The Binding

Matilde of House Svanaten is tainted: by her mother’s heritage, by her father’s treason, and by a coronation two years overdue.

Now, with the southern empire massing for invasion, and the Houses jockeying for position ahead of the annual conclave, there are plenty who would shed no tears over her death.

In a nation balanced on a knife’s edge, can she survive long enough to claim her inheritance?

The story of an unbreakable young woman, The Binding is a study in what defines us, what constrains us, and what sets us free.

Deborah Kalin’s SHADOW QUEEN is totally brilliant — fascinating and often painful … unlike anything I’ve ever read before.

Karen Healey

Shadow Queen has strong narrative drive, a fiery protagonist and, most importantly, moves at a cracking pace. It’s assured writing and well-crafted plot may also win it readers outside the genre.

Sunday Age

Strong, tense, economical yet poetic writing. . . Gripping. Highly recommended.

Sun Herald

introduces a world that is ancient and ominous, steeped with tradition, history and magic. It is a story as mysterious as it is complex and will have you hooked from the first, surprising you at every turn.

Larissa

…a striking, infuriating, endlessly surprising and wonderfully disturbing work, penned in prose whose clarity, wit and elegance more seasoned wordsmiths must dream about.
…Kalin’s honest writing delivers a deeply human heroine, prey to fear, embarrassment and pride, and who, cornered with decisions upon which lives balance, doesn’t always choose rightly. She feels real, though, and even if you bemoan her actions you’ll understand them every time. As a study of an unbreakable young woman battling the manifold barriers that ensnare her, Shadow Queen succeeds as surely as we hope Matilde will.

Aurealis Magazine

Be prepared for a late night because this book is impossible to put down…If you enjoy reading fantasy fiction, you will love this book. If you have never tried fantasy, this is the perfect place to start. If you hate fantasy, this book will change your mind forever.

M. Donn

Kalin’s characters are utterly real, so completely possessed of their own destinies, foibles, beliefs and motives that the idea of an author sitting down and planning their story feels almost…wrong. And yet, one has, and the longer I think about that fact, the more it becomes miraculous. The Binding is an incredible, beautifully written duoloy, and Deborah Kalin is a writer to watch.

Foz Meadows

Shadow Queen

Aestival is a time of celebration and machination, as the Turasi people mark the turning of the year and prepare to negotiate new treaties.

The unexpected arrival of Matilde’s aunt, exiled thirteen years ago, sets tensions ablaze. But before anyone can unravel the mystery of her return, a violent coup by an unknown adversary trails death and destruction in its wake.

Having only narrowly escaped the conflagration alive, Matilde is left powerless — but far from helpless.

READ THE FIRST CHAPTER

Shadow Bound

In winning back her throne from Dieter, Matilde has swapped one leash for another.

Now she is sworn to Sidonius, the notorious slave-born general of the southern empire, who has conquered every land he’s invaded.

Worse, Dieter is far from defeated. His ousted forces launch strike after strike, sorely testing Matilde’s uncertain hold on power. Every day he remains free drives her deeper into vassalage. And the southern empire does not look kindly on vassals who try to secede.

But Matilde does not look kindly on those who would bind her to their will — and Sidonius has under-estimated her.

READ THE FIRST CHAPTER

Warning! Contains spoilers for Shadow Queen!