Debut author Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone hit shelves earlier this month. In its first week of publication, the YA novel hit the New York Times Chapter Books Bestseller list. And after tearing through book one in The Grisha Trilogy, it’s no surprise why readers are getting sucked in to the elaborate, Russian-inspired fantasy world that Bardugo has created.

Shadow and Bone follows heroine, Alina Starkov, an orphan girl who has been drafted into the army of her war-torn homeland, Ravka. Joining Alina is her best friend—and quintessential YA crush—Mal. When their convoy is attacked, Alina discovers a dormant power she didn’t know even existed. And down the rabbit hole she goes, as Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite.

The second book in The Grisha Trilogy, Siege and Storm, is scheduled for 2013. The final book, Ruin and Rising, will be released the following year. Here, Bardugo reveals the inspiration for Shadow and Bone, and drops a few hints about what’s to come. Warning: Mild spoilers ahead! 

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