Alwyn Hamilton is back with a bang! The Notorious Virtues.

Synopsis

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.

Review

5 tars

Thank you for my advanced copy @prhinternational !

It’s been more than seven years since Alwyn’s last book but the wait was worth it! Even though I hope we will get the sequel sooner than later because that cliffhanger!!!

The Notorious Virtues sucked me in right from the opening!

My first thought  (noted on my phone) was :” That opening is perfect! The prose is vivid. I am here, among the hurried servants and the sleepy masters. Watching the things lurking in the dark woods observe and wait.”

And the story didn’t let me go before reaching the end, wanting for more because you just know that it’s a brilliant opening act and there is more intrigue, revenge and plot to come.

Told from four point of view, The Notorious Virtues takes place some decades after the Rebel of the Sand trilogy. We are in Walstad, another country but with a glimpse of someone from the Rebel of the Sand trilogy! I loved that cameo!

In Walstad, all the power and magic is controlled by the Holtzfall family. After the heir has been killed, the succession line is open and the four grand children of the ruler have to compete in trials of virtues to find the next heir.

Nora is the most powerful of them all and the favorite.

She has always played the flighty rich heiress but she is incredibly smart and reckless.

She thought she would only have to compete against her three cousins, who are no match for her, until a new contestant enters the game: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of her aunt. And Lotte might be the most formidable adversary as she is ready to win for the right to have a family.

If the competition wasn’t enough to grab your attention, there is also the mystery of Nora’s mom murder! All is not as it seems and Nora is determined to find the brain behind the crime, thanks to the help of August, a poor yet rakish journalist.

Add to that a brewing rebellion as people are fed up being oppressed by the Holtzfalls, wanting magic for all and equal rights and you have a very solid plot on your hand!

Not only was The Notorious Virtues plot driven with many twists and turns, betrayals, magic fights and great world building based on the Holtzfalls and Rydder’s legend but it was also character driven!

The biggest character growth were experienced by Nora and Lotte. Going from rivals to friends, overcoming beliefs and forging their own path, far from the ideas their entourage and family tried to force feed them. I can’t decide who is my favorite between these two. Both flawed and virtuous in their own way.

Nora who was a descendant of inventors and desert empires on her father side and of honorable woodcutters on her mother side. She certainly has poise, smart and grit!

And Lotte whose hard life in a convent, forced to sleep outside on cold nights, ready to do everything to have a mother will sure prove determined and resourceful!

But it wouldn’t be Alwyn’s books without some hint at romance! Or rather love stories in the making for Lotte and Nora, even if it doesn’t’ take the center piece. I wonder how that will turn out in the sequel!

The Notorious Virtues was everything I want in a YA fantasy: captivating, imaginative, entertaining with great characters, interesting world building, smart intrigue and twists aplenty!

I would recommend it to Alwyn’s fans of course but also to anyone who likes a well written YA fantasy.

Thanks for reading

Sophie