The Notorious Virtues: A glittering new fantasy thriller

By Author / Illustrator

Alwyn Hamilton

Genre

Fantasy

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Faber & Faber

ISBN

9780571342150

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

27-03-2025

Synopsis

Who will be the next heiress? Let the Veritaz trials commence.... The bestselling Rebel of the Sands author is back with a glittering fantasy thriller duology, featuring a family obsessed with money, power, fame - and magic.

At 16, Honora 'Nora' Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in Gamanix; 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 was left with nuns as a baby. Thrown into the Veritaz, she is suddenly surrounded by a hostile family she never knew she had.

As the Holtzfalls wage their battles of privilege, something bigger and more sinister bubbles beneath the surface, and revolution is in the air. Incredible tests, impossible choices, and deadly odds await both girls. But there can only be one winner.

Praise for Notorious Virtues: 'Sparkling . . . Hamilton is back and better than ever.' Samantha Shannon, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree; 'More-than-magical . . . readers are sure to devour!' Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom; 'Irresistible!' Catherine Doyle, author of instant #1 bestseller The Dagger and the Flame; 'A treat . . . had me in a chokehold.' Bea Fitzgerald, author of Girl, Goddess, Queen; 'An absolutely intoxicating, irresistible read.' Katherine Webber, bestselling author of Twin Crowns.

Download Extract

Reviews

Sue

Honora Holtzfall - known as Nora - has always considered her place in the succession of the most powerful family in all of Walstad as secure. However, when her mother, the current Holtzfall Heiress, is found dead, suddenly the chance to control the wealth and the magic of the country is open to Nora's cousins as well. Pitted against each other in the Veritaz Trials, a magical competition which decides the true heir, Nora and her cousins are stunned to learn of another contender, Lottie, the illegitimate daughter of Nora's aunt. When she most needs to be focused on the events which will decide her future, Nora's attention is diverted as she suspects that her mother's death was actually murder.

The Notorious Virtues is a fabulous read. Utterly compelling, it mingles fantasy and fairy tale against a background of social unrest and revolution. Intrigue, deception, betrayal and loss have contributed to the creation of a highly dysfunctional family, living a life of untold privilege, clearly showing that money does not buy or guarantee happiness.

Events are related through the eyes of four different characters, but the story really revolves around the lives of Nora, the heiress presumptive, and Lottie, the cousin who grew up in a harsh convent with no idea of her true identity. Characterisation is one of the huge strengths of this story as the author skilfully develops each, creating genuine, flawed, interesting individuals where she might have settled for less. Both of these girls learn a great deal about themselves, the world they live in, family and trust as the story builds to its compelling - but open for the next step - climax.

Woven into the fabric of the story is The Tale of the Woodcutter, a fairy tale which explains how the Holtzfall family gained their position and how the trials came to be. The family are not only powerful in terms of wealth, but also in magic, creating huge tension between the haves and have-nots of society and leading to unrest, headed by a faction known as the Grims. However, there are shades of grey throughout the story with good and evil on both sides and a sense that equality for all might not be the true endgame.

The story offers plenty to think about as well as an entertaining and engaging read. It is a long book, but it is very well written and words are not wasted, making it very easy to escape into and enjoy! I can't wait to see what happens next!

512 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher