This was fantastic. I really enjoyed the world and the characters, and I thought that the author's ability to weave in the different mysteries and intrigue was really well done. The different POVs helped keep the pacing pushing forward and they were fun to read. Everything was just action-filled, twisty and turny, and really compelling. I cannot wait for the next book because I have so many questions still! Really awesome, and I also am excited to get our physical copies in at my branch!

This was the first book I have read by this author, and I am in love. The world building was top-notch with a lot of characters that were well-written and well-developed. I really liked that there were multiple points of view. The book kept me guessing due to all the mysteries and secrets and I couldn't put it down. I cannot recommend this book enough! There was a lot of action with some romance, magic, fairy tales and twists and turns. I have so many questions and need to know what happens next. I hope the next book will be here sooner rather than later!

Magic, glamour and a country bumpkin cousin? Sign me up. Set in a world where a family has a stranglehold on the. Said of the world, but with maybe a bit too much infighting. We follow Nora who is the heiress to be and how she navigates that position even as close family members die. And then we have Lotte who doesn’t really know who she is, but she is powerful and needs to step up. But there are other things happening in the world that just might cause issue for Nora and Lotte. The only thing I’d say negative about this book is the lack of closure for this part of the story. Sure, there is an ending, but I’d prefer a bit more closure.

4.5 Rounded up. I'm taking away a half star because CLIFFHANGER AAAAH. Otherwise I really really liked this. I'll be doing a more in depth review on my channel shortly. But the essentials are good worldbuilding, good character growth, nice not over-the-top romance that fits well. Good mystery and several good plot twists and others that were spotted early but were well woven into the story. I just hope I don't have to wait for the sequel for as long as we waited for this one to come out.

This thrilling ride follows Nora, a girl destined for power but feeling like an outsider in her family. After her mother’s mysterious death disrupts their magical empire, Nora is thrown into the Veritaz, a brutal competition for family fortune and magic. Complications arise with Lotte, an unexpected cousin and illegitimate daughter, enters the mix. As secrets unfold and alliances shift, Nora confronts dark family truths and seeks her place, guided by a reporter who despises her. This gripping tale of survival, betrayal, and power is filled with cutthroat family drama and class divides.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton is a third person multi-POV YA fantasy. The Holtzfall family has magic, money, and power. In order to select a new heiress, the eligible daughters will face a series of trials based on five virtues. Nora was once the heir apparent until it was taken from her and she’s going to do what she can to get it back. But Lotte, her cousin who has been hidden away for years, is going to fight for her place in the family.

There are two romance subplots going on, but I wouldn’t call this a Romantasy (romantic fantasy or fantasy romance). The romances don’t really drive the plot forward and the plot wouldn’t change if they were to go away as the actual plot is Nora and Lotte and their three cousins competing for the heirship. Nora’s love interest is August, a journalist, which makes their relationship something of a forbidden romance as the Holtzfall family doesn’t have relationships with journalists as a pretty ironclad rule. Lotte’s romance is with Theo, a knight who is destined to protect the Holtzfall family, and also Nora’s childhood friend. This is another forbidden romance because the Holtzfall family has a strict rule that intimacy between the family and their knights cannot exist.

Grimm’s fairy tales show up as a loose reference. Chapters delivering worldbuilding through the Tale of the Woodcutter read as a twist on the fairy tale The Honest Woodcutter collected by the Brothers Grimm with a bit of the trials found in other German fairy tales. Grims, humans wearing wolf masks who want to bring down the Holtzfall family, crop up as an underground rebel group gaining speed. There isn’t a Red Riding Hood or obvious princess allusions, but they might show up in the next book. I wouldn’t call this a retelling, but more inspired by Germanic fairy tales.
Nora and Lotte have two very distinct voices. Nora is more affected and influenced by the life of opulence she has led until she’s pushed too far and her anger comes through. She suppresses her feelings quite a bit as her family is that stereotypical rich family that cares far too much about appearances and far too little about the well-being of their children. Lotte is a bit lost until she learns who she really is and then she becomes very determined but still struggling with her new life. The only thing she really wants is to belong, so her heart isn’t totally in the trials, but she’ll do what it takes to learn who she can be and who her father was.

