Welcome to the my stop on the Write Reads’s UltimateTour for
The Nortorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton! Before we go any further, let me give you the blurb (look at me trying to be professional) then we can chat (this blurb can be found on
Goodreads,
StoryGraph & [Affiliate Link Alert]
Bookshop.org)
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.
Incredible tests, impossible choices and deadly odds await both girls. But there can only be one winner.
Now, years ago, I read Alwyn’s debut, Rebel in the Sands, and adored it. So much so, I couldn’t make myself finish the series as *whisper* what if the rest of the books didn’t hit the heights of Rebel. So, when the lovely people at Write Reads did a call out for this, I jumped straight in.
But as I was reading this, I realised that I didn’t want to write a review for it. I want you guys to go into this knowing as little as possible as, the more you know, it kinda ruins the mystery/fun. Plus, this is the first book in a series so the mystery lingers and carries over (though if you are a fan Libba Bray’s The Diviners series, you might want to check this out).
So was thinking of slightly different post to give you vibes. A mood board, I first pondered, but most of my ideas were very 1920s (see above). So, I went to my natural go-to: Music. And I had such fun discovering songs that will give you a vibe of this book or hints of what you will find.
In other words:
So, here you go and remember, the devil is in the detail (and thank you again to Write Reads for allowing me to be involved in the tour).
