THINGS I LOVE: 'Winter of Fire' by Sherryl Jordan

Winter of Fire is my most favourite book and was written by a Kiwi woman no less!  Some may recall one of her other novels, Rocco, as one that was studied in English at high school, and I believe it is very deserving of this honour;  Winter of Fire however is relatively unknown but in my opinion her best work ever. 

PLOT SUMMARY:

Elsha is a young girl living in a bleak, cold future where world-wide cloud cover has permanently blocked out the sun. Humans have split into two classes - the Chosen and the Quelled, of which Elsha is the latter. The Quelled are doomed to spend their lives in servitude to the Chosen, mining "firestones" - the only means of warmth on the planet. A rebellious girl, Elsha causes trouble for herself - even going so far as being considered for execution - until she is given the highest position available to a woman - Handmaiden to the Firelord - the leader of the Chosen. Elsha uses this unlikely position to fight the stigma and oppression of her people, eventually inheriting the title for herself and changing the course of the planet's history for the better.

She may not have written it with adults in mind (but neither did J.K.Rowling when she wrote the first Harry Potter book I'm sure!), but an avid reader of any age can appreciate a unique storyline, fantastic imagery and thoughtful writing that Sherryl Jordan captures wonderfully in Winter of Fire.