“Madlen came to sit beside her on the bed. "Lady Queen," she said with her own particular brand of rough gentleness. "It is not the job of the child to protect her mother. It's the mother's job to protect the child. By allowing your mother to protect you, you gave her a gift. Do you understand me?”

American young adult and fantasy writer

Kristin Cashore is an American young adult and fantasy writer, best known for the Graceling Realm series. Her work is closely associated with young adult fiction and fantasy, and the Graceling Realm books are the source of much of her recognition. She writes in a field shaped by imaginative settings, strong characters, and the kinds of conflicts that often define contemporary YA fantasy.