Thank you NetGalley, Goodreads, and Penguin Group for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

This was a HEFTY story.

There was a lot of information in this book, and I was struggling a little bit because I was 2/3 through the book and there were still just pages of info dumps. So that slowed my forward progress of this book a bit, but the last 1/3 if this book was pretty banging.

There are four different POVs in this book, and two of them I was really interested and invested in from the beginning. Both Nora and August had really great storylines and their characters were just really captivating. It was very entertaining watching Nora be the public heiress but then see exactly what she was capable of, in many different ways. Her interactions with August were 🤌 I always love seeing two people who are at odds but working toward a shared goal. Those dynamics are always enjoyable.

Lottie and Theo were a little harder for me. Lottie's character just kinda seemed all over the place and I couldn't get a good read on her until about half way and then her chapters really started to sync. Once she clicked for me, then I really started to like her chapters. And Theo...I really wanted to like Theo, and I did generally, but his chapters were just so emotionless and stiff. Maybe that was on purpose, but it really made me not look forward to his chapters, which was a shame because he also had a really interesting storyline to follow.

But the last 1/3 of this book was pretty great and a lot of different shit went down, and it really sets up a pretty crazy follow up so I'm for sure intrigued enough to continue the series.

The Notorious Virtues is an urban historical fantasy set in a fictional city with a vaguely 1920s vibe. We follow 4 main characters - Nora, the heiress apparent to inherit the wealth and magic of the Hotzfall family, currently held by her grandmother; Theo, a knight sworn to protect Nora's family; Lotte, a secret illegitimate child of Nora's aunt; and August, a struggling journalist at a city newspaper. Nora and Lotte are to participate in the Veritaz trials along with their cousins to complete to be the Hotzfall heir.

Although the premise is interesting and an original take on typical YA fantasy tropes, The Notorious Virtues wasn't my favorite read. It's quite long and slow for a YA novel and took a long time to actually strike my interest. I didn't love Nora as a character (a bit too Not Like Other Girls for my taste), although I did enjoy the other 3 character's POV. Although the story took a while to really get going and get me invested, my interest level did rise in the second half of the book, and I was more excited to pick up the book and finish the story. Overall, I liked but didn't love this read - 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, if you’re one of those readers who needs to know what’s going to happen next, you may want to wait till the trilogy (or series?) is completed. This one doesn’t end abruptly but it leaves you hanging in a way that should be outlawed by the Geneva Convention. The author creates a world that seems almost recognizable from a bygone era, but with fantastic elements that creep in slowly. It took me a while to get into it, because there are too many characters and subplots. I was also confused about the two leads. Nora and Lotte were both unlikable and difficult to root for. But then something magical happened. They started to grow and learn, changing for the better and showing how they were not the stereotypes that I’d thought. Nora turned out not to just be a vapid socialite, but a smart, lovely woman. Lotte was not the revengeful hidden daughter who hated everything she never had, but kind and resourceful. By then, I was lost in this lovingly crafted world. I thought where this was going and then the plot took a turn, then another and another, surprising me with every single one. Now we get to wait to see what’s going to happen. Excellent!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/PENGUIN GROUP.

**Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!**

I enjoyed most of this book! The characters were really fun to follow and really engaging and unique. The plot was pretty interesting for most of the book, but holy cow I was so bored from the 30%-55% mark (I almost DNF'd). And then it picked up crazy fast again... The pacing bothered me. I also got way lost at the end (and warning, there's a big cliffhanger at the end).

The book is pretty clean, which I really appreciated, but the world was honestly kind of confusing, and I couldn't get a sense for what the time period really was. I also think there were some plot holes with the magic system.

I still had fun reading most of this book, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I enjoyed some of Alwyn Hamilton's other books.

I am blown away by how much I loved this book! The writing, the world-building, the cliffhanger - I loved it all. The only bad thing is how long I have to wait for the next book!

The Notorious Virtues might actually be perfect. Alwyn Hamilton borrows from a variety of standard popular YA themes whole making to make something wholly original and with tons of heart.

