The Notorious Virtues
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- £5.49
Publisher Description
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.
'Sparkling . . . Hamilton is back and better than ever.' Samantha Shannon, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of ThePriory 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
At sixteen, 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.
But 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.
'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
'Fabulous . . . had me hooked.' Katharine Corr, bestselling author of Queen of Gods
'I adored it.' Rachel Greenlaw, author of Compass and Blade
'Twisty and clever . . . I loved every second.' Ravena Guron, bestselling author of This Book Kills
'Agalloping, glittering, twisty treat of a book.' Kiran Millwood Hargrave, award-winning author of The Deathless Girls
'An absolute triumph.' Roshani Chokshi, NYT bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Two cousins compete in a trial to inherit the family fortune in this fantastical mystery from Hamilton (Rebel of the Sands). Sixteen-year-old Honora Holtzfall is reeling after the murder of her mother, heiress to the most powerful family in Walstad. Now Nora must participate in the Veritaz Trials, a competition held for every Holtzfall generation, to determine who is worthy of inheriting the family's immense power. Nora is the clear front-runner, until her illegitimate cousin Lotte appears. The girls must compete against other cousins, and danger lurks around every corner—because even though her mother's death was purportedly the result of a mugging, Nora knows there was more to it. With plucky 17-year-old reporter August Wolffe and her most trusted knight Theo, Nora will pursue the truth as she navigates magical challenges, dangerous assassins, and trials of the heart. Though dense exposition slows the lengthy narrative, an enigmatic premise, sly dialogue, and an immersive 1930s-style setting add grit to the complexly rendered class dynamics, making this a propulsive exploration of the bonds of family both biological and chosen. Ages 12–up.
