CREWEL by Gennifer Albin

Crewel
Gennifer Albin

Rating: A
Synopsis:
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 on the book:
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up a copy of Crewel. I decided to take a chance on it and bought it at a library sale, and I'm so glad I did. This novel is fantastic. Albin weaves a captivating and seemingly "perfect" world (hence why I categorized it Utopian instead of Dystopian, in which the world isn't perfect and everyone knows it) with realistic characters and a mysterious and suspenseful plot. I enjoyed Crewel much more than I thought I would, and I can't wait for the sequel, Altered, to come out in October. 

In my opinion, Adelice is everything a main character should be. She's sarcastic and strong, yet still has a heart, which at times makes her vulnerable. Yes, she needs to learn to keep her mouth shut sometimes, but at least she's not one who would stand around and let awful things happen without trying to do something about it. Even though she experiences great loss, she still manages to keep herself together in order to survive. Jost is pretty amazing, too, though I'm not sure how I feel about some of the revelations regarding him. I absolutely love Erik. He's funny and charming, and I actually think I like him better than Jost. I'm not really one for love triangles, and I'm not sure why everyone likes Adelice better than every other female I've encountered, unless they, too, find sarcasm enduring, but this one doesn't come across as too obnoxious. Each of the characters, including secondary characters and "bad guys," is well-developed and believable. There are no stock characters, and each character evolves as the novel unfolds. 

The world-building is top-notch, and it is scattered throughout the story. Thankfully there aren't really any info dumps, except a few of the lessons from Loricel. Albin is so good at explaining things that I actually understood the weaving, which is a miracle, considering my scientific knowledge, haha. I could clearly picture Arras and the Coventry, and I was impressed by both the concept and execution of this world. The plot is extremely suspenseful, and it's impossible to know who can and cannot be trusted, which adds an air of mystery. I felt bad for Adelice quite often, but she never really takes the time to stop and feel sorry for herself, which I liked. The poor girl can't stay out of trouble, though, and I was kept on edge throughout the entire novel. The pacing is spot on, and the ending ties things up nicely. Yes, a mysterious occurrence happens right at the end, but a lot of the problems and questions are resolved by the end of this book, so I don't feel like the cliffhanger was too terrible. 

Overall, I'd recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a unique and intriguing Sci-fi/Utopian book. Give Crewel a try. You won't be sorry. 

Order Crewel today!