Nora Holtzfall was born to be an heiress, groomed from her first day on earth to take over the family from her mother; until her mother is murdered and the line of succession became open again.

August is a reporter looking for a new angle when he catches wind of a story of a dead matriarch and an heiress looking for the truth.

Lotte has lived her whole live in a convent, abused and left to grovel at the hands of anyone who will show her kindness, until the day shes taken away from it all and told shes the lost daughter of the regions most powerful family.

Theo is a knight, bound by an unbreakable magic oath to submit to his masters no matter what the circumstance.

and with a dead matriarch comes a new set of games to determine who the new heiress will be.

So already you have some familiar themes, but what makes this book masterful is just how maturely they are used. If you are sick of books where the trope is dominating the narrative, you will love The Notorious Virtues. The prose is uncomplicated but mature, Alwyn Hamilton follows the adult standards for a flintlock fantasy beautifully- mixing fantasy with industry and progress. Our characters live in a world built by magic, but now dominated by factories and class struggle. The gilded age favors a small group of elites who build the city from the ground up known as the Holtzfalls- they and their ilk are desperate to cling onto power in an age of growing working class discontent.

The book touches on class issues without being objectively political or trying to borrow too much from today's issues. I thought this was skillfully done because frankly, I am burnt out from todays horrors, but I liked that Hamilton built a world that included these themes and felt they were well done.

The magic system in virtues has two components- inherit magic bestowed upon members of the elite that can range from mind reading to stealing memories, and "borrowed" magic using magic rings and enchantments. While this is not a book that handles its magic system ad nauseam, theres thought put into it that I appreciate.

All of the POV characters are excellent- all are whole and complete people with their own motivations and personalities. No self insert characters, no "love interest" copy and paste standards. Nora is a privileged but sturdy rich girl who is equal parts logical and intimidating. August is curious and cynical. Theo is duty bound and probably the most "purehearted" of the group. Lotte is probably the most "heroic" on paper, but also has a spiteful side and is capable of some reasonable cruelty that surprised me. All of them are very richly written and play on each other well.

Even the non POV characters are excellent. Members of the Holtzfall family that show up in the story range from weird to detestable. The knights, commoners, and the Grimms, freedom fights of questionable behavior, are all so colorful and able to elicit strong emotions from the reader.

The story moves fast- with part of the focus being on the trials that members of the Holtzfall family are meant to complete to earn the title of heir, and the other half being the investigation into not one, but two conspiratorial plots. Sometimes, when dealing with murder mystery as a secondary factor, there is some lazy writing involved, but I found myself surprised at every turn when reading Virtues.

My best comp for this is One Dark Window, while the two books are not on paper the same, the setting, politics, and trial adventure aspect are very closely connected. Both have a little touch of romance and a really cool overarching plot and world that is written with some level of looseness to ensure the characters are primarily focused on. It also has many elements of Six of Crows- including its low criminal mystery elements, and its multi POV format with a cast of morally grey characters.

I strongly recommend this book to just about every kind of fantasy reader- even folks who are not partial to YA fantasy. I appreciate that the romance is a side plot in a bigger, much more interesting world, and that the characters all have meaningful relationships with each other. It just feels like so much THOUGHT was put into this story and I am absolutely thrilled to pick the sequel of this one up.

This was my first book by this author and the cover and plot were intriguing. I look forward to more.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a chance to read this ARC early.

Nooooo this book cannot be over and CANNOT leave me with such a tantalizing cliffhanger! Ughhhh I need the sequel NOW and THIS book hasn’t even been PUBLISHED.

THANKS Netgalley for simultaneously fulfilling my wish to read this book early and making me regret getting what I wished for…because the agony of waiting may do me in.

Longer review to come because this book was such an easy 5 stars for me. I truly look forward to what happens next!

Alwyn Hamilton has done it again!!! This was such an immersive read with rich worldbuilding and fully fleshed out characters. I cannot wait to get my limited edition copy come release date!

