Today, Team Fanfiaddict is back with another finalist review. We’ll be taking on The Honorable Con by Michele C. Shaw.
Let’s see what the judges had to say!
Michael Vadney: What impressed me most about The Honorable Con is how well Shaw understands people. This is a story about levers, about what makes people move, what they want, what they fear, and how those desires can be pulled and twisted by those who know where to look. Shaw clearly has a sharp eye for human motivation, and it gives the entire story a sense of psychological realism that elevates it above a typical fantasy thriller. This is a fun, fast-paced blend of fantasy, political drama, and espionage, and the pacing is one of its real strengths. The story evolves in complexity at just the right rate, never bogging down in exposition and never rushing through the moments that matter. Shaw knows when to linger and when to keep moving, and that control keeps you locked in from start to finish. The reveals are another highlight. There are several twists and turns throughout the story that genuinely surprised me, and importantly, none of them felt like they came out of nowhere. They’re the kind of reveals that recontextualize what you’ve already read in satisfying ways, which tells me Shaw was playing fair with the reader the whole time.
The politics of the world are interesting and well thought out, and the blend of magic and technology is a fun combination. I wish the magic system had a little more concrete depth shown on the page, but what’s there is engaging and serves the story well. The cast is wide, and while I wanted a bit more personality from some of the side characters, there are definite standouts who leave an impression. The story also makes good use of flashbacks that add context and shift your perspective on the present timeline. They can be slightly jarring in places, as the transitions between past and present aren’t always perfectly clear, but the content within them is strong and the way they change your lens on current events is well worth the occasional disorientation. The Honorable Con is a sharp, engaging read with a confident understanding of people and power. If you enjoy political fantasy with espionage elements and a story that trusts you to keep up, this one’s worth your time.
Will Swardstrom: I do love a good heist. That’s what I was hoping for as I started Michelle C. Shaw’s The Honorable Con, and while I got a book with a lot of heist-y vibes, I’m not quite sure if it pulled off the “heist” angle of the titular con so well. The book started strong and finished with a bang, but the middle portion was a little muddled and left me a little confused. Thankfully, the ending saved a lot of my feelings about the book and I’d be down to read the next book in Shaw’s series.
In terms of what I liked about the book, the two leads are right up there, but definitely one a little more than the other. The book alternates between two different POV characters, Ailyanna, a lifelong con artist looking for her next big score, and Captain Kresta, a war vet turned constable who makes it her life to capture Ailyanna. Ailyanna is definitely a little more built out as a character and her hinted-at backstory leaves a lot for the readers as well. Kresta is a well-crafted character as well, but as the uber-loyal royal captain, the personal growth takes a little bit of a different track. After Kresta does manage to capture her prey, we get to engage in a little government-sponsored con artistry, which is always fun.
The issues came as the story got bogged down by too many details that ultimately didn’t feel like they mattered. There were names of peoples and lands and whatnot that were dropped continuously but their importance to the immediate story was lacking in my eyes. Frankly, if Shaw had expanded the book by about 20 percent and gone into the history of her fantasy world and the peoples, it might have worked a little better for me.
With any good heist, things go wrong, and they do for Ailyanna, Kresta, and the rest of the crew, but often the portions of the story were a little abrupt. We’d follow one track until it finished…then start another with not much overlap or foreshadowing of what was coming next.
But like I said, the ending was electric. Once all the pieces were on the board where they should (or shouldn’t) be, Shaw was able to craft a fun and dangerous final sequence that paved the way nicely towards the sequel. I do wish the book hadn’t relied so much on the upcoming sequel and that it wrapped up more storylines before “The End,” but it was still satisfying.
Dave Lawson: This promised to be a heisty romp, and at times it was. If you know me, you know that fun, fast-paced fantasy is my thing. My absolute favorite. Also, trains? Yes. Victorian vibes? Absolutely. I really enjoyed Ailyanna–she’s a fantastic character and super fun to follow, but unfortunately, I struggled with rest of the cast, particularly Kresta, who just felt to static for me at times, particularly as the book went on and the pace stalled. Though the ending picks up the pace again, I found the heist dragged on too much at times, and with my lack of investment in the cast outside of Ailyanna, it was difficult to stay engaged.
With that, our score for The Honorable Con is a 6.
We’ll be back soon with more finalist reviews!
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