Siege And Storm Blog Tour: Author Interview + Giveaway

Today I'm absurdly excited to be joined on the blog by young adult author Leigh Bardugo, who was nice enough to answer a few questions for me as part of the promotional blog tour for Siege and Storm. I, like so many people, adored last year's Shadow and Bone and quite possibly scarred my mailman for life with my enthusiasm when I found the sequel in my mailbox. I'm sure he'll be fine eventually. He seems resilient:) If you haven't had a chance to read Shadow and Bone, please run to the bookstore immediately, and be sure to mark your calendars as Siege and Storm releases from Macmillan on June 4th!

Alina finds herself in the rather unique position of having to design an original kefta to wear so as to set her apart from the other Grisha. If you were in her shoes, what might the kefta you design for yourself look like?

Oh wow. I love this question, but I'm so torn. I'd either go Heartrender red or just take my chances and dare to wear black.

We get to meet a new and magnificent mythical creature in this second installment. Is there any one magical or mythological creature that has always fascinated you most?

I desperately want a direwolf, but I would gladly settle for a baby dragon. I think the gorgon always fascinated me. There's something very poignant about that myth and the way she's defeated.

Let's say you arrive at the Little Palace and petition Alina to let you aid her. What type of position do you think would best suit you and what skills would you bring to the table to assist her with her many and varied problems?

Alina would probably send me packing. I have no skills! Maybe I could tell her stories and sing her songs? I can whip up a pretty good apple and apricot tart. Beyond that, I've always thought I'd make an excellent fool what with the capering and falling down. I'm certainly willing to wear bells, but I can't juggle or play an instrument so I may be out of luck.

Alina's life gets significantly more complicated and dangerous in Siege and Storm. If she were to stand in front of a mirror and admit to her own face one of her greatest fears knowing speaking it aloud would ease some of her burden, what might she say?

In Shadow and Bone, I think Alina most fears that she will never find her place in the world, that she will always be an outsider, that the one person who truly knows her will leave her behind. Those fears are still there in Siege and Storm, but she's also contending with terrible guilt and the burden of tremendous power. I don't know that it would be as simple as articulating a single fear.

Mal and Alina have known each other almost their entire lives. What would Mal say is one of his fondest memories of them together growing up?

This question made me really think about the memories that come up for both of them over the course of the series. So often they seem like stolen things—sneaking away to play in the meadow, or the brief moments in the dom cart. Keramzin wasn't a joyful place, so the happiness they found they had to make together.

The Darkling continuously haunts Alina throughout this story, trying to get her to see things his way through both veiled and obvious threats as well as soothing words. If he was to stand before her to try and convince her of his cause one final time but had to do so in the form of a single question, what would he ask her?

I'm not sure he'd ask anything at all. The Darkling isn't big on requests.

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SIEGE AND STORM

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Goodreads • Amazon • Facebook 

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EXTRAS

• Leigh Bardugo on the Fierce Reads Tour

• Listen to Leigh Bardugo's song, "Winter Prayer"

• Pre-order a copy of Siege and Storm, submit your receipt, and get specially-branded nail polish

• Download the first five chapters of Siege and Storm now

• Leigh on Twitter and Tumblr 

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BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY 

Thanks to the awesome people at Macmillan, I have a paperback copy of Shadow and Bone as well as a hardcover copy of Siege and Storm to give away on the blog today! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US/Canada only, good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check out the remaining stops on this fabulous tour for more interviews, reviews and general amazingness:

Monday 5/20

Novel Sounds

Tuesday 5/21

Supernatural Snark

Wednesday 5/22

Bewitched Bookworms

Thursday 5/23

YA Sisterhood

Friday 5/24

Cuddlebuggery

Saturday 5/25

BookYA Review

Sunday 5/26

YA Romantics

Monday 5/27

Icey Books

Tuesday 5/28

Tales of a Ravenous Reader

Wednesday 5/29

The Book Monsters

Thursday 5/30

Two Chicks on Books

Friday 5/31

Birth of a New Witch

Saturday 6/1

Into the Hall of Books

Sunday 6/2

Fic Fare

Monday 6/3

Mundie Moms

Tuesday 6/4

Moonlight Book Reviews