SATA

• The Notorious Virtues - 2025 Viking , New York, NY
• Hero at the Fall: A Rebel of the Sands Novel - 2018 Viking , New York, NY
• Traitor to the Throne: A Rebel of the Sands Novel - 2017 Viking , New York, NY
• Rebel of the Sands - 2016 Viking, New York, NY

• Alwyn Hamilton website - https://www.alwynhamilton.com/

  Alwyn Hamilton
  Alwyn Hamilton was born in Toronto and spent her childhood bouncing between Europe and Canada until her parents settled in France. She grew up in a small town there, which might have compelled her to burst randomly into the opening song from Beauty and the Beast were it not for her total tone-deafness.

  She instead attempted to read and write her way to new places and developed a weakness for fantasy and cross-dressing heroines. She left France for Cambridge University to study History of Art at King’s College, and then to London where she became indentured to an auction house. She has a bad habit of acquiring more hardcovers than is smart for someone who moves house quite so often.

  ​

  Alwyn’s New York Times-bestselling debut, the YA fantasy REBEL OF THE SANDS, was published by Viking Children’s Books in the US and Faber Children’s Books in the UK, and in 14 other territories. The trilogy continues in TRAITOR TO THE THRONE and HERO AT THE FALL. Alwyn was named the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award winner for Best Debut Author.

• Wikipedia -

  Alwyn Hamilton

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  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Alwyn Hamilton
  refer to caption
  Portrait of Alwyn Hamilton
  Born Alwyn Hamilton
  Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  Occupation Novelist
  Language English
  Nationality Canadian and French
  Alma mater University of Cambridge
  Genre Fantasy, young adult
  Years active 2016–present
  Notable works Rebel of the Sands trilogy
  Website
  www.alwynhamilton.com
  Alwyn Hamilton is a Canadian author. She is known for her bestselling young adult book Rebel of the Sands.[1]

  Biography
  Hamilton was born in Toronto and had lived in Europe and Canada before her parents decided to settle in France.[2] She grew up in Beaune a small town in France before moving to England to study History of Art at King's College, Cambridge.[3] She later moved back to France for work after graduation. She currently lives in London.

  Work
  Rebel of the Sands is Hamilton's debut novel and she wrote two more books to make it a trilogy.[4] The book is written for young adults and is part of the fantasy genre.[5] In Rebel, Amani leaves her hometown, Dustwalk, and travels through a magical countryside to reach the fictional nation of Miraji,[6] in order to avoid an arranged marriage to her uncle.[7] Publishers Weekly wrote that "Hamilton successfully mingles romance with thrilling stakes, and hints at a welcome sequel."[8] Rebel made YALSA's nominations for the Teen's Top 10 list in 2017.[9]

  Traitor to the Throne, the sequel of Rebel of the Sands, continues to follow the story of Amani, who happens to be half-Djinn and have elemental powers.[10] The Deseret News wrote that Rebel "was good, but this second book is far and away better."[10]

  The Globe and Mail described the series as Lonesome Dove meets Aladdin.[11] Hamilton said that One Thousand and One Nights was a big influence on her work.[12]

  Moderating a Writer's Block panel, MCM Comic Con London, May 2025
  Film rights of Rebel were bought by Willow Smith in 2017.[6] Smith will lead the film's project and says of Rebel, "The nonphysical, creative and, wild nature of a female heroine's journey calls for a unique narrative structure that permeates the very foundation of the story."[13]

  Bibliography
  Rebel of the Sands Trilogy
  Rebel of the Sands (2016)
  Traitor to the Throne (2017)
  Hero at the Fall (2017)
  Other works
  The Notorious Virtues (2025)

• EM Castellan - https://emcastellan.com/2015/11/16/a-writer-in-the-spotlight-alwyn-hamilton/

  November 16, 2015
  A Writer in the Spotlight – Alwyn Hamilton
  A Writer In The Spotlight Logo

  Hello gentle reader,

  I’m delighted to share with you another interview with a YA author today! Meet Alwyn Hamilton, whose YA Fantasy debut REBEL OF THE SANDS will come out on 4th February 2016 in the UK and on 8th March 2016 in the US.

  alwyn-hamilton-213x300

  Author: Alwyn Hamilton

  Website: http://alwynhamilton.com/

  Twitter: @AlwynFGH

  Biography:

  Alwyn Hamilton was born in Toronto and spent her childhood bouncing between Europe and Canada until her parents settled in France. She grew up in a small town there, which might have compelled her to burst randomly into the opening song from Beauty and the Beast were it not for her total tone-deafness. She instead attempted to read and write her way to new places and developed a weakness for fantasy and cross-dressing heroines. She left France for Cambridge University to study History of Art at King’s College, and then to London where she became indentured to an auction house. She has a bad habit of acquiring more hardcovers than is smart for someone who moves house quite so often.

  My interview (8th November 2015)

  Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? When/How did you decide to be a writer?

  I pretty much did, yeah. I don’t remember ever not knowing that’s what I wanted to do at least. Somewhere my parents still have the story I wrote when I was about 5 or 6, called “The Tangle Monster” about a monster who would tangle a little girls’ hair (I had a lot of hair and I hated having it brushed). My mother typed it for me and I illustrated it.

  And then later on, well, the French School system which I was educated in, as you probably know, is very career driven. I don’t know if you had to do this but when I was about 11 we were meant to submit a project detailing what future career we wanted, and including research about what Bac we would chose, and what graduate degrees we’d have to do. I didn’t do that. Instead I submitted a single sheet of paper on which I had written “I want to grow up to be a writer. I will do an English Degree to achieve that.” And turned that in. I did an Art History Degree instead of English, but the rest I did manage.

  Are you a full-time writer? When and where do you write?

  I am gradually moving towards being a full time writer. When I wrote REBEL OF THE SANDS, I was very much working full time, 10 or 11 hour days, Monday to Sunday sometimes. I was thankfully able to cut down to working 3 days a week this past summer. My writing habits haven’t changed very much though. I write in cafes near my house on weekends/my days off, from about 10 a.m until 5 p.m, preferably cafés without internet and fuel myself on coffees, with headphones in and 1 song on perpetual repeat.

  But I’ll be leaving my day job entirely at the end of 2015 to write full time. Or at least be a full time author, I’m finding out that even with the best of intentions, the closer I get to book publication (and with the book being out in Italy) the more things spring up that are book related, but aren’t writing from the fun ones like getting to do interviews to the less fun ones like having to figure out your accounts.

  What do you say to writers who want to be traditionally published one day?

