I dove into this with high expectations and was not disappointed! I was immediately sucked in by the world and the unique magic system. The pacing was absolutely perfect and the characters seemed to jump off the page. I loved all the character development too! There’s mystery, rebellion, fairytales… what more could you want? The only thing that I struggled with was the beginning; it took me a while to get into the first 25%. However, things pick up after that. If you enjoy rich folklore and mysteries, I can’t recommend this enough!

I’ve been dying for this book since Alwyn Hamilton announced it. Now I’m not sure why this book was pushed back so much, but it was worth the wait.

This book follows four different POVs as the a Trial of the Veritaz is beginning. An heiress, an orphan, a knight, and a journalist. The events are generational and political in nature, monster lurking in the woods just out of reach. It’s unique and after the first few chapters the plot really starts to get going.

I grew to love all the POVs but I was really drawn to Nora and Lotte. Nora or Honora Holtzfall is the presumed heiress to a family that has a fable origin of protecting the city of Walstad. After her mother is murdered, she must compete against her own family in order to be the selected heir. Nora is clever, confident but beginning to realize she may not know as much as she thought, and her family had more secrets than even she realized.

The trials were interesting, and refreshing take on the typical YA trials. The interwoven threads of each mystery come together nicely by the end, mostly. EXCEPT FOR THE MAJOR CLIFFHANGER.


In summary, this books is glitzy and glamorous as the 1920s with the fairytale magic and class struggle and corruption sprinkled in.


Dear Alwyn please don’t take so long to write the next one because I’m ready for it now.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC in exchange for a honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved both Nora and Lotte as as the side characters. I’m a sucker for the trial/games trope and feel like Hamilton did a really great job keeping the plot original while still carrying that theme. z

The only thing I did not like about the book was the worldbuilding. It just felt like it couldn’t decide if it was a fantasy or real world. not even really mixing them well

i really liked this one! the world-building was super interesting, and the competition aspect kept things exciting. the main character was easy to root for, and the mix of drama, intrigue, and romance made it a fun read.

I’m sorry I did not like this book. It was hard to get into with multiple POVs and I had to DNF the book. In respect to the author since I did not finish the book, I will not post a negative review online.

This well written dark fantasy thriller has a wonderful premise and intriguing points of view. Lots of readers will enjoy the games, the twists, and the murder mystery. But readers should beware - this is a very dark tale. It is one thing to be told "a narrating character's mother just died and it might have been murder." It is another thing entirely to read it on nearly every page for the first chapter. Those who grieve their own parents would benefit greatly from knowing just how often this hits readers over the head, again and again, before picking it up to read.

The Notorious Virtues had the perfect blend of fantasy and mystery with a unique magic system. As somewhat implied by the cover, it reminded me of a fantasy version of the inheritance games due to the trials and the loveable cast of characters but it was a wholly unique book. I was on the edge of my seat from the first line to the last and the romance added the perfect amount of tension. I loved the background provided by the fairytale-like interludes that explained how the magic came to be. I am so excited for the next book to answer my remaining questions!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Canada for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it took a bit to get going but once it did it was very intriguing. I liked the characters and the multiple POVs. It felt like an early 1900s inheritance games but with magic and murder mystery. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

🥂📰

Wow, this was so good, intense and emotional!

There are four great pows immersing us in the book. I loved Nora from the first page. It took some time to develop feelings for Lotte, but my love for her grew with her character developmemt. The amazing boys added depth to the story.

I loved to follow the main characters through their enterwined connections, journeys, trials, and all those other events, smartly placed in the plot so that you have no chance to get confused. Characters, four pows, trials, politics, investigations, family dramas and yet everything is clear, but you just find yourself buried in the story not being able to stop reading.

The world is absolutely unique, filled with new versions of familiar technologies and charming magic. Politics played their impostant role adding another depth to the plot and making the book unforgettable.

I swallowed the second half in one sitting! Heating up emotions and raising the stakes, it was full of exiting events and twists. I'm delighted, shocked, amazed, and overwhelmed with so many other strong emotions. Can't wait to read all the next books in this series!

