Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Expected Publication: October 16th 2012
Series: Yes
Genre: Young Adult - Dystopian
Obtained From: Publisher via Netgalley
★★★
Read from September 3 to September 11, 2012
"Incapable. Awkward. Artless.I had seen so many people rave about this before I requested an eARC from Netgalley so I highly expected an awesome read. ... I was left a bit disappointed.
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 as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. 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 wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.
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 stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.
Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back." - Goodreads
This is written fantastically and the world building is compelling and creative. However, there were too many elements that were unanswered or unexplained and the characters were too weak and underdeveloped for my liking.
Adelice is the protagonist and while her naivety might be put down to her age, her actions still didn't make sense. For instance, she is totally against the guild thanks to her parents but her parents never said why, and she has no idea why they hated the guild.
The love triangle was underdeveloped and boring. Adelice switches between Jost and Erik for no real reason and it felt completely unnecessary.
There were so many things that didn't make sense or weren't explained. What happens when married couples conceive without permission? How do they even 'choose' the sex since they get permission to conceive and get told what they will have? How did the Spinsters and Crewels come about? Why are the men in control? If the women - Spinsters and Crewels - control time etc, why aren't they just in total control? If they weave and monitor the weave then they would know when someone is doing something they shouldn't be, like teaching your child to fail the test, yes?
They are just some of the issues. Maybe they will be addressed in the sequel? One can only hope.
Maybe because I have read so many dystopians recently that the whole 'government in control of what you can and can't do' thing is wearing thin with me? Crewel is no different, it's all the same old, same old.
The ending had me a little confused. I didn't find it very easy to 'picture', but Crewel definitely has my interest and I will be reading the sequel, even if it's just to see if things are explained further.
If you haven't read many dystopians then you will most likely love this and should read it. Gennifer Albins' writing is delightful to read and she has created an intriguing world indeed.
My Rating
Plot: 3.5/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
World-Building: 3/5
Pace: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3 stars
(3.5 if I did half ratings)
Overall Rating: 3 stars
(3.5 if I did half ratings)