  I wish I had something groundbreaking and original to say, but I don’t. I think there’s already a lot of great publishing advice out there but the ones that stand out for me are, keep going, perseverance will get you a long way and don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s.

  Oh, and if you’re a younger writer, don’t listen to your parents. And I don’t mean that in a negative way or in a ‘ignore their urging to get a job and just follow your dreams’ (personally I think writers should have another job first, and I think everyone should have to do some crappy jobs in life, but I digress…) That goes whether they are discouraging you (ignore all discouragers as a rule) or encouraging you because chances are if you are serious about being a published writer you have done your research and you know more than they do. (Most) Parents will want to help but (unless they work in publishing) you probably know more than them for once. And regardless you have your own idea of what your publishing path looks like and what you want to spend your energies on and you shouldn’t stray from that path because of someone else’s idea of what it should look like.

  Rebel-of-the-Sands

  To write REBEL OF THE SANDS, where did you get your inspiration from?

  Originally I wanted to write a Western. Except I didn’t really want to write a Western. I just knew that there was a girl who went by the Blue-Eyed Bandit and that she was on an adventure in the desert with a stranger and that looked a lot like a western to me. But I didn’t actually want to write a Historical. I had this niggling notion that it could be a Western and something, I just didn’t know what that something was. I was wracking my brain for ages about and then it hit me in the middle of the night to combine it with the 1001 Nights.

  I was working in an Islamic Art Department at an auction house at the time, which probably helped. It seemed like it was possibly either a perfect idea or an idiotic one, which is always possible in the middle of the night. I spent the next hour lying away, thinking of all of the elements that connected the two: the desert setting, outlaws and bandits, societies with a strong religious base and so on, until I had essentially talked myself into it doing it. And that meant I got to bring in a lot of great things from both, train robberies and shooting contests from the wild west, and magical doors and a Djinn from the Arabian Nights.

  Your book combines an Arab-inspired setting with Wester-like guns, what kind of research did you do for this?

  I grabbed quite a few research books about things like the history of Persia and about the mythology surrounding the Djinn. And a few about the Wild West, and one about clothing through the ages, and one about weapons which are both great illustrated reference books when I need to check something specific. But mainly I read a lot of Middle Eastern folk tales. I found that I was more likely to stick with books that had a narrative and you glean a lot of details about regular life just by what is naturally included in these folktales. I found these really helpful because I wasn’t necessarily trying to mirror any specific country or ruler, but more get a general feel of the stories that were told in these cultures and create something that might fit inside one of these (in sort of the same way that Cinderella is very French without being specifically about France…depending on whether you watch Ever After or not I guess). I also read a few travel books about westerners living with desert nomads, or visiting middle eastern cities, (Waterstone’s Piccadilly very helpful lays out all their Eland travel books on one table on the ground floor to tempt me every time I go in).

  Both your US and UK covers are gorgeous, did your publishers ask for your input while designing them?

  Thanks! They did a great job, and I can’t wait for people to see the finished copies in the flesh (in the paper?) the pictures don’t do them justice! And they are actually now the same cover as the one that Faber designed for the UK is being used for both English versions. I saw a really really early draft this cover way back in January my agent and I gave our thoughts then. And then saw both the UK and US ones before they were officially out in the world. They were both gorgeous and the only comments I had were tiny things.

  What are you working on now?

  Book 2! The as of yet unnamed sequel to REBEL OF THE SANDS (Currently entitled Rebel 2: This Time It’s Palatial), which is the 2nd in a planned trilogy and is the first time I’ve ever written a whole book to deadline which is a new experience.

  The Winner's Curse

  What are your favourite books? Any books you’d recommend?

  …How much time do you have?

  I don’t think I have loved a book as much as Marie Rutkoski’s THE WINNER’S CURSE in a long time. It was one of those I started at about 9 p.m, thinking “I’ll read one chapter before bed” and then next thing I knew it was 4 a.m and I was an emotionally distraught mess in a tangle of sheets as I finished the last chapter. So if you too would like all your coworkers to ask you why you look so tired while your tired brain tries to come up with a lie so you don’t have to just admit “I’ve had 3 hours of sleep because Kestrel and Arin tore my heart out” I’d recommend that.

  I also love loved VIVIAN VS THE APOCALYPSE by Katie Coyle and THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER by Lesley Walton. Those have stayed with me and I recommend them any chance I get.

  In YA series old and new there’s Ally Carter’s HEIST SOCIETY series, Leigh Bardugo’s GRISHA trilogy, Rae Carson’s THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS series, Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA, Robin McKinley’s THE HERO AND THE CROWN…

  I could go on, I mean seriously, how much time do you have?

  Thanks Alwyn for this interview!

• Sabaa Tahir - https://sabaatahir.com/introducing-debut-author-alwyn-hamilton/

  by Sabaa Tahir | Mar 9, 2016 | Debut Author

  Hello, readers! I’m excited to introduce our March debut author: Alwyn Hamilton!

  For those of you just joining, I’ve been hosting a 2016 Debut Author Series, where I post short, Proust-inspired questionnaires with a 2016 debut author every month. I kicked off the series with author Marieke Nijkamp, and last month I featured the lovely Kathryn Purdie! Our third debut author of 2016 is Alwyn Hamilton.

  Alwyn’s book, Rebel of the Sands, was released YESTERDAY in the US! Check it out here: http://rebelofthesands.co.uk. Without further ado…

  What character trait would you thieve from someone else (and who from)?RebelSands_no_tagline(1)

