“There was no helping her tears. For they would leave Po behind… She cried into his shoulder like a child. Ashamed of herself, for it was only a parting, and Bitterblue had not wept like this even over a death. ‘Don’t be ashamed,' Po whispered. ‘Your sadness is dear to me. Don’t be frightened. I won’t die, Katsa. I won’t die, and we’ll meet again.”

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.