Crewel

Crewel

By Gennifer Albin

Published on October 6, 2012
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) 
Source: A Friend

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.

I am a sucker for rainbows.  I really am.  I will be honest- I had absolutely no idea what this story was about.  I got this book specifically because I needed to see the cover in person. I am so very glad I did.

I am not sure if Crewel is a dystopian or a science fiction book- it seems like a mixture of both.  Both genres are very strongly reflected in the story and it felt like a good balance of the two.  I loved the idea of time threads controlling everything and that those threads can be woven and changed.  It was a bit of fantasy that I thought was so well conceived and executed.  I never felt confused about what Adelice did or manipulated in the time threads.  The world building in this planet was done so well that I felt fully informed without having information being dumped on me.

I do wish that Adelice's parents were explained a bit better.  I didn't really understand where they were coming from or why they were so knowledgeable about the truth behind the time threads and the creweler (which now that I think about it... I want a doughnut.)

The romance between Adelice and her fellow was alright, but I was a bit confused about why it suddenly took off (and I didn't really like the way he treated her).  The other guy in the picture- well I am rooting for him.  I know I know, I am being vague, but on the chance that someone is reading this- I don't want to spoil it!

In some ways, this book read a bit like the Selection.  There were a ton of descriptions about hair, makeup, and clothing.  I will be honest- I loved it.  I love reading about all of those things.

Crewel ended very strong, but left me with a ton of questions.  Is it in the sky? Is it a virtual reality? What exactly is going on?  This was a fast paced awesome book and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!