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Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Oh my goodness, where do I even start with this book?? It was everything I didn't know I needed and so much more. The glittering world that will both dazzle and frighten in the same breath. The fairytale-esque nature of this book in both its world and its eldritch creatures/curses, not to mention its lessons and virtues. The characters that made me want to scream and cry and throw up with how much I loved them and how scared they made me.

This book was perfectly paced, artfully crafted, and so wonderfully executed that I honestly cannot think of anything I disliked about it. It left me hanging onto every single word, and at the end, I was turning the end pages looking for more. This is the beginning of such a beautiful world full of wonderful and (maybe a little too) relatable characters. Their development is so well crafted that you barely notice the directions you are being pointed in, just like the characters themselves.

I cannot wait to see where this series goes, I just know that it will end up being spectacular!

This book follows the story of Nora and Lotte, two cousins who are pitted against each other for control of a magic ax and their family's legacy which created a bubble of safety for humanity amongst a wild, magical wood. Unfortunately, over the generations, their family has been corrupted by power and oppresses those who rely on their magic bubble to survive. Nora is raised as the heir apparent, until her mother is murdered. Lotte is raised in exile and abused by nuns who hide the truth of her own magic from her, until she's fetched "home" to compete for the ax and the right to lead her family into the next generation. A fascinating magical competition ensues, complicated by additional cousins who are all unworthy in one way or another, as Nora and Lotte attempt to solve various mysteries and come to terms who the reality of the world around them. It ends on a cliffhanger, which normally would make me cranky, but resolved enough that I am instead eager for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/Viking for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately this book did not work for me and I am DNFing this book at 50%.
The premise of young rich heirs competing against each other for the chance to become basically in the style of American Horror Story The Supreme of their family and head of a city dedicated to them was the part of this story that I was drawn into. Unfortunately after the first 20%-25% of this book it turned into a uninteresting murder mystery and missing relative comes back to take center stage story and I felt myself become completely bored by all of the characters and the plot lines.

An epic fantasy tale with elements of steampunk and rich folklore, The Notorious Virtues is a story about two girls - a media-darling sparkling heiress and an abandoned mind-reader raised in a convent - thrust into a magical competition to control their family and their city.

Nora Holtzfall is the presumed heir to the family wealth and magic that controls a country - at least until her mother dies and she’s thrust into a magical competition against her insipid cousins to be named heiress. At the last minute, a surprise contestant appears. Lotte is retrieved from the convent she was abandoned at as an infant by her mother to compete while grappling with the truth of her identity and struggling to control her magic.

The true story isn’t the trial - Nora discovers her mother was murdered and teams up with a reporter on an investigation that takes them to speakeasy’s and rebel headquarters. Meanwhile, Lotte teams up with Theo to discover the truth of her parentage and learn what really happened to his brother.

Nora shines as a character. When first introduced, she’s depicted as flighty and spoiled but she’s so quick-witted, determined and engaging that I rooted for her the whole time. Lotte seemed so petty when we first meet her, but she grows so quickly as a character. The more she learns of the world she was born into, the more she learns to stand on her own for what’s right. These two are the female empowerment duo we deserve. I love the team they make.

The world-building is rich and the story, told mostly in the present - includes flashbacks to the origin of Holtzfall family power. I loved seeing how their history started as caretakers and guardians of the country but twisted into domination and greed over their long history. Side characters are so well fleshed out. I thoroughly enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next in the series.

There were some formatting and editing errors in the electronic copy that I received. It didn’t effect my enjoyment of the story, but I hope another round of editing before release fixes them.

LOVED this book. I really liked Hamilton's Rebel series and thought i would give this a try. I was honestly not expecting much, but could not put it down. There were so many angles, so many. So many that you rooted for, so many you knew that were a bad egg. It was so nice to have all the different POVs. I am very excitedly (and anxiously) awaiting the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for and advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. These opinions are my own.