  I’d steal my mother’s discipline. With that I’d instantly become more organized, suddenly have the patience to actually chop, simmer and all around cook things, and actually absorb non fiction without getting distracted.
  What’s the last lie you told?
  I don’t really lie? I know that sounds like a lie itself, but ironically, given my main character in Rebel, lying has just never been an instinct. I’m the sort of person who turns up late to work, and instead of muttering about slow trains and bad traffic I will flat out tell my boss I stayed in bed an extra 10 minutes watching Taylor Swift’s new music video.
  If you could punch one person on the planet with absolutely no repercussions, who would it be?
  Probably an IRL nemesis (everyone has a few of those right? I’m not weird?) I mean it just always looks so satisfying in movies when the jerk ex gets punched?
  What possession do you consider your “precious”? So, something you’d fight to the death for on the slopes of Mt. Doom.
  A small jade New Zealand Tiki necklace that my dad gave me. He told me it would bring me luck so I’ve worn it to every exam and job interview I’ve ever done. I had it on under my shirt when I met with my now agent. I still wear it when I feel like I need a bit of luck.
  Best one line writing advice you’ve ever gotten?
  From Pixar’s Emma Coats 22 #StoryBasics (which are all invaluable): “Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.”
  What book do you wish you’d written?
  I’m not sure I’d want to have written any book I’ve loved because then I wouldn’t have gotten to read it and obsesses and learn from it…but I read Fables by Bill Willingham recently, and I have always wanted to do a something creative with fairytale characters so maybe that one. Plus, it’s a graphic novel, so if I’d written that it would mean I was also artistically talented.
  You can only listen to one song for the rest of your life. What is it?
  Bulletproof by LaRoux. I don’t even love it that much, but I’ve drafted books to that song on loop more than any other. I’m scared that I’d never be able to write another book without it.
  You magically obtain the ability to cast one and only one spell from the Harry Potter universe—but you can cast it as much as you like. Which one is it?
  There’s a charm to immediately put a room back to rights isn’t there? Slughorn uses it at the beginning of Halfblood Prince? I can’t remember what it is exactly…but being the equivalent of a human hurricane when it comes to turning a room to chaos I’d pick that one.
  With only your 11391518_10101323635002010_9076461431576017942_nwit and an oft-malfunctioning magic wand, you are forced into a death match with either Shelob, the enormous spider from Lord of the Rings, or Voldemort. Who do you choose?
  Voldemort. I’m seriously arachnophobic, I’d freeze up against Shelob and all her legs and eyes *shudder*. At least I’d have a chance of standing my ground and fighting back against Voldy.
  Describe your debut novel in one sentence:
  A sharpshooting girl gunning for a better life, a foreign rogue with a secret, and a rebellion that could set the desert on fire.
  Thanks for taking the time Alwyn! And thank you, readers. You can follow Alwyn on Twitter at @AlwynFJH. Happy reading!

• Glasstown Entertainment - https://glasstownentertainment.tumblr.com/post/177836484939

  erview with Alwyn Hamilton - #YAGlasstownChats
  image
  This time we welcome to our blog Alwyn Hamilton, the author of the Rebel of the Sand series!

  Don’t forget to check out our previews interviews with Melissa Albert and Louise O’Neill, as well as the giveaway rules at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

  What inspired this mixture between Arabian Nights and the Wild West?

  The initial idea for REBEL was that I wanted to write about a female sharpshooter. This came as a result of me stumbling across a conversation that argued that it wasn’t realistic for women to be the action hero in fantasy novels because swords are so heavy and girls just aren’t that physically strong. So I decided to make a fantasy action heroine based on skill not strength, an Annie Oakley type.

  Who clearly belonged in a western.

  But I didn’t want to write a historical western though.

  So I kept thinking “Wild West meets… what?”. I was working in Islamic Art at an auction house at the time and the idea occurred to me in the middle of the night “Wild West meets 1001 Nights!” And from that point I was set.

  What was your process like to create the world and setting in the Rebel of the Sands series, and what advice can you give to people interested in fantasy world-building?

  Because I was working from two familiar settings combined, my first step was to naturally take what they had in common and include it. Deserts, bandits, getting around on horseback, strong place of religion, etc. And then pick out what made sense from the things they didn’t necessarily share and put them in conflict. In this case rapid industrialization and magic, two things that don’t usually cohabitate naturally. A lot of the conflict came out of there.

  That is actually advice I give a lot, that a great deal of your conflict and story can come out of the world itself naturally.

  Another piece of advice I like to give is don’t stress too much about building your whole world before you start writing. That actually can start limiting you. Something that has always worked for me is building the world as I encounter opportunities in the story. e.g if a character goes to put on a dress immediately I have to make a decision what it’s made of and the implications that come with that. Silk? That implies there is a China equivalent country in this world that is trading with my MC’s country. Wool? That implies my civilization is raising sheep as livestock. Etc. And so the world builds.

  Are you a plotter or a pantser? What’s it like to plan a whole trilogy?

  Neither, I’m a daydreamer. I spend months or years daydreaming the plot of a book before I ever set fingers to keyboards. For instance I might be on my commute to work and think “Wouldn’t it be interesting if there was a scene where they had to jump off a moving train?” and from there the logic part of my brain has to fill in the gaps. “Why would they have to jump off the train?” “Where are they trying to go on this train?” “What do you do after you jump off a train?” And this will then inevitably link up to the next scene I’ve daydreamed until I have a story in mind.

  Then I start writing it. Some things may change or some scenes may get added or cut, but I always know where I’m working towards at least.

  Planning the whole trilogy was actually something I did a little sideways because when I was initially daydreaming the story I plotted it all the way out to the end of the rebellion as one book. Then realized about halfway through crossing the desert at 40,000 words that that was going to be WAY too long. So I started rethinking things so that it could be constructed into a trilogy.

  Hero At The Fall is the last volume of this trilogy, congratulations! What’s next for you? We know you’re working on a YA Fantasy… but are there any more hints you could give us?

  In the same way that REBEL was “Wild West meets 1001 Nights” I’m saying this one is “1920s High Society meets Grimm Fairytales”. It’s set in the same world as REBEL, albeit not the same country or same era. But 1 character from the series will make an appearance, and one of their descendants is a point of view character (and I’m obsessed with her!)

  What has changed for you in terms of writing and your process throughout the trilogy? What have you learned that you could share with aspiring writers?

  Hard to say! Because I think each book in a trilogy is totally different. Book 1 you are setting everything up, but also working with all the time in the world. Book 2 you are expanding on an existing set up, and working much more quickly and more sloppily to hit your deadlines, and Book 3 you kind of have to gather up all the threads you flung far and wide in Book 2 and tie them all up. And you feel less freaked out that your editor might fire you for a sloppy draft because you’ve been through the process with Book 2.

  And then a new series is another totally different ballgame because it’s establishing all over again, but this time on a deadline and with my editor.

  I’d say the only thing that is something sold I have learned that I can carry across all books is how much will change in edits and how much I enjoy working collaboratively with my editor.

  If time stopped, which book would you read over and over again?

  Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. I used to have it on Audiobook and probably listened to it… 30 times. So it’s familiar and I already know I don’t get sick of it apparently.

  Which 3 fictional characters would you want to have an adventure with?

  Nina Zenik from Six of Crows, Sophie Mercer from Hex Hall, & Ella from Ella Enchanted. Not necessarily because of any of their particular skills, I just think the 3 of them would be fun.

  Do you want to recommend any books, comic books, podcasts, games, TV shows, anything that you’re enjoying right now?

  I drive people crazy by evangelizing about my total obsessions at any given point in time and not letting it go until they try it out. So I could go on forever, but here’s just a few.