I didn’t know if I was going to like this or not, but I can say that I found myself enjoying this one very quickly! It’s definitely a more modern fantasy, and I’m iffy with the multiple POV’s, but the world building is fun. I love that the characters were so dynamic, and while some POVs weren’t as fleshed out as I had hoped, it didn’t take away from the story. I love the included folklore, and I’m a sucker for a story that involves a competition.

It feels similar to the Inheritance Games, but set in the 1920s and with magic, which is what I think made me enjoy it. Very curious to see what happens next, especially with a cliffhanger ending! I will happily be recommending this book to people. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read this book!

This is the best book I have read so far this year, I loved the characterization! Like most people, the people in this book weren't one dimensional. As the story developed different sides of each of them came to the surface. Moreover, I have come to like books with multiple points of view, and this one offers that. I think being able to see things through a character's eyes really adds to the story. The main characters, Nora and Lottie quickly became my favorites.

I also really appreciated the carefully crafted plot, and the addition of the woodcutter added a touch that almost seems like a fairy tale; although, it was part of the family's history. The story had me hoping that Nora and Lottie would win one of the challenges. I read this rather quickly because the story was so intriguing I had a hard time putting the book down.

5 Stars!

Hamilton's story is captivating. There is so much fantasy and intrigue that I could not put the book down and was sad to see it end. The characters are all well written and have their own paths to take to the "Heiress" trials. You will be caught up with the struggles between the characters and find yourself entranced by the vivid settings, plots, and subplots. I'm hoping a sequel appears soon.

This is going to be a summer must read!

Después de la muerte de la heredera de la familia, los Holtzfall deben nombrar a su sucesor, y para ello, la generación mas joven tendrá que demostrar que lo merecen a través de una serie de pruebas para competir por obtener el hacha y ser la cabeza de la familia.
Es una mezcla de magia, aventura, crítica al capitalismo, relaciones familiares complicadas y un toque de romance.
¡Necesito leer el siguiente libro!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is SO good!!! Of course, I trusted Alwyn’s talent, but I was still surprised by how much I loved it! I loved all the POVs and characters, and I found the book’s structure super creative, it reminded me of some of my favorites, and I absolutely loved that. I can’t wait for the sequel!! 😩🤎

The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton had all the right ingredients—competition, magic, rebellion—but something about the execution just didn’t fully click for me. The worldbuilding is intriguing, blending fairytales with industrialism, and I loved the underlying themes of power and privilege. But the pacing dragged in places, and I struggled to connect with the characters, especially given some of the forced relationships and uneven development.

That said, the magic system was unique, and there were definitely moments of brilliance woven throughout. If you love morally gray characters, political intrigue, and a competition-based storyline, this could still be worth a shot. I just wanted a little more depth to keep me fully invested.

If a book has a competition element, there is a very good chance I’ll love it. I really enjoyed both POv’s we got, and found myself wanting to pick this one back up.

There were a few pacing issues, but overall I really enjoyed this one.

I had enjoyed the author's Rebel in the Sands series, so when I received this book from Netgalley, I had high hopes for it. But, after a couple pages in, I found that I just wasn't interested in this particular story. I'm not sure if it's because it's been a few years since I last read one of her books, or something about this particular book just didn't grab my attention. So, unfortunately, at this time I'm going to set this book aside unfinished and perhaps I'll come back to it at a later time. But I would still recommend giving this book a try if you're looking for something new to read.

Sadly this book just didn’t grab as much as I hoped it would. I put it down and picked it up multiple times but I just couldn’t connect with it. Super bummed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I normally hate reading fantasy worlds where cars exist, but I am so glad I did not let that stop me from reading this. Alwyn Hamilton reminds me of what YA fantasy is at its best, and though one of the POVs is a little underdeveloped (August), it doesn't make a difference against everything that makes this book incredible. The Notorious Virtues is a sharp, angry book, balancing fairy tales and industrialism perfectly. Both protagonists are wonderfully imperfect, and change meaningfully throughout the book. I wish it was longer. I am distraught that I have to wait for the next one.

DNF at 20%

unfortunately this book was not for me. I hated the main character and I found the story lacking of pathos and personality