Absolutely phenomenal. Alwyn’s writing is incredible. The level of detail and the complexity of the story, while remaining totally easy to read and follow, was perfect. The family drama was *chefs kiss* and the characters who were flawed but still likeable were so fun. I loved loved loved every bit of the story. (Also the plot twists!!)

If you are going to write a fantasy book about a fabulously wealthy family who rule a land with a rod of iron and hold magic over its inhabitants, this is how you do it.

This is a fully-realised world, peopled by 3-dimensional characters you can hiss and cheer for. There are valid questions to ask yourself about power and its responsibilities, inherited wealth and inherited debt as well as what constitutes family.

A really well-paced, interesting fantasy novel that made me want to immediately reach for the next in the series. A must-read for any fan of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley, Alwyn Hamilton and Faber and Faber limited for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I requested the ARC of this book based on the strength of Ms Hamilton's earlier works, but for reason's I can't quite put my finger on I had trouble getting into this one. I'll try it again in a few weeks and see if it goes better.

I received an ARC from Netgalley.

Like many readers, I have been waiting a while for THE NOTORIOUS VIRTUES - I still have the promo invitation from YALC 2019 that was promising less than a year to read this story. Obviously that didn't happen. The thing about such a long wait is that you know it's going to go one of two ways, because you've had so long to think about this book and wonder what tale you're going to get: either it lives up to that nebulous idea in the back of your head for five years, or it doesn't.

Luckily, this book did the former.

I blew through it, turning pages late into the night, needing to know what happened - who got the power and how the revolution would end up going down. It's a really nice mix of tensions in the city. You have the Holtzfalls, who are split between those who have a chance at power (and some of whom will do anything to get there) and those who lost their chance and resent those with power. The city is full of those without power, in dire need of what the richest are hording. And then there are the knights, bound by their ancestor's oath to protect and obey.

It's a tale of decadence and excess, of abuse of power and desperation to win. It's a seething powder keg ready to explode in some way or another - the question is what will set it off. The revolutionaries? The Holtzfalls shattering their own carefully constructed image?

It's set nicely against a 1920s-esque world full of glamour and magic and blood. It's a time of change, a widening gap between the richest and poorest, all while newspapers dig up secrets and carry gossip. But there's magic too and I really liked the girl's magics. Lotte can read minds and Nora can reveal previous scenes "seen" by reflective surfaces, which is a really unique power that gets used to great effect here. Plus there are charms harnessing other abilities to add some great chaos.

I really liked the combination of narrators in this book. There are two potential heiresses: the once-favoured, smart, and indolent Nora, who is a bit of an outsider thanks to her foreign father; and Lotte, hidden away for years and now thrust into the limelight. There's Theo, a knight bound by an ancient oath to serve the family no matter what, and August, a journalist who finds himself drawn into Nora's orbit.

They have such a range of views and life experiences, not to mention wants. There are romantic entanglements, but they are very much the sub sub plot, while Lotte and Nora deciding what family means to them is the emotional focus, which was nice.

I look forward to book two!

With thanks to Faber and Faber Ltd for the opportunity to read this on NetGalley.
I'd been putting off reading the remainder of this as it starts with Nora who is a rich possible heiress to the Holtzfall wealth and magic, acting in the first scene as a stereotypical spoiled trust fund kid. Boy, I am glad I persisted though, the character development of Nora made me want to read "one more chapter". The introduction to Lotte intrigued me enough to read on, early into the book.
I liked the multiple POV, four perspectives was enough to get a snapshot of each characters progression without wanting to skip to the favourites.
The plot was driven with enough intrigue and twisty enough to keep you reading on and, even more, guessing.
Never having read anything by this author, I'm pleased to say, Alwyn Hamilton strings together cohesive storytelling for a fantastic novel, I'm a big fan of the fairytales as interludes between certain chapters.
A definite 4 stars.

I received a copy of this book early as an ARC through Netgalley for an honest review, my opinions are my own and I want to thank the publishing house for accepting my ARC request.

I initially requested this knowing nothing of the author, their previous writings and instead based off the plot so I went into this with no expectations. Alwyn Hamilton has a pleasant writing style and she manages to intrigue you right from the get go with this book. Knives Out meets The Hunger Games with magical elements is the simplistic way I could describe this book. I enjoyed the various POV's but I did have a particular fondness for Lotte's as she, like the reader, was so new to the Holtzfall's world, though she wasn't naive and didn't fawn over the glitz and the glamour being one of them provides.