  Podcasts: My Favorite Murder, The Adventure Zone, How Did This Get Made

  Books: The Winner’s Curse trilogy by Marie Rutkoski, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Heist Society by Ally Carter

  TV Shows: Taskmaster on Dave, GLOW on Netflix, Brooklyn 99 on… somewhere depending where you are ;-)

  image
  Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mythical beasts still roam the wild and remote areas, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinn still perform their magic. For humans, it’s an unforgiving place, especially if you’re poor, orphaned, or female.

  Amani Al’Hiza is all three. She’s a gifted gunslinger with perfect aim, but she can’t shoot her way out of Dustwalk, the back-country town where she’s destined to wind up wed or dead.

  Then she meets Jin, a rakish foreigner, in a shooting contest, and sees him as the perfect escape route. But though she’s spent years dreaming of leaving Dustwalk, she never imagined she’d gallop away on mythical horse—or that it would take a foreign fugitive to show her the heart of the desert she thought she knew.

  Rebel of the Sands reveals what happens when a dream deferred explodes—in the fires of rebellion, of romantic passion, and the all-consuming inferno of a girl finally, at long last, embracing her power.

• The Nerd Daily - https://thenerddaily.com/alwyn-hamilton-the-notorious-virtues-interview/

  Q&A: Alwyn Hamilton, Author of ‘The Notorious Virtues’
  Elise Dumpleton·Writers Corner·March 31, 2025·3 min read

  Share
  We chat with author Alwyn Hamilton about The Notorious Virtues, which is a glittering fantasy thriller about a glamorous media darling, a surprise heiress, and the magical competition of a lifetime.

  This new release is out now in the UK and hits shelves April 1st in the US.

  Hi, Alwyn! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
  Well, I’m a YA Fantasy Author by day. Bookseller by other day. Reality TV watcher by Night (I have a lot of thoughts on Real Housewives). I was born in Canada but grew up in France, and then came to the UK for university and just stayed… I’ve been to, I think, something like 30 countries in my life. I have a degree in art history that I only ever now use to overdescribe things in my books that I then end up cutting. I know exactly what my dream meal would be if I ever get famous enough to appear on OFF MENU. But, by and large, the only three things I won’t eat are aubergine, colas or very spicy food. And, I guess needless to say, but I’ll say it anyway, I love love love books.

  When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
  I grew up in France, but English is my first language. So I always read in English. Which meant I never had any books in common with other kids in my school, so I had no one to talk to about what I read. I think I started writing to have somewhere to put all my excitement about books.

  Quick lightning round! Tell us:
  The first book you ever remember reading: Mr Biff the Boxer by Janet and Allen Ahlberg
  The one that made you want to become an author: Alanna by Tamora Pierce
  The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Six of Crown by Leigh Bardugo
  Your latest novel, The Notorious Virtues, is out now in the UK and April 1st in the US! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
  A Glamorous Deadly Fairytale Subversion.

  What can readers expect?

  THE NOTORIOUS VIRTUES was initially pitched as 1920s New York Heiresses meets Grimm Fairytales. So readers can expect glamorous champagne doused parties, along with dark and deadly things lurking beyond the glittering lights. And all of it wrapped up in a deadly game designed to pit family against each other.

  Where did the inspiration for The Notorious Virtues come from?
  It came from a few different places:

  A Social Worker Friend commenting on how harmful the trope of “Hey your adoptive parents suck, but your real parents are secretly royalty who had to give you up” is for young people not being raised by their biological parents. So I thought I would write a version where the biological family is kinda… the worst.
  A child I used to babysit explaining the plot of Wizards of Waverly place to me where the kids all have to compete to be the Family Wizard? (Screwed up Family Dynamic much??)
  Meeting Tessa Kennedy, a British heiress who scandalously eloped with a painter by fleeing to a mobsters estate in Cuba, and then having to leave said estate when Cuba fell to Castro.
  All those fairytales that go “So the king had 3 sons and he didn’t know which was worthiest so he sent them all on a quest for the golden bird and whoever brings it back will inherit”.
  Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
  Writers, like parents, are not supposed to have favourites. But Nora is a favourite. She is the beautiful, glamorous and hyperintelligent heiress apparent to the family. And she is the most fun to write, especially her dialogue. I wanted her to be a bit His Girl Friday, and a bit Beatrice from Much Ado, with a dash of Tony Stark and Lucille “How much can a banana possibly cost, 10 dollars?” Bluth

  Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
  So many.

  The Pandemic.

  Multiple changes in editors.

  My laptop being stolen.

  I don’t know if I really overcame them or if just eventually time heals all wounds and you keep plugging away.

  See also

  Q&A: Gilly Macmillan, Author of ‘The Long Weekend’
  Your debut, Rebel of the Sands, published nine years ago. What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned as an author since then?

  How changeable the landscape is. There are so many authors I remember being landmark figures when I started who have dropped off the map. And so many new authors. It’s a lesson in just keeping your eyes on your own paper and keep plugging away.

  What’s next for you?

  The sequel to THE NOTORIOUS VIRTUES!

  Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?

  A friend has been raving about THE RAVEN SCHOLAR by Antonia Hodgson so I am excited for that one. I also am currently reading HEIR OF STORMS by Lauryn Hamilton-Murray (no relation) and really loving it!

• Publishers Weekly - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/97376-four-questions-with-alwyn-hamilton.html

  Four Questions with Alwyn Hamilton
  By Iyana Jones | Mar 20, 2025
  Comments Click Here

  Alwyn Hamilton pits the members of a family against one another in The Notorious Virtues, a YA fantasy thriller set in the 1930s. Nora Holtzfall has been primed her entire life to compete against her siblings and win her family’s inheritance, but when her charming, estranged cousin Lotte appears, Nora’s chances of winning take a major hit. Still grappling with the suspicious death of her mother, and sudden shifts in alliances, Nora relies on unexpected friendships to find her mother’s killer and come out on top. We spoke with Hamilton, the author behind the Rebel of Sands fantasy series, about the inspirations behind this new series, grappling with complex family dynamics, and the importance of showcasing found family throughout her work.

  Where did the concept for a deadly game for inheritance originate?

  It came from a few different places. One of the first things was the concept of the family. One of my friends is a social worker, and she pointed out to me one day just how [the idea of family shows up in] fantasy stories—how there are many stories that glorify the birth family at the expense of the adoptive family, kind of the Harry Potter effect. It’ll be that your dead parents were wonderful, and it turns out you’re secretly a princess or a wizard, and the people who raised you are terrible. And she was like, there need to be more things to give to foster kids and kids who are not growing up with their biological parents. And apparently, what I heard was “write a family that’s awful.” Write a birth family that’s just the worst family that you’ve ever encountered.

