The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues #1)
Alwyn Hamilton
Viking Books for Young Readers
Published April 1, 2025
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About The Notorious Virtues
A glamorous media darling, a surprise heiress, and the magical competition of a lifetime.
At sixteen, Honora “Nora” Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in all of Walstad. Her family controls all the money–and all the magic–in the entire country. But despite being the center of attention, Nora has always felt like an outsider. When her mother is found dead in an alley, the family throne and fortune are suddenly up for grabs, and Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz, the ultimate magical competition for power that determines the one family heir.
But there’s a surprise contestant this time: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora’s aunt. When Lotte’s absent mother retrieves her from the rural convent she’d abandoned her to, Lotte goes from being an orphan to surrounded by family. Unfortunately, most of them want her dead.
And soon, Nora discovers that her mother’s death wasn’t random–it was murder. And the only person she can trust to uncover the truth of what happened is a rakish young reporter who despises everything Nora and her family stand for.
With everyone against her, Lotte’s last hope is hunting for the identity of her father. But the dangerous competition–and her feelings for Theo, one of the Holtzfalls’ sworn protectors–turns her world upside down.
My Review
The story world in this book feels a little bit like “The Gilded Wolves” series. It’s fancy, and the magic feels high-tech. There’s a lot of classism happening in the story. There’s not exactly a heist, but there is a contest and a powerful magical object up for grabs.
The story follows the point of view of several characters. First, there’s Nora, who was the default Holtzfall family heir until her mother (the actual heir) was murdered. That murder set off a new magical contest among Nora and her cousins to see who the rightful heir would be.
The narrative also follows Lotte, a girl raised in a small town convent with the ability to read minds. Her ability becomes a pretty powerful asset in the attempt to solve a notorious murder and stop a vigilante group from dismantling the Holtzfall legacy.
We also meet August, a young journalist who desperately needs a big story in order to break into the business and provide for his mother, and Theo, a young knight sworn to serve the Holtzfall family.
Primarily, those voices tell the story, but there are a few scenes from other points of view spliced in here and there. I enjoyed all three main points of view, though. Nora is very analytical and figures things out quickly. Lotte is more of an intuitive person. August and Nora have great banter back and forth.
At first, I was nervous about reading this 500+ page book, but the complexity of the plot really demanded that many pages. The story is pretty tightly wound, packing in a lot of drama and intrigue in those pages. The ending left me desperate for more of the story.
I think readers who enjoy books like Six of Crows or Gilded Wolves will want to check out this book. I think it’ll also appeal to readers who enjoyed Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning will love the family intrigue and magic in The Notorious Virtues.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.
Spiritual Content
One character was raised in a convent and told that she steals people’s thoughts because she’s a sinner. One family holds a magical contest based on demonstrating virtues to determine the family heir. Some characters have magical abilities or use devices that contain magic.
Violent Content
Situations of peril. Mechanical creatures kill and injure people in a couple of scenes. Brief battle scenes include fatalities. References to torture. One family is bound by an oath to serve another family. If they try to disobey direct orders, they’ll die.
Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol.
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