Content warning for mentions of child death and revenge porn

I would recommend this to fans of fans of YA fantasy who want more of a romance subplot rather than a Romantasy and readers of fantasy who love trials and tournaments

Trials! Power! The drama! I definitely would recommend if you love messy family drama and political intrigue. I wish the trials were more of the main plot as it felt like a subplot.

The best way i can compare this to something is a kind of fantasy "Knives Out".

Theres a rich family and a competition, although the book spends shockingly little time on the trials (not a complaint! Just surprising!) there's a murdered mother and a surprise heiress and a healthy dollop of class consciousness.

This book had a very interesting premise and a great setting. I loved Alwyn Hamilton's Rebel of the Sands series so I was really excited for another fantasy. I definitely loved all the fairytale elements and the relationships that grew, specifically the connection between Nora and Lotte and Nora's romance with August. I'm fascinated by the story and will definitely be reading the next book when it comes out. Unfortunately it just didn't grip me like Rebel of the Sands did, I don't know, maybe it was because it felt so tense all the time, I just couldn't relax into it.

It was a long wait for this one but I'm so glad Alwyn Hamilton is publishing again. While I struggled with the characters at first, they became a lot more engaging as you got through the book. I was surprised by how few of the pages were devoted to the trails. That seemed like it was going to be the main plot, but it ended up being on par with the mystery element. The classism was challenging to read about, with things the way they are in the US right now, but it addresses them well. Highly recommend to anyone who likes unique magic systems and family drama. Lots of Knives Out vibes.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group YA and Alwyn Hamilton for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

When I started this book, I was fairly sure it wouldn’t get a great rating from me. The biggest issue being I disliked the majority of the characters. However, as I read, I obtained a better understanding of the characters, why they were the way they were and was able to follow the ones that had true growth to their arcs. The themes are a bit on the nose, you won’t have to guess as to what the author is trying to say about power, wealth, the fight against change, what is truth and more. The title is amusing, as there isn’t a single person at the start of the book, except for possibly a few, that have any virtues at all. The thought that the family in charge has to prove their worth as leaders through a competition testing virtues (hint, it really doesn’t) is laughable once you get to know them. If you are rich and powerful, it is because you are better. If something good happens to you, it is because you deserve it. There are multiple POVs, which I feel was done well. Nora’s character is fairly predictable, the cynical heiress that hates her family as much as she hates the position she is in. This doesn’t mean I didn’t come to like her character, I just found her arc wasn’t new. I did enjoy Lotte’s character and felt she was much different than the normal orphan trope. She wasn’t the innocent, pure character you often get from an abused orphan that didn’t grow up with everything. She is flawed and jealous. Neither her nor Nora have an actual ‘family’. Arthur is a young journalist just trying to survive and possibly tell the truth and Theo is a part of a family bloodworn to protect the Holtzfalls. The magic system is intriguing and where the magic truly comes from isn’t completely fleshed out but the story hints at more to come. Where the book ends is quite interesting and I am looking forward to seeing how the story continues in book 2. There is a twist, but no true cliffhanger. Long review short, if you are struggling with the beginning, please give it more time before you set it down!

The Notorious Virtues is a stunning dark fairytale set in one of my new favorite fantasy settings. The story takes place in a world that blends the familiar imagery of fairytales (dark forests, enchantments) with a semi modern setting of Walstad, a city bustling with cars, politics, newspapers, and skyscrapers. And yet, despite featuring some familiar technology, citizens wear magical charms and use mechanical birds to deliver messages long distances. The world is teaming with a well crafted history that left me wanting to learn more.
The plot centers around the Holtzfall family heirs and the magical trials that they must face in order to claim their magical inheritance. While the setting of the story immediately pulled me in, it was Alwyn Hamilton's characters that kept me there. The novel jumps between the perspective of four different characters, each flawed and delightful in their own way. The first half of the book spends considerable time establishing these characters and then it takes off with twist after twist as it hurtles towards the end.
I'm excited to return to the world of The Notorious Virtues.