  So for the Holtzfalls, the concept of being a family is very different for them, because they grow up knowing they’re going to have to compete eventually, if they want money and power. I studied art history, and there’s a huge part of the late 19th century and early 20th century when money was so prevalent, and people were buying art and building the Guggenheim. There’s just less wealth of that kind [today]. These wealthy families of the 1920s have dispersed, in a way. And I was thinking, what if it didn’t disperse? What if it was all still condensed?

  The Holtzfall family reminds me of that Anna Karenina quote, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” How does wealth and the impending competition impact their ability to bond?

  “
  I wanted to juxtapose these different families and the things that we inherit... and not just the money.
  ”
  I think, as you say, families are complicated because you don’t choose them and I think that’s very emphasized in this family. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have some kind of drama in their family, whether it’s that they don’t speak to a sibling anymore, or their parents don’t speak to a sibling, or other situations. We certainly have drama in my family and some of that has been down to inheritance issues. I’ve seen how that can rip people apart in real life, and it wasn’t even that much money. I think it seemed almost impossible that if you were putting siblings at odds with each other from birth, and knowing only one of you gets to have everything you grew up with, that resentments wouldn’t grow naturally, even after one of you has won the prize pot. The other thing that I thought about is, how do you know if your relationships are genuine? Because the person who wins the trials wins all the money of the family. It’s up to them how much they want to give to their siblings. And so how do you know whether your relationship with your siblings is transactional or genuine? I think that would make for a very difficult family relationship.

  A theme in this book is the concept of found family vs. biological family. What does that concept mean to you, and how did you want to showcase it here?

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  I think there is also a lot of found family in Rebel of the Sands, and a lesser amount of biological family. I think found family is great, and I think choosing your own family is a powerful thing, but I think we would be foolish to not acknowledge that you can’t ever quite get rid of your blood family, even if you were to not speak to them ever again. They’re still part of you, and they’re still there. I’m lucky I’ve got great parents, but I know that’s not the case for everyone. So I wanted to juxtapose these different families and the things that we inherit and feel like we have to take on—and not just the money. The Holtzfalls inherit the [idea of] “this is your place in the world.” And without being able to break away from that biological family, I don’t think that they can make their own choices in the world.

  How did you develop the dynamic between Nora, someone who is well established and respected in her family, and Lotte, an illegitimate cousin?

  Nora has been there her whole life, proving herself. And the press plays a huge part in this story, so there’s an element of nastiness around the way people speak about her. Lotte comes in as the new shiny thing with no baggage, no backstory. She’s the ingenue. And talking about resentments, it seems natural that if you were being picked apart for every single thing you did—especially after you’ve just gone through a huge trauma—while someone else was appearing to get no flack and no feedback, that would be quite miserable for you. The other part that I wanted to tease out was that Lotte looks the part. She looks like everyone in her family. She’s blonde and has blue eyes. She’s got these big deer in the headlight eyes that everyone’s like, “Oh, bless her heart!” kind of thing. Whereas, Nora, because her father is from another country, doesn’t look like the rest of her family, even though she most embodies the Holtzfalls at her core. I wanted to play with that dynamic but ultimately have them come to the realization that the bitterness that’s been building in the cousins towards Nora doesn’t actually exist in Lotte the same way because she wants different things. She doesn’t care about the money as much as anyone else. She just wants to be to be loved.

  The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton. Viking, $21.99 Apr. 1 ISBN 978-0-451-47966-2

• United by Pop - https://www.unitedbypop.com/books/author-interviews/alwyn-hamilton-notorious-virtues/

  Bookseller By Day, Author by… Different Day by Alwyn Hamilton
  This post is written by Alwyn Hamilton, author of The Notorious Virtues
  By United By Pop On Mar 25, 2025
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  This post is written by Alwyn Hamilton, author of The Notorious Virtues and the bestselling Rebel of the Sands.
  The year is 2009. I’m 21, freshly out of university, at my first job that isn’t babysitting, and a mother is storming towards me, dragging a mortified teenage daughter behind her (and a delighted looking younger brother, who has that excited look on his face that younger brothers get when they know their sibling is in trouble). As she reaches me, the mother slams her hands down on the counter behind which I’m standing.

  “My daughter!” She jabs a finger at the teenager, who looks like she wishes the floor would open up and swallow her, “has read Twilight 18 times. For the LOVE OF GOD CAN YOU RECOMMEND HER SOMETHING ELSE.”

  Twilight was the first time many of us had heard the term YA. Just a handful of years before, when I was a teenager, YA wasn’t yet a thing. There were definitely books for teenagers, but as someone who at 15 was reading both Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, I didn’t feel like there was a tonne being written for me. All the books about teenage girls seemed to be about real life, Jacqueline Wilson or Sweet Valley High. I was much more interested in reading about epic world saving quests than I was about the dramas of proms.

  And then, just as I was about to stop being a teenage girl, suddenly fantasy books for and about us were everywhere. Twilight, the Hunger Games, The Mortal Instruments… The list goes on. To a newly ex-teenage girl it seemed novel at the time (no pun intended).

  Writing now, a few weeks after Onyx Storm became the fastest selling adult book of all time (one widely read by teen girls), and a few weeks before the newest Hunger Games instalment is due to hit shelves and sure to sell in droves, it’s hard for me not to sound like the finger wagging old lady “In MY DAY young lady we didn’t have a lot of fantasy books for girls. You kids these days don’t know easy you have it.”

  But as someone who recently went back to being a bookseller after almost fifteen years away, I am just so excited by how many more fantasy books I have to put into the hands of teenagers. Including my own.

  The truth is I am actually a bookseller/undercover author. After being a bookseller as my first job out of university, I wrote a New York Times bestselling YA fantasy Trilogy: REBEL OF THE SANDS, TRAITOR TO THE THRONE and HERO AT THE FALL. I left my day job (no longer at a bookstore by then) to write full time. And then the pandemic hit, slowed down the process of my fourth book, and after being locked down alone for a while I realized I wanted some company, and so I begged my local Waterstones to be a Christmas Temp. Just for a few weeks while I waited for edits on my fourth Book THE NOTORIOUS VIRTUES.

  That was two years ago, and I still haven’t left. Three days a week I’m a bookseller, the other four I’m an author. I simultaneously live at both ends of the life of a book. The inception, the creation of it, and the final step of putting it into the hands of readers. And the snake eats its own tail.

