Gennifer Albin
Genre: Dystopian, Fantasy
Paperback: 368 Pages
Publication: October 16, 2012
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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 to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. 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 used her hidden talent for a moment. 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 jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.
Because tonight, they’ll come for her.
Adelice has been trained by her parents to hide her powers; however, she slips up and reveals her incredible talent at weaving during the testing. Now, the Guild is coming for her, and she is forced to remove from her home to become a Spinster to labor in the Coventry for the rest of her life. There, she attracts the attention of the guard Erik, the head valet Josten, the power-hungry ambassador Cormac, and the Creweler, only the most powerful Spinster of them all. As Adelice learns the potential of her own abilities, she realizes that there is more to her world than she thought.
Adelice is bold, feisty, and very outspoken. She doesn’t know how to keep quiet for her own good. Some of this can be attributed to her naivety since she doesn’t understand what’s going on, but a great deal is due to her reckless nature. I like her conversations with Cormac; they make me laugh. She suffers great loss as well, but she always remains true to herself. I respect how she stays true to her beliefs without shying away from what she needs to do. Her experiences serve to help her grow into a stronger character.
The side characters are interesting as well. I like how not all the characters are clearly good or evil, and I could understand the character motivations of those I didn’t want to like. The Creweler is one of my favorite characters because she’s kind and supportive. Erik is gorgeous, charming, and cocky. I like Erik because he makes Adelice laughs, and he is willing to give up everything for her even if she may not love him the way he does for her. Josten is tough, protective, and mysterious. He has a broken history, and he learns to love again because of Adelice. They trust each other. Though there are two guys in Adelice’s life, she doesn’t waver between the guys; she knows who she likes.
I like the idea of being able to weave matter into time. It is unique and creative. In Arras, men control everything except reality, which is continually woven and re-woven by Spinsters, who are all women. The story is slow to build. Instead of laying out the world building in the beginning of the book, the author takes her time by slowly giving pieces bit by bit through the book. Not much happens until the end since this book is about setting the foundation for the plot. Still, it isn’t boring. We get to learn things along with Adelice as she learns more about her society, and the intrigue and plot twists pull the story along quite nicely.
Overall, I like Crewel. The ending is thrilling and introduces a new adventure for this series. I am very much excited to see where the author goes with this and hope to see more of Adelice’s powers in book two.
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Author: alice
Alice is a stay-at-home mom of two children. Her favorite books are those send icy tingles down her spine, such as a good mystery or thriller, but she also enjoys a good hear-throbbing romance. She enjoys listening to music and drinking a cup of tea while reading and working.
alice says
Thanks. Me too.
Bookworm1858 says
I loved the weaving of time and world in this book-so cool. My fave part though was definitely the cliffhanger, which left me dying for the second book. Hope you to get that soon!
alice says
Thanks.
Christy @ Love of Books says
I've seen this around, but never paid much attention to it. The whole weaving matter into time thing sounds really interesting though. Great review.
Zoe N. says
This definitely seems like an awesome and fascinating / unique premise! I'm really glad to hear that it lived up to your expectations! And the fact that the side characters are really interesting makes me really happy because characters are always my favorite parts of novels!
Thanks so much for sharing, and, as always, fabulous review Alice! 😀
~Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf
alice says
Thanks.
Jon G. says
Great review! I loved this book, for some I haven't picked up Altered yet :/
-Scott Reads It!
alice says
Thanks. I am glad you like the book too. I am going to read Altered soon.
Brandi Kosiner says
I loved this premise but couldn't get into it when I first tried to read, but I am so glad that you enjoyed, and I will prb try again one of these days
alice says
Thanks. Try again and you might enjoy it this time.
bookish wonders says
love the review! i've always been on the edge to read this book. i wanted to because everyone else i know has read it, but then i wonder if I truly may want to because i personally want to. your review may have just convinced me 😀
alice says
Thanks. Let me know how you feel about the book when you done.