Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Crewel World #1

Release Date: Ocotber 16^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 368

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Source: ARC from BEA

Incapable. Awkward. Artless. That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail. Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested. Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape. Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

Crewel really was the kind of book that stays with you once you’re done. Gennifer Albin created an amazing and original world that simply got me hooked from the beginning. Crewel does a great job at distinguishing itself from other dystorian novels. It is the kind of book that will captivate both fan of dystopian and those who might still be on the fence with those. The idea of the Spinster is just so intriguing: the ability to weave the world, control everything. It is a little creepy to imagine someone having that kind of power over everyone.

The characters were also really interesting. We get a nice variety of personality. Adelice is a great narrator, and she brings a nice nuance to the world she is from. Everyone wants to be a Spinster, yet she tries to hide her talent from everyone to stay with her family instead of living this life presented as perfect. The villain in this novel added a nice layer to the story. We have Maela, a cruel Spinster in charged of the training, and we have Cormac, the man in charged of the Coventry. Both are in charge of Adelice’s future in a way, and it can’t be the right kind of enemy to have.

Of course, I cannot not talk about the love interests. Yes, theirs is a small love triangle in the novel. The first one is Erik, Maela’s assistant, and the second is Jost, the head valet. I think it is easy to see which one is her favorite, but it is still a love triangle. I have to say that this one didn’t really bother me that much, but be warned if you can’t stand those. The last character I have to talk about is Loricel, the Creweler (the most gifted Spinster) and I have to say that her she was fascinating. I almost wish we could get a short story about her, about her past, her life.

This novel really made me fall in love with Gennifer Albin’s writing. I simply can’t wait to read what will happen next in the series. This is a book I really don’t regret reading, since the world is simply amazing, and so is the story.