'World building' is an important element of any fantasy series, and it can make the first book of a series particularly tricky. The author needs to introduce readers to a new world with its own geography, politics, history, magic and concepts, as well as to the characters. That has to be done as naturally as possible whilst also telling a readable story and not becoming dull. Skimp on the explanation and readers won't know what's going on; overdo it, and it will read like a textbook about somewhere that isn't even real. Michele C Shaw errs a bit too much towards the former in this first book in a planned series.

The story is set in a complicated fantasy land set up with various countries and territories, some of which are at war. There are also different peoples with different powers - mainly the humans and the Lamorians (an elf-like people). None of that is explained very well. The narrative is from the perspective of two viewpoint characters - a con artist called Aliyanna, and the senior police officer who has finally caught her. To avoid prison, Aliyanna must join the captain and a small band of misfits in a con on behalf of the king, to find evidence of treason by his powerful technocrat cousin. Aliyanna will play the part of his long lost love, now apparently returned. But she quickly realises her mark this time is not a dim noble, but a clever operator busily preparing his people for war. Which doesn't bode well for the mission...

I found the start of the book slow. I took a while to warm to the characters, and I found the short italicised flashback sections at the start of each chapter a bit annoying. I did eventually come to like both Aliyanna and captain Kresta, and the supporting characters too, and was quite invested in the outcome of their mission. Not that you will get much of an outcome - it's very much a taster for what I imagine will be at least a trilogy. The second half is more exciting and the plot and character development went in directions I didn't necessarily expect. But even by the end I still felt a bit at sea about who was fighting whom and who had powers and how. A bit more explanation would really have helped and I could have enjoyed the story better if I wasn't trying to work out what was going on and if I'd missed something. Another annoyance was the character names, some of which I found very hard to pronounce in my head. If a writer is going to use unconventional names with complex spellings, it is better to include a note on how to say them, rather than leaving the reader to stumble over them every couple of pages. It breaks the flow of the story and makes for a less enjoyable reading experience.

Overall I'd rate the first half of the book a 2, and the second half a 4, so the average comes out at 3 stars. I will probably give the next instalment a go, to see where it goes and in the hope that now things are up and running, it will keep getting better. Shaw strikes me as a writer who is maybe better at writing people and plots than the whole 'world-building' element. The very best fantasy novels will score highly on all aspects. But two out of three isn't bad.

What an interesting story! There were twists that took me completely by surprise, and I was loving the girl power, y’all! The plot follows thief, Aillyana, who gets conscripted to help the crown in exchange for freedom, and boy what a ride it was [iykyk ;)] At first, I struggled to connect with the characters. However, it didn’t take long to become hooked and reeling for more. I’m looking forward to book 2!

Ailyanna es una estafadora brillante en una ciudad donde la riqueza se esconde tras normas rígidas y secretos peligrosos. Tras años burlando a nobles y constables, es finalmente capturada por su peor enemiga: la temida capitana Kresta, también conocida como “la Sabueso”. Pero en lugar de prisión o muerte, Ailyanna recibe una oferta imposible de rechazar: infiltrarse en la vida de un poderoso duque y descubrir sus posibles traiciones al rey. A cambio, se le promete libertad… y un pasaje seguro fuera del país. Con la identidad de una noble desaparecida, un equipo heterogéneo a su lado y un destino lleno de trampas y secretos, Ailyanna debe enfrentarse no solo a los enemigos del reino, sino a los fantasmas de su pasado. Porque en un mundo de máscaras, mentiras y juegos políticos, confiar incluso en uno mismo puede ser el mayor riesgo.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest