The Notorious Virtues
The City of Walstad is now a metropolis of skyscraper hotels and tightly stacked apartment buildings where the wealthy party the night away, and the poor toil to pay their bills.
But once, Walstad was just a small village in the woods, trying to survive the dangerous things that lurked in the dark. Until a worthy woodcutter and his magic axe carved the city out of the forest, one tree at a time, driving back the threat of the woods, and passing the stewardship down generation by generation.
A thousand years later the woodcutter’s descendants rule over the young elite in the city, the wealthiest of the wealthy. But once a generation they are pitted against each other in a contest of virtues to see who will be the next heir to the glittering city of Walstad.
Nora
Honora ‘Nora’ Holtzfall has been the heiress apparent to Walstad her whole life. Until the untimely murder of her mother threw that into jeopardy. And now she must compete against all her cousins to reclaim her place as head of the family. Which is rather tedious since Nora is clearly far smarter than all of her cousins combined and she has far more important things to do, such as figuring out who killed her mother.
Lotte
Enter the wildcard. The Holtzfall cousins are a known quantity in Walstad. But Lotte hasn’t been raised among them. Born and brought up in a convent in the countryside, Lotte had always believed her mother was too poor to keep her. Until she finds out her mother is one of the richest people in the world. But now she is being given a chance to win her place in her family by competing against her cousins for the heirship.
Theo
Securing the Holtzfall power for a thousand years are the Sworn Knights, the men and women whose ancestor pledged their whole bloodline to guard and protect the Holtzfalls. Theo has shaped his life around being the best knight he can. Until he is forced to choose between his oath to the Holtzfalls and saving the life of his brother.
August
Unlike the others, the only generational inheritance August was born into is poverty. Working hard to make ends meet as a journalist, the story of a lifetime comes across August’s desk when he becomes entangled with Nora’s plan to find her mother’s murderer. It’s the kind of story that if he’s the one to break it, could make his career and get him a real paycheck, the kind you can live on. Assuming Nora’s casual disregard to any rule ever applying to them doesn’t get them all killed.
The Notorious Virtues is available to order now in paperback and ebook.
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.
New York Times bestselling author Alwyn Hamilton was born in Toronto and spent her early years bouncing between Europe and Canada until her parents settled in France. She moved to the UK when she was 18 and has been here ever since as an author/bookseller. Her first novel Rebel of the Sands was sold in 14 territories and won the Goodreads Choice Award for best debut. The Notorious Virtues is her latest book and the first in a duology. She lives in London. Follow @AlwynHamilton on TikTok and Instagram.
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