“Tonight, Mercy Holtzfall would give the ax to the immortal Huldrekall and ask him the same question Honor Holtzfall had asked a thousand years ago: Who is most worthy to inherit this powerful gift?”

The Notorious Virtues follows the lives of the Holtzfalls, the most powerful family in the city of Walstad. Everything was perfect for Nora: her mother was the heiress, and Nora was next in line. But then her mother was found dead. Now, Nora must compete against her cousins in the Veritaz Trials, the deadly test to discover which Holtzfall is most worthy to inherit the family’s vast fortune of magic and wealth. However, Nora’s attention strays to hunting down clues about her mother’s murder, thinking she is guaranteed to win—until her Aunt Grace reveals a secret child. Lotte, who grew up in a country convent with no idea about her lineage, does not fit into this world of dresses and charms, no matter how much she craves a family. But the trials come for both the girls when they least expect it.

The Notorious Virtues is a masterpiece of unexpected twists, complex plot devices, and phenomenal characters. The story is told through four perspectives, and each one drove the novel forward. I really liked both Nora and Lotte and, at times, found myself torn between who I wanted to win the trials more. Lotte craves a family more than anything, and I empathize with her longing. Nora has spent her entire life training to be the heiress, so her character arc focuses on her learning who she is without the certainty of her future, which was wonderfully portrayed. I wasn’t fully expecting the dash of murder mystery, but it added a fresh layer of depth to enjoy. I liked the magic, a cross between charmed jewelry and abilities that a character can utilize at their own will. There are also many fairy tale references, with breaks in the narrative that tell the origins of the Holtzfall family like a fable, which was another thing I absolutely loved. But what I loved most of all about this book was that each detail, even ones I didn’t think would matter, came back to surprise me. This only added to the vibrancy of the plot, and the many intersecting threads throughout fit perfectly into the whole. The ending, while it was a cliffhanger, was an absolute showstopper. I am delighted to say that this is only the first book in a trilogy, and I am beyond excited to see where Hamilton takes this story!

4.75/5 stars

This Teen/YA mystery fantasy is the first book in a duology or trilogy (not sure which) and is the first book from this author for me. I definitely want to read more from her. While not specifically stated, this has the feel of the 1920s and incorporates pieces from some of Grimm's Fairy Tales throughout.

While not going into great detail here, there's a lot to unpack in this story, and I KNOW that with a re-read I would find even more with deeper and varied meanings/insights. There's family (both blood and chosen), friendship, a tiny bit of romance, developing (and further enhancing) strength and confidence in oneself, what duty means to both oneself and to others and a huge dose of what self-worth can and should look like. There are (of course) villains, morally gray aspects to the story, and complex and flawed characters. Politics are delved into as well as socio-economic issues. This book covers a lot of territory.

The story is told through the eyes of several characters, but the main focus is on the uber self-confident and brilliant Honora (Nora) Holtzfall and her newly discovered "forgotten" cousin Ottoline (Lotte) Holtzfall. I fell in love with both. They both faced harsh and heartbreaking circumstances in their lives, but we're shown how each separately and together (one coming from a life of wealth and privilege; one from poverty and despair) learn how to navigate and overcome obstacles in their way. At its core, I felt this was a treatise on inner and outer courage. The world-building itself (very well done, by the way) lent itself to that exploration of what courage means to both Nora and Lotte.

I really enjoyed this book. My only caveat was its length. I felt that at 500 pages it was a bit long and could have been tightened up a bit.

