy tale, mystery, and magic to make for a fast read. I went in blind, without reading reviews and when I got ready to post my review, I was disheartened to see that this has been in publishing works since 2020. I hope it gets published soon because I am ready to read the second book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was kind of like Hunger Games meets Once Upon a Broken Heart. It had cozy fantasy/fairytale vibes mixed with a competition for power. There were multiple POVs, which I liked and didn't like. I liked the two FMC POVs, but I didn't think the other two male perspectives were necessary to the story, and sometimes left me confused with too much going on. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. It took me a very long time to get into it, the pacing was not great. I was rooting for both FMCs, and there was a cliffhanger at the end, but I don't think I'll be picking up the sequel, unfortunately. I do want to thank NetGalley and Viking Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Until I got to the last chapter of this book, I had completely forgotten that this was the first book in a series, not a standalone, and now apparently I have to wait to see what happens next… The Notorious Virtues reminds me a lot of Ace of Shades, and a little of Divine Rivals. I think there's a third book that fits it even better (maybe The Last Magician?) but I can't quite place it.

I have mixed feelings about this first installment because of its slow start, its kind of inconsistent magic system (or, it wasn’t really inconsistent, I guess, but I felt like there was something missing in the use of it?), and how the writing style and the tone made me feel somewhat separate from the characters and what was happening (even as I liked the characters and wanted to root for them). Even so, I am very curious about what happens next, and I care what happens, and I don’t want more bad things to happen to Nora or Theo, and I absolutely love the ending and where this story is going. I liked some of the twists and how the first discovery was not always the last answer. I love fairy tales and folklore so much, and it is clear that Alwyn Hamilton does, too. So I cannot give this more than 3 stars, but I enjoyed my time with it and am very much looking forward to what happens next.

4.5 stars
——————

This book hooked me and hooked me early. Alwyn Hamilton manages to wrap a really interesting storyline in a lush world and a unique magic system and concept.

The idea of this book was really unique and not like something I’ve read before, which made it more fun for me. The actual plot is really well conceptualized and planned out. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, the book would zig where I expected it to zag. The world was really well explored and built. I felt like I was walking the streets with the characters, exploring the locations and discovering new people and places. Magic in this book through the jewelry was really interesting, too. It’s a magic system I’ve seen before, but still managed to be unique and exciting. Seeing the power consolidated to one family and the politic strife of that really enhanced the book, too. It really set the story well and contributed to the thrill and intrigue.

I absolutely adored the characters of this book. Lotte and Nora were so similar but so different from each other, but both were really well grown over the course of the book. Adding in August’s POV was a really good decision to explore the world outside the family and build the intrigue of the other side of the world that isn’t champagne and magic. All of the characters were incredibly unique and despite their being so many back characters, they’re written in a way that makes them easy to follow and manage.

This book was nothing short of magic. I cannot wait to keep reading the series and more by this author.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers for allowing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Notorious Virtues is an addictive read — I was seriously hooked from the first page! A perfect mix of magic, high society, and ruthless competition. Think Nightbirds meets The Inheritance Games: centered around a dangerous inheritance with everything on the line, a murder mystery, a splash of romance, and chock-full of dark intentions, twists, and most importantly, magic.

Nora and Lotte are both refreshingly complex main characters — sharp, ambitious, and not always likable (in the best way). The world-building was also perfection. I loved the glittering, 1920s vibes of the present, and the glimpses of the past told like a fairytale. This story focuses on a different type of trials- more like tests of character rather than who is the strongest physically or the most intelligent. I found it refreshing. The magic system was also really intriguing, and once again, I am sad that I don't live in a magical society.

If you’re into glittering intrigue, morally gray characters, and magic with teeth, this one’s absolutely worth picking up. Really hoping that book two is close behind!

I loved this book! It’s the kind of story that wraps around you like a spell and refuses to let go. Full of intrigue, tests of wit and will, and just the right amount of danger, The Notorious Virtues is a magical ride that had me teetering on the edge of my seat. I was hooked.