Honora Holtzfall should have been a soulless, selfish heiress whose only care was her inheritance, shopping and what dress she should wear to her next luncheon, and she certainly makes an effort to mask as that. But she's also so much more. She shows her softness quietly, in passed comments about circumstances in the past we see she's not as she presents (proving a guard-in-training's innocence when her cousin frames him for hurting her when they're both children), pushing her intentions that she's glad Lotte is there because she knows her cousins Holtzfall gift and how it works). I loved her and August and felt their love story was told effectively, they didn't need pages and pages of soppy romance, they got what they needed and it was chaste but enough.

Lotte was a great addition to the POV's as she gives the newcomer angle for the reader, for when you may not fully have grasped the worldbuilding or family dynamics. Her gift also provides excellent context to other characters as she reads them better than others who have known each other longer simply because she can see them beneath who they present themselves as.

I spent a majority of this book pointing my finger at various characters for the death of the previous heir to the point it just got absurd, Alwyn Hamilton does a good job at misleading, creating the slightest bit of suspicion on a character just for them to only be a bad person but not The bad person. When the actual killer is revealed, I had a moment where I just sat back and went 'Ahhh.... Yeah', because it's not obvious but it also is at the same time.

I was slightly disappointed by the end, with the fall of the Holtzfall's being expected but feeling far too rushed. It felt as though you could have blinked and it cuts to the next chapter where everyone else in the city is celebrating being free of their control. The only positive in that is by the final page you see that perhaps having the Holtzfall's pinning everyone under their thumb, perhaps they were protecting them from bigger dangers and that does lead beautifully into a sequel where I imagine another series of mysteries and deaths will occur, potentially leading to Honora and August investigating them.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a Fantasy Mystery, especially if someone were looking for something with the vibes I mentioned initially of The Hunger Games, Knives Out, etc. Thank you again for the ARC copy!

Nora's mother, the most powerful heiress in Gammamix, has been murdered, bringing a battle for supremacy for the throne.... Nora does not automatically inherit and has to stand against all of her cousins for the right; at stake is a country, a throne, money, and magic. A bigger picture is already taking place. How far will they go to get the throne, and who is going to be in the running....

A fantastic start to this series, and I just burned this book. I've never read Hamilton's work, but I am waiting for the next in the series
Brilliant
Five stars, you need a hell of an imagination to pen works like this, Bravo ]

Alwyn Hamilton’s latest book really caught my eye when she announced it on social media, and I was gagged by the stunning cover and strong synopsis. A magical competition? A misunderstood heiress? Consider me sold!

Hamilton has crafted a rich world (in multiple senses), and while it took me a little time to fully immerse myself, once I did, I was hooked. Her world is clear and compelling, and really drew me in. The second half, in particular, is where the book truly came to life—picking up in pace and hitting the right steps, I flew through it.

I would have loved to have seen more of the primary couple in the story, maybe book 2?

I have reviewed The Notorious Virtues for book sales and recommendation site LoveReading.co.uk

I have chosen it as both a LoveReading Star Book and a Liz Pick of the Month.

Please see the link for the full review.

Honora “Nora” Holtzfall, daughter of the most powerful heiress in Walstad, becomes entangled in a magical competition for power after her mother’s murder. Amidst family intrigue and a dangerous competition, Nora and Lotte, her illegitimate cousin, uncover secrets that could change everything.

Wow, this took me by surprise. With multi-pov of main and secondary characters, we get a look at all involved in the story, but for me, Lotte and Nora are my absolute favourites. Seeing them grow as the book and trials progress through some great character development really sold this for me, and I couldn’t wait to get back to their POV’s. They’re flawed and messy, just how I like my characters.

There’s a little bit of a lull towards the middle, but it soon picked back up again and sucked me straight back into the story. I did see a couple of the twists coming but that didn’t put me off either.

This was my first book by this author and I’m definitely looking forward to the second in this series!

I actually loved this book, especially the worldbuilding. It was really good. I loved the idea of the honourable axe cutter and his descendants cutting a safe place out of the world and then the corruption that followed.

