A Queen's Betrayal

Legends of Worldbinders, Book 1

By: Stephanie Shamblin

Narrated by: Erin Lin

Magic creates fear.

Fear creates war.

Humans and Fae once lived harmoniously on the mighty continent Pheanixios, but the Fae quickly realized the power they held, and forced the Humans into submission. A war broke out, ending in a continent broken into two, severed by hatred.

The Fae revels in magic, while the Humans have outlawed it.

As thousands of years passed, both continents witnessed decay. A relentless plague gripped the once-thriving lands, reducing mountains to rubble, silencing once-lush forests, and draining rivers dry. Animals transformed into savage beasts, and humanity faced a relentless onslaught of illness.

Arenna Steele is Queen of Brookworth, ruler of the Human Continent. Where her title holds no power, she finds herself trapped in the castle she once considered home—prisoner to an abuser she calls husband.

During a secretive tournament held by her husband, Arenna seizes a rare opportunity to break free from the shackles that bind her. Realizing that her sole chance of liberation lies within the enemy territory of Kingdom Worden, ruler of the Fae Continent. On the day of her planned escape, her world shatters in more ways than one. The brutal loss of a loved one unleashes an ancient, deadly power within Arenna, an ability unknown to her.

Surrounded by betrayal and heartache, Arenna betrays her kingdom and flees everything she once knew. In her journey, Arenna must navigate trials of strength and bravery, rebuild her shattered heart, and master her rare power that might be the key to saving her crumbling world.

A Queen’s Betrayal is the gorey, heart-pounding, first book in the epic romantic fantasy series, Legends of Worldbinders.

©2025 Stephanie Shamblin (P)2025 Stephanie Shamblin

long and dark

This book was well written and narrated well. it was darker and grittier than my usual read but there were satisfying parts.

Wonderful Narration

Erin Lin's vocal tone and emotion behind the performance made this a captivating listen. i just love her voice!

AQB is a very dark and high stakes read. The entire story is emotionally driven and Stephanie incorporated a lot of detail into the plot and world building of the two opposing continents. The characters must tap into great elental power to save fae and humankind from the spreading rot which I found interesting.

Arenna is a verbally and emotionally beaten down, abused, tortured and humiliated FMC, yet despite it all rises up and chooses to fight and find a way to not only survive but move forward to be able to tap into her full potential.

There is a huge twist at the end which sets up anticipation for book two, A Queen's Awakening, releasing in September 2026.

Thank you to Erin Lin for gifting this Audible audiobook code to me.

THAT ENDING!!!

I’ve been a fan of this story ever since it was in its original interactive form on the Episode app, but this was a WHOLE new glow-up!! For anyone who is a big fan of slow-burns, this story is a fantastic read for you because the burn is deliciously slow!! I thrive off of an enemies to lovers romance, and this was very well written! On top of all that, the world building, character development, unique magic and fantasy elements, and plot twists were wonderfully executed- especially for a debut novel. Bravo!!

What a twist!

This is a great start to a promising series. I have mixed feelings about fantasy tales. I like the magic part but a lot of violence usually comes with it. But I enjoyed this version of fantasy, Humans VS Fae, all the different creatures and how they come by their abilities. It’s a timeless tale where history gets so twisted that we don’t know who our true enemies are. Erin Lin did a fantastic job as narrator. I hope the wait until the next book isn’t too long!

I didn’t think I could love it more!

🔥⛰️A Queen’s Betrayal⛰️🔥

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Y’all - from the moment I heard about this book I wanted to read it & let me just tell you - it was WORTH THE WAIT. WOW. It was everything I needed out of a dark fantasy without all the spice. Beautiful, devastating, gripping, tragic, redemptive - I could go on & on.

Arenna & Kayson - what a beautiful disaster they make & they are just getting started. The banter is top notch. The longing is phenomenal.

The world is top notch. I feel like my brain is going to be living there for a while. The twists & turns had me on the absolute edge of my seat. Perfect I say! Stephanie - you’re doing great, sweetie!

This is definitely a dark fantasy with a lot of heavy topics. Please check content warnings before diving in. There was some mild cursing (nothing terrible) & a few slight innuendos. But absolutely no spice.

Okay, not that I have all that off my chest I’m just gonna go ahead & say that this is hands down one of my favorite books of the year! I’ll be sitting here not so patiently waiting for A Queen’s Awakening.

The narrator made this book come completely to life! I didn’t think I could love the book any more than when I read it the first time but here I am loving it even more.