  But occasionally my Bruce Wayne/Batman identities do get enmeshed. Last week at an author panel where I was supposed to be promoting my own book, I found myself enthusiastically recommending the picture book CAFÉ AT THE EDGE OF THE WOODS (Nominee for The Waterstones Children’s Book Prize). And two days ago, doing an author visit to a local school, several children approached me to say “Don’t I know you from Waterstones?” Yeah, even Clark Kent will tell you it’s impossible to keep your secret identity from everyone. And the only reason I try to is because I don’t want any readers to think I am there with an agenda: Undercover to try to sell my own book. When the reality is I am more likely to completely forget to recommend my own book, too busy rhapsodizing about the latest read that kept me up until 2 a.m. (My book also keeps me up until 2 a.m. but that’s because I have a deadline usually).

  But now, I have a new book coming out in a matter of days! THE NOTORIOUS VIRTUES, a 1920’s New York heiresses meets Grimms’ Fairytales YA fantasy. And after excitedly supporting other authors’ books for the past 2 years, I find myself selling books at a till with a giant poster of my newest book behind me (put up my wonderful Waterstones manager). Every time a kid asks me for a murder mystery (a favourite genre among kids in our shop) I find myself thinking that in just a few weeks I’ll be able to recommend THE NOTORIOUS VIRTUES, in which our main character uncovers the dark secrets surrounding her mother’s death. Whenever my avid readers (all of whom I know by name) come in to chat to ask what’s new (I feel like I have a collection of Belles in the opening scene of Beauty and the Beast), I can’t help but remind them that in just a few weeks there’s a little something new from me… but no pressure!

  I’m far from the first bookseller to ever become an author. But I don’t think I know anyone else who has gone from author to bookseller. But looking back it makes sense.

  Whenever young readers have asked why I wanted to be an author my answer has always been some version of this: I loved to read as a kid, but I grew up in an English Speaking household, reading in English, but living in France. None of my classmates were reading the same books as me, so I had nowhere to put the joy and excitement I got from reading, no one to talk to about it. Writing became the place to put it. By which I mean: I think most authors will tell you they started out as young plagiarists in some form, writing fan-fiction of our favourite work, or ideas that were remarkably similar to our most recent favourite read.

  And without question my favourite thing about being a bookseller is exactly the thing that got me started writing… wanting to share my favourite books that I’m excited about with readers.

  At least once a day, someone gives me some version of “Wow you have read a lot of books!” With kids it’s usually “Have you read every book in the shop?” The answer to that is always a very serious faced “Yes, every single book in the shop.” It’s more effective the younger the kid. With parents it’s usually phrased as “How do you have time to read so much/How do you remember all of this?” The answer to that is a reassuring “I have a head start, I’ve been in YA for 25 years.”

  I just don’t usually tell them I am WAY more in it than they realize. And that I could have read a lot MORE books if I didn’t spend so much time writing them.

  And if you were wondering what book I sold in 2009 to the Twilight obsessed teenager, it was City of Bones, and I still recommend it today. Plus ça change…

  The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton publishes on 27 March 2025 (Faber).

Hamilton, Alwyn. Rebel of the Sands. Viking/Penguin, 2016. 320p. $18.99. 978-0-451-47753-8.

Amani was born in Dustwalk, a small town in the desert country of Miraji. She hopes to flee to the capital because if she does not get out, she will be married off by her uncle to the highest--or only--bidder. In an attempt to win a sharp shooting prize to facilitate her escape, Amani meets Jin, a foreigner who is wanted by the Sultans army. After a fire and a chase, she hides him and they leave Dustwalk together on a mythical horse. Amani learns along the way that Jin is wanted for treason, that the city of her dreams may not be all she hopes, and that perhaps she is destined for something more.

This fantasy reads like a perfect combination of American Westerns and Arabian myths, a unique blend that is the story's biggest strength. The heroine and hero have great banter, which serves to quickly develop their true romantic feelings. Amani's talent with a gun and drive to take control of her life make her a truly likable character despite her flaws. If the story lacks anything, it is originality in the typical "teen learns she has powers and may be the key to saving the land" trope. The novel's ending is solid, and a sequel appears to be in the midst. Fans of Sarah Maas and Victoria Aveyard should give this one a try.--Deena Viviani.

Amidst the hot sands of the tempestuous desert, Amani is determined to escape from her small town and make it to the city, where life prospers. However, when she meets Jin, her plan is thrown completely off course. Amani begins to learn that all is not what it seems in the desert. Teaming with action, wicked magic, and vivid characters, this novel will leave fantasy fans begging for more. 5Q, 4P.--Maia Raynor, Teen Reviewer.

Viviani, Deena^Raynor, Maia

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
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Viviani, Deena, and Maia Raynor. "Hamilton, Alwyn. Rebel of the Sands." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 38, no. 6, Feb. 2016, pp. 70+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A443367978/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4dd6364f. Accessed 28 July 2025.

REBEL OF THE SANDS

By Alwyn Hamilton

Viking

$18.99, 320 pages

ISBN 9780451477538

eBook available

Ages 12 and up

FANTASY

Amani Al'Hiza is desperate to escape the tiny village of Dustwalk. Her best chance at making the money for the journey to Miraji's capital is her gun. Dressed as a boy to enter a shooting contest, Amani makes an unlikely alliance with a mysterious foreigner. The contest ends in chaos, and Amani barely escapes with her life, let alone the prize money. When the foreigner, Jin, reappears on the run from the Sultan's army, Amani knows it could be dangerous to help, but she can't shake the idea that Jin may be able to help her in return.

The nation of Miraji and its rivals are rooted in geopolitical themes from our own world, adding to the sense that Amani's journey takes place within an ancient and well-established society. Most impressive, though, is author Alwyn Hamilton's care not to conflate the danger and poverty Amani wants to leave behind with the Miraji culture as a whole. Amani's respect for the legends and myths of her people and her explicit pride in being "a desert girl" show the beauty of Miraji, rather than making it a wasteland to escape at all costs.

The stakes are raised significantly in the final third of the novel, which may disappoint readers who were enjoying the relative realism of Amani's quest. However, this brilliantly executed plot twist will thrill readers anxious for true fantasy.

In Rebel of the Sands, Hamilton creates a robust mixture of gritty reality and fantasy, delivering a satisfying beginning to what promises to be an electrifying series.

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 BookPage
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Metcalf, Annie. "Rebel of the Sands." BookPage, Mar. 2016, p. 28. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A444819310/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d71ccfc9. Accessed 28 July 2025.