The characters were also fantastic. I loved Nora, Lotte, Theo, and August. The more we saw of them, the more developed the characters became. My only real complaint for the book was that, at the beginning, it took a while to warm to them. The chapters jumped too quickly between them to get a real sense of them so it took a while to warm to them.

The characters are flawed. They aren't perfect, and that's something I enjoy. I like that they make mistakes and are human.

The plot twist wasn't really one that I saw coming. I had pieced together some things but not all of it, and there were still surprises at the end. The cliffhanger was decent. Even though I'm not a massive fan of cliffhangers, I felt that this one kind of ended the book pretty well. I really look forward to the next one.

The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton, takes the YA genre to a whole new level, delivering an engaging and twisty narrative that will capture audiences across the YA and adult genre. From the start I was captured by the characters and story, and totally immersed in the world born from fairytale beginnings. Hamilton takes on class war, inequality, a magical dynasty, and enmeshes it within a murder mystery tale and narrative of family and societal division and conflict, providing a view directly into the rotten heart of Holtzfall rule over their domain.

Honora ‘Nora’ Holtzfall’s mother was the heiress of the Holtzfall family, destined to inherit and rule over Walstead, a ‘kingdom’ where the family dominate, own and control everything from the land people occupy to the energy they use, the money and of course the magic. Until Nora’s mother is found murdered and the Veritaz trials to find the next heir to the Holtzfall family fortune are triggered. The trials themselves are routed in the family origins and with the death of Nora’s mother trigger a multitude of events, conflict and danger as Nora finds herself in competition with her cousins for the ultimate prize, to be named heir.

The trials themselves are pivotal to the conflict and danger within the family but, running across these are Nora’s investigation into her mother’s murder, aided and abetted by August, a journalist from a newspaper that opposes her family’s position and direction. And then to add further intrigue and challenge is the sudden appearance of Ottoline ‘Lotte’ Holtzfall, Nora’s aunt’s illegitimate daughter, who grew up in a harsh and strict rural convent, beyond the knowledge of the majority of the Holtzfall family. A new contender in the trial for Nora to face but, as events unfold, Nora and Lotte find themselves working together to solve the family mysteries and ultimately, survive.

This is by no means a short read but, within a few chapters I was totally immersed in the storyline, between the Veritaz trial and the intertwined plots of murder, conflict and plots within plots. I found myself rooting for both Nora and Lotte, not only for their efforts to pass the trial tests but, also for them to survive the ever growing tension and conflict that was building across Walstead. There is so much more to this story than just family conflict and a competition to gain the position of heir, and it was that which totally pulled me in and kept me reading way past my bedtime!
I will admit I was a little frustrated by the cliff hanger ending but, I was also pleased as it meant that there wasn’t a sudden and tidy wrap up to conclude the story, which in reality is only just starting and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. If you’re looking for a YA fantasy that goes beyond the realms of magic, that has fairytale origins and real world societal problems to challenge the protagonists, then I wholeheartedly recommend picking up a copy of The Notorious Virtues.

The Notorious Virtues is a fantasy novel set in a world driven by power, politics and family legacies. There was a lot of theads to this story, including a murder mystery, a magical competition, and a lot of family secrets. Overall it was an enjoyable read and I will definitely be picking up further books in this series!

Thank you to Alwyn Hamilton, NetGalley and the the publishers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 25%.

I requested this because of the premise and the jazz age inspired setting. While I think it delivered on the latter, the tournament still hadn't started by the time I stopped reading and the magic and fantasy aspects were low-key and not very interesting.

Every chapter was slowed down by lots of exposition about the city and the Holtzfalls, but none of it was complex or interesting enough to warrant so much info dumping. I was actually invested in the two main characters' stories, and when the book focused on them it was good. There was just too much extraneous stuff going on. The little fairytale chapters about the origins of the Holtzfall magic were particularly annoying and completely unnecessary.

I'm enjoying less and less YA these days so I might just be the wrong audience, but this is not for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

3.5 Stars

How do I describe how I feel about this book? I think the best word to describe it would be 'frustrated'.

I love the concept of this book, and the fact that the trials aren't as formulaic as in other books, and that they tested the virtues of the characters.