What really stood out to me was how beautifully it weaves together fairytale elements and folklore. You’ll catch little glimmers—nods to old stories and legends—woven into a world that feels entirely new. The whole thing feels like a dark, enchanting puzzle, and I truly enjoyed piecing it together.

Now, for the characters. For me, this is where the book really shines. There are a number of POV characters, and their chapters are all equally fun to read. While I especially loved August—the charming journalist chasing a career-saving scoop—and Lotte—the secret, illegitimate Holtzfall daughter and surprise Veritaz candidate—Nora is my queen. She’s spoiled rotten, a media darling, and far too clever for her own good. Her character arc is fantastic; I loved watching her eyes open as she began to see the world beyond her privileged circles. The way her relationships evolve, especially with August and her cousin Lotte, adds so much depth to her story.

I’m still a little unsure about Theo. His plotline felt like the weakest of the four, but the ending left him in such an intriguing position that I’m hopeful he’ll really shine in the next installment. I’m excited to see where everyone’s story goes—but especially Nora’s. Her growth and potential have me eagerly awaiting the sequel.

If you’re into dark academia vibes, competition tropes, and magical worlds touched by fairytales, this one is absolutely worth picking up. It’s twisty, clever, and just plain fun. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

The irony of this book is contained in the name: the Notorious Virtues - a descriptive adjective and a noun which are rarely paired. Long, long ago, in the realm of fairytale time, the Holtzfall family ruled the village around them with kindness and wisdom. These days, in a Gilded Age style city, Mercy Holtzfall keeps a tight hand on the city, weighting the votes towards the wealthy and forbidding anyone else to own property.

I really enjoyed our main characters, Nora and Lotte, and even their antagonist cousin, Modesty. The three of them are an understandable combination of virtue and trauma - both have lived lives which expressly discouraged them from being their kindest selves. Throughout the book, both are pushed to be kinder, to learn how to trust and to try to be more selfless. I also really enjoyed that their respective love interests really do push them to be better people. I think the advice that I wish that I could give to my teenage self was to meet someone who would push me to be better and kinder - and our intrepid reporter August and dashing knight Theo do that. "Hurry up and kiss him!" I kept yelling at Nora. But outside the romance, the book is full of twists and turns that kept me turning the page, despite intended to use my Saturday to, like, clean the bathroom.

This book ended on a cliffhanger (not a tiny little fall, a cliff) and I cannot WAIT to read the next one. I read this one in 12 hours straight, and I bet the next will be just as engrossing. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys Lexi Ryan's recent duology or Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals duology.

non seulement j'ai trouvé ça long mais en plus je n'ai pas vraiment réussi à m'attacher à nos quatre narrateurs, j'ai trouvé que le début était sans information avant qu'elles n'arrivent toutes d'un coup et je n'ai pas ressenti d'empathie vis à vis d'eux même si le contexte était sympa sur le papier. Dans le traitement il n'en va pas de même et je n'ai pas réussi à accrocher à leurs histoires même si j'ai quand même apprécié nos deux héros. Un coup dans l'eau donc, dommage parce que je retrouvais avec plaisir l'autrice !

I loved this book! It was so fun and had me on the edge of my sleep in the last half. I truly enjoyed all of the hints and inspirations taken from fairytales and folklore.
At first I wasn't sure I would like any of the main characters, but August was an early frontrunner and very loveable. Nora and Lotte grew on me especially as they interacted more and more with each other. Lotte especially grew into her own as the story went on. I'm still a little unsure if I like Theo as his plot lined felt like the weakest of the four. However the end of the book left him in a place that definitely sets up a lot of different places for him to go and ways to evolve.
If you like fairy tale retellings, magic, mysteries, and toxic family dynamics this is the book for you. It reminded me of a mix of the inheritance cycle meets the lunar Chronicles.
Thanks to Netgalley for my digital arc and I'll definitely be picking up a physical copy of my own.