Thursday 29 August 2013

Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Crewel by Gennifer Albin
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.


Title: Crewel
Author: Gennifer Albin
Series: Crewel World #1
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Publication Date: October 16th 2012
Source: Purchased
Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thoughts: 

The strands of light wrapping one another in the void mesmerize me.

It's been a long time since I've been so conflicted about a book. My problem is that I loved the concept, the beginning, and the ending, but didn't care that much about the rest. But let's start this review positive:

The concept of this book is great. Amazing, even. Weaving time? My only response to that is 'whoa', because I think it's extremely creative. This subject also makes for a lot of things to explore: how is time woven? What is the effect on the society? What would happen if one destroyed the strands of time? How does an artificially made community work? Wouldn't there be a lot of discussion? After all, everbody's idea of Utopia is different. These are all questions that pop into my head immediately and luckily, most are answered in the book.

Unfortunately, not all questions are answered. There seems to be no discussion about the world - instead, the government has absolute power. But even within this government, everybody just does what they are told. I thought this was a bit unrealistic, because I think that discussion exists everywhere. Besides, for a novel about weaving time, there isn't an awful lot of weaving going on. I really wish there were more passages about Adelice weaving time, because I thought they were very interesting and fun. 

They came in the night.

The book starts off strong. From the first sentence, there is a sense of foreboding, and as Crewel's world is explained, we can't help but know that something will go very wrong. The first sixty or so pages drew me in, and I had to know what would happen. But after that, there was a whole lot of middle that, although I'm sorry to say this, didn't interest me that much. I just didn't have that strong urge to pick up the book and read further. I could lay it away easily. And this, for me and for a lot of others, is not good. When I read, I have to live to that moment were I can read further again. I just didn't feel it with this one. That doesn't mean the middle part isn't interesting. It is. There's a lot happening. But still.

I finally slipped - my fingers gracefully winding through the ebbing bands of time.

Then, something happens that I didn't believe at ALL and actually had me a little angry. It is spoilery though. If you want to read this, simply select the text with your cursor:

Early in the book, both Adelice's parents die and her sister is brainwashed. Now, if I only think about my parents dying, I get choked up. And they are still alive. But Adelice sheds a few tears and then NEVER THINKS OF THEM AGAIN. Ever! Only sometimes she thinks of her sister, who is still alive. If my parents died, I would be utterly devastated. I don't know what I would do. I just couldn't handle it. And this girl never ever thinks of them again? I can't believe that. I just can't. Sorry.

The end, however, is very strong and singlehandedly earned this book an extra star. Lots of THINGS are happening and it's confusing and sad. That ending was VERY good. I loved it. I loved it so much that I need Altered right now, even though I didn't like Crewel THAT much. So there's that.

In all, a bit disappointing. The start and end of the book were amazing, as was its concept. The middle part just was a bit too boring for me.

Tonight they'll come for me.

4 comments:

  1. There are so many mixed reviews on this one- not sure when I should be picking this one up now. but have you seen the new covers?! They are absolutely perfection.

    Fantastic review, Celine! <33

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And I'm not sure if I would recommend it! I have seen the new covers, but unfortunately, I hate them, haha. Nothing can beat the pretty of this original cover!

      Thank you <3

      Delete
  2. Hmm...I was interested in this, but like Melanie said, mixed reviews make me more hesitant to pick it up. Great review! BTW, I'm totally with you. I would be absolutely devastated.

    Mary @ Mary Had a Little Book Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I think the book was okay, but I'm not sure if I would really recommend it.

      And I know, right? I don't even know what I would do.

      Delete

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