Crewel

November 29, 2012 Uncategorized 0

Crewel

I didn’t notice the face on this cover for the longest time!

Author: Gennifer Albin
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Publication Date: October 16, 2012
Pages: 368
Series: Crewel World, book one
Source: Requested ARC from publisher

About the Book: Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl is in charge of other’s destinies, but not her own.
 
Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has always been special. When her parents discover her gift—the ability to weave the very fabric of reality—they train her to hide it. For good reason, they don’t want her to become a Spinster — one of the elite, beautiful, and deadly women who determine what people eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they die.
 
Thrust into the opulent Western Coventry, Adelice will be tried, tested and tempted as she navigates the deadly politics at play behind its walls.  Now caught in a web of lies and forbidden romance, she must unravel the sinister truth behind her own unspeakable power.  Her world is hanging by a thread, and Adelice, alone, can decide to save it — or destroy it.

My Thoughts: Oh man. This book totally took me by surprise. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting. Whatever it was, it didn’t even come close to the reality of how much I enjoyed this book. And the thing is, I expected to like it. I mean, that summary? Sounds totally awesome!!! And it was. But it was somehow even more. I really loved everything about it. 

The thing that really set Crewel apart for me was the world building. Seriously… it’s like whoa. I mean, there are these girls, right? And they literally weave reality. Like, they control the weather, and where food is distributed, and whether you live or die! Crazy sauce, I KNOW! Plus, plus, plus, these girls (Spinsters) are basically locked up in their “coventry” and taught how to control all the things. The really talented ones get to do super cool stuff well the rest get more mundane tasks. But just being a Spinster is a privilege so they are all excited. I don’t want to give too much away but you can imagine how the social dynamic looks when you have a group of teen girls vying for position! Add in corruption, power struggles and hot boys and you get my kind of book!

I also really love the way Gennifer Albin plays with words. There is the obvious Crewel/Cruel connection of course. But my favorite is that in in Adelice’s world “Spinsters” are beautiful and powerful. The word has the opposite connotation than it does in our world. Yay for turning things on their head! 

Basically you just really need to read this book. Like, yesterday. Just don’t yell at me because you have to wait for book two!

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