HAMILTON, Alwyn

Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the

Sands Trilogy)

Penguin Random House, 2016. 314p.

Gr. 8-11. 978-0-461477538. Hdbk. $24.99

Rebel of the Sands is an historical fantasy novel--a Western fantasy novel to be precise. It follows the story of Amani Al'Hiza. She's a gunslinger with perfect aim, a skill that can't save her from her backwater country town Dustwalk. She's poor, she's an orphan and female, so she's facing a future of being dead or wed, both of which she'd like to avoid. This doesn't seem like a possibility until she meets Jin, a foreigner who looks like the perfect escape route. However, when given the reality of leaving - galloping away on the proverbial horse she's shocked. She's even more surprised when she realizes that this foreigner can show her a whole new worlds in a desert she professed to know. Despite the running, the romance and the rebellion, Amani must learn who she is and find both her identity and her power as a the world explodes around her.

The world created in Rebel of the Sands is both beautiful and frustrating. The descriptions and development of the setting brings us from an old western style world to one of kings and magic. However, the world created is sexist and at times overdone, making it hard to appreciate at times. Having the main character dress as a boy to succeed and then encounter sexism on her travels is an equality issue that the novel does not fully develop well. The main character, Amani, does show promise as a character and may live up to that promise as the series continues, but does not fully actualize throughout this novel. Instead she's generic, another fantasy/ dystopian tough girl with a skill and a quest. In addition, there are obvious moments--we know the love interest as soon as his cheekbones are described. However, with these flaws, the narrative is strong and the readers who continue throughout will want to know what happens next.

This book would appeal to those who enjoy historical fantasy, those who enjoy stories of turmoil and triumph and those who are looking to start what could be a great new series.

Thematic Links: Western; Fantasy; Gender Issues; Adventure

[G] Good, even great at times, generally useful!

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Resource Links
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Edwards, Alison. "Hamilton, Alwyn: Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands Trilogy)." Resource Links, vol. 21, no. 5, June 2016, p. 25. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A457693610/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2f499640. Accessed 28 July 2025.

Hamilton, Alwyn TRAITOR TO THE THRONE Viking (Children's Fiction) $18.99 3, 7 ISBN: 978-0-451-47785-9

Palace intrigue, military stratagems, even cosmic powers can't eclipse the complex tangle of love, loss, and loyalty in this Arabian Nights-inspired fantasy sequel.The rebellion against the Sultan of Miraji is collapsing, but months after joining the fight, Amani is doing even worse. Her love life is faltering, her friends are on the run, and she has been captured and sold to the Sultan, who covets her half-Djinni powers. As his prisoner, she's well-positioned to spy...if she can only conceal her identity, survive the jealousy of the harem, and stop doubting her mission. This follow-up to Rebel of the Sands (2016) retains the heroine's snarky first-person voice and irresistible attitude while digging much deeper and darker. The appalling consequences and compromises of war are not sugarcoated, but the matter-of-fact evil within the palace may be even more horrific. Nearly every character hurts, betrays, or fails another; yet they remain sympathetic, with understandable justifications. While most (like Amani) are dark-skinned desert folk, others display ethnicities clearly analogous to various African, Asian, and European origins, a diversity fully reflected in their choices and actions. With an expanded geopolitical backdrop, intricate web of schemes, and heightened interpersonal drama, this hefty tome is almost overstuffed with plot, all building to a crescendo of heart-pounding--and heartbreaking--climaxes that will leave readers sobbing and desperate for the next volume. A story "about revenge and about love and about sacrifice and the great and terrible things...people do"--and, ultimately, about the "truly invincible" power of stories themselves. Superlative. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Hamilton, Alwyn: TRAITOR TO THE THRONE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A477242400/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7a28deb9. Accessed 28 July 2025.

Hamilton, Alwyn. Traitor to the Throne: Rebel of the Sands, Book 2. Viking/Penguin Random House, 2017. 528p. $18.99. 978-0451-47785-9.

In a world with powerful and immortal djinnis, political intrigue, and civil war brewing, a tyrannical sultan is using it all for his own gain. All who disagree with him are executed, imprisoned, or in hiding. Demdjis, offspring of humans and djinnis, are powerful in their own right, but under the sultan's rule, they are hunted and oppressed. Amani, also known as the Blue-Eyed Bandit, is an expert gunswoman and a rising demdji with the power to control sand. She is on the side of the rebellion, those who liberate townsfolk and help resistors with the hope of gaining supporters for their cause. Much has changed since leaving her small, sandy town of Dustwalk, but that does not stop traitors from her past from reappearing. Betrayed by someone she trusts, she is thrown into the center of the most dangerous place: the sultan's palace, and the sultan has found a way to bind her to his will. In a land full of traitors and liars, Amani's actions will affect much more than her own life.

A robust and satisfying sequel, Traitor to the Throne ranks at the top with the novels of Morgan Rhodes, Rae Carson, and Leigh Bardugo. Best described as a western threaded with magic and Arabian mythology, Hamilton's storytelling is rich and the characters well developed. The stakes are believably serious, yet it is humorous in all the right places. Readers will be marking their calendars for the next installment.--Jane Gov.

Traitor to the Throne is a great sequel. It maintains the same level of adventure and intrigue as the first installment in the series. There is a lot of buildup in this book, but it is not overdone. The characters are likeable and have depth while the storyline is complex and keeps readers on their toes. Traitor to the Throne is an amazing book and this reader will definitely be reading the next book. 5Q, 4P.--Kara Eng, Teen Reviewer.

QUALITY

5Q Hard to imagine it being better written.

4Q Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses.

3Q Readable, without serious defects.

2Q Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q.

1Q Hard to understand how it got published, except in relation to its P rating (and not even then sometimes).

POPULARITY

5P Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday.

4P Broad general or genre YA appeal.

3P Will appeal with pushing.

2P For the YA reader with a special interest in the subject.

1P No YA will read unless forced to for assignments.

GRADE LEVEL INTEREST

M Middle School (defined as grades 6-8).

J Junior High (defined as grades 7-9).

S Senior High (defined as grades 10-12).

A/YA Adult-marketed book recommended for YAs.

NA New Adult (defined as college-age).

R Reluctant readers (defined as particularly suited for reluctant readers).

(a) Highlighted Reviews Graphic Novel Format

(G) Graphic Novel Format

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
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Gov, Jane, and Kara Eng. "Hamilton, Alwyn. Traitor to the Throne: Rebel of the Sands, Book 2." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 40, no. 1, Apr. 2017, p. 70. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A491949536/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=26354c01. Accessed 28 July 2025.