This story has a fairytale quality along with a mystery to keep one turning pages. In Walstad, there are the Holtzfall family, their knights and then the rest of society. The Holtzfalls own the majority of magic and wealth in the town. There is always one Holtzfall that is the head of the family and his/her children must compete in the Veritas trials to determine the next heir. The current heir, Verity, had only one child, Honora, so she was the heir to the heir. But Verity has been murdered and the knight who protected her is missing. Now Honora is no longer the sole heir and must compete with her cousins. On top of that she is determined to find out who killed her mother. Lotte has always lived unwanted in a convent with some cruel nuns. Suddenly she has been summoned to Walstad. It seems that she too is a Holtzfall. But why has she been hidden away all these years? Can she possibly compete with her rich cousins? To make matters worse there is a growing discontent among the poor that is now converging upon Walstad and the Holtzfalls. Where will it all end?

*Thank you to Penguin Teen for an advance copy to read and review.*

The Notorious Virtues in my opinion, is phenomenal. This is going to be the book to beat in 2025 for me. I definitely had a book hangover after finishing this one. I have been eagerly awaiting this book ever since it was first announced back in 2019, and let me tell you it did not disappoint.

The book follows Honora “Nora” Holtzfall, as she deals with the murder of her mother and has to compete in an ancient competition, the Veritaz, to determine who will be the next heiress of the Holtzfall family. Nora and her cousins have to wager their magic in order to compete in a series of trials based on virtues. If they succeed in a trial, they win a ring that will give them entrance to the final test, where only the most virtuous can claim the Holtzfall axe and become the next heiress. The winner receives all the magic, money and control of the Holtzfall family.

You also get the pov of a few different characters too. Lotte, a long lost Holtzfall daughter and new cousin to Nora. Theo, a knight and sworn protector of the Holtzfall family. And lastly, August, a reporter who gets tangled up in Nora’s hunt for answers about her mother’s death.

While the Holtzfall’s may be the most powerful family in town, they are not the most loved. There is a political uprising from the lower classes that want the magic and wealth of the upper classes to be more evenly distributed. A group called the Grims are trying to upset the balance of power and dethrone the Holtzfall family. This of course adds to the danger of the Veritaz trials.

This book was so wonderfully written. I loved the characters and the world building. It just felt lush and fantastic. It’s like Gossip Girl mixed with fantasy elements and set in a 1920’s inspired world. I am desperately craving book two. As soon as this book is released I’ll be getting the audiobook to do a reread.

OMG.

This is the first Alwyn Hamilton book I have ever read And I think I might be ✨obsessed✨. I already ordered her book Rebel of the sands and I’m so exited to read it. But back to the point, first thing I noticed about the book is the cover, you just know the book is going to be good when the cover is full of trinkets that make no sense, but you know they will once you read the book. ( I spent an hour trying to decode the cover, can you tell??)

I should have paid more attention to my self defense class because this book got me in a chokehold so fast. I have never had a book with multiple POV’s finished so fast, and it’s set in a 1900 ish setting but with magic….can you ask for any more?!? The characters are so well written and fleshed out, and the setting is just perfect. High hopes for the rest of the series.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc

I've read this, my long personal national nightmare is over - review to come.

So, I love Alwyn Hamilton's writing - The Rebel Sands is one of my all time favourite trilogies. And I have been waiting (so patiently, I promise) for this book since it was announced - everyone knows that this book has been my white whale since at least 2020. So when the ARC's went up on NetGalley, I was tagged immediately, and here we are.

I say all of that to say I don't think this review is entirely objective - on the whole (though maybe if you already know the backstory) you can feel at times that Hamilton did struggle with this book, but that didn't interrupt my enjoyment of the story. The concept, world building and plot are excellent here - minor spoiler: there's a connection to the Rebel Sands world through Nora's grandmother. It's mentioned pretty early on & it's the sort of thing that I have to imagine will play a bigger part in the rest of the series.

