Cover Image for The Notorious Virtues

"The Notorious Virtues is a sparkling cocktail of fairy tales, family conflicts, mysteries and magic, bubbling with rebellion and vibrant characters. Beneath the intoxicating glamour of Walstad, you’ll soon find a dark fable about power, the importance of storytelling, and our primal fear of what lies in the woods. Alwyn Hamilton is back and better than ever."—Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree

The Notorious Virtues

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New York Times bestselling author Alwyn Hamilton is back with a glittering fantasy thriller about 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.

While the dangers of the Veritaz competition threaten each of the Holtzfall girls, and the stark class differences turns political outrage to terrifing violence—the new cousins must fight to stay alive, no matter what.

Incredible tests, impossible choices, and deadly odds await both girls. But there can only be one winner.

Estimated Ship Date: October 21st, 2024

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Author

Alwyn Hamilton

Alwyn Hamilton was born in Toronto and lived between Canada, France, and Italy until she was three, when her family settled in the small French town of Beaune. She studied history of art at King's College, Cambridge, graduated in 2009, and lives in London. She is the author of Rebel of the Sands, Traitor to the Throne, and Hero at the Fall.

Book Details

Publisher Penguin Teen
Genre Young Adult
Publication Date Apr 01 2025
ISBN 9780451479662

Reviews

brandenburgreads
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Oct 12 2024 – 06:47 PM

Deadly games

In a world where blood ties can bind or betray, Lotte's life takes a sharp turn when she is...

tyoung12
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Oct 28 2024 – 10:51 PM

YES PLEASE

Fantasy, murder mystery, trials ???? Yes please. I was immediately hooked while reading the first...

jthomas
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Oct 08 2024 – 12:27 PM

Great fantasy

Nora Holtzfall's mother has been killed, she is no longer heiress, and a Veritaz contest to...

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