Hamilton, Alwyn. Hero at the Fall: Rebel of the Sands, Book 3. Viking/Penguin Random House, March 2018. 480p. $18.99. 978-0451-47786-6.

4Q * 4P * J * S

Amani Al'Hiza and her allies against the Sultan of Miraji are in a crisis as this third volume of the Rebel of the Sands series picks up. Their leader, the Sultan's son, Ahmed, the Rebel Prince, has been imprisoned and now is presumed dead. Amani and the rebels kidnap the Sultan's manipulative daughter, Leyla, seeking a way to free Ahmed, but the Sultan announces he will kill one girl each day his daughter is not returned--and the rebels cannot move quickly enough to rescue his victims. As they forge uneasy alliances with djinn, dying rulers, and crafty con men, Amani is given a gift to save any life she chooses. Will she choose to rescue the benevolent Rebel Prince, or Jin, his brother, whom she loves so passionately?

Readers need not have read the previous novels, Rebel of the Sand or Traitor to the Throne, to be fully engaged in Amani's final adventure, a healthy puree of Star Wars and Game of Thrones. Hamilton writes well enough that newcomers can easily get the gist. The characters and writing are so strong that readers will likely be tempted to go back to the beginning for full effect. Amani is a razorsharp hero, her enemies ruthless, her friends equally cunning. The stakes are real and high (word of advice: do not get attached to some of the characters). It is a thrilling whirlwind of a dust storm tinged with magic and legends; fantasy fans will be happy to be swept along.--Matthew Weaver.

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
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Weaver, Matthew. "Hamilton, Alwyn. Hero at the Fall: Rebel of the Sands, Book 3." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 40, no. 6, Feb. 2018, p. 67. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A529357165/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7af4e3a1. Accessed 28 July 2025.

Hamilton, Alwyn THE NOTORIOUS VIRTUES Viking (Teen None) $21.99 4, 1 ISBN: 9780451479662

The magic flows as easily as the champagne as cousins strive to best one another to earn the title of Holtzfall Heiress by winning the sometimes-deadly Veritaz Trials.

When Verity Holtzfall turns up dead--and her bodyguard knight, Alaric Rydder, is missing--everyone in Walstad knows that a new heiress must be chosen according to the centuries-old Veritaz, which tests the virtues of eligible candidates. Along with teenage cousins Nora (Verity's daughter), Modesty, Constance, and Clemency, a fifth cousin, Lotte, appears, released from the convent where she's been living, until recently unaware of her Holtzfall bloodline. The trials are always different, testing "bravery, or honesty, or temperance, or any of a dozen other virtues" in unexpected ways. The winner receives all the entrants' magic. In Walstad, a society whose worldbuilding features Scandinavian cultural influences, the self-congratulatory upper crust lives in luxury, while activists called Grims agitate for reform. This sprawling story's multiple narrators never lose their footing, even as they race along the twisty pathways of forbidden love and shocking alliances and reveals. Dark-haired Nora's father was a "desert-born" Mirajin; references to his Arab-coded culture evoke some Orientalist tropes. Other major characters read white. The cliffhanger conclusion of this riveting series opener that explores themes of trust and growth will leave readers eager for the next installment.

Strong young women lead in this atmospheric tale that's oozing with magic, secrets, and temptation. (family tree)(Fantasy thriller. 14-18)

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"Hamilton, Alwyn: THE NOTORIOUS VIRTUES." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A825128180/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8923b8f5. Accessed 28 July 2025.

HAMILTON, Alwyn. The Notorious Virtues. 512p. Viking. Apr. 2025. Tr $22.99. ISBN 9780451479662.

Gr 7 Up--Hamilton weaves a thrilling narrative that explores the themes of power, privilege, and rebellion in a richly imagined world that draws inspiration from fairy tales right out of Grimm. For centuries, the Holtzfall family has reigned supreme, wielding magic and power. However, political unrest brews as the lower classes grow dissatisfied. When her mother, the reigning heir, is murdered, 16-year-old Nora must compete in the brutal Veritaz Trials to earn her inheritance. However, Nora faces unexpected competition: Lotte, an illegitimate cousin, who emerges to claim her rightful place among the heirs. Amid the political intrigue and growing rebellion, Nora must unravel the mystery of her mother's death and confront the crumbling foundations of her family's power. Hamilton deftly explores class conflict, privilege, and power through this unique, dark enchanted world. The mystery and suspense of the trials all but overwhelm any romance, though there is some intrigue. Most characters read white; Nora is biracial with cues to Middle Eastern heritage. VERDICT For fans of Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen, Hamilton offers a thrilling fantasy that takes a critical look at the corrupting influence of power and the fight for a more equitable society. --Rachel Jussel

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Jussel, Rachel. "HAMILTON, Alwyn. The Notorious Virtues." School Library Journal, vol. 71, no. 4, Apr. 2025, p. 126. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A836879635/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=74c31312. Accessed 28 July 2025.

Viviani, Deena, and Maia Raynor. "Hamilton, Alwyn. Rebel of the Sands." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 38, no. 6, Feb. 2016, pp. 70+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A443367978/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4dd6364f. Accessed 28 July 2025. Metcalf, Annie. "Rebel of the Sands." BookPage, Mar. 2016, p. 28. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A444819310/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d71ccfc9. Accessed 28 July 2025. Edwards, Alison. "Hamilton, Alwyn: Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands Trilogy)." Resource Links, vol. 21, no. 5, June 2016, p. 25. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A457693610/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2f499640. Accessed 28 July 2025. "Hamilton, Alwyn: TRAITOR TO THE THRONE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A477242400/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7a28deb9. Accessed 28 July 2025. Gov, Jane, and Kara Eng. "Hamilton, Alwyn. Traitor to the Throne: Rebel of the Sands, Book 2." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 40, no. 1, Apr. 2017, p. 70. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A491949536/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=26354c01. Accessed 28 July 2025. Weaver, Matthew. "Hamilton, Alwyn. Hero at the Fall: Rebel of the Sands, Book 3." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 40, no. 6, Feb. 2018, p. 67. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A529357165/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7af4e3a1. Accessed 28 July 2025. "Hamilton, Alwyn: THE NOTORIOUS VIRTUES." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A825128180/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8923b8f5. Accessed 28 July 2025. Jussel, Rachel. "HAMILTON, Alwyn. The Notorious Virtues." School Library Journal, vol. 71, no. 4, Apr. 2025, p. 126. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A836879635/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=74c31312. Accessed 28 July 2025.

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