Adalyn Grace for The Wretched Divine

Adalyn Grace is coming to The Bookshop on Wednesday 7 October, where she'll be talking about her adult fantasy debut, The Wretched Divine. If you've read her other work, you'll know her as a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, best known for the Belladonna trilogy and the All the Stars and Teeth duology. This is a bit of a shift in territory, though — The Wretched Divine is her first foray into adult fantasy, and the evening is built around it.

The book itself reaches back to the angels-and-demons trope. It follows Aurelie Chantelune, a knight raised to hunt demons, who forges a bond with the angel Yuriel and a second, more dangerous bond with the demon Severin, as they hunt for a cure to turn demons back into humans. It's a classic setup — knights, angels, demons, and a quest for a cure — but told through a new lens.

Grace isn't just coming on her own, either. The session is moderated by Alexandra Bracken, another #1 New York Times, USA TODAY, and internationally bestselling author whose work has been adapted for film and is available in over 20 languages. Bracken lives in Arizona with her dog Tennyson; Grace is a San Diego local who spends her non-writing time watching anime and playing video games with her two dogs. Before she turned to writing, Grace spent several years working in live theatre and spent time as an intern on Nickelodeon Animation's The Legend of Korra, where she studied storytelling.

It's a conversation between two writers, so expect the talk to lean into the craft as much as the story. The event is at The Bookshop, 1 Museum Street, York YO1 7DT, on Wednesday 7 October, starting at 7pm with doors opening at 6.30pm.