I enjoyed seeing the growing relationship between Nora and August, and Nora and Lotte. I loved watching the relationship between Nora and Lotte develop and face its challenges, especially with both of them realising the true value of family by the end of the book.

I enjoyed the Grims and the threat that they posed, and the subplot with Theo and Alaric. The real letdown of this book for me was the ending, or lack thereof. The ending was so sudden, and not in a way that is satisfying, which does such a disservice to an otherwise strong book.

It took a while to get into this book and to create some sort of bond with the charcters. By the time August comes into the picture I was invested and could tell in which ways the stories were going. Will have to give book 2 a try and see how it develops.
3.5 stars

The Notorious Virtues is a strong YA novel that has an interesting and winding narrative full of false starts and unexpected discoveries, a mostly strong set of characters and an interesting if perhaps slightly unexplored magic system. There's also a lot of world building that manages to drop you very much into the heart of the world, and whilst most of the characters and the action is from the upper echelons of society, there are enough that aren't to give a dark glance at the rot at the centre of the society the Holtzfall rule over.

This is one of those books that hooked me early and refused to let go. It's got an interesting hook right from the start as privileged Nora finds her place as heiress under threat when her mother is murdered and the heir-ship suddenly open to all her cousins. Things get more complicated however when Otte appears out of nowhere, a fifth contender for the heirship that none of the cousins knew about. After being raised in a convent under strict supervision and punishment for her unusual gifts, Otte is very much a fish out of water in this new world. But both Nora and Otte will find themselves swept up not only in the Veritaz trials, but also in the quest to find the killer of Nora's mother and uncover the secrets behind Otte's heritage.

This is a young adult novel that is very much suitable for adults. The narrative was intriguing and the trials were different enough that I didn't feel that I was re-reading a mini-me of The Hunger Games. The characterisations are strong and I particularly liked how August was given a POV and brought to life the less glamourous life of those not in the top echleon of society. There's several underdog stories here to dig your teeth into alongside the main show of the Veritas trials and Nora's quest to keep her inheritance. It's well written, full of characters that leap off the page and offers some unusual twists on the usual 'trials' sub-genre of fantasy.

All in all, one I very much enjoyed. It's my first Alwyn Hamilton book and it won't be my last.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

Honora ‘Nora’ Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in Walstead. When her mother is found dead in an alley, Nora is no longer assured of her position and finds herself pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz trials to determine the next heir. When it becomes clear her mother’s death wasn’t random but was actually murder, Nora teams up with a young reporter to uncover the truth. Meanwhile she faces a new rival: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora’s aunt. Plucked from the rural convent where she’d been abandoned, Lotte is thrust into a family that doesn’t want her, and forced to compete for power and status. Finding themselves caught up in events much bigger than family rivalry, Nora and Lotte must battle to survive, no matter what.

Having loved the Rebel of the Sands trilogy, I was ecstatic to see a new Alwyn Hamilton book. This is a big story at 500+ pages, and this shows. It took me a bit to get into the book, to orient myself in this world and get a handle on the characters. It felt like there was a lot of information to understand early on and the pacing of the first third or so was quite slow as a result.

However, once I was in, I was fully in. There’s something so engaging about a trials/competition storyline, and I loved that this one wasn’t just about strength or survival. They also focused on displaying particular virtues, which made them feel original. I enjoyed trying to work out how the trials linked to the virtues they were assigned.

The book follows four POVs: Nora, Lotte, August (the reporter) and Theo (a knight – Holtzfall bodyguard). This worked well and offered a good contrast between the privileged world of the Holtzfalls and the oppressed world of the working classes. I personally found Nora and August’s POVs more engaging – probably because of the murder-mystery element – but I appreciated the different perspectives as they offered a well-rounded picture of the world and helped me see the bigger picture.

I really enjoyed this and it felt very unique, not only in the trials but also the magic system, although I’d have liked to have seen this explored more. I do also think it was a bit long but I was invested and I’m already excited for the sequel following that ending. A really solid start to a new series and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Thank you to Faber and Faber via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.

This was stunning. Beautifully written and paced. The world building is immersive and convincing. Can't wait to read more from this talented author.

What an amazing read. With a gentle paced start I then found myself really racing through as I enjoyed it so much and the pace really got going. Really engaging story with great world building, can't wait to read more.