We spoke to the YA and adult fantasy author Leigh Bardugo for a recent By the Book interview. In the interview, Bardugo, whose latest novel is “Hell Bent,” spoke about: —What distinguishes adult literature from YA literature: “Absolutely nothing. OK, that’s not quite fair. I want to say ‘nothing’ because I have never met someone who reads only from one shelf. I don’t think young people read that way and I am always wary of what people may deem ‘too much’ for younger readers because I think they actually have a pretty good barometer of what they can handle and will happily set a book aside when it starts to go places they don’t want to go. That said, ‘young adult’ is a marketing category. It sets a certain expectation in terms of the pace of the plot and how graphic a work might be, in terms of both sex and violence.” —What moves her in literature: “I think it might just be the pleasure of the unexpected. The more we build narratives, the better we get at guessing at the moves they’ll make, so I’m always thrilled when I don’t see a twist coming. And that twist is not necessarily an unexpected turn in the plot. It can be surprising language or an unanticipated choice by a character.” —What makes for a good fantasy novel: “When I’m asked about fantasy worlds, I always encourage new writers to pay attention to world-building in books that have nothing to do with magic. Every book is fantasy of one kind or another.” —And more. Tap the link in our bio to read the full interview.