I can recognize that this book is good, but it just didn't stir a wild passion in me.

I'm a girlie who loves the 1920s aesthetic, especially when paired with themes about the greediness of the rich and classism. But for some reason it just didn't connect with me with this book. I had a hard time picturing this city, and even though I love worldbuilding through media (Here it's the newspapers), it still didn't give me a clearer image of the world. Also, I feel like the charms weren't explained well enough? It's not really explained where magic outside Holtzfall's inheritance came from. Maybe it was explained and I missed it, but I feel my point still stands if the explanation failed to leave any impact on me.

As for the characters, I liked them well enough. Lotte was my favorite, but Nora and August had some fun banter. Not enough for me to care at all about their romance, but I can see people loving it. Lotte's heavily implied romance with Theo tightroped along the edge of nope after the middle half due to the question of Lotte's parentage; luckily, it was cleared up, and the romance didn't really get the time to go anywhere by the end, which is fine by me. The four POVs between all aforementioned characters almost feel balanced, but August's feels the less developed out of all of them to me.

I dunno, I really wanted to like this one. I can tell that Hamilton was cooking with the themes with the book, but it just didn't enthrall me. I think if I was endeared more to the character, I would feel stronger. But as of now, I can only feel like I can shrug and say, "It's good," and move on with my day.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars

Summary of the plot:
In this world of Walstad, the Holtzfalls is the founding family and the heir of the family controls all the money and magic. Honora "Nora" is the daughter of the current heir Mercy, until her mother (Mercy) is found murdered in the streets. Now the seat to become heir is open, and all the youngings have a chance to earn it through a magical competition called the Veritaz. While Nora is expecting to become the heir, she's also determined to find out who murdered her mother. There's also a resistance group called the Grims who are determined to see their fair share of money and magic be distributed across the city.

Thoughts on the book:
I really loved Nora and her voice. Her chapters were exciting and felt like the right tone. We also follow three other voices: Lotte (her cousin), Theo (a knight sworn to protect her family), and August (a reporter who helps Nora solve the crime). Lotte's chapters were interesting since she was an outsider to the family. She didn't even know she was part of the family until she was pulled into the competition by her mysterious mother. Theo's and August's chapters were okay.

In terms of the competition, I felt like they made sense to the story and the title of the book. It did seem rather rushed at the end though since we get like three trials in a matter of several chapters. I love the lore behind the trials, which we get sprinkled in between chapters. The book ends with a cliffhanger, so if you hate that, maybe don't pick up this book?

I have not read this author's previous works before but I am looking forward to picking them up now after The Notorious Virtues! If you’re a fan of severe family rivalries, deep-rooted socioeconomic tension, 1920s-esque glamour with fairy tale vibes mixed in, and twists and turns around every corner, then I think you will be up until five am inhaling every word of this like I was.

After the sudden murder of her mother, Nora, along with her cousins, must participate in a series of trials to determine who will be the next heir of the Holtzfall family fortune. Nora's relationship with her family is fraught as it is, but the arrival of a long-lost cousin throws the whole city of Walstad for a spin. Lotte, after presuming she had been an orphan her whole life, is now immersed in the convoluted politics of the Holtzfall family and she's scrambling to prove herself. While Lotte figures out her place as a potential heiress--and perhaps, who her father might be--Nora is on the hunt to find out whether her mother's death was simply a petty crime or something more predetermined. And while the girls are spread thin with the trials and their personal agendas, a dangerous resistance group looms over their shoulders, threatening to dismantle Holtzfall's grip on Walstad once and for all.

This book had me engaged from beginning to end. There are lots of moving parts to this story, and we are blessed with four different POVs that helped develop this world significantly. It is mentioned in the blurb that both Nora and Lotte have their own potential love interests, but don't go into this expecting a lot of romance (I honestly didn't care much for it). That being said, don't skip out on it for that reason. The political intrigue of this story is what had me eagerly flipping through the pages, and the twists and turns thrown at your way will keep you on your toes until the very end.

The characters are great, although I felt the boys could have been more developed since they were important enough to have their own POVs. Nora was a conflicting character for me; she has a lot of self-importance, is glaringly privileged, and is a little too perfect at everything. A part of me also kind of appreciated that however, since I'm a big believer in problematic FMCs, and we were rewarded with a very compelling character journey. Lotte as well had an intriguing character arc, although I wished some of her developments near the end came a little earlier in the book.

Why I gave it four stars and not five: there is constantly a lot going on and ideas being revealed and then unrevealed and it may sometimes feel overwhelming, especially in the last bit when we were thrown new information one after another. The pacing in the beginning was a little slow--as we were being introduced to our characters--and then picked up a little, and then slowed down a bit halfway, and then went absolutely Usain Bolt on us in the last quarter of the book. Lastly, and this somehow bothered me the most, we don't know at all what August, our rakish young reporter, looks like throughout the whole book. I was pleasantly surprised in the beginning to find out that Nora is Middle Eastern (or this book's equivalent of it), and wished there were some more ethnically diverse characters in the story, or at least an explanation as to why there weren't many in this region.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book (and dying to talk more about it once it's released) and can't wait to read the next one in the series--especially after that mother of a cliffhanger.

Such a good book! Loved every single second of it. I recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

Amazing. Simply amazing. I've read a lot of fantasy in my day. World-building is crucial. I was immersed in Nora's world. She is someone I would love to sit down with for lunch--although I am sure her sense of style is far better than mine.

Enter a world where the powerful hold all the power. Because of a woodcutter and an axe, one family holds sway over everyone else. Who inherits what is carefully watched? The plotting begins when Nora falls from her exalted spot as the next heir. This is a family who doesn't love so much as they envy and scheme against.

Adding one more person into the battle for the heir position throws everything into a tail spin. Lotte provides an interesting contrast to the high-flying socialites of the upper class. Plus a curious journalist finds themselves becoming closer to the subjects providing the stories that keep them fed and off the streets.

The Virtues are part of who inherits. A series of trials is set for all those who qualify by blood. Who is to be trusted? Who is false?

I read this book in one day. I canceled two social engagements because I wanted to read more.

There is a cliffhanger ending just in case you hate those. I typically do. However, Hamilton ends it in such a way that you have an inkling of what the next book will cover.

I highly recommend buying this book now so it will be in your hands as soon as possible once release day is here. This one is a keeper.