On the character front: I appreciated (for the most part) the split POV, meeting all the key players separately was great. However, even though the POV is all close 3rd person, I don't know that you really get to fully know or connect with any of them (probably with the exception of Nora - my love). I really appreciate Hamilton‘s commitment to all of her main characters always been complicated and they never perfect.

Anyway, really enjoyed this, very excited to see where it all goes next.

Admittedly the first 100 pages gave me hunger games, the selection and other typical YA read vibes however I am happy that it didn't turn out that way at all.

The Holztfall family has held power over not just the people of Walstad but magic for centuries. Nora being the rich spoiled do whatever she wants gets whatever she wants heiress to this power ends up being tested in ways her clever self didn't see coming. After he mother unexpectedly gets murdered an immediate call for the Veritaz trials to begin sets this book into a whirlwind of magical mystery.

The trials are held to put each participant through tests to determine their worthy enough to be the next heiress. The next in line to have all the money, power and control of well everything. Nora competes in these trials with her cousins. I call them all spoiled rich brats and that's exactly how the "drama" unfolds.

When all the girls lineup for their moment to shine Lotte appeara as if out of thin air for her chance to have it all. Except no one has ever heard of her. Until that very moment she was just a country girl being raised in a Covent where she is treated like the lowest of the lower class with 1 pretend friend and a secret. That secret ends up being her one way ticket to the center of the Holtzfall family. Not just the physical beings. The secrets, the lies, the betrayed, the evil and all the magic.

It was refreshing to read a fantasy with this type of magic system set up. Something unique and different and not the typical flick the wrist call upon the ancients and poof I wield the magic. What I enjoyed most is the mushy mushy romance was minimal barely present and I didn't even miss it. No lovey lovey steamy scenes but enough flirtatious interactions between characters to make it interesting. I didn't mind. I wanted the games to behin and continue not read about who is on bed together anyways.

Of course no fight for the crown is complete with a side quest of mystery to solve in the midst of battling not only family but the Grims who stand against everything a Holtzfall is.

So many plot twists. So many secrets. The best part as the reader you get to know some of these guarded truths and lies and the other characters don't. Had me screaming into the pages no no stop don't do that don't go with her. Full of surprises that's for sure.

Some parts in the middle are a little mediocre and I read it as slightly rushed or not thought out very well. It didn't take away from enjoying the story though. Right up until the last sentence I was gripping the pages wanting, no needing, to know what happens next.

Highly recommend as a must read for 2025. Oh and let's not forget the ending that has me flipping the book upside down looking for more. Ugh now I have to wait for who knows how long.

I started off feeling a little meh on The Notorious Virtues because the two protagonists introduced first, Nora and Lotte, seemed self absorbed and pathetic/vindictive, respectfully. As the story went on and depth was added to their characters I enjoyed them much more and it made the story more interesting. It has a little bit of a Hunger Games feel to it, in that there's a competition with the winner becoming heir to the extensive family fortune and power that goes along with it. Nora was the presumptive heir until her mother was murdered, creating the competition for a new heir. At first glance she isn't anyone to root for, but as the story goes on the hunt to find her mother's killer and her quick thinking several steps ahead of everyone else make her a fun character to root for. Lotte is the bastard child that's been tucked away in the country, tired of being treated poorly and desperate for a friendship revealed to be one-sided. Once she realizes she has family, an unintended friend in Nora and feelings for one of the knights sworn to protect the family, she decided it's worth fighting for even if she isn't particularly concerned about being heir. But the competition isn't the only thing that's happening in Walstad. Discontent is rising among the poor and a group is organizing to overthrow the Holtzfall family - and it may or may not be connected to the death of Nora's mother. Since this is the first book in a series, I don't want to give away too many details, but I really liked how Hamilton wove together the family trials with a more serious uprising that sets the tone for the second book in the series. I didn't expect the book to end the way it did, but it was a great way to provide a conclusion to the first book and create the opening for the second book. There is a little bit of romance in the book, but the focus is definitely more fantasy based. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.