Discover the classic story that has captured hearts for decades... Aerin could not remember a time when she had not known the story; she had grown up knowing it. It was the story of her mother, the witchwoman who enspelled the king into marrying her, to get an heir that would rule Damar; and it was told that she turned her face to the wall and died of despair when she found she had borne a daughter instead of a son. Aerin was that daughter. But there was more of the story yet to be told; Aerin's destiny was greater than even she had dreamed--for she was to be the true hero who would wield the power of the Blue Sword... About the Author Robin McKinley has won various awards and citations for her writing, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown and a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword . Her other books include Sunshine ; the New York Times bestseller Spindle's End ; two novel-length retellings of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast , Beauty and Rose Daughter ; and a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, The Outlaws of Sherwood . She lives with her husband, the English writer Peter Dickinson.