
Summary: Living in treeless mountains under cold perpetual clouds, human society has split into two classes: the autocratic Chosen and the despised Quelled, who mine the coal that's the only available source of heat. To general consternation, the ruling Firelord has picked Elsha, an angry Quelled teenager, as his new and only Handmaid; she vows to better the lot of her people, though it means battling centuries of prejudice.
Here's another summary
Elsha is a young girl living in a bleak, cold future where worldwide 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 made the unprecedented heir 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.
Personally, I don't think either of these summaries are very good but they'll have to do.
Personal Review: Alright so basically this is one of my all time favorite books. I remember the first time I saw it in the library. I picked it up and opened it up when I noticed an envelope inside of it. The envelope had a birthday card with 100 dollars in it. Haha. That was awesome. I was a good girl though and gave the card (and the money) to the librarian and she found the rightful owner. I did get a 25 dollar gift card to borders out of the whole thing though :D
SO ANYWAYS, The plot line in itself is so interesting! I absolutely love the story! It's very unique I think. I haven't really come across anything like this book before. I highly highly recommend it :D

