Alwyn Hamilton is back and better than ever! This was such a blast and so beautifully written. The cast of characters are so well realised (Nora is a particular favourite of mine!) and the world Hamilton has built is so rich and vivid. An absolute 10/10 read with an ending that made me scream and throw the book across the room.

"Your oath or your blood. Which do you value more?"

Nothing gets me more excited than a new Alwyn Hamilton book... but make it a fantasy thriller and you've got me UTTERLY hooked.

The Notorious Virtues introduces us to a world of dazzling glitz and glamour, where everything is a competition within the Holtzfall family... even before the real competition starts. The death of the long standing heir brings trials and tribulations which test the younger generation of the Holtzfall's to see who is the most worthy and virtuous of becoming the next heir.

I absolutely loved the tension and high stakes that Alwyn brought to this book; I truly felt like I was reading a murder mystery soap opera with there being so many plot twists and new developments which we (the reader) learn alongside the characters. The multiple POVs from Nora, August, Lotte and Theo created such an exciting story, where we don't know who to trust, nor who we should root for.

If you love murder mystery within a fantasy setting, magic trials and competition, secret heirs, rich girl x poor boy, rebellion and uprising with a strong sense of betrayal, all set in a 1920s feel world... then you must read The Notorious Virtues, because I promise you'll love it just as much as I did.

This book had me hooked from early on. The fairy tale-inspired plot was also rich in illustrations of the evils of capitalism. The despotic family who run the city are also subject to a fairy tale trial of their virtues. The characters are fully fleshed out and you really care what happens. I can't wait for the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

At sixteen, Honora ‘Nora’ Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in Gammamix; her family controls all the money – and all the magic – in the entire country. But when her mother is found murdered in an alley, the family throne and fortune are up for grabs, which means Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the deadly Veritaz trials to determine the rightful inheritor.

But there's a surprise rival in the form of Ottoline, aka Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora's aunt, who left her with nuns as a baby. Thrown into the Veritaz, she is suddenly surrounded by a hostile family she never knew she had.

But as the Holtzfalls wage their battles of privilege, something bigger and more sinister bubbles beneath the surface, and revolution is in the air. Could the balance of power be about to be overturned?

I loved the characters and the multiple POVS, especially Nora and Lotte as they both developed as characters both had very interesting backstories. I also thought that Hamilton wrote each character well and you could tell whose POV you were reading without having to read who it was.

The Notorious Virtues was filled with so many twists and turns! The trials were so interesting to read and I wasn’t expecting anything that unfolded - I truly love Hamilton’s writing and would recommend this to anyone who loves the Thriller and Fantasy genres and also The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynne Barnes

I have been insanely excited about this book ever since it was first announced (4 or 5 years ago? I think?) and having finally got my grubby hands on a copy I can confirm: it is 100% worth the wait. Brilliantly written with twists and betrayals and family and magic, I loved every page and will now patiently (but desperately) wait for the sequel! Please not so long a wait this time though?

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

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.

this was a phenomenal read. following the hortzfall family, it unravels covered up mysteries alongside the veritaz trails which are magically fuelled to find the next heiress.

I loved Nora and Lotte through this as they both developed immensely as characters but additionally both had very interesting and unique backstories. with its 'battle for it all' element it reminds me of the brothers hawthorne series and with how this ends im sure we will get a continuation to find out what truly happened in those final trails and what came of the remaining hortzfalls.

with rebels in the form of the grims, we do have organised violence but it makes for an intriguing political subplot that runs alongside the hortzfalls main story.
overall, i loved this and cannot wait to read more from this author.

The Notorious Virtues is a sparkling concoction of intrigue and suspense, filled with twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. With her trademark lyrical prose, Hamilton has crafted a thrilling story that explores the dark side of wealth and power while celebrating the strength of those who dare to challenge the status quo. This series starter promises to be an unforgettable ride, leaving me eager for what comes next in this mesmerizing world of magic and ambition.