I'm looking forward to more from the Holtzfalls and the Rydders.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Penguin Group / Penguin Young Readers Group and Viking Books for Young Readers for providing the free early arc of The Notorious Virtues for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

I’m going to be honest, I started, stopped, restarted and stopped this book a few times. I just didn’t get into it but sometimes its just the mindset. Once I got into it I really enjoyed this book.

The books is told from four points of view, Nora, Lotte, Arthur and Theo. Sometimes too many POV can drag down a story but this one was handled well. Each character brought a unique perspective to the story, from the outsider in Lotte to the heiress of Nora. They each add to the overall story giving the backstory of much of the plot from Nora while also giving the perspective of the everyday folks under the thumb of the ruling family through Arthur. Another thing that can sometimes get lost with too many POV is unique voices, they can blend a bit together but these all stayed unique characters. I really liked Nora, she is rich and expects everyone to give her what she wants and yes she remains that way through the book but still manages to grow which I appreciate. I hate when characters just completely shed who they are in the beginning to feel almost like a new character but Nora is recognizable throughout. Lotte may not be on equal footing as Nora but she more than holds her own throughout the book. She never really loses her outsider status despite being welcomed by the family. I loved watched Lotte and Nora slowly build up first an alliance and what feels like a genuine friendship as they came to realize they share more in common than they truly know.

The story seems rather straightforward, another contest to determine who is the head of the family. It does well though to weave throughout the story murder, betrayal, scandals and the fight by the lower class to gain power. The grims are an interesting group, do they really want to distribute the wealth of magic and money throughout the common folk or will they become just another tyrant. There are hints woven in the book about who everyone really is. There is no black and white, not everyone is strictly good or evil. The author handles this well as we get to know both sides, making me sympathize with both.

Writing is really well done. At about the half way point I really found it hard to put the book down. The magic system is nothing special but I liked how they used items and their own unique gifts. It is setting up in the sequel how magic of the forest that has been held at bay for so long will be handled.

Overall I really liked this book after a bit of a shaky start. The characters all remain unique even with the multiple POV chapters and leaves on a bit of a cliffhanger that has me very excited to read the next book.

The beginning of this book really makes you despise Nora in particular while introducing three other characters that almost feel irrelevant to the plot that it appears the author is setting. However, once the Trials start and all of the characters start to interact with each other, it feels like the book sets better into its plot.

Don't walk into this book expecting a nice, happy, wrapped-up ending. It won't give you that. But taking a moment to think about the layers beneath the veneer of the story reveals quite a bit.

This one had a very slow start for me. I almost gave up because the pace just crawled. However, I’m glad I stuck with it because it became an enjoyable read. The more I got to know of Nora, the more I wanted from her. I liked that even though she is essentially the “pampered princess,” she cares for others. She also listens to others, mainly August, and she changes her views, which I super appreciate.

While I understand all the varying perspectives, I didn’t really care about the others all that much. I liked Nora because she had depth. The competition doesn’t really take center stage here, which could be disappointing for some people. But the progressing storyline helps to move the story forward, making it an overall enjoyable read.

I was immediately sucked into this book and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for the review copy!

The magic system was so cool and unique, I really loved how it pulled in the folk tales of how the Veritaz trials came to exist. And that in order to achieve all of the power, they had to risk losing their magic by competing.

The murder mystery, the competition, the romance, and the way Nora and Lotte have to work together all comes together into a great time.

I haven’t read Hamilton’s previous series, but from what I know about it, it seems to be set in the same universe. I’m interested to pick it up now and see what Easter eggs I find.

DNF at 5%. I really was so intrigued by the first chapter of this book—the premise is great, enjoyed the writing. But then I hit the next few chapters and I lost steam. There are several POVs, then we get a story within a story right away, and I was just overwhelmed by the info dumping. I may pick it up again when I’m more in the mood for something like this.

I had high hopes for this book and it was okay the plot was a bit confusing for me in the beginning and the character development was slow.

Thanks for the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.